Our staff

I am the very proud College Principal of the dynamic and diverse learning environment that is Callaghan College. I have been incredibly fortunate to have had a varied range of teaching and leadership positions in Public Education. I was born in Newcastle and spent the majority of my teaching years on the beautiful Mid North Coast.

As a teacher of History, Society and Culture and Drama, I developed a passion for creative, inquiry-based learning and innovation. My early career was in the unique setting of Bulahdelah Central School, a K-12 rural school. After some extensive overseas travel, my career developed and I was appointed Quality Teaching Consultant for the Forster and Taree areas. Later, as Highly Accomplished Teacher at Chatham High School and the Centre for Excellence program, I was accredited at Lead Teacher status by the National Education Standards Authority.

At Hastings Secondary College in Port Macquarie, I developed my deep interest in the College model and the outstanding range of opportunities for students. As Deputy Principal and then relieving Executive Principal of the College, I was afforded a wonderful professional challenge and an outstanding opportunity to lead a learning community.

It is with enormous Novocastrian pride that I returned to Newcastle as College Principal at Callaghan. I am so very fortunate to lead with my co-principals of Paul Taylor at Wallsend, Michelle Maher (rel) at Waratah and Peter Riley at Jesmond Campuses. As a leadership team, we are dedicated to empowering every one of the 2600 learners in our care with the highset standard of education.

I hold dear a deep commitment to continuous improvement so that every student is known, valued and cared for. The learning experience that we provide must prepare students for academic and life success. As the only Public Education College in the Hunter, we are unique, we are proud.

It is with great pleasure to introduce myself as Principal of Callaghan College Wallsend Campus. I am a product of, and passionate advocate for, public education. I attended Briar Road Public School and Airds High School in Campbelltown before moving on to Wollongong University where I graduated as an English and History teacher in 1992.

I have been teaching since 1993, beginning my career as an English, History, PDHPE and Careers teacher at Oakland’s Central School in the Riverina. I then spent several years at Vincentia High School on the South Coast before moving to Bulahdelah on the Mid-North Coast as Head Teacher Humanities. I then worked as the Deputy Principal of Vincentia High School on the South Coast for eight years, including relieving as Principal.

I love my role as Principal in such a diverse and dynamic school as Callaghan College Wallsend Campus.

Staff and students continually show me that Callaghan College is a vibrant community of three outstanding comprehensive campuses and that the way of doing things is to constantly strive toward excellence in study, attendance, sport, cultural immersion, caring for others and embracing positive changes.

For me, being a good leader is all about supporting staff and students to be the very best that they can be, not only within the classroom but in all areas of life. It’s important to me to lead a school that can make a difference in our students’ lives, and I work closely with the school and Callaghan College community to ensure we take all the necessary steps to make that difference.

I work closely with the Principals and staff of the Jesmond and Waratah Campuses to ensure the best possible educational experiences for all students in the Callaghan network.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Callaghan College Waratah, catering for students from Year 7-10. I am proud to be part of the leadership team for multi-campus Callaghan College, with Waratah students progressing to our Jesmond Senior Campus for Year 11 & 12.

We have a wonderful and vibrant campus community. We celebrate our rich and diverse culture, with families from our First Nations through to families who have newly arrived to Australia, along with a significant number of our families who have been attending our College for several generations. We pride ourselves on being inclusive, curious about the world and globally aware.

We offer a stimulating and inclusive learning environment and an extensive curriculum, including comprehensive extra-curricular programs for every child.

I am proud to lead a team of caring and experienced staff who support students to reach their personal best - academically, socially and as active citizens of our community.

I am passionate about the changing focus of education that places students at the centre of their own learning. All our students experience the future of learning at our school, opening a world of opportunity  for them to define their own path. 

Our mission is to grow our students to be inspiring young adults who are ready to be active and involved members of our wider community.