Executive Leadership
Principal
Mr Daniel Walker
B.A. B.Ed. (UQ), M.Ed. (Monash), MACEL
Mr Daniel Walker is Canterbury’s fifth Principal, having joined the College in 2019.
As our Principal, Dan is committed to Canterbury College being known as a school which inspires ‘all-round’ World Ready success in every student.
Although he sees academic achievement as our number one priority, student engagement across a wide range of sport, music, the arts, business, technology, ‘thought sports’, community service and leadership opportunities is our overarching goal.
Deputy Principal
Mrs Meagan King
B.Ed. (USYD), M.Ed (UNE)
Mrs King oversees the quality and development of our holistic, all-around education offering at Canterbury, leading forward-thinking teaching and learning, co-curricular, service and leadership strategy.
She is the Chief of Staff of the College, closely monitoring the operation of the College’s ELC to 12 teaching and learning and co-curricular programs.
Mrs King joins Canterbury College from Methodist Ladies’ College in Perth, where she has held the senior leadership position of Director of Innovation.
Prior to this she was Director of Teaching, Learning and Academic Performance at A.B. Paterson College on the Gold Coast.
Mrs King has vast teaching experience from ELC to Year 12, including in the area of Mathematics, which she teaches at Canterbury.
Director of Business and Finance
Mr Johan Louw
B.Comm.(Acc.), B.Acc.Sc. (Hons.), Fin.Mgt., Corp.Law and Acc.Theory (USQ)
Mr Louw joined Canterbury as the Financial Controller after serving as College Accountant at Calvary Christian College for 11 years. Prior to this he gained experience over 15 years in a range of industries, from small businesses to large international corporates, in various financial and business management positions. He is a member of the Institute of Public Accountants.
In his role, Mr Louw drives strategy and operational management of all aspects of the College’s financial modelling and performance, its budget processes and the execution of business unit and capital project plans.
Head of Junior School
Mrs Michelle Leftwich
M.Ed., B.Ed., B.Teach, Cert 11 1/Dip/Adv Dip Chn Serv, Cert IV Train & Assess
Mrs Leftwich is responsible for the operations of the Junior School, including curriculum, teaching and learning, reporting, parent engagement and student connections, wellbeing and behaviour.
Michelle joined Canterbury from All Saints Anglican School on the Gold Coast, where she was the Assistant Head of Junior School for eight years.
Prior to that, she served as the Teaching and Learning Coordinator at Coomera Anglican College, and was a primary teacher as well as an owner and operator of childcare centres.
Michelle has a vast experience in academic leadership, student wellbeing and staff development.
She also believes in the powerful impact of a holistic education for all students
Head of Secondary School
Mrs Rebecca Adamson
M.EdL, B.Ed, Grad Cert Career Development Practice, Cert III in Systematic Theology, MACEL
Mrs Adamson oversees the academic and social-emotional wellbeing of our students in Years 7-12.
She works with the Secondary School leadership team, including Heads of Faculty and Heads of House, prioritising the academic and pastoral wellbeing of all its students in pursuit of our World Ready mantra.
She joined Canterbury as Dean of Studies from Brisbane’s Iona College, where she was the Head of Pedagogy and Senior Years Learning and Teaching, and previously the Head of English.
Mrs Adamson moved into the Head of Secondary role in 2021.
Mrs Adamson is extremely dedicated to supporting students in both their academic success and overall holistic achievement.
Director of Communications
Mr Stephen Buckley
B.Bus.Comm. (QUT), B.Arts Journalism (CQU), Leadership & Management (AIM)
Mr Buckley joined Canterbury as our Director of Communications in May 2021, managing the College’s communications, marketing, advertising, website, social media, MyCC news coverage, outdoor signage, plus various campus events and community engagement activities.
Beforehand, Stephen was the Marketing & Communications Manager for the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos (4.5 years), the AFL’s Brisbane Lions (4.5 years) and the Big Bash’s Hobart Hurricanes (2 years).
Away from elite sports, he served as the Marketing & Communications Manager for the international educational publishing houses John Wiley & Sons Australia (8 years) and Oxford University Press (1 year), and even a heavy machinery materials handling company (2 years).
Other jobs included being the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the Queensland Dept of Employment & Training, and various private video and magazine production companies – reporting on environmental and rural stories from right around Australia.
If he looks strangely familiar, he worked on Network Ten’s adventure, environment and science-based children’s show Totally Wild for five seasons during the Nineties, as a writer, producer and on-air reporter during peak filming periods.
Stephen is extremely passionate about being customer-focussed and delivering all our many faculties’ communications and events in a concise, friendly and easily digestible format with more and better imagery than ever before.
Director of People and Culture
Ms Kirrily Murphy
Kirrily joins us from Cottee Parker Architects, where she has worked since 2017 as the General Manager and HR Manager, managing all elements of the business, people and culture operations of a large, multi-office international firm.
She has significant corporate experience across a range of industries, with key roles in human resources and strategic management at City Finance Australia, the Royal Life Saving Society Australia and the Commonwealth Bank, amongst others.
Kirrily is excited by the opportunity that presents itself in the independent schooling sector and is drawn to Canterbury’s values, our strategy and reputation.
Across her work history, Kirrily has been an innovative and transformational results-driven leader but is clearly someone who values the dignity and voice of all employees in all teams.
There are fascinating parallels to be drawn between the life of an architecture firm and an independent school.
