Mass exodus: 10 Brisbane Boys’ College staff gone in just one term

Another two Brisbane Boys’ College staff members have announced their resignations, bringing the total number of people to leave the high-profile school just this term to 10.

The mass exodus of key staff continues at the beleaguered Brisbane Boys’ College, with the school’s financial controller of 13 years Trish Whellum and payroll officer Carole Thomas pulling the pin.

The resignations were announced by outgoing headmaster Paul Brown to staff on Thursday afternoon.

This takes the number of exits in Term one to 10, with Mr Brown’s resignation and the departure of deputy headmaster Peter Franks the most high profile.

Earlier this month Mr Franks’ wife Lea Walker-Franks resigned as director of community engagement and foundation executive officer, as did Kristie Welsh, director of marketing and communications, Lee Pickering, director of technology services, and Simon Cox, facilities manager. IT department employees Daniel Pye and Zachary Menolotto have also pulled the pin, while print room manager Gerry Gleeson retired.

One school insider said the exclusive boys’ school was “tanking and key staff were dropping like flies”.

The outgoing headmaster of Brisbane Boys’ College, Paul Brown. Picture: Supplied

Mr Brown quit in February and a controversial recruitment process for the top job – described by insiders as “a farce” - is currently underway amid allegations the school’s governing body the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association has been speaking with the preferred candidate – an interstate-based BBC old boy – for a number of months.

The PMSA denies the allegations.

The church organisation has come under fire for its handling of several recent scandals.

One involved an alleged sexting and subsequent alleged gang-bashing incident involving several year 9 boys that saw parents sue Mr Brown and the college for negligence and sought $750,000 in damages.

The four boys who were expelled over the alleged issue were later dramatically reinstated by the PMSA and allowed to resume classes in offices beside the PMSA headquarters nearby in Toowong.

Last month, Dr Bridget Cullen quit her positions on the PMSA and BBC college council after a social media scandal in which she was accused of stereotyping poor people after she filed a series of fictional posts depicting the juveniles who allegedly stole her black BMW sports car. Dr Cullen denied the accusations.

BBC chair Mark Gray sensationally quit in August, citing an “unreasonable increase in the school contribution in 2020 to fund the PMSA corporate office” and in February council member Michael Goss also resigned.

Two PMSA staffers, Erin Black and Chanel Cargill, have also recently resigned.