By Marcus Uhe
Things are going to look a little different at Thomas Mitchell Primary School in Endeavour Hills this year.
Every morning, when the students arrive for another day of learning, they are welcomed at the front gate with the familiar face and friendly smile of their principal, John Hurley, ensuring they start their day with a smile of their own.
But after 30 years in the hot seat, Mr Hurley, the founding and only principal in the school’s history, has decided to draw the curtain on his long and decorated teaching career this week.
It was a recent dose of reality that prompted his decision to call time.
“Two kids that I taught happened to get married and I’m still in contact with them,” Mr Hurley said. “They said ‘we’ve got some news, we’re retiring.’”
“I thought, ‘this is madness. I taught them in primary school and they’re retiring, but I’m still working.’”
Mr Hurley launched Thomas Mitchell in 1991 following his time at Cranbourne Primary School, with 179 students enrolled on day one to begin their educational journey under his leadership.
A photo of all the staff and students from the inaugural day still hands in his office, giving him a chance to reflect on just how far the school has come.
Come 2022 and the school sits at just under 800 pupils from a wide melting pot of backgrounds, encapsulating the incredibly diverse community in which the campus resides, and filling Mr Hurley with immense pride.
“I’m a big fan of multiculturalism,” Mr Hurley said. “We’ve got families from more than 70 nationalities in the school.”
“I like going and seeing other cultures and seeing the way they do things. I think we can all learn from each other.”
Mr Hurley’s teaching career begun as a 19-year-old in 10 Mile Creek in Gippsland’s Strzelecki Ranges, thrown into the deep end with 28 kids under his watch ranging from prep to grade six in an “unbelievable” situation.
He fondly recalls some of his regular duties falling outside the standard curriculum, and not something he came across at teacher’s college.
“First thing I used to do in the morning was, because it was cold in there, I would go and cut wood for the fire to keep the classroom warm,” Mr Hurley said.
“Every now and then the kids would come rushing in and say ‘there’s a snake down there, someone needs to go kill the snake.’
“I got an extra seven shillings and sixpence a fortnight to dig a hole and empty the toilet. It was pretty remote.”
Classrooms in the 1960s looked nothing like what they do in 2022 now, too; chalkboards were still the device of choice and the isolated nature of that campus meant there was a lack of electricity or phone line available, and everything required being written by hand.
Mr Hurley’s inspiration to teach began with his love for school as a student and his own thirst for learning.
He combined his love of travel and exploring with developing young people by working in the UK, and also had a stint at the former Turana Youth Training Centre, helping the most vulnerable young people who needed assistance the most.
As a teacher and a principal, he strived to ensure that learning was an experience for kids and something to be enjoyed, rather than a means to an end, or a chore.
For the kids, this meant a wealth of hands-on activities, tours, camps, excursions and guest speakers.
Working closely with his students allowed him to pick up bits and pieces from the children through enlightening, day-to-day interactions, and crucially fostered a strong rapport, breaking down the perceived barrier between pupil and authority figure, something he came to dearly miss when his classroom teaching days came to a close.
“I said to a class that I was teaching on one occasion, ‘look at those crows out there making all that noise,’ – there were birds outside the classroom window. A little kid came up to me at recess and said ‘Excuse me Mr Hurley, those birds aren’t crows, they’re ravens.’ I said, ‘How do you know that?’, and he said ‘My dad is the government ornithologist.’”
“You learn so much from kids.”
When asked by his current students about the legacy that he will leave behind, the most common trait raised was his kindness.
Filling-in for Santa in the lead-up to Christmas and spreading sweet treats on their final school day of the year is also something that will be sorely missed.
Since making his announcement late last year, Mr Hurley said that he has been flattered by the messages of gratitude and congratulations that he has received.
When The Journal visited the school to speak to Mr Hurley and take photos on location, a former student who was driving through the area spontaneously pulled-over to shake his hand and congratulate him on his career, before getting back in his vehicle and continuing his journey.
It was as fitting a tribute and a perfect reflection on his legacy.
Despite his official teaching days coming to an end, he won’t be completely shutting the door on his education journey, keen to volunteer at a local English language school interspersed with a return to international travel, reading and following his beloved Collingwood Football Club.
As he prepares to sign-off on his last day on Friday 11 February, he had a gracious message for the community that he played an integral role in establishing.
“I’d like to say big thank you to the Thomas Mitchell community for making me feel welcome.”
The Journal would like to wish Mr Hurley all the best in retirement.
