A CARETAKER at St Joseph’s Primary School has retired after 39 years of service.
A Grosvenor Road man, Robert Devlin's journey with the school actually began when he was four-years-of-age, when he attended the school for the first time in Primary 1.
“He started as a pupil and is ending as a pensioner,” said Vice-principal Jim McCann.
It was an emotional day as St Joseph’s held a special assembly in honour of the man that they call “The Legend".
Children in each class drew a picture of Robert, which were then presented on the walls during the Assembly. Every member of staff wore a t-shirt with a picture and message saying, ‘Our Robert.’
Robert Devlin and the staff at St Joseph's
“I think it’s important to say we use the term ‘The Legend’ for Robert, and that’s not lightly used,” said Principal of St Joseph’s Primary School, Mairead Weir.
“This man is a legend, he is the very fabric of our building, he is such an important person. When you’re stressed he lightens the mood, he will come with a wee cup of tea for you at times, he will give you a hug. He treats everyone the same.”
Speaking with the Andersonstown News, Robert described the sad day saying: “I thought I’d never see this day.”
“I started when I was four in the school and then I went away and did a bit of work and decided to come back in 1983 to do caretaking and I’ve been here ever since. So, my connection with the school is 46 years,” he said.
Pictures the pupils drew of Robert
“I have some great memories. At our open day I saw the children who I knew at four coming in with their children and it’s great to see them taking their kids. I was born and reared on the next street where the old school was.
“Everybody gets a cup of coffee no matter who you are, it’s not just your day-to-day duties, it’s everything. One thing about this school and the community – everybody pulls together.”
Principal Mairead Weir continued: “As we all know, you never work a day when you love what you’re doing, and Robert always says he hasn’t worked a day in 40 years. He is wonderful and we love him and are going to miss him.”
Robert celebrating 39 years of service with his family
