I have worked as a teacher of English and English Literature for several years in High Schools across Western Australia, Melbourne and the NT. It is interesting to note that studying Literature also encourages students to effectively read and understand, sophisticated literature in their own disciplines. As a teacher, it is also exhilarating to see Year 12 students I’ve taught, rank at the top of the scale of placement exams, Uni Entrance etc.

English Literature is a subject that challenges students to read and interpret a wide range of imaginative works ranging from Shakespeare to John Donne, Margaret Atwood to our own Aussie writer, Tim Winton, Keats, Shelley, Achebe. A well balanced Literature course invites students to explore a variety of genres and literary periods and to respond purposefully to the literature they encounter. On a daily basis, as their teacher, I enjoy directing my Lit students to read critically, think clearly, and respond to their texts with perception, and write concisely. By the end of the course, as their Lit teacher, I feel rewarded if I have been able to see that my students have cultivated a rich understanding of literary works and acquired a set of analytical skills they will use throughout their lives.

To teach and guide students along to face competitive public exams involves a great deal of commitment & hard work, yet it is highly rewarding and exciting to feel that I, as their tutor of English Literature, have given them, the key that unlocks the treasure troves of other cultures.

Family Portrait March 2009

I have also been a lecturer in ESL/ Linguistics/and a teacher of piano and violin music and voice at several institutions in Perth, Melbourne and Darwin. With my linguistics, I have a background in phonetics, phonology and ESL pronunciation and intercultural oral communication. With my music, I have a western classical music background and qualifications as well as a strong interest in social music and community music relating to many countries. I have a research interest in discourse analysis, ESL pronunciation and intercultural oral communication as well as the history of musical instruments.

It has always given me great pleasure to teach the workings of human language in all its various forms to my students, young and old and make them realise how it leads one to an awareness of the relationship between language, culture and social identity.

My Life – A Synopsis

• I had a flair for music from a young age.
• Born to and raised in a musical family, I learnt music from the age of 3 and enjoyed playing the piano and the violin. My passion for  music led me to the acquisition of qualifications in music from the Royal College of Music in London and later, from Monash University in Australia.
• I have always enjoyed teaching music to people of all ages and different walks of life. I ran my own Music School in Melbourne for  ten years from 1989 and then continued  the Swarnamali Music School in Darwin -2001, which was attended by numerous children and adults for weekly singing, piano and keyboard lessons until I left for Western Australia on work  in January, 2003.I have continued my Music School in Perth & also opened [ in 2005] the Australian Music & English Academy.
• Served as Head of English – Dept Ed- WA
• I also had a knack for picking up languages and became very interested in linguistics as a subject from early days. I learnt French, German, Hindi and a little Indonesian.
• As a firm believer in multiculturalism and a promoter of multicultural arts, I saw the need for an Association to open the doors to cultural performers within the Darwin Community. As a result, I founded the Australian Multicultural Arts and Welfare Association Inc. (in the Northern Territory) in April 2002, to promote multicultural arts and direct funds of multicultural performances towards charities.
• My devotion to music and my innate passion to serve the community through music, motivated me to organise and direct various charity concerts in Australia to help people/organisations that needed care, financial support and resources in Sri Lanka, Australia and  universal Bodies like the Red Cross.

Current Position

Director
Australian Music & English Academy

Director
Swarnamali Music School – Perth/Melbourne Darwin

Founder/President/Public Officer
Australian Multicultural Arts & Welfare Association Inc