By Steph McNicol
AFTER 43 years of cleaning at Wallan Primary School, Mary Carboon will be ‘sorely missed’ by students and staff who say she fulfilled more than just her job description.
Principal Ann Stevens said Ms Carboon was part of the community and always wanted to get involved with school events.
“Mary has decided after 43 years of cleaning the school that she is going to retire, which is a fair call because she’s been here for a very long time,” Ms Stevens said.
“Obviously, she’ll be sorely missed. Mary’s part of the community. She is known by our current students and families, but also, by past students and families and grandparents. There are lots of people in this community who remember Mary.
“She’s also been a strong supporter of the school. Her role has been cleaning, but in that time any school event that was on, anything social or involving families of the school or children, Mary would be there.”
Ms Carboon said she would miss the school and all the action involved in each day.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of the action. There’s always something happening at this school, most people don’t go to work and do all the things that we do in this school,” she said.
“That’s what I’ll miss the most is the action, and the professional people. They’re very dedicated to their work, and they’re the sort of people that I like to be around.”
Ms Carboon said she had plans to become more involved in the community after her final exit from the school.
“The first thing I’ll have to stop doing is to stop cleaning,” she laughed.
“I want to get involved in the community, see what’s available. After COVID-19, a lot of things have stopped at the moment.
“We’ve got the U3A down this street, and I have a lot of friends who go there, I have been part of it before when it first started.
“My friends are saying ‘Mary come back’, and I thought ‘I will go back and do something there, I wouldn’t mind Tai Chi’.”
Ms Carboon hopes to get involved in mental health and wellbeing volunteer work, to support people struggling.
“I’m also interested in health and wellbeing and during this time it’s very difficult for a lot of people and there are people out there who are suffering,” she said.
“I’d like to get involved in that, I’m not sure what role yet, but I’ll just go down the street, see what’s available, and see what volunteers are needed.”
