In chatting to Ian, our new Head of Campus, Early and Junior Years, it is quickly clear that he really enjoys working with children and their families, and that he is passionate about helping students to feel happy, empowered, engaged and able to reach their full potential. He is most definitely a wonderful addition to the Trinity family and we are delighted to welcome on board! We know our Junior Years families will have lots of opportunities to get to know Ian but we hope you enjoy this Q&A we had with him as a starting point…
Having a clear Christian faith foundation and world view was of core importance to me in exploring the opportunity at Trinity Lutheran College. What also drew me to Trinity Lutheran college is that it is an IB school as well as encompassing early and junior years. I also like that it is P- 12 college and has the two distinct campuses catering for the different developmental stages of students.
I have a wide background working in Christian, independent and state schools as well as being involved in outdoor education and community organisations. With three adult children, all with very different experiences of school, I can relate to the varied journey of parents across the years.
I was initially trained in Primary Education and began my teaching profession working in the state education department. I did some additional training in outdoor education in New Zealand and worked with both primary and secondary students as well as adult and community organisations before returning to the classroom. I have since taught in a number of independent and Christian schools both in Queensland as well as New South Wales.
I was born in New Zealand and moved to the Gold Coast early in life. As a young childI grew up mostly in the southern end of the Gold Coast, spending much of my time in Currumbin and Palm Beach. I am married to Ros who is a counsellor and I have three adult children, Mikaila, Matthew and Lachlan.
In primary school my favourite subjects were English, and mathematics and I remember that I used to love writing stories. I was very sporty and particularly enjoyed athletics and soccer.
The book that inspires me the most is “The Element” by Sir Ken Robinson. This book is based on a series of interviews with famous people from around the world who describe their childhood educational experiences. It explores the impact that teachers had upon their future careers and encourages me to look for the potential and the possibility in every child so that they come into “their element”.
That is a hard question to answer because I am always reading, listening to books and podcasts, and continually learning. I particularly love autobiographies and every person’s story gives me something to take away and apply to my own life.
To relax I love to go camping and enjoy bodyboarding and surfing in my kayak. Walking in the forest and riding my mountain bike are also favourite activities.
I enjoy a wide selection of music including recent artistslike Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift as well as older classics such as Cold Chisel, U2 and Fleetwood Mac.
When thinking about adventures, I often think of outdoor activities. As a younger adult I spent some time mountaineering in Mt Cook which was an incredible experience. What I enjoy more though is that I still get to do fun and challenging activities with my family. My wife and I have walked the multiday Milford Track in New Zealand and the Overland Track in Tasmania. This year we are planning to walk the Three Capes Track in Tasmania.
I think that my best quality is that I’m always seeking to learn. People often tell me that my best quality is that I am compassionate and challenge them to see things differently.
I’m most excited about getting to know the students and families of Trinity Lutheran College and being involved in the life journey of more young people. Children have such a unique perspective on life which is energy giving.
It would definitely be the conversations and interactions with the students. They say the funniest things even without knowing it. Just the other day when I had a Q and A with some children at OSHC, one of them told me that they didn’t think I came from Adelaide. The reason was that they had been to Adelaide and didn’t see me there.
I think it would be administrative forms. I know that they are important, but they aren’t that exciting to complete.
My wife and I love to bushwalk, and we are fortunate that we have a conservation park only a few minutes from where we live. It has a whole lot of mountain bike tracks as well which is a bonus.
Mountain biking, kayaking and karate are the three sports that I am currently involved in. When it comes to watching sport,my favourites would be rugby league and rugby union. Probably the only sport I don’t like watching is cricket unless it’s the T20.
That is another hard question to answer as I have spent most of my life working with children and adolescents, whether that be holiday camps, in the outdoors, or in the classroom. I think if I wasn’t in teaching,I would be working in some sort of helping profession.
Having three adult children who still love to holiday together with my wife and I as a family.
I wish Ihad known to buy land as an investment in what were the new estates on the Gold Coast.
I am quite introverted in nature.
