FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL
Getting to know...
Mr Brad Evans • Head of Senior School
What is your favourite time of the day
and why?
Definitely the morning. I try my best to be
an early riser, usually taking Dusty our dog
for a walk and exercising before the start of
the work day. It is a joy witnessing a sunrise
over our beautiful campus and river. It really
energises me for the busy day ahead, and is
an awesome reminder about where we really
fit in the scheme of things.
If you were an animal, what animal
would you be, and why?
I have always had a fixation with lions from
a very young age and this has continued
throughout my life. They are strong and
powerful creatures, and this is reinforced by
the symbolism associated with them in many
cultures across the world. I think that in their
life within their prides, lions are very loyal,
and will defend their pride at all costs and
this is an attribute that is important to me.
What do you think are your strongest
leadership attributes?
I believe that I have a relaxed leadership style
which focuses on building and maintaining
positive relationships. In order to do this, I
try to focus on being compassionate and
understanding of each individual, valuing
communication and always having the
objective of assisting those around me to
develop their own skills and practices.
What did you want to be when you
were 7 years old?
My memory of all those years ago is a
little faded, but I would assume it would
have been something to do with dinosaurs
or explorers. I can recall plenty of times
digging holes in the yard and playing with
a collection of dinosaurs. My mother still
recounts my ability to rattle off lists of
scientific names for dinosaurs and correct
anybody (adult or otherwise) if they got one
of the names wrong!
What book has influenced you the most?
I love to read and typically have several
different books on the go, which are
scattered throughout my office and house.
My level of reading tends to ebb and flow
depending on how busy I am in terms of
both work and the study I am currently
completing. Generally, these books are
centred around personal interest and
professional learning.
In terms of influence, it is hard to pinpoint
one, as most of the books I have read are full
of highlighter markings and sticky notes so
that I can refer back to them for a particular
point or idea I have found particularly
relevant. There are two in particular that
stand out, Boy by Roald Dahl and Thrive by
Arianna Huffington. Boy I have selected for
no other reason than it reminds me about
the pleasure I gained from reading as a child.
I loved Roald Dahl books, and although
this is one of Roald Dahl’s few non-fiction
books (it is an autobiography written in
stories of different phases of his life), it
provides an insight into the experiences
that created a personality that was able to
be so imaginative, humorous and creative.
The other book is Thrive: The third metric to
redefining success and creating a happier life
by Arianna Huffington. It is a book I found
highly enjoyable, practical and important in
maintaining balance and leading a good life.
What would your superpower be and
how would you use it?
There are probably two superpowers I would
really like to possess. The first would be to
secure world peace and put an end to the
large number of conflicts that are currently
occurring across the globe.
On a more personal level I think the ability
to be able to teleport to anywhere around
the world instantly would be amazing,
provided I could take people along for
the ride. It would be nice to teleport to a
tropical island with my family at the end of
a busy work day, or alternatively to be able
to teleport a class of students to different
places around the world as we learned
about different concepts and places.
What was the last collaborative project
you were involved with?
Rather than linking collaboration to
one particular project, I choose to make
collaboration an integral part of any task
that I need to complete. I believe that in any
leadership position, collaboration is actually
a day to day mechanism that is fundamental
in all activities. I constantly collaborate with
others in terms of gaining information,
using their expertise and opinions, and
obtaining feedback after decisions are made
or activities are complete in order to get the
best results.
What words of wisdom would you pass
on to your childhood self?
The things I would say to my childhood self
are probably things that I remind myself of
regularly and still find particularly relevant as
an adult, role model and school leader.
In no particular order a selection of these
would be:
Mr Brad Evans
• To be thankful and grateful for all that
you have in your life.
• Don’t be quick to judge others. Always
treat people with respect and it will come
back to you, with interest.
• Take time with people, everyone you
meet has something you can learn from
them.
• Find as many things you enjoy and are
passionate about as possible and do your
best to spend a lot of time doing them.
• Try your best to take advantage of
opportunities that come your way.
• Time spent with your loved ones is to be
treasured.
• Make a habit of exercising and reading
(though not at the same time - it can
lead to injury!).
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. People
feel comfortable around someone who
can laugh at themselves.
• There is always a silver lining!
In what ways are you the same as your
childhood self?
I am still very energetic, passionate,
inquisitive and willing to give new things
a go. My parents would have used the
terms “full on” and “into everything” when
describing me as a child and fortunately (or
unfortunately depending how you look at it!)
they would still describe me the same way.
Who is your personal hero and why?
I always have difficulty answering this
question. So many people do heroic things
in many ways. These may be huge grand
gestures or just simply showing strength
in the face of adversity. On a personal level
though my hero is my Grandmother. She
has faced a tremendous amount of adversity
in her life, yet has an unfaltering positive
attitude and approach and she always cares
for others.
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