My brother once said to me how fortunate I am to be in a vocation where I can live out my faith every day! How privileged I am to do that! Beside me is one of the most faith-filled women I know – my wife, Genevieve. I am doubly privileged. So when I am asked to write a personal statement that is the place I begin.

As a leader, I have adopted the servant leadership model. The greatest servant leader of all time is Jesus Christ, and I have done my very best to uphold that model throughout my working life. I am keenly aware that one doesn’t attain respect from the position of leadership. You earn it by what you do. Therefore, forming good relationships with people that not only show empathy and compassion but also justice, are qualities I believe in. I am also a firm believer of doing the right thing for the right reason without fear of the consequences. This stance has now and again caused a few grey hairs and unwanted exposure.

A mantra we have at St Bede’s College is around the concept that we are not in the game of making St Bede’s great, but creating an environment that gives every boy the opportunity to be great. St Augustine says “God loves everyone as if they are the only one”, and this is an aspiration we have in the manner in which we deal with the boys. Everyone matters.

Young people need hope. Hope that the world they have begun to navigate is preparation for the next world. Hope to believe that we will help them to find the talents they have and make them believe that they will realise those talents. Hope also in the fact that school days are not the best days of their lives, but preparation for the best days of their lives.

I have always been a coach. Leadership is about making staff recognise and then realise their potential. This is the most rewarding part of my job. If I can help in this capacity other local principals as well as fulfill the goals of the cluster group, then I am happy to do so. A challenge I face is convincing young staff they could be principals. Challenging also is coaching principals to believe in themselves as well. This work I find most fulfilling, and I am happy to share that experience with others as they see fit!