Embattled Hillcrest Christian College principal calls staff meeting after recordings emerge

Months of turmoil at Hillcrest Christian College, including the emergence of recordings of principal Jeff Davis calling teachers ‘nuffs-nuffs’ who can ‘barely pass Year 12’, have resulted in a staff meeting being called for this afternoon.

Hillcrest Christian College principal Jeff Davis flees A Current Affair reporter Chris Allan at Varsity Lakes last week. Picture: ACA

THE embattled principal of a strife-torn Gold Coast Christian college has called a staff meeting after recordings emerged of him swearing and calling teachers ‘nuff-nuffs’.

Hillcrest Christian College principal Jeff Davis has called the meeting for Thursday afternoon as the school, run by the Reedy Creek Baptist Church, prepares to break for the Christmas holidays.

It follows months of turmoil at the college including unproven bullying allegations against Mr Davis, the suspension and exodus of senior staff and controversy over $600,000 in loans to a company set up to commercialise a reading program.

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Hillcrest Christian College principal Jeff Davis.

The Courier-Mail revealed on Wednesday that Gold Coast detectives were investigating allegations by unidentified people of misuse of funds at the college following information received earlier this month.

Mr Davis can be heard venting his frustrations in video and audio recordings with the reading program’s creator, Joe Mamone, in an A Current Affair story on Wednesday night following a series of exclusive reports by The Courier-Mail.

Mr Mamone claims to have legally terminated a licensing agreement with Hillcrest before it announced the $1 million sale of the I Love Reading program to a Hong Kong company earlier this year, in a deal which is yet to settle.

In a phone conversation, Mr Davis is heard losing his temper at Mr Mamone after he tells the principal to ‘calm down’.

“Why would I want to f …. n calm down,” Mr Davis explodes.

“You don’t seem to understand what I’m talking about, you don’t listen to me. You friggin’ well listen to yourself and not me!”

Mr Davis also appears rattled in a video recording of a meeting where Mr Mamone issued the principal with a noticed terminating the licensing agreement.

“It’s costing me my career,” an exasperated Mr Davis says.

In another recording, Mr Davis is heard telling Mr Mamone that the original reading program had not achieved the desired results.

“And the problem I’ve got is that I’m dealing in the real world where every nuff-nuff who teaches prep had got an OP (Overall Position) 25, and can barely pass Year 12,” he says.

One former teacher told ACA staff had felt ‘absolute fear’ and ‘intimidation’ at the college.

“We just didn’t speak out, now is the first time – like I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this,” she told reporter Chris Allen.

Hillcrest Christian College has been hit by months of turmoil, culminating in a staff meeting this afternoon.

A Hillcrest parent, Robyn Arnold, said she had comforted crying teachers and some had even tried to commit suicide.

Independent Education Union secretary Terry Burke, whose union represents Hillcrest teachers, said that an inquiry into bullying allegations at the college was closed down before anyone gave evidence.

“There frankly is a cloud over the school while these matters persist, and frankly, while the current administration continues in their position,” he told ACA.

In a statement, Hillcrest said bullying complaints against Mr Davis were reviewed in two separate investigations by ‘independent barristers’.

“No grounds have ever been found for the (college) Board to take disciplinary action against Mr Davis,” the college said.

Cherilyn Evans, who heads a Hillcrest Facebook supporters group with 385 members, claimed it was Mr Davis who was being bullied.

“The bullies are calling their victim a bully,” she told ACA.

In an email to staff on Thursday morning, Mr Davis said ‘there are many things that you may be thinking and processing’ following the ACA story and invited them to a staff meeting at 3.15pm.

“I am humbled by your ongoing commitment to support each other and uphold the students through this difficult time,” he wrote.

“It is my continuing prayer that our collective focus is to ensure that every child and family is supported so that they can finish the year knowing they are loved and cared for by all of us.”

Meanwhile, police today said the probe into Hillcrest had determined that the person who provided the information was not a victim and a formal complaint was needed for an investigation to proceed.

Originally published as Embattled Hillcrest Christian College principal calls staff meeting after recordings emerge