Penny Anderson

An interview

How long have you taught at LC?

• She started out as a student at LC• Taught here from 1984 to 1994• “Reincarned” back to LC in 2001 and has

been here ever since• “I’ve spent a lot of my adult life at LC”

Have you always wanted to be a teacher?

• She had a range of interests early on.• Always interested in psychology• Once she finished Year 12, she was offered

two scholarships to study• RMIT and a studentship• Wasn’t ready to leave Tasmania and chose

between the two• Hasn’t regretted teaching – some of the

things about being in class is what she likes to do best

What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever visited?

• At the moment, freshest memory is being in Havana.

• Loves to play the trumpet and has watched movies about Cuba and was expecting to see a lot of interesting things

• An “interesting, eclectic blend of cultures”• Life happens on the streets in Cuba• Music, culture and art is a unifying aspect of

society – real emphasis on life.• “Book the tickets! We’ll finish the course

(Studies in Religion) in Havana!

Any other interesting places that you’ve visited?

• First overseas trip when she was younger – Bali, Indonesia

• She wanted to see if she could travel solo• She spent two months travelling through

Bali, and visited Changi• Her grandfather was a POW and she wanted

to see what that experience was like for him. • It wasn’t a markedly different place in many

ways, and she was shocked to see it so unchanged. Horrified, but she was moved by it

Do you have any pets?

• Jasper – Welsh cardigan Corgi. Black and white. A “legendary dog” who’s just “happy, happy, happy, all the time”. Her face lit up when she said this.

• Gwen – Burmese cat. She’s a “law unto herself” and “beats up the dog mercilessly”

• She doesn’t really get up unless it’s sunny outside and there’s no point unless it’s sunny outside

What else do you do apart from teaching?

• Family is very important, along with friends. I put 99% of my non-school time into family. There isn’t a lot of non-school time, though, because school just tends to “take over your life”

The end of the interview

• I have this afternoon off, just to do whatever she wants and to take some time for herself

• One of her great indulgences is to get a glossy magazine and sink into a nice cushy chair with a nice coffee in Gloria Jean’s or somewhere and bliss out into nothingness. “That’s my idea of heaven”

A final note…

I left Penny to her perfect afternoon, and ended the interview there. I thought that it would be a good time to leave her to have just one afternoon to herself, just to do what she wanted for a change.