Life beyond Radford

I am currently living and working in Geelong as Head of Senior School at The Geelong College. I have 3 children that keep me busy too. I began teaching in 1999 and have worked at Hale School in Perth and have been Head of Sport at Radford College.

I enjoyed my time at Radford (perhaps a little too much at times) to the point where I made a decision halfway through Year 12 to pursue a career as a teacher. My love of sport and working with young people, coupled with the influence of staff such as Quentin Webster and Andrew Wrigley, made it an easy decision.

It is of no great surprise to me that Radford has spurned a high proportion of teachers, particularly from the early years. Radford was built on pastoral foundations where the importance of meaningful relationships underpinned the life of the school and strengthened the community. Through my practice teaching rounds and early placements, I was fortunate to experience life in many different schools, which is when the power of Radford really began to crystalize for me. Returning to Radford as a teacher in 2004 again strengthened my belief that Radford was indeed a wonderful school with a culture of acceptance, inclusivity and global awareness. I vividly recall entering the staff room with some trepidation given there was a large portion of staff who knew me as a student, however, I was quickly put at ease by my new colleagues who welcomed me with warmth and interest – clearly, nothing had changed. Life on the other side was fun as I experienced Year 9 camp as a teacher, enjoying the reality TV show playing out in front of me (we were ahead of our time), or placing a Radford flag in South Africa as part of an inaugural cricket tour in 2005. As a Collegian and former staff member, I am proud of the mature school that Radford has become and feel comforted from my time there as a staff member that the initial values of the school are as strong as ever.