Paula Barry's early childhood was marked by the tragedy of her mother's death when she was only three. However, her aunt, Concie Keighran, rescued her from St Anthony's Orphanage in Surrey Hills, where she had been placed. Paula always considered herself lucky to have grown up in a loving family.
Her vibrant personality, and her commitment to leading by example, resulted in a long and successful career in primary education.
Paula's mother, Winifred Ryan Keighran, was the youngest of five children of Thomas and Winifred Keighran of Doodle Cooma station in Henty, NSW. During the Depression years, the property was subdivided and sold.
Winifred was 38 when she married Jim Barry in 1925. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Jim senior, who crafted coffins, and had a funeral business in Walhalla. The couple moved to Melbourne, and had three children before Winifred died in 1932.
It is believed that Paula's six-year-old sister Winsome was sent to an institution in Beechworth when her mother died. Four-year-old Keighran (Kerry) Barry spent some years in St Vincent's Orphanage in South Melbourne, before living with his father in his teenage years.
Paula started school at St James Primary School in Gardenvale. She attended three primary schools in all, and managed to complete grades seven and eight in one year at St Joseph's Brigidine Convent in Malvern. Her secondary education took place at Presentation Convent O'Neill College, in Elsternwick.
She worked as a laboratory assistant for two years at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in Parkville, completing her matriculation at night school.
After deciding in 1947 to become a teacher, Paula was placed as a student teacher for 15 months under the supervision of the Infant Mistress, Miss Mabel Warby. During lunchtime, student teachers were instructed in Infant School Method.
Paula later wrote: "There was no such thing as time release or specialist teachers. The only respite from managing the 60 children in the class was the Infant School assembly in the hall." Her formal training took place at Melbourne Teachers' College.
Paula's first appointment was in 1951 to Elwood Central School, with a class of 50 beginners and a student teacher. "Apart from the serious business of reading, writing and counting, the whole school learned dancing from a Madame Brindley, who taught On the Good Ship Lollipop to the infant class in the style of Shirley Temple," she wrote.
Her extra-curricular duties included raising the Australian flag every Monday morning, and taking a conduit pipe to release water from blocked drains.
In 1955, she was promoted to Brighton Primary School, where she taught for 18 months before embarking on a trip to London. She worked as a relief teacher at a school in South Kensington, which was "modern in design… and – oh joy – with washbasins and hot and cold water." In the school holidays she travelled to Europe, following a life-long passion for classical music.
Her special pride was the creative writing program, in which the children produced books with chapters.
After two years in London, Paula taught at a number of schools in metropolitan Melbourne. In 1969 she was promoted to Narmara Primary School as Infant Mistress Class 1. She describes this period as "a challenging and exciting time". Her special pride was the creative writing program, in which the children produced books with chapters.
Following long-service leave, Paula returned to Elwood as special class vice-principal in 1973. Her first appointment as principal was to Glen Waverley Heights Primary School in 1978. She recalled that the school library "was the core of the school, was always open and always child-centred".
She was one of only six women in a group of 38 teachers selected for the inauguration of the Institute of Educational Administration (IEA) in August 1978, at Shepparton. The four-week residential course was designed to equip participants to be facilitators of change, and better administrators across all levels of education.
Paula returned to Brighton Primary School as principal in 1982. Improvements at the school in her time include the Paula Barry Library, use of Apple 2E computers in the classroom and the introduction of LOTE (Languages other than English) to the curriculum. The Parents' Club newsletter was instigated in 1988.
Close links with parents were maintained through the Parents' Club and the school council, and weekend working bees. She was often seen in overalls, cleaning up after fundraising activities.
Paula retired in 1993, after 12 years as principal at Brighton and a total of 46 years of teaching.
In retirement, she convened a committee to preserve the memories of former students and teachers at Brighton Primary School. These anecdotal recollections and photos, together with information from the Public Record Office of Victoria, formed the basis of the book A History of Brighton Primary School 1875-2000.
The Education Department acknowledged Paula's years of teaching service in May 1991. In January 2001, she received a Centenary Medal in the Goldstein Awards, as part of the Centenary of Federation (1901-2001), for "outstanding service to the care and education of young children".
On Australia Day 2016, she was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for "significant service to primary education, and through contributions to a range of community organisations".
Paula was a generous supporter of many charitable organisations including St Columban's Missions Society, Baker IDI Heart Foundation, the National Trust Foundation and the Australian Red Cross. She was a subscriber to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Theatre Company and Opera Australia.
In 2011, she received a badge for 10 years' service to the St Vincent de Paul Gardenvale Conference. In 2001, as president of the group, she oversaw arrangements for the Centenary of the Conference at St James Church, Gardenvale. She also participated in the distribution of food parcels to needy residents in the Bayside region.
Paula Barry died in aged care in Brighton on May 1, aged 88. She touched the hearts and minds of more than a generation of children.