For Jennifer Robinson, one of the world’s pre-eminent human rights lawyers, time is a precious commodity.

Working at the prestigious Doughty Street Chambers in London, her list of high-profile clients has included Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, cricketer Azeem Rafiq, Hollywood actress Amber Heard and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

With such a jam-packed schedule, the Rhodes Scholar remarkably still finds time to promote public education and advocate for improved funding.

Visits to public schools are typically part of Ms Robinson’s itinerary when she returns to Australia and she recently stopped in at Berry Public and Bomaderry High on the NSW South Coast, where she received her life-changing education.

An eye-opening experience

There were many teachers at Bomaderry High who had an influence on young Jennifer.

Even now, more than 25 years since graduating, she can still rattle off their names with ease.

PE teacher Kenny Atkins, who supported and encouraged Ms Robinson, “even though, at least at first, I was not the most confident at sport”.

Principal Jill Appleton, who “always expected a lot of me”; and Indonesian teacher, Lindy Fitzgerald, who Ms Robinson credits with having the strongest impact on her high school education.

“When I was 16, we went on a two-week school trip to Indonesia. We visited Bali, Sulawesi and Bunaken island. It showed me how different the world is,” she said.

“I realised how lucky we were in Australia, with the freedoms, the wealth, the quality of life and the living standards we have.”

It was that early passion for Indonesia, established while a student at Bomaderry High, which helped Jennifer become a leading figure in bringing the plight of West Papua to global attention.

As part of her Asian Studies degree at ANU, Ms Robinson spent a year in Indonesia working with a small human rights organisation on the first trial of West Papuan political prisoner Benny Wenda.

Later, she would become a founding member of International Lawyers for West Papua.

Small-town roots

The town of Berry in the Shoalhaven area is something of a gateway to the stunning South Coast of NSW.

Located just a few kilometres from the coast, historically the area was known as Boon-ga-ree by the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation.

Since the 1980s, the town has become a tourist haven, with visitors drawn to the nearby sandy beaches and heavily forested hinterland.

Jennifer’s mother, Lyndy Cracknell, is a teacher. Ms Robinson credits Lyndy with encouraging her educational pursuits, while father Terry and her late grandfather, Kevin Robinson, helped instil her work ethic.

When she wasn’t attending Berry Public School, or helping Terry, a horse trainer, on his property, Jennifer could most often be found swimming or surfing at the beach, or exploring the many bushwalking tracks around her home town.

Later, she would bus the nearly 15 kilometres down the road to attend Bomaderry High.

Value of language

Money was tight growing up and Jennifer worked several jobs to help pay for the school trip to Indonesia.

She studied the language throughout her schooling, and credits it with opening doors throughout her career and life.

“The value of learning another language should not be underestimated,” she said.

“My public school education and the experiences I was given put me on the path to where I am today.”

Ms Robinson said she was always a diligent student, but a fateful decision by staff at Bomaderry High on her arrival at the school became a driving force for her success.

“I wasn’t put in the top class when I started high school. I remember mum was furious. I think that helped motivate me to always prove people wrong, to never let people underestimate me,” she said.

Proudly public

Ms Robinson said there are two aspects of public education that stand out to her - that it offers equal opportunity to every student, and that students are exposed to people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

“Where I grew up, everybody went to the local public school,” she said.

“It wasn’t until I went to university that anyone even asked where I’d gone to school, which I think is such a stupid question. All it reveals is the socio-economic status of your parents.

“I’m proud I went to public schools.”

Several years ago, Ms Robinson founded the Acacia Award in conjunction with the Public Education Foundation, to support children in need and build a network of public school alumni to mentor public school students.

“I feel like I got a great education and I want to encourage kids to know that they can do whatever they want from a public education,” she said.

“I don’t remember any former students coming back to speak when I as at school. There are so many great public education stories, we need our alumni to be sharing their stories and experiences.

“People are proud of where they went to school and what they’ve achieved as a result of their public education, and we should celebrate that.”