Recognition

At the recent Catholic Education Commission Tasmania 2024 Award presentations, two former students – Leon Hunniford  and Peter Kay - were among the recipients and the citations deliver on each are provided below. 

Leon Hunniford (SVC 1958-61)

Almost three decades of both professional and volunteer service to the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office (TCEO) allowed Leon Hunniford to use his expertise as a “figures man” to see through some pivotal moments in our organisational history. Leon was originally a “banker by trade”, working in senior roles for Westpac from the early 1960s, but by 1996 he and his family were seeking change and stability so he embarked on what would be an interesting and fulfilling career move.  

His late wife Carleen saw a position as Office Manager for the TCEO advertised in their local church bulletin and in the eight years that followed he became integral to the rapid change and expansion of the organisation. Leon reflected on his time at the TCEO as he was nominated for an Exemplary Contribution to Catholic Education award, as part of Catholic Education Week 2024.

The TCEO was smaller in those days but the role of Office Manager was expansive, with Leon undertaking duties in payroll for the office staff, finance for the schools, finance for the office, management of the six secretaries who supported the senior executives, and general office operations.

“This has been all part of my journey in being a Catholic. Combining my skill set and my faith worked well for me, and knowing that I was doing this for the betterment of the education of our young people across the state,” Leon said. “It was an interesting journey and I loved doing it.”

One of Leon’s proudest moments was acting as Project Manager for the refurbishment of the TCEO’s current location in New Town, and the move from the former North Hobart site. “I lost a lot of hair over that,” Leon joked.

Upon retirement in 2004 Leon was still full steam ahead, volunteering his time up until the end of 2023 on different committees. This included heading up the Systemic Schools Budget Committee, along with participation in the Systemic Schools Governing Council, Systemic Schools Finance Committee and Resources and Sustainability Standing Committee.

“I do it for the grandkids, my last two are coming through the Catholic school system now, so it is my way of contributing to their education. All my children went through the Catholic system too, and it is very much a part of my philosophy.” 

Congratulations on your Exemplary Contribution to Catholic Education, Leon!

Peter Kay (SVC 1987-92, SVC Staff 1997, 1999-2002)

A good school teacher can set you on the right path in life and leave you with morals and lessons that you treasure for decades to come. This was the case for secondary teacher Peter Kay from St Aloysius Catholic College. Peter reflected on his favourite school teacher from his own education, as he was nominated for a 25 Year of Service Award in the 2024 Catholic Education Week awards. 

“I had a very good mentor during my schooling in Paul Egan at St Virgil's College, who has recently retired at Immaculate Heart Of Mary Catholic School. He was inspiring as he had an unbiased approach to every student in the class, he involved everyone, and he broke down educational challenges to allow all students to achieve them.”

Peter has worked as a secondary teacher for the duration of his career, aside from a short stint in a primary school while working overseas, and he said the impact that can be made in the lives of young adults is what keeps him interested in the secondary years. “I find in this age group you can really make a difference, and I love to see our students grow and develop. To see them really challenging themselves and even surpassing what they previously thought they could achieve is fantastic.”

Physical education is a favourite field for Peter, who teaches students from Year 7 through to Year 12. “I am into anything within the sports realm. Whether sports development, sports science, outdoor education, the Duke of Edinburgh awards, health or physical education,” he said. “It is great to be active and to have that variety. You could be on a stand-up paddle board in the morning and by the afternoon you could be playing lacrosse and having a great time with the Year 10’s. It’s a lot of fun.” 

Working for St Aloysius for the past decade has provided Peter with an opportunity for professional development, with the school growing from around 500 students to around 1200 in that time, and it has been recently extended to include the college years too. “There is never a dull moment. Moving into the college space has been a new frontier for us and the school has been very supportive in this space.” 

Congratulations on your 25 Years of Service, Peter!