Three prominent staff members of St John the Baptist Primary School in Maitland, who have collectively notched up 81 years at the school, will next week say their final farewells.
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Margaret McCartney, Gaye Morris and Colin Fordham are feeling bittersweet ahead of their retirement at the end of the school year.
Mrs McCartney, 64, has been at St John the Baptist Primary School for the past 18 years and has spent her time at the school teaching and in recent years has been the school's Principal.
"I'll miss the company of the staff, the children and the parents. It's got a really lovely atmosphere here," she said.
Mr Fordham, 65, has spent the past 30 years teaching Year 5 and Year 3 at St John the Baptist Primary School and said he's always enjoyed working there.
"It's always been a good school. I've never wanted to leave," he said.
Mrs Morris, 65, has been a part of the school's administrative staff for the past 33 years and said she's going to miss the friendships.
"The school really has such a wonderful community spirit," she said.
Through their years at the school, the trio has watched their students grow and move beyond the primary school.
Mr Fordham said how he would often have past students approach him in public.
"At the swimming carnival last week, one of the lifeguards came up to me and said hello and it was one of my former students," he said.
Mrs McCartney added they have often taught children whose parents they also taught.
"We get families who live out of the zone who fight to get their children into the school because they came here themselves," she said.
For Mrs Morris, the school has also been a big part of her family's life with her daughters attending St John's and her granddaughter now a student at the school.
The three have been reflecting on the many changes they have witnessed within the school over the years, from new buildings to blackboards being replaced with TV's and an ever growing number of students and staff.
The Maitland school originally started out as a single stream primary school, but fast forward to now and the it has two classes for each grade with a total of about 400 students.
"When I started here, we had seven teachers, Gaye and a principal," Mr Fordham said.
The tight-knit community at St John the Baptist Primary School will notice the absence of the three loved staff members who have provided the school with years of knowledge and experience.
Mrs McCartney said all things eventually have to change. "There will be new teachers come in, new leadership and new secretaries," she said.
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Laura Rumbel
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
