The Year That Was
From the Business Manager, Em Cassin
Having spent some time during this year working on the new strategy we have had opportunities to delve into the wonderful tapestry of Oxley’s history, review programs, and hear from our community on the things that are significantly important to us.
In recent communications during our staff briefings, Scott Bedingfield, our Head of College, praised the staff for their dedication to our programs and events and the incredible achievements and opportunities provided to our students. Amberley Guilly, from our Community and Marketing team, also highlighted the wonderful feedback received during Orientation Days and parents have praised our maintenance team members for the care and attention of our beautiful grounds and gardens.
John Montana, our IT Services Coordinator, recently shared his admiration for the cohesive and supportive environment at Oxley. He mentioned how the back-office functions work seamlessly together, attributing this to the character and calibre of people in College Services.
There is no better example of joy and cohesiveness than working together on music and drama productions– with Mamma Mia a perfect example of the coming together of hours of work for a shared purpose.
These examples reflect the collective effort and commitment of everyone at Oxley College, making it a truly wonderful place to work and learn.
Part of what we have been focussing on this year, is capturing what is important here, what you as parents want for your children, and how we can partner and achieve those goals together.
As with any year, both personally and professionally we traverse challenges and changes, growth and future plans. We are excited to see some of our Masterplan come to fruition in 2025 after a few solid years of planning, and developing ideas and concepts; with students at the core.
Thank you for partnering with us on this journey. We acknowledge we didn’t always get it right, we sometimes stumbled and grazed our knee, but we also had huge successes both organisationally and individually.
Farewells
We say farewell to Ms Joanne Richard who is heading into retirement after a long 22 year tenure at Oxley. We thank Joanne for her dedicated service to the College, her care for our history and the value she placed on our historical archive, and her connection and friendship to many during that time. Jo, you are well loved and we thank you for your commitment to our Oxley community.
The Executive Team is going to miss the company and wise counsel of Miss Jane Campion as she leaves us to spend time in the Queensland sunshine. For those who know Jane, you will recognise the kindest-hearted human, who is well loved by all and will be forever part of the history and growth of Oxley College.
Finally, a very special thank you to one of our departing Board members Mr Roderick McAllery. Roderick has served on the School Board with integral roles on the Audit and Risk Committee, Chair of the Building Committee and Vice Chair of the Board. The number of hours and time given for the betterment of Oxley cannot be counted. The support and wise counsel he has provided to the executive staff is beyond the expectation of any volunteer Board member, and his exceptional detail and dedication to our community can never be underestimated. His strong skills in finance, building, and organisational structures – together with his detailed work ethic have definitely helped drive Oxley into a new phase of planning. He will be missed; he will be thought of fondly and his footprint is woven into Oxley as we step into the future.
Happy holidays to you all and thank you for the year that was 2024.
Warm regards
Em Cassin
Business Manager