Gourock Primary 'This is Your Life' celebration for retiring head teacher

GOUROCK Primary put together very special 'This is Your Life' celebration as they bade farewell to their head teacher.

In an emotional au revoir Christine Murray took a step back in time with her staff and pupils to mark nearly 40 years in teaching.

Mrs Murray, who has led the school for the last four years, told the Tele she is proud to have been a teacher at all three Gourock primary schools over the years.

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

During an incredible career she also went oversees with her husband Paul, an art teacher in Inverclyde Academy, to teach in international schools in Spain and then Bahrain.

Christine said: "It is very emotional to be retiring and saying farewell. It has been a privilege to be Gourock Primary's head teacher. I took over right at the heart of pandemic when the world was in lockdown."

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

She added: "That was a difficult time for everyone and then we had the school refurbishment and the decant.

"But in the last couple of years we have really pushed on and the school is thriving. The staff and pupils at Gourock Primary are amazing.

"I was overwhelmed by the assembly organised by deputy Julie McKellar."

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

Christine, who is from Greenock and now lives in Gourock, took over as head teacher in 2020 after a spell as deputy head and acting head at Moorfoot Primary.

Previously she had also spent 16 years at St Ninian's Primary, with a spell at St Patrick's in Greenock.

As a young teacher Christine and her husband of 36 years, went to work together in an internationl school in Marbella, Spain.

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

Christine said: "It was a fantastic life out there, we loved living in Spain and we love going back there."

From there the young couple went to Bahrain where they spent eight years in total, with an interruption when the first Gulf War broke out in 1990.

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

Christine said: "Almost all of our the children went home because of the war. We came back home for 18 months. But once the war was over they asked us to come back out."

Both Christine and Paul returned to the Middle East and it was there their three children Luke, now 31, Anna, now 29, and Joe, now 26, were all born, in Bahrain

Christine said: "It was a lovely life out there, it was very multi-cultural and diverse. It was great to experience working abroad."

Gourock Primary (Image: George Munro)

At the Gourock celebration, there was also a chance for Mrs Murray to put the children through their paces with some fun exercises and fitness, as well as the special 'This is Your Life' with fun  photographs from childhood up to the present day, capturing lots of moments including her time teaching in Bahrain.

Then all the classes presented Mrs Murray with handmade cards and spoke about their time together.

Teaching is a real family affair for Christine with her sister, Jane Stinson, the former head teacher of St Francis Primary in Port Glasgow, watching in the audience.

Now Christine is all set for retirement with plans to spend quality time with Ian and the family.

She added: "It is a real mixed bag of emotions but now that I have made the decision I am looking foward to the future."