Jim completed his Trained Primary Teachers Certificate at Geelong Teachers College in 1969. This was followed by teaching appointments to country and metropolitan schools. During this time Jim completed his Bachelor of Arts at La Trobe University majoring in Sociology.
In 1975 Jim was appointed Foundation Principal at Resurrection Parish Primary School Keysborough. Jim worked with the community for a year under an Australian Commonwealth Innovations Grant to establish an educational vision and to work collaboratively with the project architect in formulating design plans based on the Vision. The school opened in 1976 with 62 students and when he left in 1981 there was an enrolment of nearly 500 students. During this period Jim completed his Bachelor of Education at Monash University.
From 1981 to 2000 Jim worked as an Education Consultant in the Southern Zone of the Ballarat Diocese. During this period Jim consulted to primary and secondary schools within the region. During this period Jim was involved in a series of Dioceses initiatives which involved Leadership Development School Improvement, Board Development Principal Appraisal and P-12 Network Development. In this time period Jim completed his Graduate Diploma of Religious Education and started his Masters of Educational Leadership.
In 2001 Jim transferred to the Central Zone of the Ballarat Diocese where he spent seven years working with primary and secondary schools in Ballarat and District. During this period Jim completed his Masters of Education Leadership and started a Masters of Arts (Theology). During this phase Jim had the opportunity for overseas study and travel. This included summer schools at Leuven University Belgium and Boston College. He also attended conferences in the U.S.A, Canada and visited schools and system authorities in Ireland, Scotland, England and East Timor.
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