I haven’t been using this account that often in the past year - a lot has been happening.

About this time last year, everything was lined up. I had the move to Melbourne planned, had landed a position, was ready to make the necessary changes at the school I was at.

And then... my back had immense pain, which then turned into me barely being able to walk or even get out of bed. I could not work for months. It was torture, because there was a lot to do at school - exams, reports, marking. But I could not move.

Fortunately, I had an industrious assistant English co-ordinator who was able to take things on - and she has continued into that role permanently. Meanwhile, I was able to help out in some ways, including ploughing through marking while being in bed.

Of course, while this was going on, my daughter was graduating from Year 12. I missed her grad dinner, was in pain through the grad ceremony. The Giants, my beloved football team, made the Grand Final. And there was a lot to be done to prepare to move.

Fortunately, my other half was able to do so much of what was needed for the move. And the purchase of the house was made so much better with an awesome mortgage broker. (I won’t tag them - I don’t to drag them into this thread). But I felt useless in my last NSW months.

And then, by a number of miracles and the outlaying of lots of money, we ended up in Melbourne. By the time I got here, I could walk a bit. Then, by the end of January, it was like the pain was never there, except for a few reminders.

I made the decision to go to an establishing school in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, because I like the energy of establishing schools. The last time I did that, though, I was in my early 30s, surrounded by people my age and a bit younger than me.

Now I am the bloke in his late 40s surrounded by teachers in their 20s and early 30s. I really like it - the energy and passion of young teachers is infectious.

The other complication in this story is attempting to come to grips with the Victorian way of doing things, plus, the ways a new school is doing things. I can see all the influences of contemporary education theory crashing together. It’s been full on.