PRINCIPAL Larry Keating has prioritised one thing above all others in the 50 years he has spent at schools across the Hunter.
"My mantra with staff is relationships before curriculum, before everything else, you have to get to know your students as people to get to know them then as learners," said Mr Keating, principal of St Mary's Catholic College Gateshead since 2004.
He has overseen the school's expansion to years 11 and 12, two stages of its ongoing five stage redevelopment and its focus on the environment. "Caring for people has to be number one."
The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle recently presented Mr Keating with a 50 Years of Service Award, alongside Our Lady of Lourdes Tarro principal Cheryl Henderson and its manager of school infrastructure John Tobin.
The father of four and grandfather of 11 said he was filled with "gratitude".
"Professor Thomas Groome says to be an educator is a sacred privilege and an awesome responsibility," he said.
"You're dealing with human beings, the most precious gifts parents have, their children, and we get to share in that precious relationship in terms of raising kids to be responsible and caring adults.
"I don't take an autocratic position, it's servant leadership, I'm here to serve the needs of everybody entrusted to our care.
"I love dealing with adolescents, I love their honesty, their love of life, they keep you young, they invigorate you. I love their preparedness to challenge, their desire to search and discover what's life about."
Education has also been a gift in Mr Keating's own life.
Two of his children survived "tragic incidents".
"It's those tragedies that always happen to somebody else, it never happens to you," he said.
"It just changes your life."
Eight years ago his wife Anne fell at home and became a quadriplegic.
She spent 17 months in hospital. He said he drew strength from her "courage of endurance".
"It's pretty hard," he said. "This job - I don't see it as a job, I see it as a privilege, it's a ministry - has been my saviour, and the wonderful people I work with."
He was at the end of six months leave following his wife's accident when it was time to announce the school was expanding to senior grades.
He'd been reading Joan D Chittister's Scarred by Struggle Transformed by Hope and decided to return to the role he relished.
"She says in life there are things you must do and things you want to do and I don't believe in dichotomising, I say to the leadership team here all the time 'Let's think about the 'and' - forget about the 'or' - try and get a win-win'," he said.
"When I came here the community wanted to build a hall and above all else they wanted to go to years 11 and 12, so that's been the goal."
Mr Keating's father worked on the railways and he attended schools in Coonamble, Koorawatha, Capertee, Portland - his first introduction to the Sisters of St Joseph - Blackheath and Lithgow before his family moved to Kotara in 1966.
He went to St Pius X High for year 11 and 12. His economics teacher, Father James Saunders, was a "big influence".
Mr Keating said he wanted to study economics law, but received a four year Department of Education teaching training scholarship. He studied a bachelor of arts majoring in economics and a diploma of education at the University of Newcastle.
During his degree he helped Father Saunders teach first level economics. He did a placement at Broadmeadow Boys High School at the start of his diploma and blocks at Newcastle Boys High.
"There were a number of teachers who were really passionate about education," he said. "They took me under their wing and gave me guidance and advice and I appreciated that.. I think [Father Saunders] might have been sewing a seed and I never knew it."
His wife was working in hospital administration and needed to be in a major city to advance her career. He told the department this, but it said he was needed to fill vacancies across the state.
When they couldn't reach an agreement he resigned, days before the couple's 1973 wedding.
They were on their honeymoon when Father Saunders called and asked if he wanted a job teaching economics at St Anne's and St Pius X. He said at the time teachers at Catholic schools were paid 15 per cent less that their government colleagues and didn't receive superannuation. But he felt he could make a difference.
"The first pay day came around and the bursar said 'Look, we have not got enough money to pay you today but by the middle of next week we will have, so how much do you need for your groceries?'"
Around the same time he met with then acting director of schools Father Frank Coolahan to explain that he had a $1000 bond he needed to repay.
He'd saved money working as a winder at Bradmill Cotton Mills Kotara at nights in case he needed to cover it, but knew that would help buy a house or car.
"He said 'When you get a subpoena to pay the bond back come and see me and I'll support you'... he said 'We're getting a cheap teacher, someone else paid for the training and we have to be prepared to contribute something back'."
The investment paid off. Mr Keating rose from teacher to social science coordinator and deputy principal and oversaw St Pius X's first intake of girls and the end of the cane.
He was one of the founding directors of Australian Catholic Colleges Rugby League in 1979.
He moved as deputy principal to St Mary's in 1985 and was one of the first two lay executive staff members, the first male in leadership and reconnected with the Josephites.
He was assistant principal at St Paul's Catholic College Booragul in 1990 before taking on his first principal role at St Clare's High Taree, where he stayed for 13 years. He returned to St Mary's in 2004.
He said the school previously had periods of low enrolment, but after expanding to years 11 and 12 and its redevelopment could "double our numbers in year seven if we were wanting to do that".
He said in the past week the school had received requests for enrolment for 2027, 2028 and 2034. "The quality of education is improving too because of the intensive professional learning and this is attracting teachers who want to teach in the school."
Mr Keating has had colleagues follow him between schools and supported others to lead their own schools. He said his time at the diocese wasn't over yet.
"I haven't put an end point on it," he said. "I started a [redevelopment] project and I'd like to see it through."
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