Issue 54 Aurora Magazine January 2023

focus
REBECCA KIRKWOOD
Leading the Way
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY
Rebecca Kirkwood doesn’t call herself a trailblazer; instead she prefers the word
‘leader’ as she has a tendency to work in traditionally male dominated fields.
Rebecca was once a Queensland police officer (following in her father’s footsteps)
before swapping her badge for a classroom timetable and becoming a teacher. Then,15
months ago, she became the first ever female Principal at the WA College of Agriculture
in Denmark.
It’s now been fourteen years since Rebecca wore her copper’s uniform and she says the
career boosted her skills for her current role as it taught her how to manage complex
situations.
“My dad always said being in the police was like having a front row seat to the greatest
show on earth,” Rebecca says.
“It was exciting work and there’s a lot of adrenaline as you’d never know what was
going to happen from one moment to the next. But it’s not a vocation to enter into
lightly and it can be dangerous. My dad retired early from the Force after being shot in
the shoulder. He was pleased I was joining up but my mum wasn’t so keen as she was
the one that got the knock on the door in the middle of the night after Dad got shot.”
The Police Academy presented Rebecca with an unexpected bonus that came in
the form of a husband. The couple now have four children and there have been
many relocations over the years through postings to various regional towns across
Queensland. After nearly a decade in the job and having risen to the rank of Senior
Constable Rebecca felt the urge for change.
“I’d done a lot of work with youth as a police officer and really wanted to help kids
before they got out in the world. I wanted my work to be proactive rather than reactive
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