Say thank you on Australian Primary Principals’ Day.

If you get the chance, take the time to thank your school leaders on August 7, Australian Primary Principals’ Day.

Every day, our primary school principals inspire their teachers and students in our classrooms, staff rooms, and even under lockdown during COVID-19.

For two of our shining stars, the pandemic has done little to dampen their long-lasting enthusiasm for the job.

Gabrielle McAnespie and Beverly Coffey share the illustrious title of longest serving principal in our network of 150 schools. The pair joined the leadership ranks of Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) some 30 years ago.

“There’s an old saying: ‘Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life’,” Mrs McAnespie said brightly. “I wouldn’t say every day has been a bowl of roses, but it’s certainly a very worthwhile career.”

Principal Gabrielle McAnespie reads to her students. Photo: Kitty Beale

This is Mrs McAnespie’s sixth year as principal of St Therese Catholic Primary School Mascot and Ms Coffey’s seventh as principal of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School North Sydney.

“It’s a fabulous job because it’s never the same,” Ms Coffey said, adding she is excited about her school joining with Marist College North Shore to form a united K-12 school next year.

“I think it’s a privilege to lead a community and to be able to put your particular touch on everything” – Beverly Coffey

When she and Mrs McAnespie first became principals in 1991, teaching via Zoom was the stuff of science fiction, while the nation was in the very real grip of the “recession we had to have.”

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