What is your background?
I grew up on the Gold Coast and believe it or not, I had Reverend Chris Ivey as my Chaplain in my final year of school! After leaving school and studying in Brisbane, I began my career as Secondary teacher of Drama and English. However, I moved overseas not long after finishing university and found myself working in a Primary School in Hong Kong. Pretty quickly I realised that I loved teaching Primary aged students and completed some postgraduate study so that I could continue to work in the early years when I returned to Australia. I have now been in Primary Schools for 20 years. I worked in the State education system for a time, before moving to Toowoomba where I worked at Toowoomba Grammar School as a classroom teacher and Assistant Boarding House Master. I then moved to Churchie where I held the positions of Executive Teacher and Deputy Head of the Preparatory School. For the last two years I have been Head of Primary at Cannon Hill Anglican College in Brisbane. My wife is also a teacher, and we have two children. I have a love of the outdoors, surfing, sport, drama and music and am looking forward to contributing to these areas at St Andrew’s. Having a deep love of the ocean, we are very happy to be living on the beautiful Sunshine Coast!

Why St Andrew's?
St Andrew’s has a great reputation and it has achieved a great deal in its first 20 years. I have been admiring the College for some time and when the opportunity arose to lead the Primary School, I jumped at the chance. The values of St Andrew’s align very closely with my own and I believe that the ambition for the community to work together to be diamond strong is a galvanising message that we can all get behind. To me, the best education for our children should be one that is well rounded, rich in opportunity and allows them to be challenged. It should also focus on creating good people that will go out into the world and make it a better place. I believe that the St Andrew’s mission enables this, and I am excited to be part of this mission. St Andrew’s location is another major attraction. Being so close to the ocean and the Sunshine Coast hinterland, it is an ideal place to live and for children to experience all that this beautiful part of the world has to offer.

Why do you love what you do?
To be a part of children’s education is a privilege. We are able to see children grow and develop in such a tangible way. We see them transform from young children who in most cases are unable to read and write, to young adults who are literate, numerate, and have found passions and friendships that in many cases can last a lifetime. Primary children also have so much energy and it is infectious. They have a sense of fun that sometimes we lose as adults, and they remind us that fun is important. If I am ever having a tough day, going into the playground quickly cheers me up because I am never out there for too long without a student bringing a smile to my face. I am very fortunate to do what I do!

What do you hope to bring to St Andrew’s?
I hope I can bring energy, a passion for education and a love of learning. I have been fortunate to work in a number of great schools where I have gained rich experience and learned from many colleagues along the way. I have always enjoyed being part of a team and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with the St Andrew’s community and learning from its members also. I hope to place myself as the Lead Learner in Primary and look forward to this challenge. Together, I have no doubt that we can continue the great work that is already so evident across the College.

What goals do you hope to achieve in this role?
Put simply, I hope that St Andrew’s will become a lighthouse school for best educational practice and experience. To this end, it will be crucial to continue to offer the very best opportunities for our students in all domains including, pastoral, the Arts, sport and academic pursuits. This is a lofty ambition but one that is already taking shape with the school being recognised as an exemplar school for the Walker Learning Method. I would like to build on this success in all areas. To do this we will need to continue to offer the very best in professional development for our teachers and stay up to date with best educational practice. I would also like the Primary School to continue to be a place of joy – a place where students, teachers and families enjoy coming to every day. I am excited to commit to these endeavours.

Where do you see the Primary School heading?
I think the Primary school is in great shape and already offering an excellent educational experience for our students and families. I look forward to being a part of the Primary team and continuing to strive to offer the very best education for our students. To me, this means providing a world class education and I believe the College’s strategic focus, coupled with our staff’s commitment to the College will allow for this.