A man of many talents
We’re lucky to have Chee Wong as part of our team at the Carramar campus! He’s not only an incredibly skilled Design and Technology Technician, he’s also the associate pastor of the Church that meets on campus!
Chee originally joined St Stephen’s School as part of the Property Services team who take care of our beautiful grounds and buildings.
“I first joined Property Services in June 2022, and then I changed to become the D&T Technician in February last year,” said Chee.
It was Chee’s skill and experience as a tradesman that recommended him to his current role.
“Experience in the trades such as woodworking and heavy machinery in my case are helpful to this role, and having good interpersonal skills while being comfortable with working around machinery and tools are also important.”
For Chee, no two days are alike.
“My days vary quite a lot, between working on machine maintenance, purchasing supplies and account admin, helping classes with practical teaching and production in workshop and getting our WHS sheets up-to-date and on display for all our machines and chemicals”.
“What I really enjoy is observing times when the student really ‘gets-it’ using a tool or machine for the first time, and then is eager to get stuck in using it to create something. It’s also cool when they have moments of pride completing a project they have made,” said Chee.
The role of D&T technician is something of a balancing act, though!
“The biggest challenge is the juggle between being present for the needs of the classes and the requirements to stay on top of the workshop supplies and maintenance.”
Prior to joining St Stephen’s School, Chee worked in a range of roles, including FIFO, private business owner and as a pastor. Today working as a pastor is his chief occupation outside of his role as a technician.
“I am currently associate pastor a community that meets on our Carramar campus called Renew. It pretty much takes all my free time at the moment but when I do get some personal time, I like nothing more than spending it quietly with my family,” said Chee.
“I am a father with a hugely supportive wife and family, with three (not so small) kids. My daughter Isabelle works in our school too, helping in the canteen as she navigates her way through further studies in education support. We are both very thankful for the opportunities God opened up for us to be part of St Stephen’s School, I’m especially thankful with how I continue now in this current role. There is always something more to learn as staff in all we do, as we hope to keep our students learning and growing themselves.”