Retirement of Doreen Cronin - Principal of St Richard's Catholic College

Doreen moved to St Richard’s Catholic College in January 1986 starting as an English teacher and her inspirational teaching and educational ethos led her to rise to Principal - a role she has held for the last 15 years - and one she had no intention of taking up.

Doreen has made it her mission throughout her career in education to go above and beyond the usual expectations of school staff. Her values shine through meaning that each child is enabled to nurture and challenge their own talents and aspirations within a supportive environment, creating one large family community. In her role as an English Teacher, she has inspired untold numbers to the gift of reading and the joy of language. In her role as a Pastoral Lead, she reminded us that each child is precious in the eyes of God and should be cherished and valued and, as a Catholic Leader, she has never failed to set the example of service high.

In her last newsletter to parents, she wrote that “It has been an absolute privilege to lead the school for the last 15 years, supported by strong leadership and management teams as well as dedicated and talented staff. These ingredients have made my job so much easier and so enjoyable, as have the most important people in the school: the pupils.”

As the Principal, Doreen always made herself readily available beyond school hours and during school holiday time, giving her “off duty” time freely to support pupils and staff. Her support never ended when a pupil left the school either as she maintained contact with families and provided support that the families themselves never expected.

Doreen's support of the teaching profession has been unparallelled through the number of past pupils who have joined the teaching profession, or the parents who have been so inspired by her leadership and have joined the staff as volunteers, or the number of staff who have struggled who have been given all the care, direction and support they needed to stay in the profession.

In her own words, Doreen notes that “St Richard’s will always hold a special place in my heart. I shall miss the school community greatly, having received so much joy in my career which I believe is the best job in the world! I will pray for the school’s continued growth as a new era begins.”