Alumni Profile

Simone Allan (Channells, Class of 1984) is a successful businesswoman with a passion for helping people. Simone recently chatted with Director of Alumni and Community Relations, Mandy Loomes, about her career.

What was your journey after finishing at Barker in 1984? I completed at University of Sydney an Arts Degree, Psych Major and Post Grad in HR. I commenced a career in Sales, had fun selling vacuum cleaners on TV! By accident I landed in recruitment and executive search in 1994, when headhunted for a role and the recruiter enticed me to join Morgan & Banks. This is where I found my real work passion. Working closely with people to discover their commercial skills and attributes, to align with companies and their capability needs. Tons of fun, no day was the same and meeting thousands of people. In 1998 I started my own Consultancy, Mondo Search (www. mondosearch.com.au) now 23 years in operation. Placing more than 2800 leaders in Business. During this time I was fortunate to be invited to join the Barker School Council as I had been running careers nights for Year 11 and 12 for many years. This was a great opportunity and a privilege at a young age to see how a School Board operated. In 2012 I found one common trait when recruiting great leaders - they all had mentors and I realised how much mentors had helped me along my way. In 2014 I offered the Old Barker Association a pilot program to match past students with younger students leaving school and setting out on their path. This proved impactful, so I set up The Mentor Evolution - a mentor matching platform and engagement/ leadership program for Corporations and School Alumni. www.thementorevolution.com In 2020 my business experienced Covid Coma and I had space to focus on my true North, The Women’s Resilience Centre, a place of hope and healing for women who have suffered domestic abuse. Offering a resilience program to move women off the “trauma trail”, with a buddy/mentor program of Survivor to Thriver. What inspired you to start work in the field of recruitment and mentoring? I found recruitment was a great blend of my skills in connecting with people, psychology and business development. Mentoring was a common factor in all great leaders and in my own journey, mentors were critical to the decisions I made. Why do you think mentoring is important? Mentoring shines a light on parts of you that you will never see in yourself. Mentoring is so powerful, allowing you to navigate decisions with a more balanced approach. I loved a recent comment by my Mentor: “What do you know now, that you will know in six months’ time?” Mentoring helps you to listen to your gut and trust that you do have foresight! Tell us about the Women's Resilience Centre? The Women’s Resilience Centre (WRC) is a place of hope and healing. It provides much needed medium-term accommodation, after short-term crisis care, (as crisis care can only provide accommodation for up to 12 weeks). WRC offers a longterm resilience and capacity building program to help women find their agency and move ahead, supported by mentors and buddies. Impacting generations ahead. www. womensresiliencecentre. com.au How have you combined your previous work experience with the Women's Resilience Centre? I have engaged people around me and a really capable Board with a passionate and hands-on Chair, Dr Maree Gosper. We have great weekly rituals - we walk and talk once a week for a solid hour. All my work is related, and I enjoy it. How do you fit two busy companies into your very busy life? Go to bed and rise early. Good planning and daily rituals. What do you do to relax? Ten years ago I discovered the power of yoga. It allows me to “defrag” and I call it “Drycleaning the body” - it stretches out both my mind and my body and is deeply energising. It allows me to stop and connect my mind to my body. Also I love the ocean and sitting in the sunshine. I love cooking (providence) and losing myself in pottering (great for mental health). Love chatting to dear long-term friends, as well. From what you have learned in life, what would you say to your 16-year old self? Love your little self! Look at the lessons from your pain and you will find your purpose. What advice do you have for today's Barker students? Listen to your gut, it will best guide you. Look for mentors around you. Don’t listen to that “crazy negative flat mate” in your head! Daily journalling will help you write out the crazy thoughts. Cherish your family and friends. Do yoga, exercise, sleep and eat well and meditate.

Paradoxically, the Term 3 COVID-19 restrictions have freed us to do life differently, to consider what is true and important about the human condition and highlighted the need to develop a rich inner life.

Junior School

The focus for the Junior School day was for our students to reflect on how they are demonstrating the Learner Profile Attributes during this time of online learning. This occurred through a virtual chapel service, sport, and student creation of their own representation of how the Learner Profile Attributes apply to them. Their representations will be collated to form an art installation encompassing the central idea of "Historical moments can be captured, shared and reflected upon". This is a unique moment in our lives. It linked in beautifaully with the School’s Round Square and International Baccalaureate vision of reflecting and connecting with local, national and global experiences and understandings. The art installation will be unveiled at the Year 6 PYP Exhibition and showcased in the School for years to come. The day also allowed opportunities for students in Years 3-6, and their families, to enjoy various speakers of interest from the Secondary School conference program.

Secondary School

After the conference launch and introductions from Phillip Heath AM, Head of Barker College, and David Charles, Chair of Barker Council, The Hon Matt Kean, Member for Hornsby and Minister for Energy and Environment gave the plenary address entitled “The role of young people in changing the world”. Following the plenary session, attendees had the chance to listen to a combination of 12 invited speakers in concurrent sessions throughout the day. Sessions typically ran with an initial 15-minute talk from the invited guest, followed by a discussion with a Barker staff member who posed questions from attendees to the guest.

Scan QR codes to view recording.

Phillip Heath AM Head of Barker College

David Charles Chair of Council

The Hon Matt Kean Member for Hornsby Minister for Energy and Environment The role of young people in changing the world

Professor Vanessa Hayes Geneticist leading research at the Garvan Institute

The future of precision health

Marcus West Australia’s leading presentation skills coach

The elevator pitch

Sarah Curran Volunteer bat rescue and rehabilitation specialist and advocate Bats: Superheroes of the night sky

Dr Benjamin Zander Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

The transformative power of classical music

Matt Burke Australian Rugby Union player, Sports presenter on Ten News First How rugby shaped my life

Dr John Dickson Speaker, writer and thinker Where is God in the pandemic?

Dr Carlos Bacigalupo Locally based international astronomer

A voyage to the edge of the universe

Jonathon Dallimore Professional Officer for the History Teachers’ Association of NSW The Great War – What’s to remember?

Associate Professor Peter McGilchrist Associate Professor of Meat Science at UNE

How to master the selection and cooking of meat

Mark Morrison OAM Former Principal of the Macleay Vocational College Keeping ourselves safe

Michael Griffin Choral conductor, educator, speaker, author Performance and motivation

Sue Williams Bestselling author and award-winning journalist and travel writer Writing your world Thousands of households joyfully participated in the various offerings throughout the day. As well as watching, learning, moving and creating with their assigned activities, some Junior School students enjoyed attending the Secondary School conference talks with their older siblings or when it met their curiosities. Across the Secondary School conference sessions there were over 4600 logins throughout the day from students, teachers, parents and carers, whole families, and those beyond Barker in the wider community. Over 1000 questions were asked to stimulate conversations between Barker hosts and guest speakers, creating a unique opportunity for an event bespoke to the Barker community of greater benefit than merely watching a previous online video from the guest. Truly this was an opportunity seized by the Barker community to look out and beyond the normal, to enrich the mind, and to refresh and renew the heart. “I really enjoyed learning more about bats in Sydney!” – Junior School student “I think after listening to Carlos, I’d like to keep working on my Science skills and maybe become an astrophysicist.” – Junior School student "I wanted to say thank you to EVERYONE who was involved in putting together today’s Kurrajong Heights Day/21. It was absolutely wonderful and I got so much out of the sessions I listened to. The presenters I listened to were informative, engaging and made their topics very interesting." – Barker staff member "Just wanted to thank the Junior School and Barker College for this great initiative. We’ve just listened to the talk by Dr Benjamin Zander and loved it. It was just mind blowing and the best talk we’ve ever listened to and definitely looking forward to listening to the other talks this afternoon." – Junior School parent

Julia Anstey Visiting Academic Fellow Dr Matthew Hill Director of the Barker Institute Lisa Bonazza Junior School Director of Primary Curriculum/PYP Coordinator

“I really enjoyed my time at Barker for a multitude of reasons. The School provided opportunities to attempt, progress and excel in all areas of life. These areas included sport, faith, friendship, outdoor education and academic which was something I really loved.” Israel said. The Dedeigbo family are a big part of the Barker community with Israel’s five siblings also attending, or about to attend, Barker. When asked about Barker’s Indigenous campuses including Darkinjung, Ngarralingayil and Dhupuma, Israel expressed his gratitude for the equal opportunity being made available to more Indigenous Australians. “I think the Darkinjung, Ngarralingayil and Dhupuma Barker campuses are all great initiatives that help to effectively provide quality education and an array of opportunities to Indigenous children. The effort and extent Barker has gone to incorporate and balance culture into the academic program means a lot and reflects in accommodating for all. Additionally, being able to experience first hand the opportunities being provided by Barker, I can definitely appreciate the beneficial impact this can have upon the lives and futures of all these students.” Israel draws inspiration from Australian athletes Cathy Freeman (Olympian) and Josh Addo-Carr (NRL player) and explained why he looks up to them and how he remembers the first time he also took to the 400m track at Sydney Olympic Park like Cathy Freeman. “Growing up I had always known of the famous 400m Olympic gold medal that Cathy Freeman won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2014 I had the honour of running on the same track for my 400m State Little Athletics event. This led me to read her autobiography which provided me with a great insight into the struggles she faced growing up and brilliantly revealed the determination, courage and perseverance she displayed to achieve her goals. Josh Addo-Carr is another excellent Indigenous sportsperson whom I think should be recognised for his heroic efforts in turning his life around and achieving many great things, through sheer perseverance and determination.” Israel is studying a Bachelor of Construction Project Management at University of Technology and has just been awarded a cadetship at a construction management firm. Reflecting on his favourite memory from the School he recounts attending the annual Barker and Knox Rugby fixture which brings the School community together. “The annual Barker vs Knox sporting fixture particularly in Rugby and Football is also a memory that I’m sure I’ll never forget. Being able to watch such a high quality game while also enjoying the feeling of being a part of a community that displays such pride in representing and supporting their school is an honourable memory I’m sure I’ll forever hold onto,” added Israel.

Hannah McGrory Social Media Coordinator

The AIS Waratah Project seeks to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students by supporting schools to implement their own strategies and programs in 12 key outcome areas. Alongside improved literacy and numeracy, Barker’s 2021 focus is on improving staff cultural competency and building broader community engagement with, and respect for, First Nations cultures and issues. In Term 2 we were able to have guest educators Rosalyn Thomas and Wayne Cornish spend time with us at Hornsby as part of this project. Both Rosalyn and Wayne spent time educating staff and students and sharing their experiences with the broader Barker community. Rosalyn, who is the AIS Aboriginal Education Consultant and a Dunghutti woman, met with Barker staff during National Reconciliation Week for a professional learning session on reconciliation in the classroom. Afterwards she presented at a community forum on this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, Reconciliation: More Than a Word, where she shared her personal story and spoke about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its potential role in the reconciliation process. Wayne Cornish, Operations Manager at Muru Mittigar, visited us during Barker’s celebration of NAIDOC Week. Wayne spoke to Studies of Religion classes about Aboriginal cultures and spiritualities and ran a session for staff about building their cultural competency and creating a culturally safe classroom. Wayne also addressed all Barker students at our NAIDOC Week Assembly, with a focus on this year’s NAIDOC Week theme Heal Country! At the end of a very busy day, we were delighted to have over 150 members of the Barker community join us around the campfire as Wayne spoke about First Nations land management practices and the importance of healing Country for our future as a nation. The Waratah Project also allows us to continue running Yarn Up (peer support) and Wingaru (academic support) for First Nations students, and to hold events such as the Programs and Partnerships Evening. At this event, representatives from Jumbunna (UTS), Walanga Muru (Macquarie University) and TAFE NSW presented to First Nations students and families from Barker and surrounding schools about the programs they run and the opportunities available through tertiary studies. We are grateful for the time and expertise of Aboriginal educators and the support of the AIS on our journey as a School that seeks to promote and contribute to reconciliation.

Sophie Mynott Director of Barker Global Partnerships Molly Glendenning Barker Global Research Assistant

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This article appeared on 17 July 2021 and is reproduced with the permission of The Weekend Australian Magazine.

Photo Elder Valerie Dhamarrandj with students at Dhupuma Barker School.

A wealthy Sydney private school teams up with the Yothu Yindi Foundation to teach kids in remote Arnhem Land. Could this be a model for the future?

A little girl, no more than six or seven years old, wanders into a dusty demountable classroom in one of the most remote parts of northern Australia, looking anxious that she’s arrived so late in the day. The teacher, sitting in a circle on the ground with his students, looks up and his face breaks into a wide grin. “It’s Keira!” he exclaims to the group. “Yay! Great to see you!” He leans over and high-fives her and then applauds. The other kids follow his lead, clap and cheer, and slap their palms on hers as she moves around the circle. Before long, she’s all smiles. “Here, Keira,” the teacher gestures to a place by his side. “And I’ve got your top.” He pulls a polo shirt over her head in the colours of one of Sydney’s most exclusive private independent schools. She sits on the floor, basking in the glow of such a warm welcome. Later that afternoon, teacher Tom Spencer laughs about the excitement of Keira’s arrival, two hours late. “I’m just so happy to see her coming to school and I need to encourage her to keep-coming,” he says. “For these kids, it’s a very big deal. When we started, we had no idea if anyone would come. So it’s about celebrating them when they make the decision to attend.” Keira and the 15 other young Indigenous children gathered here in the makeshift classroom in north-east Arnhem Land, a bone-shattering 11-hour dirt road drive east of Darwin, are oblivious to the stark contrast between this scene and the school whose colours they wear, Barker College on Sydney’s wealthy Upper North Shore. They have no idea they’re playing a critical role in an ambitious experiment to “close the gap” in education.

This school, Dhupuma Barker, has been set up as a pioneering partnership between Barker College and the Yothu Yindi Foundation, two groups on opposite banks of the great divide with more than 4000km between them. Their aim? To ensure these kids in the 200-person Yolngu community of Gunyangara, 14km from Nhulunbuy, receive a decent education. Beyond that, they hope their joint venture will provide a template for Indigenous education in remote and rural communities. It’s a tiny school by any standards, with only one classroom where everyone learns together or is divided into smaller groups, either sitting on the floor or on stools gathered around low tables. There’s a single whiteboard at the front of the class, and a section screened off at the back with beanbags and shelves of books on the wall that functions as the library. Individual iPads – a gift from Apple – are handed out for quiet reading times or game-playing. The reception area has tables, pots and pans where meals are served. Outside, the basketball court is the major attraction, and kids can often still be seen playing there till sundown. For there’s little else for them in this blinkand-you’d-miss-it township with its wide dusty lanes and sprinkling of homes (some of which back directly onto the beach) with washing-draped fences and fridges sometimes on the verandas. One resident claims he has a “pet” saltwater crocodile that he regularly feeds leftovers. The school’s opening in April this year comes 40 years after Dhupuma College, the original Northern Territory government school in the area, abruptly closed without warning when funds allocated to replace its dilapidated buildings were diverted elsewhere, leaving the community in shock. Later, some graduates of that school set up the award-winning rock band Yothu Yindi, famed for its chart-topping anthem Treaty, and founded The Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures, Australia’s largest annual Indigenous gathering. But back home, they wanted their children and grandchildren to have the educational opportunities they’d enjoyed. Instead, their school-age kids were drifting, occasionally attending a school in one of the towns nearby, but more often not. So, three months ago, after many years of planning and searching for a partner, the community opened Dhupuma Barker school. And so far, so good. “It’s been quite the journey,” says Denise Bowden, CEO of the Yothu Yindi Foundation and director of Garma. “We have a generation of kids who haven’t been getting a good education in numeracy and literacy in a way that could be understood and acknowledged. So this kind of school has been a dream of ours for a very long time. We wanted an independent school to partner with us, away from the government, and we were lucky we found Barker and were able to forge a very respectful relationship.” A film of a rocket ready to launch lights up the board in the classroom, and Spencer, 36, a Barker teacher who moved here to head up the school, leads the increasingly boisterous countdown to lunchtime. The children, aged between five and 14, stream out into the passageway to help themselves to sausage stew and rice. Then they all bolt for the basketball court. In the hot sun they toss basketballs around and right in the middle of the throng is a tall, very white man, catching balls thrown to him, hurling them back. “Mr Heath!” “Mr Heath!” “Mr Heath!” is the constant cry to catch his attention. After 20 minutes, Phillip Heath, Head of Barker College, steps off the court to catch his breath. “Isn’t this wonderful?” he gasps. “These children have come such a long way since we opened. It’s brilliant to see their progress.” The NT wouldn’t be the NT without talk of crocodiles, and these kids are no exception. The next special guest in the classroom, Ranger Stacey Kessner from NT Parks and Wildlife, is warning of the importance of being croc-wise – Baru-aware – in this homeland on the shores of the Arafura Sea. Afterwards, everyone races down the red dust pathway to the beach for a series of maths lessons, drawing in the rough sand with sticks and rearranging shells – just as previous generations had done. At various points, however, kids dart away to wade knee-deep in the sea, forgetting what they’ve just been told. Heath looks pained but two of the four female elders from the community who work with Spencer at the school shout at them to get out. “Sometimes they just don’t listen,” confides Valerie Dhamarrandj, 61, “but they are so much better than they were. Tom is such a good teacher and very patient, and they love him. We’re all so happy to see the kids doing their lessons and enjoying learning. And we are very grateful to Mr Heath.”

Left to right High hopes, a student at Dhupuma Barker; Dhupuma Barker teacher Tom Spencer with a student; Head of Barker College Phillip Heath AM on the basketball court with students from Dhupuma Barker.

For Heath, this all started 17 years ago in Sydney, when he was the Head of St Andrew’s Cathedral School and followed, with horror, the riots sparked by the death of a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy in 2004 in Redfern, two train stops away. “It was extremely distressing and I was distressed too that they had almost no impact on St Andrew’s,” he says. “I think detachment wasn’t an option for me. Redfern is the heartland of so much black politics in Australia and there was so much entrenched bitterness around law and order and, somewhat naively, I wanted to do something.” The next year, Heath attended a school principals’ conference in South Africa and visited a well-to-do independent school in Johannesburg that had set up a series of smaller schools for impoverished children from Soweto, with a focus on achievement and celebrating moments of triumph in literacy and numeracy. “I thought maybe I could do something similar,” Heath says. “The evidence here shows that Indigenous children can be up to four years behind other children in literacy and numeracy, which puts them at a huge disadvantage for the rest of their lives.” In 2007 he set up Gawura, a school within his school, for children from Redfern. The school now caters for Aboriginal children from a wider area and employs 10 Indigenous staff. One former student is now studying medicine at the University of Sydney, another is doing her MSc at Oxford University. In 2020 it was voted Australian School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards. When Heath started at independent Anglican day and boarding school Barker College in 2014, he was keen to extend his vision. While Indigenous children were frequently offered day and boarding scholarships at schools, including his, this time he also wanted to establish a school “on Country” so younger children could be educated in their own area, in their own culture, in a strong relationship with community elders. “If the Commonwealth is prepared to invest heavily to assist students to board in large independent schools in metropolitan areas,” he asks, “should the government not at least consider the option of empowering local communities to lead local schools?” Two years later he founded Darkinjung Barker on the site of a former one-teacher primary school in Yarramalong on the NSW Central Coast, in partnership with the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council and through philanthropic support from the Barker Community. For Barker’s Head of Junior School Martin Lubrano, one of the most touching moments of his career came when a nine-year-old Year 4 boy handed him a note in straggly handwriting: “I luv the school. Please teech me to rite.” Last year, Heath started another offshoot, Ngarralingayil Barker in the former Wollombi Public School in the Lower Hunter Valley, in partnership with the Kiray Putjung Aboriginal Corporation in Cessnock. Both schools cater for 20 Indigenous children from Kindergarten to Year 6, when they can choose to continue their education with a scholarship, travelling down to Barker Hornsby, or to move to a local school. “When I first started at Darkinjung Barker, I was two or three years behind in everything,” says Jaiden, 16, who’s now at Barker Hornsby. “I’m a quiet kid so in my other school, no one noticed I wasn’t doing the work. But Barker really helped, and everyone was so supportive and now I’ve caught up to where I’m meant to be. I’m now planning to go to uni for either an arts or business degree.”

While the two new schools have Aboriginal culture and language embedded into all the teaching, learning and playing they do, those values have also become a vital part of the main Barker campus. Non-Indigenous students are taught Aboriginal history and culture, and there are regular visits between the three schools to learn from each other, a pen pal system for kids of similar ages, and sports days where they all come together. “There’s a mutuality there between non-Indigenous children and Indigenous children,” says John Slack-Smith, the chair of Barker’s Foundation Board whose four sons attended Barker. “The benefits flow both ways. The Indigenous pillar of Barker College is so exciting for us. The opportunities are not only in terms of Indigenous education but also in opening the eyes of the other boys and girls to another culture and giving them the chance to experience other parts of Australia.” And then, this year, came Heath’s most audacious project yet: opening a third offshoot college in one of the most remote parts of Australia. It’s 7am and Berry Hetharia is driving a 12-seater minibus around East Arnhem Land to pick up kids for Dhupuma Barker. Some of the students are waiting for him; for others, he knocks on doors or windows to wake them. He has a store of mini KitKats to lure his passengers, and dinner leftovers to keep stray dogs away. Kids on the bus jump out and help round up others. “At first, they didn’t want to come so much,” says Hetharia. “Some of the parents didn’t get an education themselves so they don’t understand what it is, or why it’s important. But now everyone’s much more on board and understand what we’re trying to achieve.” On the opening day of Dhupuma Barker (Dhupuma is a Yolngu term meaning, “Look up, look beyond”), neither Heath nor Spencer had any idea of what to expect. Then they heard voices and clapsticks in the distance and watched, enthralled, as the community celebrated the school’s arrival with a huge display of singing, dancing and ceremony. It brought tears of joy to Heath’s eyes. “It was a wonderful day,” he says. “It was then that I realised this could really work.” The venerated figurehead of the community, 1978 Australian of the Year Galarrwuy Yunupingu, gave a welcome speech, then drove around the area for the next two days exhorting any child he came across: “Go to school! Go to school every day!” At the beginning, the attendance rate ranged from 22 to 32 per cent of the 40 or so school-age kids in the area. Now it’s between 80 and 97 per cent. Keira, for instance, hasn’t missed another day of school since that late arrival. Another girl, Whitney, 10, attended only sporadically for the first three weeks of the school’s opening, and even when she came she would often abruptly stand up and walk out. Now, she’s one of the school’s most dedicated pupils, arriving at 7.30 every morning and invariably the last to leave. “She’s making incredible progress,” says Spencer. Amanda, 10, seems to speak for many of her mates. “We like it here,” she says. “Mr Tom is so nice, I call him Father. We’re learning and having fun.” Not far away, in his home at the end of a dirt road by the old Yothu Yindi recording studio, Yunupingu is also pleased to see how the school is faring. “It’s going well,” he says, nodding. “It’s so important for our children to go to school and they have to be able to stay in their own community, with their own families, while they’re being educated.” The school has a strong commitment to Indigenous culture, with lessons run in English and the local tongue, Yolngu Matha, and the Australian curriculum wrapped in Yolngu learning. Spencer has so far learnt 60 Yolngu words but is helped in the classroom by multilingual elders who can interpret for him and his students. The aim is to make the youngsters fluent in both languages. Breakfast, lunch and a meal before leaving are all supplied, as are the Barker polo shirts, freshly laundered each day. Each child also receives a self-care pack with toothbrushes that frequently double as make-believe microphones for playtime song-and-dance routines. The upper age limit is supposed to be 12 but “no child will ever be turned away”, says Heath. “If they want to be here, we want them to be here.” The Principal has a band of vocal supporters among parents, old boys and philanthropists, and they’ve been joined by even more influential admirers. Leading Indigenous advocate Noel Pearson says he loved the idea of Gawura and the schools that Heath established with Barker. “I have been in awe of their progress over the past decade,” he says. “They’ve established an exciting model. It’s one of the best things going on in Indigenous education, no two ways about it. “These partnerships between the country’s most ‘great to excellent’ schools and what we would call ‘poor to fair’ schools are the way of the future,” Pearson says. “Much respect to the Darkinjung and Barker for proving up this model. We have to move on from the 100 per cent public school model for Indigenous students.

Left to right An elder teaches a beach lesson; The school provides three meals a day.

It isn’t working and hasn’t worked in the past. It’s just consigning Indigenous students to underachievement. We need to develop partnerships between the best schools in the country – including potentially the best selective public schools – and Indigenous communities, to close the achievement gap and stop wasting these precious lives.” Pearson believes this kind of model needs to be replicated on a large scale and the Federal Government appears, at last, to be paying attention. Education Minister Alan Tudge is also on side. “I think it’s very impressive what Barker has done and I have great admiration for Phillip and his commitment to schools for Indigenous students,” he says. “I think it’s a model that could now be replicated and that’s something we’ve been thinking about for some time, in terms of wanting some of our larger, wealthier independent schools to follow their lead and do similar things. This can make a very significant contribution to the future.” Meanwhile, Heath is sitting on a tiny stool in a circle with the kids in Arnhem Land, giving out his trademark handwritten birthday cards and Freddo Frogs – something he does for all Barker students, wherever they are – to anyone who’s had a birthday in the last few months. He hands out awards and prizes, for writing nicely, for doing sums, for attendance. And then Spencer joins the circle. “Hey, and who’s coming to school tomorrow?” he calls. “Me!” “Me!” “Me!” the kids shout back, doing another round of high fives. “That’s awesome!” says Heath, wreathed in smiles. “Just deadly!”

Sue Williams Author, Travel Writer, Journalist

Photos by Che Chorley

This extra day provides the opportunity for all students to be challenged on an action-packed activity day of mountain biking onsite and rockclimbing on nearby sandstone cliffs. The mountain bike trails at The Grange allow skills progression from the introductory skills park on the beginner loop to more advanced trails. On the Trek X-Calibur mountain bikes, our qualified staff guided students through these challenges with valuable life experience in making appropriate safe choices on two wheels. Students practise taking calculated risks whilst maintaining self control in a rapidly changing environment. Similarly, on the cliffs at Mount York, students choose their level of challenge during the rockclimbing or abseiling session. Several students initially seemed overwhelmed by the challenge but they ultimately showed tremendous perseverance and resilience as they gradually scaled the ancient sandstone cliffs. They were encouraged by the support of peers and guidance from the expert Grange instructors. The abseils nearby, on the days with more inclement mountains' weather, also proved a test of courage and commitment by several students. Each year at The Grange, students progress to new levels of challenge and associated rewards in the outdoors. This year also enabled us to return to Newnes campsite in the Wolgan Valley. This area was drastically burnt during the Gospers Mountain mega blaze in December 2019 then affected by floods in 2020 and was subsequently closed for many months to allow regeneration. In 2021, Grange students were again able to hike up to the Glow Worm tunnel and enjoy lunch on the nearby pagodas as well as brave the snap frozen conditions each morning before the sun hit the campsite. Some great memories were formed around the cooking stoves and campfires at night. Also new in 2021 was the introduction of a fantastic new adventure ‘Juggler Canyon’ to the expanded five day Grange program. A committing and physically challenging full day expedition, Juggler is a “dry” canyon and perfect for our winter programs. A series of increasingly difficult abseils beside or over small waterfalls and rock pools lead students back in geological time and down 200 vertical metres into The Grand Canyon near Blackheath. The expanded and improved outdoor education programs in Term 1 and 2 this year have enabled our expert Grange staff to inform, inspire and instruct many students in several amazing outdoor pursuits in stunning and challenging environments easily accessible from The Grange. Meanwhile at The Grange we have opened our newest dorm in the garden and welcomed ten new resident campers. The Poultry Palace harks back to the days of the original owner Lord Richmond Piddington and the subsequent guest house owners. The Middle School students enjoy collecting the fresh eggs to be brought to the kitchen for the day’s batch of muffins. This is a great addition to sustainable education resources at the Grange.

Scott Manwaring and Liz Charlton Co-Directors of The Grange

Bob ‘Tug’ Wilson Walk for Kids with Cancer

Sixteen members of Holt House participated in the Bob 'Tug' Wilson charity walk on Sunday 23 May, to raise money for The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Holt House has chosen to support the Children’s Hospital as its House charity and has been participating in this event to raise vital funds for the oncology ward for a few years. This year the walk began at 6:30am at Circular Quay and saw participants walk for 27km finishing in Manly with some tired legs! It is a very scenic walk and despite the early start, all students really enjoyed the event. The team did a fantastic job at encouraging donations this year with Holt House managing to raise $4,110.50. I would like to thank all the students and staff who participated in this year’s event with special thanks to the Holt House Captains Bayden Little and Sophia Garouniatis for their support and encouragement. I look forward to continuing this great tradition next year.

Lee Batchler Senior School Head of Holt House

Clarke Road School

In May, Barker College hosted the Clarke Road School’s Athletic Carnival on the Main Oval. Over 20 of our Senior students helped their students warm up, compete and enjoy the fun activities. Many friendships were made and it was wonderful to see the competitive spirits of both schools shine in the athletic events. Our students continued their support of Dignity by donating hundreds of home cooked meals every fortnight. We appreciate their support of this and many other service learning initiatives at our school. Some reflections on their experiences follow: My time at the School not only helped grow my confidence, but developed my empathy and connectedness to the Hornsby community. Walking into that classroom each week truly filled me with such joy and happiness, and I will never forget the time I spent with them and the way they welcomed us into their lives.

Lucy Johnson Year 10, Wilson House

Serving at the Clarke Road School was a fulfilling experience as I got to create friendships with the Clarke Road students and assist them with their learning and social development.

Oliver Uy Year 10, Butter House

Dignity dishes is a wonderful program that encourages people to give up some time to help people in need. Cooking meals at home for members in our community has helped me realise how lucky and fortunate we are to have basic necessities like food and there are people in our neighbourhood that might be going through a hard time.

Hugo Abe Year 9, Bowman House

Sherobhi Rajamantri Coordinator Service Learning

There are many roles the BCPA plays in the life of the School. One is to continually drive diversity and inclusivity within Barker.

The BCPA does this each and every day through the wonderful work done by our volunteers. The volunteer roles within Barker enrich the fabric in the life of the School and help to support our students from Pre-K to Year 12. That support includes help with Duke of Ed, in the Tuckshops, in the classrooms, in the Learning Support Department, being part of the School’s Supporter Groups, being a Class or Year Group Parent, coordinating events including the Spring Fair, and of course being a part of the BCPA. Our School is uplifted by the actions of these deeply held values of inclusiveness and community. Another important area for the BCPA to help the School is coming together in order to give back to provide excellent resources for all our students. The BCPA offers an invaluable service to provide resources and learning and teaching amenities and facilities for our students. All funds raised are donated back to Barker to fund projects that are outside the School’s budget. There have been many projects over the years that wouldn’t have happened without our support. The most recent donation from the BCPA was for the new running track on the Rosewood playing fields which sits in front of the Rosewood Centre and runs alongside the southern boundary. This running track, which will be of benefit for all our students, is 5 x 100m sprint lanes and covered with a red Spurtan BV synthetic surface. We look forward to officially opening the running track and continuing to support the School! Through all our work we always honour the past and continue to work with the School to provide for the future.

Warren Davis BCPA President

Barker College Parents’ Association

Age Champions Place Girls Boys 12-13yrs Champion 1st Milla Lawrence Callum Cook 2nd Jessica Bradford Tyson Neal 3rd Alexandra Hicks Zachary Hymers 14yrs Champion 1st Kiera Yerbury Tim Furrer 2nd Emily Paterson Ben Heytman 3rd Lucy Mead Marc Lambert 15yrs Champion 1st Grace Pellarini Ryan Ng 2nd Taya Yerbury Josh Riddle 3rd Zoe Paterson James Barrett 16yrs Champion 1st Latecia Lolohea Michael Ashworth 2nd Alyssa Hodge Jono Lee 3rd Zoe Samios Van Habgood 17yrs Champion 1st Jada Crawshaw Max Zihlmann 2nd Jess O’Bryan Eli Sagala 3rd Danielle Thrum Charlie Bennett 18-19yrs Champion 1st Jess Forster Andrew Kelly 2nd Roisin Dengate Hamish Windybank 3rd Hannah Maxwell Bayden Little

Amongst the results several NEW Records were achieved;

Age Champions Name Girls 16yrs 100m Hurdles 18.93 Latecia Lolohea Girls 12-13yrs 90m Hurdles 19.22 Angelina Barnsdall Girls 15yrs 400m 64.86 Grace Pellarini Girls 14yrs 400m 62.01 Kiera Yerbury Girls 12-13yrs 1500m 5:32.86 Jessica Bradford Girls 14yrs 1500m 6:30.14 Emily Paterson Girls 12-13yrs 200m 29.06 Caitlin Russell Girls 14yrs 200m 28.08 Kiera Yerbury Girls 14yrs 800m 2:38.04 Kiera Yerbury Girls 12-13yrs 100m 14.21 Caitlin Russell Girls 14yrs 100m 14.21 Kiera Yerbury Girls 12-13yrs Shot Put 9.62m Tayla Moore Girls 14yrs Shot Put 8.54m Lucy Mead Girls 16yrs Shot Put 11.60m Breanna Harris Boys 17yrs Shot Put 15.22m Maxi Zihlmann Girls 12-13yrs Discus 34.66m Tayla Moore Girls 14yrs Discus 19.52m Emily Paterson Boys 15yrs Discus 49.09m Brodie Waldock Boys 17yrs Discus 42.98m Maxi Zihlmann Girls 12-13yrs Javelin 24.58m Amelie Armstrong Girls 14yrs Javelin 21.58m Skye Turner Girls 14yrs Long Jump 4.45m Kiera Yerbury Girls 14yrs High Jump 1.40m Kiera Yerbury

After a disrupted 2020 year, the Barker Senior 1st Hockey team had the privilege of again playing in the Mollie Dive Hockey Competition.

In its 27th year of competition, the event is played against local independent schools. Whilst Barker has come close to winning the competition in recent years, the last time Barker was victorious was last century – in 1999! After a rollercoaster of a start during the rounds, Barker entered a 4th vs 5th playoff match against Monte Sant Angelo for a place in the semi-finals. Convincingly winning this match, 7-0, Barker advanced to the semi-finals and faced the fierce competition of PLC Pymble. Having completed a ‘Champions of the Mind’ session which focused on collective capacity, the team was fired-up and ready to compete. Not only did the team compete, but they ‘dominated’ (a word used by coach Robbie to unite the players together). The team had their game of the year and it was truly incredible to witness. Every student executed plays exceptionally and the team’s energy lifted 110% on previous matches. With this newfound energy, confidence and drive, the team won against Pymble 3-0. This established a pivotal turning point for Barker Hockey, particularly given that Pymble has consecutively won the Mollie Dive Competition for the past 16 years! On Tuesday 15 June, Barker played Abbotsleigh in the grand final. With a renewed goal to win the competition, the team united together and entered the field as one. The opposition was strong, and their speed had the team running back hard to defend at the start. However, Barker pulled together and hit the ‘red zone’ targets, scoring in the first five minutes of the game. At half time, the score was 2-0 to Barker and the team knew they needed to continue with consistency to secure the victory. The second half saw some fatigue, however, reminders about the ‘red zones’ allowed the team to push hard when necessary, with some fantastic goals scored and Barker’s defence as strong as ever. Barker finished with a convincing 5-0 win and the winners of the 2021 Mollie Dive Championship! It was a special moment witnessing our captains, Jess Fraanje and Holly Cusick, lift the trophy for the first time since 1999. The School is very proud of all players for their commitment to the sport and who are deserving of the win! A special mention goes to Maddie Henry and Georgie Phipson who took on the challenge of playing goalkeeper in an incredibly tough competition despite both being in Year 8! On behalf of the team, appreciation and thanks are extended to coach Robbie for his commitment in preparing the team, Alex Butt for her work on team culture, Greg Bayne for his pastoral support of the students, David Giltrap, Adam Watson and Cam Anderson for their support and finally NSBHA for organising the competition. Barker looks forward to the 28th year of the Mollie Dive Competition in 2022 and hope to enter an inaugural junior team, in addition to our senior team.

Morgan Armstrong PDHPE Teacher

These Scholarships are offered twice a year to Barker's staff to provide opportunities for them to learn, develop and broaden their skills that can be shared and implemented in the classroom for Barker's students. Virginia has been instrumental in advancing STEAM at Barker and has used many of the skills she learned through the Foundation's Travelling Fellowships. We recently chatted with Virginia about this program. How did you benefit from the Foundation's Travelling Fellowship program? I am privileged to have been awarded the Foundation Travelling Fellowship twice – first in 2011 and again in 2017. In 2011 I took the opportunity to travel to the USA and work with some of the innovative Science Centres and Museums on the west coast. I was able to develop my understanding and skill in community-scale science engagement activities and interactive displays. I was able to work with the educators at Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, visited a variety of schools to look at their programs and worked for a week in a primary school in Seattle. The second fellowship in 2017 was a targeted opportunity to continue to develop these skills and expertise as I joined with a group of other highly motivated teachers from across the education sector on an Innovation in Learning tour across the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Spain. I was able to work with educators and visit inspiring innovative learning spaces across a variety of education institutions. How have you been able to implement what you have learned? Science communication has always been my passion. I am committed to ensuring that the students who pass through my care, and by extension their families, have an excellent grounding in scientific literacy. Can they understand the basic principles that “run our world” and can they make informed decisions based on objective and factual information? Do they look at the world with awe and wonder, and understand the pressures that it is under? To that end, these experiences have aided the development of my community-scale communication skills, and with my team of talented teaching and support staff, we have been able to run many Science and STEAM festivals for the whole school community. In 2019, this saw over 1000 people gather together for an evening of Space Science to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing. (Sadly, the global events of the past year have seen the cancellation of both of our next festivals!)

My experiences on the Innovation in Learning tour has helped me in the work I have done in the redevelopment of the Maths classrooms into the 11 new Science labs in the newly named “Science Quad”. These labs are flexible learning spaces, most with large operable doors and walls so that they can become large learning laboratories. They have only been open since Term 2 and have already provided our students with space for creative learning in Science and STEAM and will allow us to run large presentations and workshops. We have also been able to design a small research laboratory for the use of our Science extension students and their long-term project work. You have been a regular donor and supporter of the Barker Foundation. What has inspired your philanthropic journey? I have been a regular donor and supporter of the Barker Foundation across the many years of my time at Barker. I am committed to support their endeavours to provide opportunities for education that would not be available to so many without their hard work. My family is not one of large means, but we are committed to giving to those in our community who need an extra helping hand. The Barker Foundation provides excellent stewardship of their funds to make education available to many who would not otherwise get the opportunity. What would be your philanthropic wish for Barker? That through the generosity of the School community – parents, families, staff and students – we are able to make a difference in the lives of even a few children, who without our support, could not access the quality of education that they deserve.

John Slack-Smith Foundation Chair

Inside this issue 55 OBA President 56 Olympic Journey 56 58 Life Beyond Barker 60 OBA Groups 60 Archives 67 Community Events 70 Personal Notes 72 Community Chaplain 73 Obituaries

Old Barker Association Contacts email: oba@barker.nsw.edu.au (Please note that the number in brackets after a name is the graduating year) President Angus Abadee (07) 0433 108 525

Honorary Vice-President Emily Tutt (09) 0433 711 664

Honorary Treasurer Andrew Hassall (86) 0412 610 434

Assistant Honorary Treasurer Benjamin Ho (09) Honorary Secretary Josh Grace (90) Assistant Honorary Secretary Anna Sutton (05) General Committee Vanessa Bennett (91) Georgia Breckenridge (18) Gemma Dywer (Davies 09) Declan Flaherty (16) Anthony Hearne (90) Jenny Kalaf (Melville 78) Lachie Lloyd (18)

Nominees to School Council Michael Brodie (79) Tony Gamson (78) David Trayner (84) OBA Annual Patron Sandy Hollway (64) OBA Seniors Contact Ian Pont (63) oba@barker.nsw.edu.au

OBA Support for Life https://landing.mymirror.com.au/old-barkerassociation

Talk to an online psychologist today

Old Barker Association is supporting you with 3 sessions with My Mirror online psychologist. School Contacts Director of Alumni and Community Relations Mandy Loomes (02) 8438 7229 mloomes@barker.nsw.edu.au Alumni Reunion Coordinator Karina Drummond (02) 8438 7283 kdrummond@barker.nsw.edu.au Archives Jackie Rossington (02) 8438 7291 archives@barker.nsw.edu.au

Interstate and International Barker Contacts Adelaide Lane Hinchcliffe (00) 0412 130 935 (m) lane@lkggroup.com.au Brisbane Andrew Wilkie (01) 0412 779 383 (m) andrew.wilkie@morgans.com.au Canberra Andrew McColl (74) 0422 985 281(m) as.mccoll@icloud.com Melbourne Murray Anderson (65) 0457 000 407 (m) murray@capricorngroup.net.au Newcastle Nicholas Bedggood (88) 0410 565 101 (m) nickbedggood@yahoo.com.au Northern Rivers Jim Poulos (61) 0413 087 412 pamio@bigpond.net.au Perth Gus Elliot (92) 0416 298 774 (m) gus.elliot14@gmail.com

Contributions Welcome Please send contributions to Mandy Loomes, Director of Alumni and Community Relations, 91 Pacific Highway, Hornsby NSW 2077 or mloomes@barker.nsw.edu.au

For further information please contact Mandy Loomes on 8438 7229. Personal notes are published in good faith, as a service to the Barker Community.

Sunshine Coast Phil Benjamin (61) pandj.benjamin@bigpond.com Upper Hunter Charles Cooke (65) (02) 6545 8141 (w) charles_cooke@esat.net.au Canada, Ontario George Darling (70) gdarling@sandstormgold.com Hong Kong Vacant

Japan Carl Bastian (93) carl@rwo.okinawa Middle East David Baker (85) +965 9950 1657 drwbaker2002@yahoo.co.uk New Zealand Michelle McLachlan (Dooley 96) +64 27 838 7838 mmclachlan@trustwave.com Oceania (Fiji) Neil Underhill (75) (679) 336 3968 (w) neilunderhill@connect.com.fj Papua New Guinea Johnson Kalo (83) (675) 305 6703 (w) jhnsnka03@gmail.com Philippines Steven Robinson (77) steve.robinson@dfat.gov.au Singapore Carly Switzer (94) carlyswitzer@yahoo.com.au UK, London Annette French (Slattery 88) (44) 1732 382 281 (h) annette.e.french@sky.com USA, East Coast New York Alex Skellet (94) (917) 251 3361 (h) alexandraskellet@gmail.com USA, West Coast Phoenix, Arizona Digby Cook (56) (623) 523 4321 (h) digbyhcook@gmail.com