Avondale Grammar School Council

The Council has been formed to oversee the operation of the school on behalf of the Board of Directors.   Our role is to provide guidance and strategic directions and to support the Head of School.

The members of the council and their responsibilities are:

Dennis Doherty T.C., B.Ed., M.Ed. (hons)
Chair of Council

Dennis is the Principal Consultant and proprietor of Pathways International Consulting. Since its beginning in 1999, Pathways has become a recognised leader in consultancy services to schools across Australia and internationally, and numbers among its clients some of Australia’s leading schools and school systems.

Skilled at leading organisations in the process of situational analysis, review, visioning and strategic planning, Dennis has guided a number of schools through significant review and development processes and future planning.  With significant experience in school governance, Dennis regularly works with school Boards/Councils on governance structure, board membership development and policy making.

Jan Hart  BSc  Dip Ed M Ed Admin MACE

Principal (ex-officio member of the Council)

Jan has previously worked in a range of schools from new and developing public and private schools, isolated and disadvantaged schools through to many years in an elite Sydney GPS school.  She has been very involved in the provision of professional learning experiences for teachers in New South Wales through her roles with both the Association of Independent Schools’ Professional Development Advisory Group and the AHISA Directors of Studies Co-ordinating Committee.

For many years she has filled a research and development role, distilling the best of the international research and bringing a commitment to evidence based decision making to  schools. Her  passion is for innovative curriculum development,  personalised learning and the ‘quest’ for excellence for all.

Stuart Gray B. Comm (UNSW), awarded first class Honours in Finance and the University Medal.
Chair of Marketing and Property Committee

 Stuart has spent the last four and a half years residing in Singapore and has strong roots in the Australian community living here. He has more than twenty years experience in banking and finance and has more recently focussed on the international school and childcare sector. Stuart came to Singapore as the CEO of Babcock & Brown Securities Singapore. In the past he has been a Managing Director of Societe Generale Australia Branch and an Executive Director of Goldman Sachs Australia LLC.

Bronwyn Matthews B. Economics (SYD) and M Comm(NSW)
Chair of Finance Committee

 Bronwyn has lived and worked in Singapore and became involved with the  foundation of  Avondale Grammar School in order to meet the needs of Australian families, and the wider expatriate community in Singapore.   It was clear there was a need for a high quality Australian curriculum school with a focus on the individual child’s needs and which provided strong  academic foundations for primary school aged children.

Bronwyn  has worked in the Finance Industry for over 20 years .

Bob Thomas Dip. Teach, B.Ed
Chair of the Education Committee, Examinations and Academic Boards

Bob is delighted to join the Council of Avondale Grammar School, following a career of 34 years in primary education in Australia. From 1991-2009 Bob was Headmaster of Knox Grammar Preparatory School in Sydney which is the largest independent boys’ primary school in Australia with 600 pupils.

Bob has an absolute passion for education and, along with his involvement in AGS, is also a member of the Board of 40K Foundation which is an Australian based charity building schools for underprivileged children in India.