A POPULAR Chelmsford deputy headteacher is saying farewell to the school where he has taught for all his teaching career.

Irishman Des Kelly was forced into teaching after suffering two serious injuries as a professional footballer.

After completing his training at St Mary’s College, in Twickenham, he was offered a job as head of PE at St John Payne Catholic School in 1976.

He stayed there for 34 years, 20 of them as deputy headteacher.

Born in Limerick, he was talent spotted in Ireland. He came to England and signed for Norwich at the age of 18.

He said: “I played for Norwich for two years before being badly injured.

“I then played for Colchester for a year before getting a second injury which finished my footballing career.”

Des was helping out at a school in Colchester with sport when one of the nuns said he should consider teaching as a career, because he had a good rapport with the children.

He said: “As a Catholic I decided to study both sport and religion – the body and the soul together as I describe it.”

Des was then approached by the then head of St John Payne, Mr Brady, who said he wanted to build the school up through its sport. Des said: “When he interviewed me, he said the school was going to have a new sports hall. And in January next year, it will – 34 years after that conversation.”

Des lives in Chelmsford with wife Linda, also a teacher, and has two sons, Joseph and James.

Joseph also teaches at St John Payne, so the Kelly name will carry on at the school after Des retires.

He has just turned 60 and said he thought it was the right time to go.

Asked why he had never moved to another school, he said: “I had done my moving and pupils will know my saying that there is no community without commitment.

“I will miss the people. Being here in Chelmsford has been my life.”

Des says he will take three months off and then plans to continue working in Catholic education.

A special mass is being held at Our Lady Immaculate Church, in Chelmsford, on Saturday, December 11, at 3pm to mark Des’s retirement, to which everyone is invited.