Lake Illawarra High School

A Positive Future for Every Student

Telephone02 4296 3844

Emaillakeillawa-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Keiran Spillane

Attended from 1984 to 1989

Keiran Spillane

 

  • At the completion of Year 12 Keiran's HSC result enabled him to study PDHPE teaching at Wollongong Uni, largely as a consequence of his good Maths mark.

 

  • His performance at Uni was not outstanding and for the first 3 years he scraped through whilst simultaneously working full-time at Oak Flats Bowling Club.  He took the year off in 1993 to concentrate on a career in the club industry but he soon realised that nobody wanted a 21-year-old secretary manager.

 

  • This led to him returning to Uni in 1994 with a newfound enthusiasm and the completion of his degree.

 

  • However, getting a permanent position as a PE teacher is very difficult and for two years he worked casually, including some days at this school.

 

  • Keiran got married in 1996 and spent a year in England, teaching and training for judo.  Judo was his passion and whilst at Uni he won the Australian University title and the NSW Open and he was undefeated in competition from 1991 to 1992. In 1997 he represented Australia in several competitions including the British Open.

 

  • Keiran returned to Australia in 1998 and gained a full-time appointment at Tempe High School, where he remained for the next six years. It was during this time that his judo career came to an abrupt halt due to injury but he turned this into a positive by coaching the NSW Boys and Junior Men to 5 national championships and he was selected as the national under/20s coach for the Sydney Olympic Youth Festival and at several national training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport.

 

  • In 2004 Keiran was appointed Head Teacher PDHPE at Ambervale High School and was promoted to Deputy Principal, at the same school, just three years later. In 2009 he transferred to the Deputy's position at The Illawarra Sports High and this year was relieving Principal.

 

  • Next year Keiran will turn 40. He is happily married with two wonderful children and he has just been appointed as the new Principal of Oak Flats High.

 

  • He is the first student from this school to make it to the top of the education ladder and as such he is a worthy recipient of the honour of being inducted into the LIHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Keiran.