'Really big impact': Popular early years teacher bids farewell after 45 years

Mr Hyland, who retired on Monday, December 18, 2023, began his teaching career at Port Fairy's St Patrick's Parish Primary School in 1979.

Eighteen years later he made the move to Warrnambool's St Joseph's Primary School where he's worked for the past 27 years.

Mr Hyland specialised in the junior school learning area, working with years prep, one and two and completed further study in early literacy and numeracy.

He said his highlight was working with foundation students and seeing their growth in their first year.

"They come to school, they might be able to write their name but they won't be able to write much more," Mr Hyland said.

"By the end of the year they're reading books to me and writing stories for me.

"It's just astounding the growth they make in that first year of school. It is superb."

He said while he'd enjoyed working in education it was time to retire. He's following in wife Lynette's footsteps, the school's former library teacher who finished up at St Joseph's in 2022.

The couple had a health scare almost a decade ago when Mr Hyland got "quite ill" with internal bleeding in his bowel, requiring major surgery in Geelong.

Mr Hyland thanked the school community and leadership team for their support during his recovery and as he moved to a four-day week to manage his health.

"I'm an ostomate," Mr Hyland said. "I have a colostomy bag.

"That was huge. I had six months off work. I wasn't well. It's one of those hidden things, to look at me you'd never know but I know there's a lot of people in Warrnambool who have colostomy bags for whatever reason. Mine wasn't cancer, it was something I was born with and as I got older it started to play up."

He thanked the local ostomy association which "offers superb support for anyone in that situation" and the hospital nurses for their care.

My Hyland has also been the school's religious education co-ordinator for many years and said Father John Fitzgerald and Leanne McElgunn from the parish had been a great support.

He also thanked some of the "wonderful, wonderful people" he'd taught with over the years including Maryanne Evans, Jo Pangrazio and Tegan McDonald and more recently his teaching team Amy Wormald, Kara Ward and Laura Dunn as well as the school administration.

Mr Hyland is now looking forward to spending more time with Lynette, their adult children Jessica, Alexandra, Stephanie and Sam and grandson Spencer, 3.

"I'll be able to go for a ride whenever I feel like it and do a bit of travel," he said. "It will be lovely."

St Joseph's Primary School principal Matt O'Brien said Mr Hyland had taught more than 1200 children and had a "really big impact".

Mr O'Brien said 45 years in education was "a fantastic achievement to be celebrated" and he'd worked at the forefront, teaching children the fundamentals of reading, writing and numeracy.

Mr O'Brien said Mr Hyland was a very positive staff member, an RE leader and a mentor to young teachers.

"He'll be sadly missed by our community but we wish him well for his retirement."

The school also farewelled teacher Marie O'Donnell who has worked in supporting children in reading fundamentals and reading recovery. Mrs O'Donnell has been at St Joseph's for the last 12 years of her 30-plus year teaching career.