2005 Murray Bell, BOT member 1992-2005: 21st December

Bearing in mind that all the original 1989 parent members of the board had not stood for re election in 1992, it was a ‘big ask’ for the new board. As treasurer from 1992 Murray inherited an excellent financial system that had been developed by his predecessor as treasurer. However, this was an immensely time consuming role as the school at that time had very little financial management support. This is quite unlike the position today as we have a financial executive officer.

In mid 1997 Murray accepted the role of chairperson of the board, while also retaining his role as treasurer. Murray has shown himself to be the epitome of the team player, always consulting, seeking collaborative agreements and never failing to highlight the success of others. Murray has displayed a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. He is ambitious, to be sure, but first and foremost for the school and not for himself.

During his time on the board and particularly since his tenure as chairperson, Murray has overseen many changes. Perhaps the most obvious has been the growth of the school from 330 when he started in 1992 to 700 today. This growth has necessitated the acquisition of many new facilities including classrooms, performing arts rooms, art room, ICT suite, new library, extended and refurbished administration area, the extension of the hall, new and extended adventure playgrounds, the up grading of the field and court areas, the networking of the school and, as a 75th school anniversary the dedication of the Community Forest in 2000 as a long term forest regeneration project.

Bricks and mortar are one thing and, although important in a school, they are not the basis of a successful school; the right people with the right resources are the basis of a successful school. Over the years, because of his inclusive leadership style, Murray has been responsible for an environment that treats people with respect and dignity, where there is an expectation that people will work together and will perform to the highest standards.

On this theme of people performing as a team for the school, the 2005 ERO report made favourable mention of the governance of the school, commenting on the experienced trustees having a clear understanding of their responsibilities; succession planning; the existence of comprehensive policies and procedures; high quality self review practices; and regular community consultation. The fact that, in their own words, ERO found “no areas of non compliance” is a great credit to Murray. This is particularly so given the plethora and ever increasing number of regulations that beset school governance today.

We thank Murray for his service to the school’s community over all these years. This service is against the backdrop that as a board member and as part of the usual review cycles, the board has constantly been scrutinized by various agencies. While some would say that it was time for a rest, Murray will not be doing this as he is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Murrays Bay Intermediate School. Murray is clearly adhering to our school’s motto: Not self, but service.