Fairfax Academy exchange student returns: A former teenage student from Down Under who studied at Fairfax Academy in the 1980s took a trip down memory lane when he made a return visit to the Sutton Coldfield school – 36 years later.
Shaun Huntington, who is now a finance broker in Melbourne, attended Fairfax as an exchange student in 1989. With his wife Debbie and sons Liam and Lachlan in tow, he stepped back in time when he was shown around Fairfax as a VIP guest by Deputy Head of Academy Rachel Boyce and Assistant Principal Helen Williams.
Shaun said: “My time at Fairfax was an integral part of my exchange student experience. It was a very welcoming environment which helped me connect with a place and community that was obviously foreign initially.”
As a teenager, Shaun’s exchange programme was sponsored by his local Mooroopna Rotary Club, as well as the Sutton, Sutton Vesey and Erdington Rotary Clubs. While in Sutton Coldfield, he stayed with three families – the Longmans, the Hayes and the Jacksons – the latter of which joined him in revisiting Fairfax.
Living in a new country was an adventure to Shaun, and he was helped along the way by his host families and Fairfax staff.
He said: “At first I thought Aussies must be so close to the British, but when I arrived there were a lot of differences. It made it very exciting for a teenager who came from a rural town of only 6,000 people in Victoria.
“Making friends at Fairfax was both easy and challenging all at once! The other students were interested to learn about my background, and school staff also supported me.
“If I’m not mistaken, I was the first exchange student from Australia to attend Fairfax, and everyone really made me feel at home.”
Fairfax Academy exchange student Shaun reconnects with old friends
Shaun said that revisiting Fairfax and reconnecting with old friends in Sutton reignited fond memories of teachers at the school.
In particular, he remembered Mrs Gardiner, who fostered his love for English Literature, Mr Heath who taught him History which he never would have learned in the Australian curriculum, and PE teacher Mr Evans, who coached Shaun in rugby.
He also recalled his Head of House, Mr Summer, who led Stratford House.
Shaun said: “With the house system being so central at Fairfax, Mr Summer connected me to the house life. I had a chat with him just before I left the school, in which he acknowledged my passionate involvement in the system and awarded me my half colours, just for the amount of activity I’d done for Stratford!”
And the house system wasn’t the only Fairfax tradition Shaun remembered with fondness. He remembered taking part in the Eisteddfod, Fairfax’s legendary annual interhouse arts competition.
He said: “The culture of friendly competition at Fairfax was very different from my school in Australia, where we tended to do events as a whole school. I loved competing in the Eisteddfod – it had a great reputation, and the school was full of activity and excitement.
“For a student who preferred sports over the arts, I was surprised at how much I got into the Eisteddfod, forming part of a backstage crew. It probably helped that my house, Stratford, won that year!”
Shaun also recalled a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh, who landed in a chopper at the back of the school.
Shaun said: “This was a much-anticipated and wonderful day for the school. There was such a buzz of excitement amongst the school, and the Duke was clearly very genuinely interested in Fairfax, which had a strong D of E program.
“I was even personally introduced to him as ‘our Australian exchange student’!”
Shaun’s fondest memory was of his rugby career at Fairfax.
He explained: “In Victoria, Australian Rules Football (AFL) is the predominate football code, which is very different to Rugby Union, so I had some learning to do!
“I made it to the Stratford team and was called up to play for the school under Mr Evans, a ferocious Welshman who clearly loved the game of rugby. Our first match was against John Wilmott School. There was a big turnout to watch, and the adrenaline was pumping.
“I remember mistakenly running with the ball after being tackled, which is ok in AFL, forgetting it wasn’t allowed in Rugby Union! I crossed the try line, thinking I’d scored a try for the team… then realisation crept in that something was wrong, with quizzical looks from my teammates.
“What I remember more clearly was Mr Evans’ reaction. It was direct, clear and very colourfully worded!”
Shaun had a wonderful visit to Fairfax, which was still strangely familiar to him even after three decades.
He said: “Even though parts of the building have obviously changed, the layout and ‘feel’ of it still felt true to my memories. My sons were really interested and loved being part of it all.
“I can tell Fairfax is a school that carries forward the legacy and pride in its place in the community, as it did when I attended.”
Fairfax Principal Sean Castle said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Shaun back to Fairfax, and to show him and his family around the school site, which has changed so much since he attended.
“His memories of the school, including the visit by Duke of Edinburgh, were fascinating.
“As we talked, it was also encouraging to hear that much of what makes Fairfax special – the sense of belonging, the friendly competition – is just the same now as it was back in 1989.”