Brendan O’Brien
Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Attorney-General, Minister for Workplace Safety) (09:42): I wanted to honour and pass on my good wishes and congratulations to Brendan O’Brien, who is retiring as the principal of Carranballac P–9 after an exceptional 30 years as a principal, largely in Melbourne’s western suburbs, and 48 years as a teacher. He has done wonderful things as the principal of Carranballac and brought an incredibly interesting and passionate steady hand to the education of students there. He preaches and practises a culture of empowerment. He has always been keen to adapt to new learning opportunities for the school, and I was delighted to see his leadership in bringing a beautiful support dog to the school last year to engage with children in their classrooms. I want to wish Brendan and his family all the best. They have certainly earned the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. This will be a big loss in terms of the leadership of teachers, particularly in Melbourne’s west but right across the education system.