Connecting the Dots...with a Pickleball State Champ (Byron Cronin)

This week on "Connecting the Dots," Adam dives into Week 12 with reflections on his recent trip to Newcastle and Hunter Valley, exploring the charming Newey Parkrun. Back home, he meets with Byron, an extraordinary educator whose innovative teaching methods and community projects redefine what it means to be a school teacher. Join us as Byron shares his passion for empowering students with intellectual disabilities and his ventures beyond traditional education.

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Week 12. Week 12 of me filling my life with dots. One dot at a time. I put a lot in my dot each week. This week was I went to Newcastle. Check that out. And Hunter Valley, Newey Parkrun. I like that they're called Newcastle Parkrun. Newey. Newey Parkrun. And this week I get to chat to somebody that puts lots of stuff in their life, in all of their parts of their life. They I've done political campaigns with him, CrossFit with him, I've shared a stage with him, I've been on a cruise boat with him. I've done lots with this guy, he's a world traveller, an educator, a bit of a weight loss fitness freak. So let's go meet this guy. This is Byron, and he's not your typical anything. But we'll start with what he's not typical with what he does during You know what, I'm going to take my glasses off. We're outside. We're outside. And we'll get to where we're sitting opposite later, but I'm going to take my glasses off because we're outside and they're tinted. But let's start off with what you do, Byron. You're not a typical, if I said to somebody, you're a school teacher, people would have an idea of what a school teacher is, but I don't think that describes what you do at all. So tell me about what you do. It's interesting. People will ask what I do and I say I'm a high school teacher. And the next question is, what do you teach? I'm like where do I start? So I basically. Teach life, really. I work with a group of students in year 11 and 12, and they're not going to be eligible for what's called a QCE simply because of the fact that they have an intellectual disability and won't necessarily have the skills to be able to achieve a QCE. So they achieve what's called a QCIA, which is Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement. Okay. And so there are five like subjects, but they're called domains that we work in. And within those five domains, there are six statements of achievement. that each student individually achieves and then with each of those six statements of achievement, we need two pieces of evidence to say that they've achieved that. And that can either be through an academic report or photographs or reports from say if they've been out in the community working somewhere. And so that all gets collated up and sent into QCAA for assessment, and it will come back to us and say, this needs tidying up or this piece of evidence doesn't really suit because you've doubled up somewhere else. And there's subjects that we can individualize. The subjects to look at them, you'd think they're just some sort of everyday kind of thing, like learning how to do things in the community, but we can weave areas of. of a real curriculum into those. So for example, say when we do the subject that's mainly based around numeracy, we do a lot of like cooking and budgeting and where, the kids will bring in their money and we'll say how much money do we have this week? What are we going to buy? Those kind of things. So it's real world maths rather than Rather than, say, sitting down and having to complete a exam. Why I like it? I have a real passion for Students that haven't been dealt the best, deck of cards. But I try and instill to them that You can still work and you can still support yourself. So I'm very big on the kids not receiving free money by the time they leave school and just get, swept into that welfare system and join that whole learned helplessness. Welfare cycle that just seems to be happening. That's awesome. Yeah, that's why it takes me so long to answer that question. You also do beyond that, because I know that you do some things that are to the whole of the senior guys you do, there's a coffee shop involved? Yeah, so that's part of our workplace readiness subject. Okay. So we've actually been really lucky now. We do have. We have two businesses that are actually functioning at the school. One is Coffee where the students come in. And this isn't all behind students being world class baristas by the time they, by the time they leave school. It's about them understanding that to get things and to, to go on holidays and things like that, you've got to work. It's about them turning up and just following instructions from your boss. Who at the moment is my co teacher, so she runs the coffee program. The skills they are getting from it is they've got to be at school on time. If you're not going to be at school or you're not going to be at your shift, who's going to cover for you? Who have you let know? Those kind of work behaviours that, that you need to have. So we've got that and then we've just started we've had, so that's called school beans as in cool beans But school and then we have now school shakes where we sell Milkshakes in the summer months. Awesome. So and with that profit we're taking them on a super trip where we go and sleep Under the under the sharks at sea life. Yes, so we're going to do that And we're also going to spend two nights in a penthouse on the sunny coast. Awesome. I just try and think of things that, if they were to leave school tomorrow, they would never have that experience of working for something, and then doing something that you'd never be able to do. And the last one that we've just had come on board in about the last 12 months is Luke Camilleri at Aspley Mazda has invited our students, To go there on a Wednesday and Friday morning. Part of the service that you get when you get your car serviced at Aspen Manager is they have this massive breakfast that you can just go and take whatever you want. They've got pastries and coffee and everything that is just complimentary part of the part of what they do there. But what we've been doing recently is we go down there on a Wednesday and Friday morning and we cook bacon and egg rolls. Complimentary for the people getting their car serviced, which is a perfect. kind of scenario for my students. They get the workplace behaviours and that they've got to be there on time. They need to and they have the interaction with the staff. I stay right back and let them, they mingle with the staff come over and say good morning And if we've run out of bread, or if we've run out of bacon or whatever, it's up to them to go and communicate to whatever staff member what we need. And that's just been brilliant. We actually had a student at the end of last year, he finished year 12, and he said the turning point for him was, that workplace relationships that he built outside of school. So it's just been brilliant. So we've got those three programs. That that's awesome. One of the other things you obviously do is something that has put me on a stage talking to your students. Yes. And I got to meet Phil DeBella through that. I got to meet Nathan James. And they're some standout people. What was that? How did that come about? Our school, one of our school, or our school ethos is ready to learn, ready to work. Actively learning and teaching and know what we have to do to improve with a growth mindset. And I'd never really heard of growth mindset until our principal introduced it. I read the book Carol Dweck's book I think it's called Growth. And so I became really interested and really fascinated in that. And And then, one day I was actually friends with Phil DiBella on Facebook. And I saw him post one day something great happening, and then he mentioned Growth Mindset in his post. And so I just went straight to the DMs, and I said I can't believe you're talking about Growth Mindset, our school, that's all we talk about. And so then it just, it all just spiralled out, it was just gonna be him just coming to have a little chat. And then I could just see the potential in getting others there, and getting students to see how. Even you guys network and communicate as leaders in your industry. It's, yeah we do it we do it for the junior school. So we have one that's not necessarily pitched at the professional world. And we have the one for the senior school, which is pitched at the seniors and the professional world and both forums are just called Champions of Growth Mindset. On my way here I was thinking about how long I've known you because we cross paths in a lot of things and I think it was Actually, in a former life for both of us, where you helped out with one of my election campaigns. Not one of them, my only one. I did do that, yeah, here in Division 6. Yeah. Standing right there. That's right. In green, I think it was. And we were different people back then. And certainly, for me, I was much larger. And for whatever people might, remember of me being much larger you were in a whole other realm of being much larger. Much, much larger. What did you top out at? 191. 191. There you go. And that was on a truck scale. And you've gone through a massive transformation. Not only were you quite a large guy, but you're actually now very fit and active and we can talk about pickleball and crossfit in a tick, but how did you get that big? It was purely a food addiction. So I would eat, not because I was hungry, I would eat so I wouldn't get hungry. I'd say eat, yep, full as, and then I could not, and as soon as I didn't feel full, that was my trigger to eat, not wait until you're hungry and you're triggered to eat. So that was the first thing I had to train myself around. And then I did have surgery. It didn't really work in the sense that all I could really eat to keep down was chips and, I'm sorry, twisties and chocolate. Not that it was beneficial, but it was also counterproductive in that I was putting on weight. I went back to very what's the word, embarrassingly took the plunge and went back to my surgeon and said, this is what's going on, so we went down another road and had a bypass, I think, and that shed a whole heap of weight initially. Because you can basically only fit a certain amount in your stomach. In my world, that's temporary though. I could literally go out now and eat two pizzas. It was what I needed though to get myself into a habit, into a routine of what to eat and when to eat and that hunger is not a terminal disease unless it goes on for a year. I, yeah, that's what it trained me to do. But as I said, right now, I could go out and fall off the bandwagon straight away. That weight loss initially helped me to then pick up on sports and continue sports for a lot longer, have more endurance. I did a whole a hundred kilometer walk and that was even before the surgery, so I was already fit. But the ability to maintain consistency, not being injured and those kind of things through carrying the weight. Is really what's, benefits me now. And you spent some time doing CrossFit, you got into that? Got into CrossFit, actually got into CrossFit before the surgery, so I knew even before the surgery I was really fit. So yeah, and I did, I just struggled with with routine and with food and I can remember doing Smashing out like a 40 minute workout at CrossFit and then going and eating Maccas and stuff. Yep. And that, I think that's because it's so gradual and it's you need to what I focus on now is habit rather than what the scale, I hate the scales and not because it's going to do my head in or make me come undone, but I just find, I'm training every day, I'm eating okay unless I get to a point where I can't fit in the clothes I'm wearing, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna change what I do, so my coach, my fitness coach wants me to check in, he says I'm the worst for it, and it is, because I just feel like, what's the point if I'm Training well, I'm running well, I'm doing whatever I want to do, winning state, championships and things yeah. And we're sitting, the pickleball courts are just over that way there, you've got into pickleball, and massively into pickleball. Yes, massively into pickleball, I've been playing just over 12 months yeah, and just love it. I loved my tennis fixtures, played tennis for 20 years and I never really played tournaments or anything though, but I just loved, I loved going there on Monday nights, it was just the fixtures each week, they'd mix the teams up, and so you'd play with a certain team this sort of term or whatever, and then you'd change over yeah, but when it came to Pickleball, it actually came through on a reel or a feed or something in my socials. I was like, what's this? And then I instantly googled it and the only court I could find was somewhere on the south side. And I thought I'll get around to it eventually. I'll get over there one day. And then for some reason, I don't know why, but I normally park on the other side of the shopping center. And I parked this side of the shopping center and pulled up right near the tennis courts and saw that massive Morton City Pickleball sign. So I got straight onto the socials and I remember that was on a Saturday and then on the the next session was on a Tuesday. I came on the Tuesday night and there was an old mate from tennis here. And I was wondering where you got Campbell. And he said, I got to warn you, you play this, you'll never go back to tennis. And played one night next day I rang up, cancel tennis. Number one growing sport in the world, they say. What do you think? Unlike tennis, so you don't have to have one of the, one of the main sort of bugbears for tennis players is that if you're going to play tennis, you got to play with someone who can play tennis. That's not like I can ring up a mate and say, Hey, come and have a hit because the ball just goes everywhere. And that's just how it is. You need either months or years of coaching and practice. And normally the only people that can really play tennis is those that play regularly or maybe played growing up as a kid and stuff like that. Pickleball, it's a, it's like that, but not as bad. So you can happily go and have a hit with people that have never played after an hour or so, depending on how on go they are or not. But yeah, you can normally pick it up within an hour. You might not be the world's best, but you can certainly have a hit and have a game. And you can at least have a hit together. I think that, the first or the biggest drawcard for me was that when you go to a club and you play during the week social. If you don't, if you can't turn up, you just can't turn up. You don't have to worry. Whereas when you play fixtures, if you can't make it, I'd have to find someone. If I was going on holidays, I'd have to get someone to fill in. You'd be ringing people on a Monday afternoon to see if they can, get to play and stuff like that. That's what I love about it. The only time that ever becomes an issue is if I play tournaments. But I've played in London, I've played in Dublin, I've played in Calgary, I've played in Los Angeles I think there's another city somewhere in the world I've played. But yeah, just love it. Awesome. Yeah. You mentioned some cities, you mentioned about when you go on holidays. There's three types of people in this world I notice when it comes to holidays. Those that take holidays, those that talk about going on holidays, and those like me that live their holidays through watching other people's socials. Yeah. You've got a caravan, we've been on cruise boats together. Yep. You're on a plane, I think, every second month almost. You inspired me my last trip. You inspired me my last trip. I'd never been to Hobart before. Ah, you recently went? Lovely spot. Yeah, I went last week. Yep. No, not last week, the week before, yeah. First of July. So what's, what drives that? You like travel? There's, I don't know There's no greater feeling, I think. I love waking up and thinking my bed's somewhere. I don't know where it is but it's there waiting for me. There's something just so exciting, even going to Hobart, like I'd never been there before and I thought, I just can't wait to go and just see it, like. The only thing I had planned was Port Arthur, and people were saying, what else are you going to do? I'm like, I don't care, I just want to walk around Hobart. Just walk around. My very first ever holiday purely by myself, not to go and visit anyone or travel with anyone. I went to London for two weeks. And and just London. And just woke up, walked down the streets of London like a Londoner would and I bought a whole heap of tours and just would wake up and think yeah, what am I going to do today? Still my favourite holiday that I've ever had. Awesome. London 2016. When you can just go by yourself and explore and, just, yeah, you're not, you don't know what the day is going to bring. There was a day in London, because Wimbledon was on at the same time, Friends of mine, they said, you've got no hope, because when you go to Wimbledon, you've got to line up for hours, there's no way you're going to get in to actually, to see anything, and so there was this one particular day, when Wimbledon was on, it was a bit drizzly, and I'd done a fair bit during the day, sightseeing around London, and it was still drizzly, and I thought, surely they don't line up. In the rain to get in, like why would they line up for hours? So I took a chance and went out there and just walked straight in and it was just drizzling a little bit. And they, and as I was buying my ticket and walking in the officials and they were saying, oh, we hope it finds up for you. We hope you get to see some tennis. I'm like. So I don't care. I'm at Wimbledon. I don't care and all the nights growing up watching with my mom We'd always because they're always on June July holidays. So those two weeks every night We would just watch the tennis and I can remember one year even there was the ashes and the tennis on at the same time And we actually had two TVs on top of each other to watch them both. It just brought back so many great memories I went in there. I hate champagne, but I bought the champagne and the Strawberries and cream. And just to say, yeah, I'd been to Wimbledon was unreal. I actually did get to see a little bit of tennis, but not much. Awesome. So what's the future got for you, whether it's travel or work or sport what's in the future? More travel, more road travel, hopefully. I'm getting a new car in January. So I'm going to get a yeah, hook the caravan up to that. And my plan with the caravan is to Awesome. If I've got two weeks holiday, to drive as far as I can one way and then just come back the other way. Okay. With no set agenda, just free travel, because there's so many free car parks, free camps that I can just pitch up and yeah, so that's a guy There's a great spot just at the start of the Nullarbor Plain. I'll show you too. It's just incredible I'd love to get there Because it's the caravan or the camping spot. It's not a caravan park. They're free camps. That's right on the edge You know how the bite has that those cliffs you just park right on the edge of the cliff looks stunning So I want to get there More work with school we have I don't know if I told you about the fitness program I run there so I run a program there called Strength to Strength which is like a CrossFit kind of program, but for our kids, and so they I have that on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so more work there, just always travel, always gotta have something planned. I've got three cruises planned at the moment. Three? Three. Two in December, and another one not till February 2026. In Australia, or? Those two, the first two in December are, and then February 26 is Fiji. Okay. On Luminosa. Okay. Yeah, they're all on Luminosa. Excellent. Luminosa's coming back again this year? Yes, it's currently in Alaska, I think. Okay. Oh we'll, might see you on it again. very much for chatting to me today. You're welcome. Is it one word or two? One. One. Pickleball.