By Jesse Graham
IT WAS the end of an era for Healesville Primary School when arts co-ordinator Lillian Triffett Walsh finished up last week, after 37 years of teaching.
After starting at the school in 1979, Ms Triffett Walsh finished up on Thursday, 1 September, to move to Tasmania to assist family members with health needs.
She was farewelled by past and present staff members in a morning tea on Friday, 26 August, where she spoke to the Mail about her time at the school.
Though the school itself changed dramatically in her time, with a fire destroying some of the original buildings in the 1990s, she said a standout over the years was working with the Disadvantaged Schools Program.
“This was a period of innovation and community connectedness, with many parents actively involved in planning and supporting school programs,” she said.
“Some of these initiatives laid the foundation of current programs such as the current camping program and computers in the classroom – it was great to be a part of this.”
Before starting at Healesville, Ms Triffett Walsh worked at Moorilim Primary School and was acting head teacher at Woods Point Rural School.
As an art teacher, Ms Triffett Walsh has been involved in creating props, backdrops and programs for concerts at Healesville Primary; as an artist, she has created murals for the school, the Yarra Valley Railway and the United Nations of Australia.
Post-Black Saturday, Ms Triffett Walsh worked with the Melbourne Museum to display artworks from students, created as a therapeutic outlet after the disaster.
She said that working at the school for several decades, many of her current students at the school had parents who she also taught in years past.
“I was on leave for a period of time and came back this year, and some of the parents came in to see me when I came back … and it’s been interesting that a few of the younger children have sort of realised that I’ve been here before,” she said.
“They’ll say, ‘Oh, do you know such-and-such a person?’, and they’re realising that I’ve had that early established link with some of the families.
“It’s been … a very rewarding experience being here and it’s been quite a privilege to be involved with families in such a long-term way, and that’s something that many teachers don’t get an opportunity to do.”
Though she has finished up working at the school, Ms Triffett Walsh said she would try to come back to Healesville for Healesville Primary School’s 150th birthday celebrations in October.
