The prospect of ending a rewarding career was daunting for the Nowra High teacher, after 38 years in the profession.

On Friday, before he said his goodbyes at a formal assembly, he reminisced about the years gone by.

“What I like is that I live in the local community and I find everywhere I go, I come across former students, they always have a smile on their face, they always say hello, and they’re always up for a chat,” Mr Buckley said.

"That’s very fulfilling for me.”

Each new generation is often painted as more disruptive as the one before it, but Mr Buckley only had positive words about the kids he works with. 

“Life is more complicated for students given the advent of social media,” he said.

“In all honesty, the young people of today are fantastic, I enjoy working with them.

“As long as students are given boundaries to work within, and a set of values to follow, they’re wonderful.

“Every day I go out to the playground, the number of students that say hello, it makes my day.”

It has been a joy, for Mr Buckley, to care for kids who have been neglected at home.

“Some students have very difficult home lives and school is their safe haven,” he said.

“It’s our job to ensure that every day they walk through the school gates they feel safe.

“That gives me the most joy.”

He has taught geography, business studies, economics, computing studies, and moved into administration as school principal.

The retirement plan is to travel, relax, read, swim, cycle, run, do gardening, improve cooking skills and enjoy the rest of his life.

“Ambivalence is the word I’ve been using, because I should be looking forward to retiring but there’s a lot of anxiety going into the unknown and stopping something I’ve been doing my whole life,” he said.

“I’m leaving the staff and students at Nowra High who have made my life a rich one.”