State award for Coffs Harbour teacher of the deaf

TEACHER of the deaf Penny Proctor Ward has received state recognition.

The Assistant Principal Hearing Support for Coffs Harbour and the Bellinger Valley, was honoured with an Outstanding Professional Service Award by the Professional Teachers Council (PTC), which incorporates the Institute for Educational Leadership in Australia (IELA).

Penny was nominated by the NSW Educators of Deaf Students Association for her tireless service, leadership, and advocacy.

Her citation read that Penny exemplifies the spirit of professional dedication, making her a truly deserving recipient.

Penny initially trained as an early childhood teacher and has worked as a Director of the Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service in South West NSW, and as a specialist in English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) and language delays – in Darwin and London’s East End.

After moving to the Mid North Coast 20 years ago, she completed a Masters degree and retrained in Deaf Education.

“Having grown up with a grandmother with significant hearing loss, this opportunity brought together my past work experience and skill set,” she said.

Penny started learning sign language in 2009 and in 2025 finally completed her Diploma of Auslan.

When she began working in Deaf Education, she was concerned that the focus was primarily on spoken language support.

Since then, she has worked to ensure Auslan is offered as an option for newly diagnosed and recently arrived refugee children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

By Andrea FERRARI