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Farewell to our Heimbecker Chair for Experiential Education

This week, Shawnigan bade a fond farewell to Tom Hall, the energetic and intrepid Australian import who we were fortunate to have as the School’s first-ever Heimbecker Chair for Experiential Education.
 
As part of Project Future, Shawnigan introduced the Inspiration Chairs Program in 2021, joining the Bruce-Lockhart Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in enabling the School to bring experts from outside the School to campus to help enrich the educational experience for students.
Previously the Head of the Timbertop Campus at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia, and a renowned leader in experiential education, Mr. Hall was the perfect choice to pioneer the new position at Shawnigan.
 
Mr. Hall’s duties included designing the second year of the Beyond the Gates programs for Grade 9 students — based on his own experiences at Timbertop — and helping the School recruit staff for Beyond the Gates. He was also a group leader on the BTG capstone trip last June, which consisted of two weeks of hiking and sea kayaking with students and staff.
 
“I was impressed with how capable and adaptable and resilient the BTG students were after their year studying and adventuring together,” he said. “I have completed countless journeys in the outdoors with young people and this was amongst the very best I have ever experienced. The group were very tightly bonded and supportive of each other and coped well with many of the challenges the trip presented.”
 
Before finishing up his term this fall, Tom said he thoroughly enjoyed his time at Shawnigan, describing the School as “welcoming and future-focused.” He noted that his time here coincided with a push by Head of School Larry Lamont to see Project Future develop, and that BTG is a big part of that endeavour.
 
“I can absolutely see it as a key piece of the Shawnigan Journey in the future. Given the location of the School and the ethos of the Shawnigan Journey, a significant Outdoor/Experiential offering will become a key piece of the Shawnigan experience as the Beyond the Gates program develops.”
 
It has been an honour for Mr. Hall to serve as Shawnigan’s first Heimbecker Chair, and he hopes to create an extended partnership between Shawnigan and Geelong Grammar School.
 
“I feel exceedingly fortunate to have been the Heimbecker Chair and hope that my contribution to the School has extended beyond the BTG program. My wife and I have endeavoured to make all of our interactions with staff and the wider community as broad as possible. We hope we have helped them see the importance of Outdoor/Experiential education in a truly rounded school experience and give momentum to the BTG programme. Coming to Shawnigan has been the best thing I/we have ever done, and my family and I are enormously thankful for the opportunity. We have made lifelong friends and ensured an ongoing relationship between two great schools at opposite ends of the globe.”
 
When he returns to Australia, Mr. Hall will have a new position as Deputy Head of Geelong Grammar School. Mr. Hall was joined at Shawnigan by his wife, Jane, and sons Ned and Archie. Ned settled in as a student in Lake’s House, and will remain at the School for the rest of the year. Mrs. Hall only recently gave a presentation to House Directors and Assistants on mental health and strategies for supporting students.
 
Mr. Nigel Mayes, Assistant Head, Co-Curricular Programs, shared these words at Mr. Hall’s last staff meeting: “I would really like to thank you, Archie, Ned, Tom, and Jane for enriching our lives with your warmth, friendship, Australian humour, and your adventurous spirit. That is the connection we share with you. I don’t feel this is goodbye but the beginning of a strong friendship and connections we will develop with Geelong Grammar School and can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
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We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.