A founding staff member at Cobram Anglican Grammar School, Ms Seccull was across it all from the establishment’s early days.
She began at CAGS as the physical education teacher and religious education co-ordinator: two diverse roles in themselves, but nothing compared to what was to come.
Ms Seccull recalls later taking up teaching English, maths and library, and then commerce, humanities, health, community service and VCE business management.
And while teaching such a wide range of subjects kept things interesting, she said it was her interactions with students from Prep through to Year 12 that really ignited her passion for her career.
“I remember one year, on a Monday, I started with the double VCE business management during periods one and two, then periods three and four, I had Year 4s for religious education, and in the afternoon I had Preps for religious education, as well,” Ms Seccull said.
“So, I taught from Prep through to Year 12 in that one day, and I really enjoyed it because every block was different.
“I loved having a range of different classes. It meant that every day was different; every day was interesting.”
Ms Seccull said the memories that stuck with her most were those where students expressed their “beautiful thoughts and prayers”.
While many of these moments, she said, were “inspiring”, she often reflects on a particular moment during a Year 12 retreat.
“I had prepared this prayer service for the students that night,” she said.
“We had candles lit, and I had given each person in the room something to read out from a list of things that could go wrong. They would come out, read, and then blow out a candle. At the end, all the candles were blown out, and it was dark in the room.
“Then, the students would come up and read out the things that were brighter, and they would light up one of the candles. By the end of that, the room was all lit up again. I had kids walking out of there crying.”
In 2023, Ms Seccull retired; however, she still returns to CAGS for relief teaching on occasion.
She also has involvement in the school community through her contribution to the planning of the school’s 25-year reunion.
With this landmark for the school approaching, now’s the perfect time for the veteran teacher to reflect on why she loved her career.
“The kids; I can’t wait to see some of the kids (at the reunion). I won’t remember all their names, which will really annoy me because remembering names was always a big thing for me; but when you get to the thousands of kids over 25 years, it’s a bit tricky,” she said.
“A few of us (founding teachers) have been asked to be on the advisory, or suggestion committee (for the reunion), which has been nice. It’s really nice to be kept informed and asked, it’s gratifying to be asked what we think.
“It’s been a big part of my life, a huge part of my life, but one I’m very, very happy to have been part of.”
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