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Experience, integrity, unity for Community.
Our school takes heart and soul from an amazing collective of community-oriented generous professionals with the wisdom and connections that come from experience.
As a human geographer, Ben is passionate about participatory approaches to sustainable development and the role that education and engagement can play in creating resilience, capacity and well-being in communities.
He has taught, researched and practised in the areas of community-based learning, stakeholder management, participatory planning, sustainable development and community engagement.
Ben is a change maker, whose work in higher education relating to experiential learning and impact has received multiple national and international awards.
Experience and Qualifications
Bachelor of Science (Hons 1) in Human Geography
University of New South Wales
Master of Education (Adult Learning in Global Change)
University of Technology Sydney
Southern Cross University 2010 – Present
– Vice President (Engagement)
– Pro Vice Chancellor (Engagement)
– Head, Sustainability, Partnerships and Community Engagement
NSW Government 2007 – 2010
– Manager, Community Education and Engagement
– Senior Education Officer
University of New Wales 2000 – 2007
– Director, FBEOutThere!
– Director, The Sustainable Living Project
The Connect Project 2002 – Present
– Principal and Consultant
With a passion for business, numbers and engineering, Arnold enjoys creating and building organizations. Over a period of 20 years, he led a listed company in South Africa from humble beginnings to being a very successful global business spanning 20 countries and employing over 5 000 people.
Arnold moved to Byron Bay in January 2020 after stepping down from his business career.
Besides his interest in business, Arnold has a passion for education and served on the board of governors at SACS High School in Cape Town, the oldest school in South Africa (over 200 years old). He served for 6 years when his two older sons attended the school. Arnold assisted in establishing policy for the school, grounded in its value system and ethos, drove fundraising projects to build facilities eg swimming pool, year 4 buildings, a new science block, a new astroturf hockey field, to name but a few.
Arnold enjoys leading and uplifting people. He has mentored several young people into business and enjoys seeing people thrive and reach their full potential.
In his spare time, Arnold enjoys a good bbq, a glass of red wine, playing sport (golf, cycling, watersports, gym, skiing, snowboarding and, recently, surfing) and being in nature. He is a family man and is happiest being with his wife and children. He and his wife have a keen interest in sustainability and education that prepares children for the new world with a deep value system. They have 4 children.
Qualifications
B.SC (MECHANICAL ENGINEERING) (University of Cape Town)
B. COM. HONS (ACCOUNTING) (University of Cape Town)
C.A. (SA)
CA (ANZ)
Experience
2017 – 2020: Group CEO, Invicta Holdings Ltd (JSE listed company)
2015 – 2017: Deputy Chairman, Invicta Holdings Ltd (JSE listed company)
2000 – 2015: Group CEO, Invicta Holdings Ltd (JSE listed company)
1991 – 2000: CFO Invicta Holdings Ltd (JSE listed company)
During the period 2000 – 2020, held various additional positions within the Invicta Holdings Ltd Group including directorships in listed subsidiaries, pension funds, many unlisted subsidiaries around the world
1987 – 1989: Articled clerk KPMG
1981 – 1984: During university holidays: Trainee engineer with AECI Limited
A Bachelor degree in Naturopathy with Post Graduate studies in Public Health Promotion and 15 years of Naturopathic practice has given Kylie a solid foundation in holistic thinking, empathic counselling and a living systems view of life and wellness.
She has been practicing Non-violent Communication (NVC), also called compassionate communication for the past 20 years and loves sharing all she learns with her friends, family and community. She considers it an incredibly valuable way to communicate with oneself and others from a place of self responsibility and compassion.
Following a deep interest in nature based education Kylie completed a mentor training program with ‘Play in the Wild’, a nature-based immersion education experience around the principles and practices of non-violence, mindfulness and wellness. In this context non-violence is defined as a lifelong commitment to seeing beyond differences, respecting all living things, and being of service to ourselves and others.
Now as a mother of 2 (a 3 and 5 year old) Kylie is experiencing the biggest learnings of her life, and considers parenting her most important, meaningful and challenging profession yet! The parenting journey has awoken in her a strong advocate for all the little humans of the planet and she is constantly grappling with how we respond to little ones with true respect and honesty to support them to develop into their magnificent unique selves and to help them become compassionate global citizens.
Kylie is currently the ‘People and Culture’ advisor to Flow Hive and is continually looking for ways to strengthen culture within a group of people (whether that be a family, a company or a school). Her particular focus is on ensuring the shared values of the group become imbedded in the operation of the group (from agreed ways of working to responding to conflict).
Her happy place is communing with nature on her morning walk.
The photo is of me and Lindy with my ‘newest’ Great Granddaughter. I have three great granddaughters, six granddaughters and three grandsons. Lindy has four granddaughters and a grandson.
Family is important to us. Ours is a multi cultural family with Aboriginal, Australian, Papua New Guinea and Thai mingling with my Anglo Celtic background.
Richard Lornie OAM FACE
MA BSc(Econ)(Hons) PGCE
1970-72 Lecturer at Peterborough Technical College, UK
1973-74 Education Officer, Maprik High School, PNG
1975-77 Senior Tutor, Goroka Teachers College, UPNG, PNG
1977-1981 Lecturer, Education Faculty, UPNG, PNG
1982-84 Head of Department, Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga, NSW
1985-87 Deputy Head, Central Coast Grammar School, NSW
1988-2008 Headmaster, Central Coast Grammar School, NSW
2009- present Education Consultant, NSW
The photo is of a man, a dog, and a bike: to me this is Freedom.
QUALIFICATIONS
2017- present PhD (currently on hold) University of Sydney.
Topic: Mentoring to alleviate maths anxiety in pre-service primary teachers.
2010 Masters of Education (with Distinction)University of Technology, Sydney
1997 Bachelor of Education Southern Cross University , Lismore
1988-1990 Diploma of Teaching Australian Catholic University, North Sydney
EMPLOYMENT
2018 – present Cut Through Coaching & Consulting
Senior Associate, Executive Coach & Consultant
2020 University of Sydney – Sessional Tutor in Assessment, Master of Teaching course
2020 Maths Online – Mathematics Ambassador
2010-2018 The University of Notre Dame
Senior Lecturer in Education in the Bachelor of Primary Education Course
& Primary Course Coordinator.
Lecturer in charge of Mathematics Education. Lecturer in charge HSIE – History &
Geography. Instigator and leader of the International Service Learning Immersions
to Kenya and East Timor between 2011 and 2017.
Awards: Vice Chancellors Teaching & Learning Award 2013, OLT Citation 2014,
OLT Award 2015, Vice Chancellors Teaching & Learning Award 2016
Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for outstanding student course evaluations for 19
consecutive semesters 2008-2017.
2008 – 2009 The University of Notre Dame (Sessional tutor)
Sessional Tutor in Maths, Catering for Students with Special Needs, Psychological
Principles of Classroom Management, Intro to Teaching, Advanced Teaching Skills,
PDHPE. Vice Chancellor’s Commendation Sem 2, 2008, Sem’s 1 & 2 ,2009.
2008 – 2009 University of Technology Sydney (Sessional tutor)
Sessional Tutor in Philosophy of Education, Socio Cultural Contexts of Secondary
Education, Evidence Based Practice, Maths 2.
2008 – 2009 Australian Catholic University (Sessional tutor)
Sessional Lecturer & Tutor in PDHPE in the Primary and Early Childhood
Programmes.
2006 – 2007 The University of Sydney (Sessional tutor)
Sessional lecturer/ tutor teaching Philosophy of Education (Study 1) and
Mathematics in Masters of Teaching course, Literacy in Bachelor of Education
course.
1995-2007 Primary school teacher in Australia and the UK
1994 European Commission, Brussels, Belgium – Proof reader and editor.
1991-1993 Primary school teacher – England and Australia
Feb. 1991 Médecins Sans Frontières
Volunteer with logistics team – Zakho, Iraq
1986-1990 John Fairfax and Sons Newspaper Group, Sydney
Editorial Assistant.
