New Brisbane Boys’ College headmaster revealed

Embattled elite school Brisbane Boys’ College has announced its new headmaster, along with more than 50 other changes.

Brisbane Boys’ College has announced its new headmaster and its governing body the PMSA has revealed a raft of changes, including a new 480ha outdoor learning campus.

Harvard Business School graduate Andre Casson was revealed as the man who would lead the elite Toowong school out of what has been a rocky few years.

“A headmaster at BBC is more than the Head of a school, it is the leader of a community,’’ PMSA chair Morgan Parker said at the group’s annual general meeting on Monday night.

“Andre Casson possesses the perfect combination of personal sensibilities, professional acumen and global perspective to take BBC confidently into the future.

“Brisbane Boys’ College is one of Australia’s most prominent schools and having someone of Mr Casson’s experience and thought-leadership will position it advantageously within the Brisbane GPS context.

New BBC Headmaster Andre Casson with his wife Jody and daughter Remy.

“Andre is currently the Head of the Australian International School in Singapore, where he has overseen the strategic direction of this institution.’’

The AIS is owned by a group, boasting over 80 schools, in 11 countries.

Responsibility for governance of the school rests with the AIS and Mr Casson is the current chair.

He graduated from the General Management Program, Harvard Business School, has a Diploma in Education from the University of Notre Dame Australia and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Australia.

“Andre has a clear vision and is passionate about developing BBC community,’’ Mr Parker said.

“We look forward to welcoming Andre back to Australia and to BBC in 2022.’’

In February current Headmaster Paul Brown rocked the Toowong school’s close-knit community by announcing he would resign at the end of this year after just three years in the role.

He is currently on leave but has insisted he will return for the final term of the 2021 school year.

Mr Brown’s resignation came after his widely criticised handling of a gang bashing by students.

The boys were expelled for the incident, sparked by an alleged sexting incident that has since been disputed.

The boys’ parents then sued Mr Brown and the college for negligence in a $750,000 claim.

Outgoing Headmaster Paul Brown.

The new campus at Mount Moon in the Scenic Rim will be unlike any other in Queensland, outgoing Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association chair Morgan Parker said.

“We will, in 2024, see the commissioning of a purpose-built Outdoor Learning Campus for our Year 9 cohort,’’ Mr Parker told the PMSA annual general meeting on Monday night.

“In Australian education circles, these programs and experiences have been made famous by campuses like Timbertop, Glengarry, Marshmead, and Clunes.

“The Mount Moon OLC will be a game-changer for future generations of our students. “Academic research speaks to the incredibly positive impact this type of residential/rural experience has on young teenagers.

“Their one-term attendance at Mount Moon will see these students develop greater confidence, resilience and learn much about themselves and the world around them.’’

BBC captain Mason Black spoke about his mother Michelle Monsour's experiences with sexual harassment and abuse in a stirring speech earlier this year. His speech drew praise from around the nation. Picture: Instagram

Mr Parker said the PMSA, the governing body for BBC, Somerville House, Clayfield College and Sunshine Coast Grammar School, believed the learning centre would be a fundamental driver of student enrolments.

“A world class OLC will, in different ways, be a unique competitive advantage for Brisbane Boys’ College, Clayfield College, Somerville House and the Sunshine Coast Grammar School,’’ he said.

He outlined more than 50 changes to the governance model of the PMSA, including new personnel, a new strategic plan and better collaboration across the group.

“The years ahead will be different, because of the years of work done,’’ he said.

Morgan Parker. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Mr Parker, who announced in April that he would step down from the demanding role, paid tribute at the AGM to the team which had driven the PMSA’s reform.

“From a personal perspective, serving over the last three years has been extraordinary,’’ he said.

“When appointed by the Uniting Church in early 2018, I was daunted at the scale of thinking and action required.

“The record of achievements over the last three years runs into the hundreds.’’

BBC has been plagued by negative headlines this year as a stream of senior staff have left amid claims of a toxic culture spread by several school leaders.

And a respected BBC Council member, Dr Bridget Cullen, was forced to step down and publicly apologise over a disparaging Facebook page she set up.

The PMSA has also come under fire from critics for an allegedly bloated cost structure, something Mr Parker strenuously denies.

Its defenders say the PMSA is now entirely different from the organisation which grabbed headlines over a nude Korean bathhouse scandal, and has turned around the governance of BBC and its three sister schools.