Central Southland College teacher Malcolm Jones has been recognised for 22 years of voluntary service to Southern Rural Activities Education Programme (REAP) by being awarded a life membership.

Mr Jones is a REAP board member and has contributed to its alternative education programme in Southland for many years, encouraging young people who do not fit into the school system to continue learning and to achieve qualifications that will set them up for jobs and the future.

He was honoured to receive the life membership from REAP, which he described as an “amazing organisation”.

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“I was absolutely shocked. I didn’t expect it,” he said.

Mr Jones paid tribute to other board members and colleagues within REAP, who he said had shared the load and inspired him. 

Those people included the late Owen Edgerton, a former farmer who was also heavily involved in REAP and the New Zealand Schools Trustees Association.

Mr Jones’ other community contributions include regional chairman, Southland, on the New Zealand School Trustees Association.

Others he wanted to acknowledge included managers Malcolm Dun and Dawn Brocks.

“It is very easy being a board member because everything runs so well,” Mr Jones said.

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The high point of his work with REAP was “seeing kids getting into alternative education and ending up getting a job”.

Mr Jones intends to spend 2021 carrying on his volunteer work and encouraging young people to get their drivers licence through the Drive My Life programme, which REAP runs jointly with police.

Getting a licence was not to be sneezed at, because for some people it was the first thing they achieved, he said.

It was also important to get NCEA levels 1, 2, and 3, and if that could not be achieved at school, REAP provided help to do it outside the school system, he said.

“These are the things that are important to me. Some kids don’t fit the school system. I am a teacher, so I know that. I have seen kids who struggled at school but ended up with jobs,” he said.

Mr Jones will also continue his 32-year career at Central Southland College in 2021, where he teaches technology, digital communications, physical education and health.

He is on the board of trustees for Aurora College in Invercargill and for Central Southland College in Winton.