"Being nominated and then receiving “The Catholic Leadership Award” is both humbling and overwhelming, and I am enormously appreciative for both the honor and the recognition. Teaching is a Vocation – it is something you are, not what you do! I consider myself to have been very fortunate and I am grateful for the many, many students, colleagues and Mentors who have inspired, collaborated, encouraged and respected me through my Career. Teachers show their resilience and adaptability every single day, juggling both the rewards and challenges, and the many friendships I have from teaching, are my Tribe!
I grew up on a dairy farm in a little place called Lancaster outside of Kyabram in the northern part of Victoria. Being Catholic and following the strict ways of the Catholic Church was integral to who we were and how we lived. I attended the little state school up the road where the local priest would come and take the Catholic kids out of class into the corridor where we would go through the Mass book and the Catechism. At home mum would always find time in her very busy life to priorities the strict adherence to following the Church’s teachings, sitting with us and studying the “My Way to God “books; daily prayers, the Rosary , then culminating with the weekly Mass . This was interspersed with the enormous daily grind of both domestic, and farm jobs. Mums dedication and commitment has definitely influenced my faith today.
This year is my 40th consecutive year of service to Catholic Education; I have worked in primary, secondary, tertiary and systemic sectors and have incorporated many formal leadership roles across those 40 years. It remains a driving passion for me to ensure that a quality Religious Education remains a primary focus in our Catholic Schools. I have worked with so many amazing people and I have been mentored by incredible innovative and hardworking leaders, the majority of them being women.
In 1990, Maree and I made a sea change from Brunswick to Buninyong and I became the principal at St Michael’s Springbank. I would drive our old Torana out, in all weathers, and it was not unusual for snow to fall at the school! These were busy and exciting times; we had a great Small Schools Network out on that side of town where the local Catholic Small schools would collaborate and share their expertise to provide a breadth of experiences for the students in these vibrant and active communities, and I remember this time fondly.
It was during this time I recommenced my studies that would go on for some years, incorporating a Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership, a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education, a Master’s in Religious Education and a Masters in Theology. During these years of study my love for learning, my passion for exploring new or more contextually appropriate ways of doing RE and my curiosity for new theological understandings were ignited and fueled. With a young family, there was not much time for draft writing of essays!
From St Michael’s Springbank I then went to James’ in Sebastopol where I worked under Sr Maureen Connelly and the amazing Sr Kate McGrath, who fostered a great sense of community. I had eight wonderful years at St James’ working with a great team of educator’s and families.
My next career move would then take me in a completely different direction but one that was enormously satisfying both professionally and personally. I successfully applied for a position at the Catholic Education Office as an Education Officer in the area of Religious Education. I began this job with Fr Kevin Leneghan who inspired all who had the very good fortune to work with him. Fr Kevin was a democratic, respectful leader, who combines his phenomenal intellectual and academic prowess, with true humility, inclusion and kindness. It was under his leadership that our small, hardworking team became involved in the Inter-Diocesan Project that led to the development of the first version of the Ballarat Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum of “Awakenings.’ This project successfully gathered all stakeholders across the Diocese to work on a shared project of renewal, content wise and pedagogically in the quest for a Religious Education Curriculum that was right for the people of its time.
I am very proud of my contribution to the development of “Awakenings’ and the work that was done by our team in the schools of the diocese supporting its implementation. During these years I had the privilege of working with many dedicated school teams and parish teams on a wide range of projects. There were years of delivering Sacramental Information night meetings, curriculum planning days, school reviews, whole school professional development days and staff meetings supporting the communities of our Diocese in their amazing efforts to do what they do and to help them in their desire to do things even better.
Whilst at The Catholic Education Office I was also very involved on the College Board of my children’s school Damascus College and about ten years ago when I was Chairperson of the College Board I was encouraged to apply for the role of Learning Area Leader: Religious Education. Mr Matthew Byrne and Sr Marie Davey took a risk with an untried secondary school teacher at the time and I am so glad they did. They too have provided constant care, innovation and leadership to both myself, and many many others, and this is reflected in the outstanding community Damascus College is today. Over the last ten years I have been able to utilise my skills and knowledge in this role and work with our RE team to develop their knowledge, skills and capacities to ensure the College has a contextually appropriate Religious Education curriculum that is dynamic, engaging and always evolving.
I recently attended a talk in Melbourne by the great American Benedectine nun Joan Chittester. She concluded her presentation by saying there is no point being a prophet in our time unless we can do it with joy and happiness. People who know me, know that I have always worked hard but they also know that I have always still enjoyed a laugh, and can appreciate the humour in many situations!
In conclusion, my hope is that our Catholic Schools will continue to be authentically inclusive and welcoming communities that acknowledge that we are all made in the image and likeness of our loving God; and that are schools can be places where people of all faiths, genders, sexualities are therefore welcomed and respected equally.
When I reflect on my career, it is the connections and relationships that are most important to me and I have a lifetime of memories of interactions to be grateful for."
Mr Martin Ryan