Alumni Spotlight: Denise Brown
I was in the class that graduated in 1977. Our year group completed Years 8 and 9 at St Kieran, which at that time was a single-sex school from Year 4 onwards. I was in Year 10 when the transition from St Kieran to Servite took place. It was an exciting time becoming part of the wider college community, and I have many wonderful memories of those years.
During my senior years I particularly enjoyed Human Biology and sport. I was also a leader of YCS (Young Christian Students). Each group had an assigned staff member who provided support, and I was fortunate enough to have Principal, Jack Shanahan, as my mentor. I also have fond memories of the many volleyball games we played during recess and lunchtime – simple moments that created lasting friendships.
I have been married for 44 years and have two adult children. I was a primary school teacher for almost 40 years, with 30 of those years spent at St Kieran. During that time, I had the privilege of taking on many different roles and working with generations of students.
I began at St Kieran as a sports teacher before moving into classroom teaching. Later, I became the music specialist, which was a wonderful opportunity as I have always loved music and singing. I was also in charge of the choir, and I found great joy in sharing that passion with the children.
After four years teaching music, I moved into Special Education. I spent my final 10 years of teaching as the Special Needs Coordinator and teacher, a role that was both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
Looking back over my 30 years at St Kieran, I feel very grateful for the experiences and relationships I built. One of the special privileges was teaching the children of my former Servite classmates – and in some cases, even the next generation of families I had known from school.
I recently retired from teaching and have enjoyed exploring new interests. I have spent some time working in a hat shop in the city, which was something completely different and something I really enjoyed. You are never too old to learn new skills. I have also rediscovered my love of reading and have spent some time every day reading. Being retired has also allowed me the time to spend reacquainting myself with the piano, guitar and ukulele.
We have a 14-year-old dog named Max who loves going for his daily walks and is really loving us at home more. We are very lucky our family has a holiday house at Lancelin. Max loves it up there and since retiring we have had more time to spend there enjoying the beach and walking every day.
Earlier this year my husband and I did a cruise up the west coast of Western Australia, leaving from Broome and finishing in Darwin. It was amazing. We met some lovely people from the Eastern States and look forward to visiting them sometime next year. My son currently lives in New Zealand and we are hoping to visit again in the not too distant future.
Life is great and I am thankful for all the experiences that have led me to where am now.
