Old boys vote ‘no-confidence’ in Newington school leadership

Old boys of the Sydney school, battling over its co-ed plan, pass ‘no-confidence’ motions in the headmaster, their own representatives and the school council.

Parents pictured outside Newington College protesting against the proposed switch to co-education. Picture: Richard Dobson

Old boys of a prestigious Sydney school that is in a bitter battle over its governance and its move to coeducation have passed “no-confidence” motions in the school’s headmaster, their own representatives, and the school council.

The Newington College old boys voted 51.37 per cent in favour of a motion declaring “no-confidence in the current headmaster of Newington College, Mr Michael Parker”, after almost 1400 alumni put in a ballot at the special general meeting on Wednesday night.

The meeting was forced by what the school council described at the time as a “discrete group within the alumni community”.

Almost 51.8 per cent also voted for “no-confidence” in the Newington College Council, which brought the co-education decision, and 51.51 per cent wanted to see the ONU “reverse the decision of the Council of Newington College to transition ... to coeducation”. About 51 per cent voted for “no-confidence” in the ONU Council.

Newington old boys inside the SGM.

A small majority of old boys also voted for elected positions on the Old Newingtonians’ Union (ONU) Council to be immediately declared vacant.

An email from “Outgoing (ONU) President” Alexander Pagonis, said “on the basis of the above results, and as was advised at last night’s SGM, the ex-officio members of the ONU Council will now organise for an election of the elected members on the ONU Council to be conducted in due course”.

It is understood the pollsters printed about 300 ballot papers on Wednesday night, severely underestimating the turnout which was officially counted at 794, with a mad scramble at the 11th hour to print out more papers. Alumni, including ex-Fortescue executive Peter Thomas, had flown in from out-of-state and queued out the door of the Pitt Street conference centre.

“I confirm that I have no present intention of re-nominating as President for this upcoming,” Mr Pagonis told alumni in an email.

“I have had the honour of being President of the ONU through 2020 to 2024 with a sole focus on building our alumni community and representing all Old Newingtonians. It is unfortunate that one issue has managed to divide our membership, as reflected in this SGM’s results.”

A defiant faction of at least 20 old boys forced the general meeting two weeks ago to put the old boys’ faith in the current leadership and the co-education decision to the test.

In a last-minute bid to seemingly stop the votes, the ONU Secretary told members they had engaged a senior counsel and external firm to review the five motions which included a general declaration of “no confidence” in the ONU Council, in the Council of Newington College, and the current headmaster of Newington College, Mr Michael Parker, and they were “deemed invalid”.

In his email to alumni with the SGM results, Mr Pagonis said “notwithstanding the legal advice which informed the correspondence sent out on Tuesday 26 March, the decision was made by the ONU Executive prior to the opening of registrations yesterday to put to the meeting all five of the ordinary resolutions which were requested and for polls to be taken as per the Notice of the SGM.”

The choice to use last-minute “legal tactics”, however, enraged some old boys, who said the process needed to be democratic.

One of the 20 “requisitioners” who brought the special general meeting wrote to ONU Secretary Matt Hyne on Wednesday saying “I implore you to do everything in your power to ensure the democratic process which has been requisitioned by the Requisitioners be facilitated tonight in a completely transparent manner.”

Save Newington, a group of Newington parents and old boys trying to reverse the coeducation decision, told members “We will NOT be silenced”.