Mrs Barbara Baker (and family)

Teacher

Barbara Baker (nee Sladen), Class of 1959, was one of only 48 girls in the senior year of 1959 (comprising about one-quarter of that year's BSHS matriculants).  Barbara was Form Captain, Kendall House Captain, a Prefect, an academic prize winner and a member of the B tennis team. 

After school, Barbara trained as a teacher, attending the Kelvin Grove Teachers' College, as did over half of the cohort (other girls becoming physiotherapists, pharmacists, anaesthetists, dentists, and librarians).  With most of her career spent as a high school teacher, Barbara also taught or tutored at primary and tertiary levels, in evening/adult classes, as a supply teacher and in Distance Education. Her own education has continued over the years and Barbara holds an MA (Applied Linguistics), speech and drama qualifications (FTCL and ASDA) and a certificate in TESOL.  Barbara has also worked as an editorial assistant at Jacaranda Press and a researcher in language provision in Australia, working through UQ. She has reviewed fiction for The Courier-Mail and for Good Reading magazine and has self-published short stories and children's verse.

Barbara's family is well connected to State High, having taught there after graduating from 1964-1967 and again on her return from overseas in 1970, where she met her husband, Ray, who was teaching maths and science. Barbara and Ray's three sons also attended State High. Darren (1987-91) is a software developer who ran a video games business for many years and currently works for CSIRO Data 6. Steven (1989-93) was the dux of Year 11, a debater, member of the Chamber Orchestra, a Prefect, and is now a professional arranger and orchestrator for film and recorded music. Peter (1992-6) was Vice-Captain of the First Eleven Cricket team, a member of the Chamber Orchestra and is now a landscape architect.