I was born in Glasgow, Scotland and being the eldest of six children I think I always wanted to be a teacher because I loved school. I loved reading and learning. My siblings might disagree and say it was because I was opinionated and bossy! My father loved numbers and finance and my mother loved drama and reading. I was lucky enough to inherit these loves from both of them. My parents were also great dancers; this gift was not passed on to me.

I attended Glasgow University and studied Physics and Mathematics. When I graduated I then attended Teacher’s College for Post Graduate Studies in Education. I taught in Glasgow for four years before immigrating with my husband and young son to Australia. We wanted a change in lifestyle and more sunshine. I then taught Mathematics at Santa Sabina College and John Paul 2 Senior High before moving to Adelaide in 1992.

In 1999 I was appointed Science Coordinator at Cardijn College and in 2004 was appointed Deputy Principal.  I was attracted to the position at the Catholic Education Office which assisted schools to implement the New SACE as it allowed me to visit all of the Catholic secondary schools in the state and work with school leadership teams and teachers.

In 2011 I began as Principal of Mary MacKillop College. I love being the Principal of a girls’ school. I like being able to think of the many ways that we can make the College a better place for students and staff.  School improvement and change management are two of my focus areas. In particular I love the history and tradition that comes with Mary MacKillop College; the ongoing ministries of the Sisters of St Joseph and the legacy of Mary MacKillop.

I was born in South Africa, in a small rural agricultural town called Douglas in the Northern Cape Province. I attended the same school from Year 1 through to Year 12.

I enjoyed History and Geography and my parents encouraged my brothers and I to read local and international newspapers to build my general knowledge. From a young age I knew I wanted to be a teacher.

After graduating from high school, I attended the University of the Orange Free State, majoring in History and Geography.

I began my practical teaching in a small country town in the Eastern Cape Province. It was a wonderful learning experience for me to start in a small school and gave me ample opportunity to practice my new teaching skills. My final teaching position, before departing for Australia, was at Northern Cape High School in Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape Province. Northern Cape High School was a dual medium school (which means that lessons are delivered in both the Afrikaans and English language), with 1200 students in Years 8-12.

In 2003 I immigrated to Australia and began teaching in Port Augusta. In 2004 I was appointed as Year 9 Year Level Coordinator at St John’s College in Whyalla.

After 4 years at St John’s I moved to Adelaide to teach at St Columba College. During my 12 years at St Columba I held the leadership positions of Year Level Coordinator for Year 11 and 12; Director of Student Wellbeing for the Senior School, before stepping into the position of Head of Senior School in 2014.  I began at Mary MacKillop College as Deputy Principal in Term 3 of this year.

Just as the life of Saint Mary MacKillop inspires us, I too will endeavour to inspire our students to be local and global citizens and to develop their understanding that actions reflect the Gospel. Living the Gospel in everyday life means doing one’s best even in the ordinary events of the day. I passionately believe in the values of the Sisters of St Joseph, of love, justice, compassion, dignity, hospitality and stewardship, and look to uphold these daily with you all each day.

Imagine a young child who just wants to know why and how something works, a child who loves trying and playing every sport and a child who could not sit still no matter how hard her parents tried. That was me. With a love for discovery, sport and an inability to remain still, becoming a Physical Education Teacher seemed like the perfect profession for me.

Having been teaching now for five years, nothing makes me smile more than seeing one of our students attempt and succeed in something she has been working towards. The sense of relief and pride on their face is incredible.

Equal to my passion and commitment for all things sport is my belief in girls’ education in the Catholic setting. Having been educated at Siena College, an all girls’ school, I was encouraged and challenged to be my best self. This has further strengthened my belief in girls’ education.

The experiences that I was lucky enough to have are what I want to bring to MacKillop. As Director of Students I am passionate about developing resilience in our girls so that they can continue to grow in confidence and self-belief, to speak the truth, take risks and contribute to the greater good of the community.

For as long as I can remember, my motivation has always been to have a variety of experiences.  So it shouldn’t be a surprise that prior to coming to Mary MacKillop College, my education and professional work took me from Asia, to the United States, then to Australia.  I worked in audit, tax, business services, consulting and advertising, and along the way had some of the most unforgettable moments in my life. This included taking helicopter/twin-engine plane rides to reach clients, being in an open pit mine and feeling the earth shake when the dynamite exploded, actually seeing gold being smelted, and working in the Silicon Valley and meeting some of the most brilliant IT minds in the world.

Coming to the College was born out my desire to do something completely different from the Chartered Accountancy profession, although my two daughters will jokingly argue that was not the case.  Just like any young children, they felt a sense of pride if they could see me working in the Canteen.  So when this role came up they thought it was a nice substitute.

I am truly privileged to be part of the Mary MacKillop College community where everyone is warmly welcomed, valued, appreciated and supported.  I am given this opportunity to use my professional training, skills and varied experiences to manage and improve the resources of the College, for the provision of an enriching education for girls, the way St Mary of the Cross MacKillop envisioned it to be.