At 41 and as a mother of five children, Patricia Cooper started her life as a teacher; now 44 years later, she's calling it a day and retiring from North Ainslie Primary School.
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The great-grandmother was sent off with a room full of well-wishers at the school on Friday, gathering in the library named after the ever-popular and passionate teacher and librarian.
''I want to go out while I'm reasonably vibrant,'' she said. ''I still love the job, I feel big pangs about going because there's always a job to be done, but I'll find other ways of doing it I'm sure.''
After a nomadic life as an ''Air Force wife'' and as her husband neared the end of his career, Mrs Cooper went along to see a representative from what is now the University of Canberra spruiking ''life-long education''.
''They said 'it was for mature age students but we didn't think anyone as old as you would come','' Mrs Cooper remembered with a laugh.
After many years in the public education system, she was eventually forced by law to retire on her 65th birthday - ''a tragedy'' - but found a way to keep doing what she loved. She returned to the fold as a relief teacher until she met Chris Pilgrim, then principal at Melrose Primary School, who assumed the date of birth on the outstanding application of this potential teacher was a mistake.
Ms Pilgrim set about bringing Mrs Cooper, who she described as ''the epitome of erudite'' back to the permanent teaching workforce, with the age laws having changed in the intervening years.
So 12 years on from that meeting, Mrs Cooper is retiring from permanent teaching for the second time, but this time going out on her own terms to do new things.
''I'm not pole dancing … and I'm not sitting in a rocking chair either - I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but my head's buzzing with ideas,'' she said.
''What I do know is in different times of life you have to reinvent yourself … the opportunities are here more than they've ever been - you can be anything or do anything, you just have to see what's around.''
The end of 2013 sees the retirement of three other education stalwarts of the past 30-plus years.
Trish Kellar OAM will retire as principal of Giralang Primary School, with Lindy Beeley, principal of Majura Primary School, and Jennie Bailey, principal of Southern Cross Early Childhood School, also calling it a day.
