New Staff Join Boarding

Robson House

Mr Marshall McGee joins the team looking after the boys in Robson House this year together with Mr Sam Walker and Mr Adam Stocks. Many of the boys already knew Marshall from his role as a strength and conditioning coach for Shore over the past 3 years, so were happy to see him become a member of the Robson House team.

An approach to strength and conditioning he adopts that will be part of his approach to boarding, is to work in groups with the boys and focus on involvement to ensure no one is left out.

Sharing his experience of boarding, Marshall said: “I’ve really enjoyed the boarding experience so far, the boys have made me feel very welcome and I’ve met a lot of parents. It’s a family driven environment and being the eldest of five boys growing up, reminds me of my own family experience so feels very familiar.”

Marshall is also currently studying for a Masters in Strength and Conditioning from Edith Cowan University, training for the Canberra Marathon in April, and enjoys playing guitar.

Hodges House

Joining Shore in 2019 as a history teacher and the Commanding Officer of the Shore Cadet Unit, Mr Phil Henniker has also become Assistant Housemaster in Hodges House this year.

Enjoying the experience of boarding he shared, “the boys have been very welcoming and are always keen to have chat and some fun. There is a strong community spirit and it was great to meet so many of the parents at Hodges’ Christmas dinner last year“.

With many years of experience as a Year Master and as the Cadet Unit’s Commanding Officer at Knox, Phil is focussed on providing greater opportunities for peer led pastoral care for the boys involved in Cadets, and extending this focus on pastoral care for the boys in Hodges House.

Barry House

Barry House had some tough shoes to fill with the farewell of Ms Jess Wickenden last year, but have been fortunate to replace her with Ms Zoe Dowdell, who is in her third year of teaching at Shore.

Zoe teaches commerce to Year 9 and 10 students, and business studies to Year 11 and 12 boys and shared, “knowing around half the boys in Barry House already from teaching them previously has made the transition into boarding very easy. Being an only child it’s a vibrant and fun House to be in, and I think it is important for the boys to have female role models to relate to”.

Water polo is a keen passion for Zoe, who coaches at Shore and also referees at State and National level.