King's College teachers retired after decades of educating at Warrnambool schools

After decades at the college - which followed years at other Warrnambool schools including Brauer College and Warrnambool West Primary School - the couple are calling time on their teaching careers.

For Mr Tucker, being a maths, science and physical education teacher has become a bit of a family tradition with three generations choosing the same career even down to the same subjects.

"I always wanted to be a teacher since I was in primary school," Mr Tucker said.

"I had my dad as a teacher several times during secondary school in Horsham. He and two other teachers just were my inspiration. I wanted to be like them.

"They made me feel like their lesson was the most important lesson I was going to do that day. They just made learning come alive.

"Dad was just fun to have as a teacher, not because he was my dad but the other kids in the class would tell me that." Both of the Tucker's sons are now teachers.

One of the teachers that had a big impact on Mr Tucker was former Brauer College principal Duncan Stalker who was the head of maths and science when he was a student at the tech school in Horsham.

Mr Stalker had "kept tabs" on Mr Tucker while he was studying at university. And, as soon as Mr Tucker had finished his final year, he got a call "out of the blue" from Mr Stalker offering him a job.

The call came through on the Friday, and Mr Tucker started at what later became Brauer College the following Wednesday. "At that time teaching was hard to get into, particularly in country areas," Mr Tucker said.

He was one of only three in his year level to get work straight away.

The couple were married at the time, but when Mrs Tucker called up to see if she could get a compassionate transfer to a school in Warrnambool, she was instantly told "no".

It was a time when there were very few teaching jobs to ever come available in Warrnambool. But while on the phone that same day, it was discovered that a job had just become available for a maternity position at West Warrnambool Primary School.

"If you can get there tomorrow you can start there tomorrow," she was told. "For me that's God at work."

Then in 1991, Mrs Tucker took a part-time job at King's when their oldest son started prep. Years later, when King's College expanded from just a primary school to include secondary students, Mr Tucker moved to the school as well and ended up teaching his oldest son as part of the first cohort of year 7s.

"In the beginning there was a real sense of pioneering a school and building it together," Mrs Tucker.

Over the years, Mrs Tucker stepped up to the role as head of junior school, and Mr Tucker took on the role as head of senior school and deputy principal.

They said it would be hard to close the door on their time at King's College, but assured it would not be the end of their association with the school. They plan to volunteer their time at the school, and do some casual relief teaching when needed.

But they will also spend more time with their grandchildren, and finally get to visit Mr Tucker's mum in Queensland - something COVID restrictions has prevented them doing for two years.

Pre-COVID plans to lead a tour of Israel this year were shelved, but he hopes that can happen soon. "I have a real passion for that," Mr Tucker said.

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