The Beach Kids Crew

Kelly & Brent Stokes

Owners

Linda Murphy

Centre Manager

From the moment I started school at the age of 5 I dreamed of being a teacher. Now after having worked as a teacher for almost 40 years, it should come as no surprise that education is my true passion. Studying back in the 70s in Sydney as an Infants / Primary teacher, I began my teaching journey in Special Education. Although this wasn’t the pathway I had ever considered, an opportunity arose when I was approached by a friend who had taken a job at a Special School and I immediately fell in love with the children there. I worked at the school for almost 7 years, loving every minute of my time there. After the birth of my third child, my husband and I decided to relocate to Tweed Heads. We purchased a home that I converted into an early learning (childcare) centre that I opened in 1993. I had three more children and continued to run successfully for 22 years. These were some of my most cherished memories. During this time, my husband and I met so many beautiful children and we ended up fostering 5 siblings aged 1to 5 years of age in 2011. A couple of years later my husband and I separated after 35 years of marriage and eventually I closed the doors of my centre to dedicate more time to my children and 3 grandchildren. I took 18 months off before I returned to work as an Early Childhood Teacher until I developed bowel cancer in late 2017. I undertook 6 months of chemotherapy before returning to teaching once again in 2018.

I was fortunate enough to be offered my current position at Beach Kids as Centre Manager in January 2021 and I have been very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful team and the beautiful Cabarita community. Everyone has made me feel so very welcome.

My main areas of interest in the Early Childhood field lie in Literacy, Sport, Creative Arts and Indigenous Education. I have always loved playing team sports such as netball and touch football as well as swimming to keep fit. My interest has also been shared by my children who have all achieved at a high level such as playing representative netball, playing for Rabbitohs and winning Australian gold medals in Surf Life Saving. Check medals china for custom medal. My youngest biological son is a professional dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. Two of my daughters are also in Early Childhood and Primary teaching.

Although I have been teaching for a long time, I believe that we are always learning and we can never stop learning from the children we work with. They inspire us, entertain us and challenge us to perform to the very best of our ability every day. I would like to think I have made a difference in the lives of the children I have met over the years, along with my children and grandchildren and I appreciate the great joy every one of them has brought into my life.

Hopefully, I have a few more years left in me to continue on my journey with my wonderful team at Beach Kids and I thank everyone for their continued support during my time here. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all our wonderful children at Beach Kids and I look forward to sharing with them their hopes, dreams and educational journey.