Ros Beaton

"I think I can feel quite proud that the team I worked with didn't ever rest on their laurels. We were always saying: What is going on here? Is there a gap? What can we do? Who can we work with?" - Ros Beaton

Ros has worked with federal and state governments, schools, universities and community organisations to respond to and aid Victorian culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She was a key member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Languages Other than English (LOTE), English as a Second Language (ESL) and multicultural education, providing strategic input and advice to ensure effective programs for all ESL students in Victoria.

Ros has a genuine interest in supporting individuals, 'people whose situations are not easy'.

"I have an in-built sense of social justice that people should be given equal opportunity, and particularly for education," she says. "A strong sense that everybody deserves that opportunity to be supported as much as they can be through education."

As a teacher at Moreland High School in the 1970s, Ros taught many migrant students 'when migrant services were starting out'. Her next main teaching appointment was at the Collingwood Education Centre (now Collingwood College), which was experiencing a wave of Vietnamese, Cambodian and African migration.

"I became involved with developing courses for young adults," she says. "Together with other providers, we developed a really comprehensive range of programs."

Ros then spent 11 years as ESL Manager at the Department of Education and Training. "I think we consistently looked to improve the provision of services for migrant and refugee students. While I was managing ESL we probably extended the new arrivals program considerably. In the beginning it was really English language schools and centres as the main form of provision and students had to travel to those locations. We managed to extend those services to many more students. We made programs available where the students were, rather than expecting the students to hop on the train and come to us."

Ros served on the Victorian Settlement and Planning Committee to develop initiatives that support the settlement of students and their families. She has also worked with the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc to ensure schools are aware of the support services available.

Ros received the Premier's Community Harmony Award in 2005 for her outstanding contribution to further cross-cultural harmony.