‘Faceless’ few ‘destroyed’ people’s careers says critic
THE powerful church body embroiled in the elite school scandal was warned by a member of the school’s council that it had “no option” but to terminate the key figure in the ongoing “fiasco”.
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THE powerful church body embroiled in the elite school scandal was warned by a member of the school’s council that it had “no option” but to terminate the key figure linked to alleged data breaches, lewd texts and “nude sojourns in a Korean bathhouse’’.
In a strongly worded letter sent to the PMSA executive, independent Somerville House School councillor Russell Bird warned of the looming “fiasco” under the state’s deepening elite private school scandal.
PMSA executive manager Rick Hiley has admitted to the mass download of documents and been accused of organising clandestine meetings with former PMSA chairman and police inspector Robert McCall at a nude Korean bathhouse during school hours.
Dr Bird said the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, which was run by 15 “faceless” members and was responsible for “destroying careers” including that of Somerville House principal Flo Kearney, had to be disbanded.
The PMSA governs Somerville House, Brisbane Boys College, Clayfield College and Sunshine Coast Grammar School.
Dr Bird said the last three principals at Somerville House had expressed “frustration and annoyance” at the behaviour of the PMSA hierarchy leading to “tension and distrust”.
“Unfortunately the totally avoidable debacle that is currently being played out in public has increased this lack of trust throughout the school community, further damaged the reputation of the PMSA and tarnished the name of a very fine school,’’ Dr Bird said in the October 20 letter obtained by The Courier-Mail.
He said he had a very good relationship with Rick Hiley but saw no alternative to terminating his employment.
“The PMSA obviously saw things differently. Now 3 careers have been destroyed. Flo Kearney has been severely punished because she brought to light the major facts in the case. As I said to you previously, this has nothing to do with Flo’s performance as a teacher/administrator etc. As best the school community can determine, she has been very badly treated because the PMSA has given no reason for her termination.”
Dr Bird, who has been involved with the PMSA and Somerville House Foundation for 33 years, said the four schools under the PMSA umbrella should be separately constituted.
“Each school should be run by its school council. The churches would still have full control and ownership. The councils should be made up of top flight educationalists, accountants, lawyers, marketers, demographers etc. people who can drive the schools to greater heights. Under this scheme the 15 faceless PMSA members would not be needed.’’
The PMSA, which has newly hired a Sydney-based crisis communication adviser, said on Thursday the thousands of files downloaded by Mr Hiley did not constitute “data theft or data misuse”.
PMSA chairman Greg Adsett, referring to the lewd text messages and visits to a nude spa at a Korean bathhouse during school hours, said it did not involve “any inappropriate standards of behaviour”.
Late on Thursday night, Ian McDonald resigned effective immediately, from the Somerville House Council.
“I can no longer stomach the behaviour of the PMSA council,” Mr McDonald said.
“When I find out about yesterdays events from an AHISA (Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia) email notice to principals, it simply says to me that there is no regard by the PMSA for me or the independent councillors.
“I think Somerville is a great school and deserves governance by competent people of integrity with some educational understanding at least.
“Best wishes in the long struggle ahead.”
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