The Owl 2020

The Owl 2020
Valete
involvement in this extra-curricular work.
Trevor also was part of our Global
Opportunities work and I personally had the
privilege of spending time with Trevor in
Malawi. It was a pleasure to see his interaction
with the team members and the affection his
travel group showed to him during the trip. It
confirmed all that I knew about him as a team
leader and team builder.
On the announcement of Trevor’s retirement,
we were all sad but we knew he had many
other paths to explore. Some will take him over
the hills of Carrickfergus and on some he will
be accompanied by his growing number of
grandchildren. We know that Liz will love
having Trevor around during the day and his
four children will be delighted to see more of
their dad but one thing is certain, the
grandchildren will just be thrilled that they can
see their grandpa just about anytime they want.
Trevor, we miss you terribly in the Biology
department and our school has lost one of its
stalwarts. You were one of the most effective
leaders in our school and yet you led without
wanting attention or even expecting
recognition. In that, is the true fabric of Mr
Trevor Baldwin, the man who did what needed
to be done and who always did the right thing,
not for public praise or self-promotion but
because the task was his to do and he did it,
perfectly. Thank you Trevor for your
impeccable service and contributions to the
Biology Department and to the wider school
community.
Thank you for your wisdom, your advice and
thank you for your humour. Enjoy the trails
and don’t miss what you go looking for. We
will all look forward to you visiting us in the
Bruce and we especially look forward to the
proper retirement farewell that we will not let
Covid-19 rob you of! May God bless this new
and exciting time of your life.
HEATHER FERRIS
A.B.
Heather joined the School in 2016 as a
classroom assistant having worked as a teacher
of all three sciences for 28 years in her
previous teaching career.
Heather, who has had a long association with
BRA was a very calm presence in and around
the Learning Support Department who gladly
shared her knowledge and expertise with
pupils and staff alike. She gave wholeheartedly
to both the pastoral care and academic
achievement of pupils and it will be hard to
replace her.
Heather has taken an opportunity to return to
her first love of teaching, providing small
group support for those who have been out of
school long term. We wish her well in this role.
ORLA GLEN
S.B.
Orla arrived at the School in August 2019 from
Victoria in Canada. As a qualified teacher, her
skills were very useful in school. Orla brought
a strong, caring professionalism to her role and
her bright personality quickly endeared her to
all of the staff.
Orla’s stay was unfortunately cut short by the
closure of the School in March 2020. She
agonised over the decision to return home
however with borders closing she was left with
no choice.
With the Canadian border closed, Orla spent
the summer traveling her home province,
British Columbia. The says that whilst school
looks a little different this September she is
excited to be back in the classroom working as
a primary teacher.
Orla made a big impression on all she came
into contact with in the School and she is
already missed by many. We wish her well in
the future and hope that one day she can return
to BRA.
S.B.
CHRIS HUBBLE
Chris joined the School in September 2019 as
a classroom assistant after completing his
degree in History and Sociology at Queens
University Belfast in June 2019. Chris had a
love for poetry however he also excelled in
teaching maths and science subjects to those
pupils who were struggling in these areas.
Chris was patient and innovative when
working with pupils and his efforts yielded
many positive results.
His stay at the School was unfortunately cut
short due to the impact of COVID-19, although
he did return for a short while in June to work
with the pupils that were in school, and at the
end of the school year Chris decided to return
to England where he is hoping to start a
teaching programme. We wish all the best with
this endeavour and thank him for his efforts in
the last school year.
S.B.
ELISABETH HULL
Elisabeth Hull was appointed Bursar of Belfast
Royal Academy in September 2001 and served
the School in this position for 18 years.
As Bursar, Elisabeth had responsibility for
School Finances. Using the experience, she
had gained in private practise, Elisabeth was
able to control the School Finances in a
prudent and commercial way with her attention
to detail being exemplary. This benefited the
School when setting budgets, funding new
projects and improving the School capital
account.
Elisabeth also had responsibility for the School
Estate comprising three separate sites at
Cliftonville Road, Castle Grounds and
Roughfort playing fields. Under her direction
the School completed building extensions and
refurbishments totalling many millions of
pounds. Examples of recent Building
Contracts successfully completed include redevelopment
and expansion of Music, Home
Economics and Dining facilities, a new Lower
Sixth Form Centre, re-placement stonework to
the Crombie rear elevation and tower and a
new all-weather hockey pitch at Roughfort.
It has been a privilege to have worked closely
with Elisabeth during her full period as Bursar
and to witness her ability and her total
commitment to Belfast Royal Academy.
We wish her every good fortune for the future
as she returns to her alma mater, Belfast High
School in the position of Bursar.
G.R.S.
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