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Teachers' pet project thrives

Lisa Thomas, BUSSELTON DUNSBOROUGH TIMESBusselton Dunsborough Times
Yallingup Steiner School teacher Julie Vivien-Williams has been at the school for many years.
Camera IconYallingup Steiner School teacher Julie Vivien-Williams has been at the school for many years. Credit: Gordon Becker

When Julie Vivian-Williams moved to the South West at the age of 18, she never could have guessed the impact she would have on her community.

The co-founder of the Yallingup Steiner School and teacher of 26 years has built her life around educating people on a holistic and spiritual way of living.

After moving to Newtown House in Busselton with two friends, Julie started on her journey of natural healing while helping her friend through her home birth.

In 1978 at the age of 19, Julie and her business partner opened Sundance Wholefoods at the Cowaramup General Store, before buying the old church in Witchcliffe, renovating it and moving their business there.

"At the time we were introducing natural and organic foods and foods that were unheard of in the area, like tofu," she said.

After 11 years Julie sold the business and decided she wanted to follow her most important pursuit in life, being a mother.

She married in 1985 and a year later gave birth to her first daughter, at home in Yallingup - the first of four home births.

"We had the first home birth in Yallingup and at the time I started speaking with people who had similar interests as me in natural childbirth and a more holistic approach to education," Julie said.

"When my daughter turned four I thought about how I would educate her."

From there Julie decided to go to Perth and look into a different line of schooling methodology, where children would receive an education designed to enrich their spirituality as well as physical being.

"I visited the Perth Waldorf School and as soon as I walked in I felt like it was the kind of place I wanted my children to go to school," she said.

"Along with four others we decided that we wanted to open our own playgroup and Kevin Merrifield had a cottage at his property he said we could use."

In 1989 a Steiner playgroup was formed, with assistance from the Perth Waldorf School. In 1991 we started our kindergarten and in 1992 we had our first registration.

While establishing the Yallingup Steiner School, Julie completed her degree in early childhood education.

The Yallingup Steiner School now teaches students from playgroup to Year 6, employs 13 staff and has more than 115 students enrolled.

"We started a four-year-old kindergarten and we were looking for a teacher and they asked me and I agreed, but only for one term and I end up staying," she said

"I fell in love with teaching and I worked it out so I could merge looking after my children and working."

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