Most educators hope they have made a difference in the lives of the children in their care.
Tameka Dunkley knows she has when former students stop her in the street.
Living and working in Mount Isa means those encounters happen regularly. A young adult will recognise her while she’s shopping, stop to say hello and reminisce about their time at Outside School Hours Care. Many still remember the games they played, the friendships they formed and the sense of connection they felt years earlier.
For Tameka, those conversations never lose their significance.
“I still have children, who are now adults, that come up to me in the street and tell me how much they enjoyed their time at OSHC,” she said.
“That there is my why.”
As Service Leader at St Joseph’s Outside School Hours Care, Mount Isa, Tameka has spent more than a decade building the kind of relationships that endure long after children have outgrown the service itself. While OSHC is sometimes viewed simply as care before and after school, she knows it can be much more than that. For many children, it becomes a place where they develop confidence, build friendships and connect with trusted adults who genuinely care about them.
Learning responsibility early
Long before she worked in education and care, Tameka was already looking after children.
As the eldest daughter in a family of seven, she helped her single mother care for her younger sisters while balancing school and everyday life. Responsibility came early, as did an appreciation for the patience, flexibility and resilience needed when supporting others.
Looking back, she can see how those experiences laid the foundations for the career that followed.
While still at school, she took on babysitting jobs and completed work experience in a long day care service. After finishing Year 12, she moved to Normanton where she worked at the local state school for two years before returning to Mount Isa and beginning her first role in Outside School Hours Care.
The promotion came quickly.
Within three months she was managing the service, a role she would hold for the next eight years before moving into her current position at St Joseph’s. Although she enjoyed her experience in long day care, it was OSHC that truly captured her imagination.
The reason was simple.
The relationships.
Unlike many other settings, Outside School Hours Care allows educators to walk alongside children for years. They watch interests develop, friendships strengthen and confidence grow. They become part of the fabric of children’s lives in ways that often extend far beyond the school gate.
Thinking differently in the outback
Working in a remote community has also shaped Tameka’s approach to leadership.
Mount Isa sits hundreds of kilometres from the nearest major regional centre, which means support and resources are not always immediately available. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, Tameka believes it has encouraged creativity and problem-solving.
“Out here we really need to think outside the box,” she said.
Operating in a remote context has taught her that leadership is often about finding practical solutions, supporting your team and making the most of what is available. It has also reinforced the importance of strong local networks and community connections.
The experience, she says, has strengthened her practice and helped shape the educational leader she is today.
The small changes that matter
Some of Tameka’s proudest professional moments have involved children experiencing behavioural challenges.
She is quick to point out that progress rarely happens overnight. More often, growth appears gradually through small changes in attitude, confidence or relationships.
A child who learns new ways to express their feelings.
A stronger friendship group.
A growing willingness to participate.
A calmer response to situations that once felt overwhelming.
Watching these changes unfold is one of the most rewarding parts of her work because they often reflect a child’s growing confidence in themselves and the people around them.
The same applies to her team. As a leader, she takes enormous pride in helping other educators develop confidence in their own abilities and supporting them as they grow professionally.
A community that stays with you
One of the things Tameka values most about Catholic education is the emphasis placed on relationships and community.
She believes children thrive when they feel connected, respected and genuinely known. Just as importantly, she believes families should feel that same sense of belonging.
Parents and caregivers, she says, are children’s first teachers. Building strong partnerships with families helps create consistency, trust and support around every child.
After more than twelve years in early childhood education and care, Tameka has come to realise that success is rarely measured in a single moment. More often, it reveals itself over time, in the confidence of a child who once struggled, the growth of a team member discovering their potential or the former OSHC child who remembers those years so fondly that they still stop to say hello.
For Tameka, those encounters are a reminder that while childhood passes quickly, the connections formed during those years can stay with us for a lifetime.
And in a profession built on connection, there may be no clearer sign that the work has mattered.