The principal of Radford College, Fiona Godfrey, has resigned suddenly after nearly 10 years in the role.
College board chair Vicki Williams told the school community in an email on Tuesday that Mrs Godfrey was resigning after being diagnosed with a condition that required treatment.
"On behalf of the board, it is with sadness that I write to the college community to inform you that our principal, Fiona Godfrey OAM, has decided to resign her position, effective today following nearly 10 years in this role," Ms Williams said.
"Fiona was recently diagnosed with a health issue that will require her to obtain treatment. Having considered her circumstances, Fiona has made the difficult decision to resign from her position and focus on her health and wellbeing.
"We take this opportunity to thank Fiona for her considerable contributions to the college over her tenure and wish her all the best with her recovery."
Mrs Godfrey has been on leave for the past two weeks. Andy Gordon, the deputy principal head of junior school, has been acting principal.
Mrs Godfrey was the college's longest-serving and first female principal.
In that time, the school has added about 500 students to a total of 2112 enrolments this year.
Mrs Godfrey began her career as a science and maths teacher but soon went into school leadership roles in Catholic and Anglican schools.
She previously worked at Fintona Girl's School in Melbourne, Canberra Girls Grammar and St Peter's Girls' School in Adelaide before returning to Canberra to take on the principal role at Radford in 2014.
She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on Australia Day this year for her dedication to leading schools and sharing her expertise in voluntary roles.
Mrs Godfrey worked with several boards and associations, including Anglican Schools Australia and the associations of independent schools in ACT and NSW.
"Over the nearly 10 years she has led the college, she has had a significant impact on its growth and development," Ms Williams said.
"We are proud of the achievements of the college over the past 10 years during Fiona's term as principal and the role she has played in that."
The board chair said the college community would stay informed of Mrs Godfrey's replacement in due course.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
