Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to and to recognise the efforts and achievements of a very special person in my electorate, John Hurley, the Principal of the Thomas Mitchell Primary School. I often talk in this place about outstanding people and individuals who make a difference in my electorate through the sheer force of their commitment, their vision and their leadership. That leadership indelibly shapes the schools that people like John Hurley teach in and lead, and in many cases they physically imbue the schools with strong community and student development values.

John has profoundly influenced the lives of the students who attend the Thomas Mitchell Primary School in Endeavour Hills. Thomas Mitchell is a very special school. It is culturally and ethnically diverse. In fact 436 of the 700 students there come from non-English-speaking backgrounds from over 70 countries. One of John’s great achievements has been to ensure that the growth and development of children is the primary focus of all decisions made by his school. In particular, John has been able to transform the school to make it, for example, one of the best primary schools in the state in maths. In doing so, John has been a driving force in making Thomas Mitchell Primary School an outstanding model school that many local children wish to attend. It has even led Shaun, a student at the school, to state on the website:

I think Thomas Mitchell is the best school ever. I have learned a lot from this school. It has a lot of cool excursions (like Canberra) and good maths activities and a lot more. If you are a Mum or a Dad looking for a school for your child to go to next year I advise you to come to Thomas Mitchell Primary School. I think Thomas Mitchell ROCKS!

That is a tribute to Principal John Hurley. John has really been a visionary in creating fantastic programs such as Earn and Learn and Lexiles Reading whilst also cracking down on bullying to ensure that students are provided with a safe learning experience. John has also ensured that he has a great relationship with the local community and he encourages them to use the school’s facilities.

John worked with students to organise a casual clothes day in September 2010 which raised nearly $1,400 for the Isabella and Marcus fund, a charity set up to raise money for research into a rare brain tumour that killed one of Thomas Mitchell’s students. According to John Hurley, the free-dress day was ‘spectacular’, as Isabella’s death was a shock to the whole school community. The success of this initiative has led to the school running the day every year to raise more money for the Isabella and Marcus fund.

John has also appreciated the two-year period when we have been undertaking major building projects, with the construction of a new gymnasium under the BER and the recently completed conversion of the old gymnasium into an architecturally designed early learning centre.

John Hurley has made a difference to his student’s lives by his passion, his commitment and his vision. We need more John Hurleys in the education system. I commend John to the House.