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Calrossy Anglican School welcomes its newest addition to the administrative helm, the Chief Operating Officer, Colin Chandler whose appointment marks a return for him to school business management after a successful stint in the automotive retail industry.

His appointment at Calrossy is a far cry from his humble work beginnings as a casual kitchen hand at McDonalds when he was 15 years of age, attending Tamworth High School. However, like many others this job was the catalyst for a diverse career across many industries.

“I have gained valuable experience in a number of different disciplines, including Public Accounting, Restaurant Management, General Management, Information Technology, Not for Profit and Religious Organisations,” Colin says.

After many years of working on the Gold Coast and across Queensland, Colin returned home to Tamworth in 2023 to take up a position as Financial Controller at Tamworth City Toyota.

He was enjoying that challenge but then the opportunity at Calrossy arose.

“The role at Calrossy was attractive to me because it closely aligned with my personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs. The opportunity to utilise skills and experience gained over the years, to support and facilitate the process of building into the lives of the students we serve, was an opportunity that I could not forgo. I see this role as an opportunity for a ministry outcome as much as it is a practical role of managing and planning for the use of resources to provide an educational outcome.”

For him it is the perfect position, having worked in a similar position at Parklands Christian College and completing a Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and Management in June last year, to add to this a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Chartered Accounting qualifications.

“School leadership is important to me because it provides an opportunity to give back to all those people who have invested in my life over the years. To assist in facilitating and managing the resources that provide such an important outcome is a compelling proposition. Parklands Christian College gave me the opportunity to learn a new set of skills and practices that were unique to the education environment and this was a refreshing process,” says Colin.

Parklands Christian College is located in an outer southern suburb of Brisbane. It is a coeducational Kindergarten to Year 12 school. Parklands was located on one campus and did not provide boarding facilities or a Farm.

“Parklands did however have a mission to build foundations for life and this closely aligns with Calrossy’s mission to create a dynamic, Christian environment in which girls and boys may grow to be adults of faith.”

“My first impressions of Calrossy were that of awe and amazement. The historical aspect of Calrossy and understanding the journey is an incredible story. In joining Calrossy I appreciate that I have been given a responsibility to manage the resources of the school for just this point in time, Esther 4:14 “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this” and with this privilege comes significant responsibility. I join Calrossy at a point in time where growth is on the horizon, and it will be my joy to be here throughout this process and make a contribution toward guiding the outcomes of the strategic vision set by the Board.”

Colin Is married to Kerrie and has three adult daughters and three grandsons. Part of the reason for returning to Tamworth was to take up the important role of supporting Grandparents to his grandsons.

In his spare time, Colin enjoys camping, fishing and the great outdoors in general. Colin and Kerrie attend St Peters Anglican Church Tamworth and he hopes to get involved in the worship ministry as his other passion is music, playing the guitar and assisting with the sound production.

“My career goal is to make a positive difference to every person that I have the opportunity to work with and to encourage them to discover what really matters to them in life.”