The St Agatha’s Clayfield Primary School community have reason to cheer on one of their own at an upcoming international sporting contest.
Meagan Dixon, a staff member of St Agatha’s Outside School Hours Care, managed by Centacare Child Care Services, is set to compete in the World Cup as a member of the Australian Women’s Indoor Cricket team.
She flew to host city Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on September 10.
There the team spends five days training and acclimatising before entering into a full week of competition against South Africa, England, India, New Zealand and the UAE.
Ms Dixon said her entry into the game was slightly unique, in that she started playing indoor cricket before the traditional outdoor game.
“I was in grade 5 and we had just moved to Townsville late in the school term,” she said.
“A lot of the other sporting sign-ons had closed but one of my mates was playing it and he asked me to come along and play.”
Indoor cricket differs from the original game in a number of ways.
Only 8 people make up a team; the pitch is 22 yards but batters run half the length to complete a run and the highest yield per ball, 7 runs, is scored by hitting the back net on the full.
Although having less players per team means everyone is an all-rounder, Ms Dixon prefers bowling and fielding.
She has even recorded the rare feat of capturing an LBW, something almost unheard of in the indoor game.
This will be her third time as national representative, having also appeared at the under 19 and under 22 level.
Whilst the sporting angle is fun, and all members of the World Cup team self-fund their attendance, Ms Dixon also has her sights on a teaching degree.
This study path is also a requirement of the child care industry.
“Before joining Centacare I was doing a lot of coaching and realised that I liked working with children and seeing them develop, so I got a job in a OSHC and have loved it ever since.
“Some of my classmates do this type of work as well. I think it’s really beneficial for my studies and when I go into teaching because you can actually experience what children are like before being placed in a classroom.
“With my studies, I’m looking to do primary teaching but am still unsure whether to focus on regular teaching or Physical Education teaching. Either way I think I’d be happy.
“Nothing’s ever the same when working with children; they’re always different and have their classic one-liners.
“A few of the questions can surprise but you just have to laugh and talk it through. The other day I had to explain that unicorns weren’t real,” she said.
Having only started work with Centacare OSHC in February Ms Dixon is grateful to the Coordinator of St Agatha’s OSHC, Ashleigh Stacpoole, for being flexible with her commitments.
She fits weekday training sessions in between her morning and afternoon shifts at the Clayfield centre.
“Although I only have experience of one other childcare provider, I think the way that Centacare is run is based a lot more around the interests and needs of the child.
“The children are able to make choices about what they would like to do. Because we’re not school, we shouldn’t be as structured but rather let them have a bit of free time and develop themselves,”
“Centacare OSHC’s do that, which I find really good,” she said.