Those who contribute to our careers ... collective genius

Every one of us has been guided by, influenced, championed by, coached and mentored by a ‘Principal’ or a series of Principals in many cases. Some have offered wise words, walked with you, set the bar high, inspired you, and, on many occasions pushed you out of your comfort zone to experience more than you ever imagined. We as Principals today are doing the same thing in our roles – building capacity and identifying strengths, challenging thoughts and positioning people for opportunities. My first Executive role was at Gymea Bay – Principal John Notley. John had the innate ability to select ‘his’ people. He was deliberate in his intent and cherished the absolute essence of his school – the community the staff and the students. Sadly, John passed away recently. At the funeral one of my colleagues from our ‘Gymea Bay’ days stood to give the eulogy… we laughed, and we cried. John had ‘brand’ of his own. We all knew the part we were to play in his ‘grand plan’ for the school.

The opportunities were endless for every student, and for every staff member. One of the things that struck me was the fact that thirteen members of his executive team over time at Gymea Bay had become Principals. Thirteen of us!!! And some too are leaders of the DoE in corporate positions – I think that is pretty remarkable.

I am humbled John saw something in me... I am forever grateful he pushed me forward to explore what might be possible. That’s legacy!

Look at your staff and reflect… who is your next leader on your staff – who are you coaching, mentoring and most of all championing to be a future Principal. How privileged we are to lead our schools.

Thankyou John xx

And finally,

On behalf of the NSWPPA Executive: Bob Willetts, Michael Burgess, Jude Hayman, Trish Peters, Norma Petrocco, Michael Trist, Stuart Wylie, Leah Martin, Greg McLaren, Gregory Grinham, Mark Pritchard, Lisa Beare and Margaret Charlton, I challenge you to reflect and celebrate all the little wins and the moments you incidentally capture that REALLY make this all worthwhile.

Have a fabulous week – Greg McLaren and I are heading to Griffith this week - can hardly wait to catch up with our Riverina colleagues!

Robyn Evans
NSWPPA President