Mr Baird, who grew up in Wee Waa, recently moved to Gunnedah with his wife Kath, and daughters Charlotte and Georgia.

With family still residing in Wee Waa and his wife's family also close-by in Narrabri, the move was the perfect fit.

Part of the reason he took the position was because of the "strong pull to be closer to family", he said.

"I attended secondary schooling at St Mary's in Gunnedah so it's been wonderful to reconnect with the local community."

In 2020, Mr Baird was acting principal at Holy Family School in Parkes.

He has five years experience as principal across two schools, and is the former principal at St Mary's School in Hay.

Before that, he was assistant principal and REC at Holy Trinity School, Inverell and is extremely familiar with the Armidale Diocese, having worked there for 11 years.

He said his vision for Sacred Heart was simple - continual improvement for the whole school community.

"If we keep striving for what is best for our school, there's no limit on how far our students can go," he said.