STAFF SERVICE & RETIREMENTS

YEARS OF SERVICE

We are proud to recognise and celebrate the remarkable dedication of our staff members who have recently achieved significant milestones in their years of service to education. This accomplishment reflects their commitment, loyalty, and tireless dedication to the Department of Education.

This milestone isn’t just about the years; it’s about the decades spent nurturing talent, sparking curiosity, and shaping the future. We thank them for the positive impact they’ve made on our school and beyond.

EDDIE MEST

Eddie Mest recently achieved 40 years of service to education. He has been with McKinnon Secondary College for 35 years! Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

FRANK RUSSO & LUDMILA ANTAL 

Frank Russo and Ludmila Antal, have each reached a remarkable milestone - 35 years of service to education. 

McKinnon’s String Quartet provided music for the award ceremony held at the Dingley Hotel. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talents of McKinnon’s music students to staff from around the region. Thankyou to Kevin Jin (Year 12), May Tran (Year 12), Phoebe Rodda (Year 12), Jack Sweeney (Year 12) and Mrs Bugeja. 

MARTIN WEST

Martin West has been an incredibleMusic Teacher at McKinnon Secondary College from 1990 - 2024. We wish him all the best as he moves on to work with The South East Victorian Regional Instrumental Music.  

THERESA FORD

Theresa Ford joined McKinnon Secondary College in 2010 as a Music Teacher. We wish her all the best as she makes the transition to  another DET school from 2024.

RETIREMENTS

We extend our gratitude to our teaching staff who have either retired or are transitioning into retirement. Your dedication and expertise have shaped countless lives and ignited a passion for learning.

JENNY DE KRESTER 

On leave for 2024 but retirement effective January  2025. Jenny has spent 25 years at McKinnon Secondary College and a total of 50  years with DET! Jenny has been a Geography Teacher,  Year 7 Student Manager and Transition Manager.

BILL MANOLAS

On leave for 2024 but retirement effective Jan 2025. Bill has spent 40 years at McKinnon Secondary College! Bill has been a Mathematics Teacher and Mathematics KLA Manager .

STUART COOK

Stuart has spent 24 years at McKinnon as an Instrumental Music Teacher - strings. 

RAY BRANISKA

Ray joined McKinnon in 1990 as a Maths Teacher.

KATARINA VRISK 

Katarina joined McKinnon in 2018 as a Music Teacher.

NAT LUFT

Nat Luft, our McKinnon Road Crossing supervisor, retired after serving our community for an incredible 17 years.

Nat fostered a caring relationship with thousands of students, families, and our staff, ensuring a calm and safe passage for our students to cross to and from our school each day.

We wholeheartedly thank Nat for his dedicated service and wish him a joyful retirement with his wife, who has also recently retired as a school crossing supervisor.