Along with her teaching expertise, St Catherine’s Physics Teacher, Ms Clare Haysom is also a Victorian Premier Cricket umpire, travelling around the country officiating men’s and women’s matches. Most recently Clare was selected to umpire the Under 16 Girls National Championships in Canberra.

“I have always been interested in cricket and started playing in high school. I fell into cricket umpiring accidentally and had no idea of the pathways or opportunities that would come my way. Now I am a member of the Victorian Premier Cricket Umpiring Panel and umpiring in Premier Cricket 1st XI, both men’s and women’s games,” Clare explains.

For Clare, her teaching skills and experience have come in handy throughout her umpiring career, “The role of an umpire involves a lot of communication with all players and people involved in the game – which is a transferrable skill between my teaching and umpiring. My teacher training also allows me to communicate my thoughts and opinions in a way that can resolve any problems on the field.”

Clare is passionate about inspiring girls to to be bold and fearless in pursuing their interests having studied in male dominated Science subjects and pursuing cricket umpiring “currently at the Victorian Premier Cricket level, there are only seven female umpires in a panel of about 120 umpires. While it is one of the best gender ratios in the country for this level of cricket there is still a long way to go before we see the gender barriers removed.”

Completing a Bachelor of Science degree with a Minor in Astrophysics, and a Major in Immunology, along with a Bachelor of Secondary Education with honours at Monash University, Clare experienced first-hand the lack of female representation in the Sciences.

“During my university studies, I was shocked by the gender imbalance in the Physics profession. There is a learnt hesitancy particularly in females to avoid Science and Mathematics. It is extremely important to me to use my enthusiasm for Physics to empower and inspire young girls to explore the subject.”

“My grandfather was a Chemistry and Physics teacher and would take the time to give me mini science lessons as I grew up. I have always loved science and I want to transfer my passion onto future generations, inspiring them the way my grandfather did.”

This article features in St Catherine’s News Autumn Edition. To read the full Edition click here.