Jacqueline Heffernan is swapping coastal NSW for a Canberra school. Photo: Carroll College, Broulee Facebook.
A beloved South Coast principal is moving to Canberra to head up the ACT’s largest Catholic school, St Mary MacKillop College.
Jacqueline Heffernan has been a familiar face to students and families at Carroll College in Broulee, in the Eurobodalla Shire, since 2019.
From 2026, she will be taking the reins at St Mary MacKillop College as its principal.
The school is a co-educational school for students in years 7 to 12, which operates across two campuses in Tuggeranong, in south Canberra.
Carroll College wished her well, writing online that she would be “greatly missed” in the new year.
“Jacqui will take our blessings and best wishes with her as she commences at MacKillop in the new year,” it said.
In a statement, Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn welcomed Ms Heffernan to Canberra.
“I congratulate Jacqueline on her appointment and wish her every success as she undertakes this role,” said Executive Director of Catholic Education David de Carvalho.
The school’s current principal, Michael Lee, announced earlier this year he would be wrapping up his 18-year tenure at the school when his contract finished at the end of this year.
In a statement, he said the school community was in a strong position for the next principal.
“MacKillop is in an excellent space, with a strong culture of safety and learning, excellent staff, talented leaders, and is financially secure,” he said at the time.
“The confidence of the wider community in this school is a source of pride that we can all share.”
Ms Heffernan has held a range of roles in Australia’s southeast, including at St Bernard’s Primary School in Batemans Bay.
They have included working as a principal, acting principal, assistant principal and coordinator.
She also worked as the principal at St Mary’s Primary School in Moruya for seven years.
Ms Heffernan also worked as a coordinator or teacher at Mary Immaculate Primary School in Sydney and St Mary’s Primary School in Queensland and she holds tertiary qualifications, including a Master of Education (Religious Education), Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching.
Recruitment is also expected to start in the coming weeks for a new principal for Carroll College.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.
