Community & Business
11 April, 2025
Spirit of Emu Creek retires
After 40 years of devoted service at Emu Creek State School, teacher aide, Liz Donnelly has retired from the school that has played such an important role in her life. Liz’s story is the story of Emu Creek in many ways.
As a lasting tribute the school has decided to name the school library the Liz Donnelly Library in recognition of the hundreds of students she has helped foster a love of reading.
Before becoming a teacher aide at Emu Creek School Liz was a student at the school having enrolled in Grade One in 1961 and going on to complete Year 10 at Fairholme College in Toowoomba.
At 15 years of age, Liz began her working life in a Toowoomba pharmacy before embarking on a working holiday in New Zealand as an adventurous 18 year old.
It was here she discovered one of her life passions when she worked on a horse stud farm and on returning to Australia she followed this passion again working on a horse stud near Scone in New South Wales.
However, it seems that Emu Creek and Liz Donnelly are inseparable and she returned in 1977 to take up a position of teacher aide at Emu Creek State School.
The rest you could say is “history”.
When Liz and husband Ted decided to start a family she was forced to resign in 1982 but returned in 1989 after the birth of their second son.
Liz has been at the school as a teacher aide ever since confirming the idea that Liz and Emu Creek school are inseparable.
As school principal Tania Schmidt said, ”Liz has been at the school in times of change, challenge and celebration.”
During this time Liz has worked with hundreds of students over multiple generations and has gained a reputation as a “quiet voice of encouragement for students and someone who believed every child could succeed even if they didn’t”.
A look into Liz Donnelly’s family history confirms the idea that Liz and Emu Creek are inseparable because her ancestors are two of the original pioneer families of the Emu Creek/East Greenmount area.
Liz’s great-great-grandfather was Peter McIntyre who left Scotland in 1862 seeking a better life in the Great Southern Continent where he took up 830 acres of farmland at Emu Creek.
He named his selection ‘Benvorlick’ and ran sheep and cattle.
Her other great-great-grandfather was Thomas Allen who took up his ‘Woodlawn’ property at Emu Creek in 1868.
Both of these men left their mark on the history of the Darling Downs and Emu Creek in particular.
Liz is also connected by family to Emu Creek’s most famous son, Steele Rudd.
It would therefore seem that Liz Donnelly was destined to be tied to Emu Creek in some form and Emu Creek State School has been the beneficiary.
A keen student of history Liz hopes to write a book on the life of her ancestor Thomas Allen during her retirement years.
Although officially retired from the school last week, Liz now has the task of writing the 150 year history of Emu Creek State School, something she also seemed destined to write since birth.
In regards to the school library being named in Liz Donnelly’s honour, School Principal Tania Schmidt said, “The library will proudly carry Liz Donnelly’s name just as she has carried the spirit of Emu Creek School.”
