Ocean Grove Primary farewells a much-loved member of staff

AS FAR as rockstar farewells in the education industry go, Ocean Grove Primary School business manager Judy Webb’s was certainly up there with the best of them.
The farewell was organised by Ocean Grove Primary principal Scott McCumber after it was announced that after 29 consecutive years at OGPS, their devoted staff member would be retiring at the end of the term.
Sitting in the passenger seat of a 1966 Ford Mustang for her first time and surrounded by a convoy of Harley Davidsons, Mrs Webb took a couple ceremonious laps of honour through the streets of Ocean Grove with students lining Draper Street outside the school’s entrance.
When asked for her initial reaction once she returned to the school, Mrs Webb simply put it as “absolutely overwhelming” and said she was still trying to process the previous half hour.
“Ocean Grove has been my life,” Mrs Webb said.
“I have been here nearly half my life, so I have known parents and students, parents as students, staff, and it has been just generations of Ocean Grove.”
The plan came about when Mr McCumber asked a few local motorbike riders that frequented a nearby Espresso Bar if they would be interested in the idea.
Once the plan was agreed upon, it was all engines go for the send-off.
Starting at around 1.45pm last Friday, staff and students cheered on their longest serving member.
Upon her return, Mrs Webb gave one final wave to the school before being flooded with cards and gifts from hundreds of kids wearing yellow and black – a salute to Mrs Webb’s allegiance to the Richmond Tigers.
A member of the school’s “A-Team” in the administration office alongside Anna Bourke, Jenny Warren and Lesley Williamson, Mrs Webb will be mostly remembered for her caring and loving nature and the fact that nothing was ever too much trouble for her.
Ms Williamson, who only recently retired from the primary school last year, worked with Mrs Webb for 26 years and said there would now be plenty of time to catch up for a cup of coffee from here on in.
Grateful for the many roles that Mrs Webb was required to fulfil, Mr McCumber said he valued her human element above all else.
“Judy is everything to everyone,” he said.
“She’s just a super person and I want to, as a principal, create kids who are going to turn into people like Judy.”
In addition to maintaining a $6.5 million budget as it stands now for 640 students and 60 staff, Mr McCumber was perhaps more grateful for her roles that were not in her job description such as being an extra set of ears and counseller.