His career began in 1974 in Mudgee and throughout his time he was appointed to several schools in western NSW.

He also worked at Thornton, Telarah and Rutherford Public Schools.

He taught at Thornton Public School from 1975 to 1980 and was at Telarah Public School from 1993 to 2002.

He was appointed to Rutherford at the end of 2006 and was proud to lead the school and facilitate its development.

“There have been many highlights during my time here, especially the work we did with reading through the National Partnerships program which was very satisfying,” he said.

“Our students also represented the school in a lot of different things such as state and national championships in aerobics, and state championships in rugby league.

“We have also had students participate in choir and dance festivals.”

Mr Quinn said the biggest differences in the education system during his career was the physical look of schools and the access to technology.

He said Rutherford was able to use government funding to reclaim land next to the school, fence the perimeter and gain six new classrooms which saw the removal of demountables.

“Schools look physically attractive now, class sizes are more manageable and smart boards bring learning alive and allow teachers to share programs,” he said.

Mr Quinn will now focus on travelling, with trips already booked to Darwin, Ireland and Europe.