Matt Hyde - 2023 Life Membership

On Friday 8^th December at Marvel Stadium, PASS celebrated retiring members, life membership and years of service awards

Matt Hyde, Principal at Warragul & District Specialist School was also awarded the prestigious Life Membership Award, not awarded since 2019!

Matt began teaching in Special Education in 1987. He has regularly attended PASS meetings since 2003 when he became Assistant Principal at Warragul & District Specialist School. 

Matt was elected to the PASS Committee, (now PASS Board) in 2014. He has worked with Presidents Helen Hatherley, Peter Bush and Cameron Peverett and is currently in 10th year as an active committee member.

He was elected to the PASS Executive in 2016 as Treasurer. Matt is currently in his 8th year as an active PASS executive member and treasurer. He was instrumental in working closely with the PASS Board and Administration Officer to modernise PASS financial structures and policies which had been previously lacking. Matt instituted a PASS budget that aligned to the PASS strategic plan rather than an account of what had been spent. He also aligns and monitors PASS budget and expenditure to the PASS Common Funding Agreement with the Department.

Matt also has supported the President and Executive in meetings with the Department of Education. This includes being an active stakeholder member for the following initiatives: Mental Health Practitioner, Senior Secondary Reform, Disability Inclusion Profile and Inclusion Outreach Coach.

Matt is also the designated South-Eastern Victoria mentor to PASS members. Gippsland Association of Specialist Schools Principals (GASP)

Matt is the longest serving member of the current GASP team. He actively promotes the GASP network, encouraging

new and current members to participate, facilitating GASP meetings until 2019 and continues to support the current facilitator.

His promotion of GASP includes being available to speak to Regional staff about the role of specialist schools in our system. Through this, he promotes inclusion across all sectors and works with Area Leadership to raise the profile of our schools as well as issues that need to be addressed, such as the succession of school leaders in our special schools.

Matt was a PASS conference committee member on 2 occasions and was the PASS conference committee chair in 2017 San Remo - Silverwood Conference.

He has mentored 5 PASS Principals. Barb Walsh - Latrobe SDS, Edith Grey- Bass Coast Specialist, Denise Munt - Officer Specialist, Rob Sands - Bass Coast, and Helen Rowe - Officer Specialist.

Matt has been a School Review Challenge Partner for Latrobe SDS, Baringa Special, Bass Coast Specialist, Sale Specialist, Officer Specialist, often on more than one occasion.

Congratulations Matt, all our retiring members and 5 year service award members