Newington’s Edmund Webb Boarding House is home to 50 boys from greater Sydney, regional Australia and overseas. Xavier, his wife Sally and their three children, Rory, 8, and twins Ethan and Charlie, 6, will now join them in calling the boarding house home.
What drew you to the role of Head of Boarding at Newington?
Newington College is one of the great schools in Australia and to be able to teach at such an outstanding school and continue to immerse myself in pastoral care is a position that I feel extremely privileged to be in. The school’s pastoral values strongly align with my own and I look forward to working with a small boarding community to continue to create amazing opportunities and outcomes for every student.
What did you do before coming to Newington?
I’ve come to Newington from Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane, where I was Housemaster of Boarding and taught Biology, General Science and Physical Education. I’m originally from Warragul in Victoria, and I used to work at Melbourne Grammar as Senior Head of House and Head of Personal Development. I’ve coached AFL, basketball and water polo in both APS and GPS schools.
What other roles will you have when you join Newington?
I will continue to teach Physical Education and Science and will involve myself in the AFL, athletics, basketball or cricket programs.
What are you looking forward to in your new role?
It is such a privilege and honour to witness at close hand young people developing in boarding. There is a large amount of pressure on someone in my role to monitor a team of staff and provide actions or decisions that can have a lasting positive impact on the students under your care. I truly love the boarding environment and I will use my experience as a day and boarding Housemaster to create what I feel is the best environment for today’s boarding pupils to thrive. Positive outcomes for all boys in boarding within all areas of school life is what I set out to achieve.
What are your plans for the boarding house and getting to know the boarders?
The most important aspect of my job initially will be to get to know the boarding students, parents and staff. Building positive, trusting relationships early on will be important. Due to the small boarding community, I can truly ensure that all boys are treated individually and the management of each student within boarding can be personalised. My family and I look forward to meeting the school community and immersing ourselves in the daily life of boarding.
