In his official letter of resignation to the School Board, Ross Millikan described his appointment as Principal in 1989 as a 'wildcard' appointment in that he did not come from the traditional pool of potential school principals. Looking back at the conclusion of 12 years of outstanding leadership, his appointment could more appropriately be labelled as an inspired choice. At his induction he spoke of the responsibility of the School to prepare its students for the future: '...the students in our Prep School will graduate from Carey in the 21st century.

Our teaching and learning, and our pastoral care programs must prepare them for that time.' It is this basic philosophy that has been the major influence in all that Ross and Carey have achieved during his term as Principal. Ross Millikan brought with him to Carey endless energy and enthusiasm, an excellent sense of humour and great caring for all sections of the Carey community, especially the students and staff. He is a very humble and gentle man in all respects and is very approachable, but he has not been afraid to make the tough decisions when necessary. Not everyone will agree with every decision a leader takes, but at all times Ross has made decisions following close consultation with colleagues, and keeping as the only parameter the best interests of the whole School.

None of these characteristics have diminished over the past 12 years, and Ross has been just as creative and energetic in his last year as in his first. Those of us who have worked with him in that period have at times found it difficult to keep up.

From the outset Ross' creativity and ability to think laterally came to the fore, and his desire to lead Carey into the 21st Century resulted in the formulation and adoption in 1991 of the Carey 21 strategy plan, which continues, albeit expanded. Last year the extension of that initial vision, the Strategic Masterplan Overlay for the development of Carey over the next 10 to 15 years was approved by the City of Boroondara.

Carey is a vastly different place now from what it was in 1990. For a start, the School population has increased from 1650 to 2170 with a more even gender mix than in 1990 - an achievement that has been one of Ross' main objectives. Along with this is an increased number not only of teaching staff but also Chaplaincy, pastoral care, and special education staff and specialist personnel in non-teaching roles.

The administration and management structure of the School has also been significantly revamped, with more people being given positions of responsibility.

It is very easy to focus on the physical changes that have occurred on all campuses. Many of these are obvious to all, even to people not directly associated with Carey.

During Ross' 12 years most facilities have been upgraded or rebuilt, and this continues with the second stage of the Senior School redevelopment completed at the end of 2001. The reason for such extensive redevelopment of physical facilities has not been simply a desire for bigger and better buildings; it has been based on a significant restructuring of the School into Junior, Middle and Senior Schools, and associated development of curriculum for each division, with teaching and learning methods to enhance the education of our students.

A list of all these changes would be exhaustive, however in summary the Junior and Middle School curricula are widely regarded as amongst the best available, and the emphasis in Senior School is to prepare students for tertiary education and to assist them in future career choices. Major changes have been the access of Year 10 students to VCE subjects and Year 12 students to first year university subjects, the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma and significant development of the Outdoor Education program. There has also been the introduction of Early Childhood Centres at both Kew and Donvale campuses and the provision of staff childcare facilities.

Ross has a great belief in the need to educate students to be prepared to live in a shrinking global environment, and many of the developments have had an international component to them.

The motives behind this emphasis have not been fully understood at times by some sections of the School community, but from his belief has sprung a much expanded exchange program for students and staff, increased use of technology for curriculum, reporting and administration, offering of the IB, and recognition as an international school by the Council of International Schools.

Many of the major celebrations now in the Carey calendar have been introduced over the last 12 years. Events such as the Commencement Service, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the Valedictory Dinner following the Leavers' Service, the William Carey Lecture, and communion services in the Chapel, if not initiated by Ross have all been strongly supported by him. Speech Night has been transferred to the Concert Hall and changed to become more student oriented.

He has encouraged all students to be involved in the wide range of co-curricular activities available at Carey. The number of options available has increased, especially in the performing arts areas, and there are now much greater opportunities for students to showcase their talents to the whole Carey community and indeed to the wider community. This is not only
available to the most gifted students, but also to beginners, so that they become confident performing to a live audience. The importance of sport as part of a well-rounded and healthy education has been continued, also with a greater range of options for participation, and there has been success in a number of areas. Ross has at all times recognised the importance of the many support and associated groups such as the Old Carey Grammarians' Association and Carey Connections that exist in schools such as Carey, and he has particularly encouraged the involvement of parents in supporting the co-curricular and sporting pursuits of their children. Most of these activities boast very strong backing and commitment from parents.

No one person can achieve any of this without the support of many other people including staff, students, parents and Board. Ross has received great loyalty and commitment from all these groups, loyalty and commitment that he has reciprocated many times over. He has at all times been strongly supportive of, and sensitive to, the needs of staff, and this has seen the introduction of an increased emphasis, budget and time for staff professional development, and the encouragement for staff to undertake post graduate study to upgrade their skills and knowledge. As well he has overseen the introduction of the Carey Certified Agreement for staff - a major advance in human resource management. He and the School have also received great support and encouragement from Ross' wife Jan and their children Tim, Andrew and Rebecca, an absolute essential in such a position.

What has been mentioned here is of necessity a fraction of what has been achieved during Ross' term as Principal. Carey has indeed been fortunate to have benefited from the vision, the hard work, the creativity and the commitment of Ross Millikan.

Reflecting on his induction speech, it is clear he has achieved that expressed ambition and more, for the Prep students of 1990. It has been my personal pleasure to have worked closely with him over the last few years, and to have enjoyed his company and his friendship. He is indeed one of 'Carey's true heirs'. I wish him and Jan a long and healthy life after Carey - I feel sure it will be anything but a retirement.

Source: Dr. Ian Woolf, Carey Chronicle 2001, p. 13-14.