Outgoing Cooktown State School principal Leanne Rayner steps into long service leave and then retirement after more than 10 years at the helm with a surprise party at the Cooktown Bowls Club earlier this month. Photo: Supplied.
After more than a decade at the helm, Cape York’s longest-reigning principal is officially saying goodbye to her role at Cooktown State School.
Leanne Rayner bid an emotional farewell to staff and students on 4 April as she prepared to embark on her well-deserved long service leave, marking the beginning of her transition into retirement.
Ms Rayner said she was spoiled with love and surprises in her final week, including a staff meeting where she was presented with a piece of student artwork, a dinner party at the Cooktown Bowls Club, a poetry reading, and a guard of honour.
“I was so emotional, I couldn’t even speak; I was a blubbering mess, and it was pretty embarrassing, actually,” she laughed.
“It was amazing to know that people really cared.”
Ms Rayner took on the role of Cooktown State School’s leader in 2013, but her experience as an educator of Cape York’s young people began almost a decade prior.
After moving to Cooktown at the end of 2003, she was a teacher, then head of department and acting deputy principal at the school, before taking on a principal role at Hope Vale for four years, and then a cluster principal role looking after Cooktown, Hope Vale, Rossville, Bloomfield, Laura and Lakeland.
Ms Rayner then went into regional office in a school improvement role, before returning to the Cape permanently and stepping in as Cooktown State School’s principal.
“I was so blessed, because I had really great connections from Hope Vale, and really great connections from Cooktown,” she said.
“In the first year, we managed to have 32 year 12s come, and a lot of them from Hope Vale, who had disengaged from school, so that was really exciting.
“We actually attracted a lot of kids; I think it was the trust, because I’d been at Hope Vale as well, so the relationship with families and kids is just fantastic in a small community, and I’ve been very blessed to be a part of that.”
The beloved educator said her time at Cooktown State School had been a wonderful chapter of her life that she would miss, but admitted she was also looking forward to the next phase of her life.
“I’ll miss seeing my staff every day, I’ll miss the beautiful kids and their smiles and their innocence, and their ups and downs and roundabouts,” she said.
“It’ll be different not going to work every day, but I do enjoy sleeping in until at least seven o’clock.
“I’ll miss them, but I think it’s time for new excitement, new innovation, a new chapter, for the school as well – change is always good.”
Leanne Rayner welcomes guests to Cooktown State School 150th anniversary celebrations in February. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
