WA teacher marks 48 years at same school, never left
Esther Gilmore is the longest-serving teacher at a single Western Australian school, having taught at Rosalie Primary since 1978.
Esther Gilmore has taught more than 1200 children at Rosalie Primary School in Perth and shows no sign of stopping. After 48 years in the same classroom, she holds the record for the longest-serving teacher at a single school in Western Australian history.
Gilmore started at Rosalie in 1978, now at 51 years in the profession, she remains committed. Ms Gilmore said the school feels like a family and that community is why she stayed.
Her former students, now adults, return to visit. One ex-student, Lauren Palmer, still remembers crying on the last day of Year 1 because she didn't want to leave.
Now a teacher herself, another former student, Bindi McMechan, works alongside Ms Gilmore at the same school and still calls her Ms Gilmore out of habit.
- 48 years
- Years at Rosalie Primary
- More than 1200
- Children taught
- 51 years
- Years in education
- Rosalie Primary School, Shenton Park
- School location
Why it mattersIt is rare for a teacher to shape generations at one school, creating continuity, trust, and deep roots in a community.
AustraliaRosalie Primary and Perth's eastern suburbs have had stable, dedicated teaching that built a school culture that families return to across decades.
