By Tyler Wright
Upwey resident and principal at St Francis Xavier College, Vincent Feeney, has received a medal of the Order of Australia for his work in secondary education.
Mr Feeney said it was a “sublime” feeling to be recognised in the Australia Day honours list for his achievements.
“Humbled and honoured, but also acknowledging that it’s in recognition of all the work that’s done by so many people, so generously, in schools,” Mr Feeney said.
“I accept this as one of the many people who have devoted their working lives to young people in school.
“It’s wonderful every time someone from a school receives an honour and I was fortunate enough to be that person on this occasion.”
Mr Feeney started as a teacher in 1979, in English, drama and religious education; receiving his first leadership position five years later and going onto a stint as principal at Marian College in Ararat.
St Joseph’s College in Ferntree Gully would then be under his leadership from 1999 to 2014, before his current role as principal of St Francis Xavier’s Berwick, Officer and Beaconsfield campuses.
“When I was first a principal, 30 years ago in small country town, Ararat, we had 300 students, so that was a really hands on role,” Mr Feeney said.
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“I was hands on, I was involved in everything, I knew everybody and that was a great way to learn about being a leader, then I went to St. Joseph’s in Ferntree Gully, It was certainly bigger than Ararat but a lot smaller than where I am now.
“Watching that school grow doubled in size in the time that I was there – that was my old school that I’d been a student at, and being able to go there over there and help it grow and prosper – that was a really enjoyable and stimulating part of my career.”
Mr Feeney’s father was a cleaner at St Joseph’s College where his son would go on to lead.
“My family is a longstanding family of the Dandenongs,” Mr Feeney said.
“All of us were gifted a great upbringing living in such a beautiful part of Melbourne, the foothills of the Dandenongs.
“When your parents come from such a service orientation and from a humble background, but an honest and earnest background, it helps you keep some perspective that your work and helps you value everybody that you’re working with; that’s a great starting point to have.”
Throughout his career, Mr Feeney has been the president of the Principals’ Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools from 2005 to 2006, president of the Catholic Secondary Principals Australia from 2006 to 2011 and board member of the Salary and Conditions, Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, 2014-2018.
Most recently from 2021 to 2022, he was chair of the Diocese of Sale Catholic Secondary Principals Association.
“One of the things that you realise in leadership is that the work of the school is done by others, and therefore the role of the principal is to be in support of those people who are doing the core work, like working with students,” Mr Feeney said.
“I take great delight in finding great joy in seeing the potential in people and trying to do something to promote or grow that potential in people.
“Seeing people grow is just an extension of being a parent and it’s a great way for anybody, no matter what field they’re in, from the home to a workplace; if you’re helping people grow, then you’re making a contribution to a better world.”
For Mr Feeney, it has been involvement in work outside of the school; including industrial relations on behalf of teachers in the 1980s to Monash University and the Australian Catholic University, that has given him perspective on broader secondary education.
“I’ve always made sure that I was involved both heavily involved obviously committed to my own school where I was working but involved in the field in broader secondary education outside of the school.
“I think that’s been important for me – that may have helped me to have a balanced view of what was going on in the school; not just being school focused, having a small vision or being myopic so to speak, but also being stimulated by the broader context of secondary education either in the area or in the state or in the country.”
Mr Feeney said a major achievement has been seeing 10 of his deputies and other team members going on to become principals themselves.
“Sometimes it doesn’t have to be taking the next step to principalship but helping anybody have ambition and follow that ambition where it’s an ambition for others, an ambition to be of use in the world, making contributions…that’s been something that I greatly appreciate,” he said.
“Being witness to so many people’s stories over such a long period of time, 45 years in education, you get to see so much of the personal, the intimate, the private, and the people’s lives and be part of that.”
Mr Feeney was also awarded an Australian Council of Education fellowship in 2015, and was named a chartered fellow with the Principals Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools in 2010.
Working close to home, where others may not like the fact they can run into students on the weekend, Mr Feeney said he does not mind it.
“There’s that expression – find work that you love, that you get to derive joy from, and you’ll never work a day in your life because you’re doing what you love,” he said.
