Governing Council
The School’s governing Council is formed of 11 members who serve in a voluntary capacity, plus the Principal in an ex-officio role. Members are nominated to Council and include Old Geelong Grammarians, current and past parents, educators, business executives and a representative of the Anglican Church.
Leadership and governance at our School is guided by five strategic imperatives that act as a focus and filter for decision-making for the betterment of our School community: ethicality; collaboration; inclusivity; progression; and substantiation.
Major committees
The major committees working under Council are the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee, Assets Management Committee, Survivor Engagement Committee and the Nominating Committee.
The Nominating Committee is responsible for making recommendations for new appointments to Council. Appointments are made with the object of ensuring that the composition of Council provides as much breadth as possible in terms of expertise and interests.
School Council Members
Paddy Handbury (M’72) - Chair of Council
Paddy is an Old Geelong Grammarian (M’72) and a past parent. Re-elected to Council in 2018, Paddy was appointed Chair of Council in 2020. Paddy was Chair of the Foundation Board from 2003 to 2007.
John Chomley (M'85) - Deputy Chair of Council
John is an Old Geelong Grammarian (M’85) and past parent. He joined the Council in 2017 and is an Investment Director of EMR Capital.
Justin Arter
Justin joined the School Council in 2024 and is a past parent. Justin is a former Superannuation Fund Chief Executive Officer.
David Bowser (Fr'90)
David is an Old Geelong Grammarian (Fr’90) and joined the School Council in 2023. David is a former Melbourne and Cambridge neuroscientist. In 2010, David left academia to become a strategic advisor, then Founder and CEO of Curio, a global education services company.
Andrew Burgess (FB'81)
Andrew is an Old Geelong Grammarian (FB'81) and joined the School Council in 2022. Andrew is the current President of the Old Geelong Grammarians. Andrew is a past parent and the Business Development Manager at Boundary Bend Olives.
Rebecca Cody
Rebecca was appointed Principal of Geelong Grammar School in 2018. She is a current parent and an ex-officio member of the Council. Rebecca is a Foundation Board Member.
The Reverend Keiron Jones
Keiron joined the School Council in 2022. Keiron is an Anglican priest serving as Vicar in the Parish of St. John's, Flinders, with St. Mark's, Balnarring. Prior to this, she held a number of senior positions in independent schools in Melbourne.
Steve Lansdell (Fr'98)
Steve is an Old Geelong Grammarian (Fr'98) and past Old Geelong Sporting Club President. He joined the Council in 2021. He is a Regional Manager at EPA Victoria and co-founder of CALD2LEAD
Vanessa Mahon
Vanessa is Chair of the Foundation Board. Vanessa joined the School Council in 2024 and is a current parent.
Penelope McBain
Penelope joined the Council in 2016 and is a past parent. Penelope was Chair of the Foundation Board from 2016 to 2023
Allan Shaw
Allan has an extensive record of school leadership including Principal of two independent schools. He joined Council in 2021. He was also CEO of a national association for independent school Principals (AHISA) and was an inaugural Director of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).
Joon Yong
Joon participated in the School Council as part of The Observership Program in 2019, and was formally appointed to the School Council in 2020. Joon is an International Tax and Strategy professional and Regional Head of Tax APAC for CSL Limited.
Recent Statements
Announcements from the Principal and Company Notices are easily accessible to members of the public and our community through the Recent Statements section of this website.
Annual Reports and School Performance
As part of the compliance requirements of the Australian Government’s Schools Assistance Regulations 2009 (made under the Schools Assistance Act 2008), School Performance Information can be found on the Policies and Reports section of this website.
COVID-19 Information and Resources
The health, safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and their families is our priority.
For the latest information and resources, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 page.
