CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

A committed local educator and pioneer of modern ‘hard but fair’ disciplinary methods, Mr John Brown (55) is this week hitting his straps, career-wise.

After 20 years Betoota Heights Secondary College, Mr Brown has held a range of different roles. From Deputy Head of Soccer, to the after-school Chess Club coach, he’s never bitten off more than he can chew.

However, with a recent staff reshuffle following a heavy teacher exodus triggered by the opening of a new private school in the area, ‘Browny’ (as he is known to the Grade 12 Soccer boys) has this week thrown his hat in the ring for an executive jersey.

It’s not that he hasn’t been considered before, it’s just that he’s never put his hand up. Many colleagues put this down to his contentment with the magic of arithmetic, others suggest he might have been playing politics and waiting for the right moment.

Either way, as of the final school assembly last week, Mr Brown is now the Acting Deputy Principal of Betoota Heights Secondary College.

His promotion marks the first time a male teacher has held a non-departmental executive position at the school since Principal Graham Moralis got stood down after he got caught trying to hide the discovery of asbestos in the gymnasium roof in 1997.

Mr Brown’s temporary ascension to the 2IC role has been welcomed by staff and parents alike, with many citing the need for an iron fist to bring a standard of discipline back into the school-grounds. Especially with the rise of Youtube drill rap and the imminent destruction of Australia’s middle class under a Morrison government.

While he won’t be shown to his new office until January, Mr Brown has already begun to treat himself to the fruits of the (acting) VP role.

He’s started by upgrading his 1997 Toyota Vienta to a 2012 RAV4, an almost mandatory requirement for an educator experiencing such a fast-tracked rise to the top.

It is not yet known what he’ll be doing over the holiday break, but it looks like his family might be spending a bit more time at North Stradbroke Island than Coolangatta this Christmas.