ST PAUL’S Primary School has recently farewelled a beloved stalwart.
After 30 years, Yvonne Mitchell has retired from her role as secretary of the Monbulk school.
Mrs Mitchell said it was a privilege to work for the school.
“I was working in Upwey and a friend called to tell me they were building a new Catholic school in Monbulk, and she suggested I apply for the job of secretary,” she said.
“I was successful, and I started work at the same time as the school opened with 127 students.”
That was almost 30 years ago.
Last week, Mrs Mitchell handed in the keys, said goodbye to staff and students – some of whose parents were children at the school when she started – and headed out to start the next phase of her life.
St Paul’s classrooms covered a third of it’s present day size for the same number of students, and Mrs Mitchell saw enrolments rise to 200 in the early 1990s before they receded back to the current 140.
In a quirky twist of fate, one of the students in Year 6 at the inception later became Mrs Mitchell’s daughter-in-law.
St Paul’s principal, Frank Dame, said Mrs Mitchell had been the welcoming ‘face’ of the school and a much-loved staff member.
“The amazing thing is that while the workload of the ladies in the school office has increased exponentially during the past 30 years, Mrs Mitchell always kept abreast of the latest developments and never appeared flustered,” he said.
“The only thing that made her grumble was when St Kilda performed poorly.”
