Charmaine Lehman from Dean Park is excited by what her future holds as she expands her skills and knowledge as a mature-aged TAFE NSW student.
© Jack Lehman
There’s a milestone in a parent’s life that frees up valuable time. That milestone comes care of a proud teenager and a P-plate.
Less time spent on chauffeur duties driving children from sports fields to social events, meant Charmaine Lehman from Dean Park gained some time to invest in her own personal development at TAFE NSW.
Ms Lehman grew up on a farm in Tasmania before moving to the outskirts of Sydney, where she admits with a laugh, she ended up back on a farm.
“I was off to the big smoke, but I ended up working on one of Sydney’s largest horse agistment farms, Hambledon Road Horse Park,” Ms Lehman said.
© Jack Lehman
It wasn’t long before she took over that business, now known as Greater Western Sydney Horse Park, and moved it to a new location. She built it up into a successful venture which enabled her to support her family.
Now in her 50s, with two teenage children who are gaining independence, she decided to invest a little time in developing her own skills.
“My daughter is in year 12 and studying agriculture, she would often ask me questions that related to farm life,” Ms Lehman said.
“I would answer as a farmer, but she would tell me there was a technical term for what I had said.”
Those conversations encouraged Ms Lehman to visit the TAFE NSW website where she discovered agriculture, from more than 1,200 courses, diplomas and degrees.
“I wanted to enrol in a course that would give me a formal qualification to recognise my existing knowledge and skills,” she said.
“I liked the sound of the agriculture course and enrolled at TAFE NSW Richmond.”
It was the first time she had set foot in a classroom for a few decades and she admitted being a little unsure in the beginning.
© Jack Lehman
“I’ve basically been in a paddock for 30 years, but I have to say I’m absolutely loving learning at TAFE NSW. I should have done this sooner,” she said.
“In a way this is re-launching my career, I’d eventually like to re-locate my business from Sydney to a regional area.
“I’m certainly gaining more technical skills to complement my practical skills. My business is limited by land availability so new skills means more options in the future and more regions that I could move to.
“I’m studying two days a week which still allows me the time to run my business.”
TAFE NSW Semester 2 begins on 23 July. To enrol visit www.tafensw.com.au or phone 131 601.
Source: TAFE NSW
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