Rohan Brown, the Trinity Grammar deputy who was fired for giving a student a haircut before his school photo, returned to work today after an independent review found the school council did not have the authority to sack him.

After weeks of staging protests to “bring back Brownie”, students and parents greeted the deputy upon his return.

Mr Brown had been working at the school for almost 30 years before he was sacked.

“There is an apology I need to make,” an emotional Mr Brown said. “We all make mistakes, and I’ve made one.

“I’m so pleased to be back and hopefully that will make the school stronger and resilient.

“The boys have been wonderful, the staff have been magnificent.

“There is a bit of me here and there is a bit of the school in me.”

When asked if he would be “hanging up his scissors”, Mr Brown replied: “The obvious answer is yes.

“The boy whose hair was cut came through before and he looks magnificent,” he added.

The school commissioned an independent review of the debacle last week which found Mr Brown’s dismissal was not justified.

The review found although Mr Brown had breached the school’s code of conduct which may have justified his sacking, headmaster Dr Michael Davies had chosen not to end Mr Brown’s contract weeks prior.

It also found the school council, which dismissed Mr Brown following a code of conduct hearing, lacked the requisite authority to do so.

Mr Brown told Herald Sun he was “relieved and excited” by the review’s findings.

“I want to go back,” he said.

“I am proud of the Trinity community, it has been fabulous.

“It has been hard on the boys, the parents and the staff. They have been torn apart.”