Message from the Principal & Assistant Principal

Principal

Mr Danny Forrest

Welcome to Wedderburn College – 2024

Wedderburn is a rural P-12 College that is doing amazing things in the North West of Victoria.   It is the only school in Wedderburn and services a wide variety of smaller districts in every direction of the compass with five school buses.

I believe that we can all look forward to a very positive future at Wedderburn.  I was delighted to be appointed the new principal of Wedderburn College in 2021 and I’m extremely excited by what the future will bring for our students and the Wedderburn community.

I honestly believe that Wedderburn College is ready to fly as we provide so many varied, engaging opportunities for all students.   So I urge all parents, students and staff members to work together with a sense of positive collaboration. Together in partnership let’s aim high and strive to be regarded as one of the best P-12 Colleges in the state.

My Education Background

My educational background is one of varied experiences across the Wimmera and South West areas of Victoria.  I first worked at Geelong Grammar School as a teaching assistant and was a classroom teacher at Birregurra P.S. before been appointed as Principal to Watchem P.S. in 2000.  I have also lived and worked in the communities of St Arnaud & Windermere before commencing my 14 years as Principal Donald P.S., in 2004. I completed a brief stint in Ballarat as Principal of Mount Clear P.S. (300 students) but the cold weather and my family commitments mattered more so I returned to Donald. I have most recently spent 12 months as Acting Principal of Warracknabeal P.S. and spent the last 2 years as Principal of Mortlake P-12 College near Warrnambool.

I have also been a board member of the Country Education Partnership (a voice for rural education), and served on the Wimmera Education Cluster for over a decade. I have coached hockey (Life Member at Donald) and football teams for the past 30 years and I am currently involved with Donald Football Club.  My other community role has been to lead a new stadium development, a $3 million dollar project at Donald.

In conclusion, I look forward to building strong relationships with all community members, families, staff members and students, together as we work hard for the continued success of every student ensuring they benefit from the opportunities and experiences that Wedderburn College provides.

Assistant Principal

Mr Dean Lockhart

An alumnus of the College, Dean is an experienced educator having worked in multiple educational contexts, including secondary and post-school pathway settings. In addition to his many years as a classroom teacher and over a decade of experience at a Senior Leadership level, Dean holds a Master of Educational Leadership and brings a strong grounding in business and strategic planning. Dean’s demonstrated capacity to foster high expectations and a learning environment that helps all students to develop their special abilities and talents – together with his leadership skills in coaching, motivating and building teams, is highly valued by Wedderburn College and the wider community.

“ We believe that a strong emphasis on high expectations for both students and teachers, genuinely supported by parents and the wider community, will lead to learning success for our students and also pride for our community of Wedderburn.

We utilise the School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports (SWPBS) framework to develop a positive climate for learning.  Our values of Respect, Responsibility and Respect underpin the way we do things at Wedderburn College and informs our desired partnerships between staff, students and parents.”