Meet the Team

Matt has been involved in education for over 20 years at a number of Christian schools. He has a background in Music Education in both primary and high school settings, and experience teaching in a range of other disciplines, Matt has also held a number of leadership positions across both pastoral and curriculum areas. 

Following roles as both the Deputy Principal and Principal in the Secondary School, Matt commenced as the College’s inaugural PK-12 Principal in January 2024, a role in which he has a passion to see students and communities flourish as they grow and develop together. Matt is excited about the future of the College, and working with staff, student, parents and the wider community to enable students to reach their potential and thrive both academically and socially through a rich, broad and engaging program. 

Outside of school, Matt serves on the Board of his church and is involved in the music ministry. He is married to Emma and they have two children, Nate and Norah, who both attend Mandurah Baptist College.

Rob has been an educator since 1984 working in a variety of government and independent schools. He was the founding Principal of Mandurah Baptist College Primary School which commenced in 2008.   

Rob’s passion is to authentically communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ, enable students to thrive educationally and personally, and to grow and develop leaders. Rob serves as a member of the Western Australian School Curriculum and Standards Authority Primary Principals Advisory Committee. Read more about the Primary School  here. 

Prior to becoming an educator, Joanne worked in the insurance sector in a leadership role. Through her volunteer work with The Smith Family, she discovered her passion for education and helping young people find their place in the world. 

Joanne joined Mandurah Baptist College in 2018 as an English Teacher. She is extremely passionate about literacy, supporting students with different educational needs, and ensuring that all students are life ready when they finish high school. Moving into the role of Deputy Principal (Curriculum) in 2021, Joanne was able to use her skills and experience to support the College’s community. This role set her up for her current position of Head of Secondary where she enjoys being able to serve staff and students to enable them to flourish. Read more about the Secondary School here. 

Tracey has been teaching since 1986 in both Australia and the UK. After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in Classics, she spent the first 20 years of her career in primary education in the UK as both a Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher. Upon moving to Australia in 2006, Tracey worked in secondary education as a maths teacher and latterly as Head of Learning Support at MBC. 

Tracey’s passion is curriculum, especially the development of strong literacy and numeracy skills, in order to prepare students for high school and to help them access the broader curriculum. She is also a passionate linguist and especially loves the French and Italian languages. 

Outside of school, Tracey is married to Mike and they have three adult children who all graduated from MBC. She is a keen cook, baker and reader. 

Hudson has worked in education for over 17 years, some of which was overseas, but predominantly in Christian schools in Western Australia. His career has been as a Science teacher, specialising in Human Biology and Chemistry and as an educational leader in several schools where he has led initiatives in pedagogy and supporting staff in developing best practice in teaching.

Hudson is beginning his journey at MBC in 2024 with a focus on strategic development of pedagogy and learning support.

He is married to Rebecca and has two sons. Hudson enjoys reading, cooking, photography, and spending time with friends.

Brendan enjoys his role as Dean of Upper Primary as his passion is to play a part in the social, academic and physical development and growth of the students at Mandurah Baptist College. He has enjoyed teaching students from Pre Primary to Year 8 in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. 

Wanting to help students reach their full potential, led him into directing a tutoring business for four years, that worked with schools and students before becoming a Teaching Principal at two rural schools in New Zealand. The opportunity to be part of a new Christian based school, led Brendan to Mandurah Baptist College where he started off as the Year 3 teacher. 

Valme began her career working in the medical field but soon realised her passion was teaching, so as a mature age student she returned to university and completed a teaching degree majoring in a Home Economics. Her first position was in East London, South Africa. Before leaving South Africa, Valme worked for the Danish Government who started a Youth School for underprivileged teenagers, followed by teaching in New Zealand for some years and pastoring a church together with her husband. However, the call to teach remained strong.  

She was then offered a position at Somerville Baptist College some 16 years ago, teaching Home Economics and was Head of Year 10 and 8. Later Valme was part of the creation of Kennedy Baptist College and Head of Christian Education doing many relief roles in Director of Student positions and Heads of Year before coming to Mandurah in 2019 as Assistant Deputy Principal.  Valme is now the Dean of Students in the Secondary School.

Cornelius has been working in education for nearly 15 years across both boys and co-educational schools. His passion for education, and in particular pastoral care, developed through his work in residential programs and his coaching of various sporting teams’ over the years. He has taught Accounting, Mathematics, Physical Education and Business Studies. 

He joined the MBC team late in 2022, and he hopes that through his experience he can help strengthen the ‘sense of belonging’ and collegiality amongst students and staff. 

Cornelius is married to Zenia, who is also a Secondary School teacher. He is a sports fanatic, enjoys cycling and just about any team sport. 

Heather has been an Early Childhood educator for over 20 years. She has served as a classroom teacher and held leadership roles in Christian Colleges in the Mandurah and Rockingham areas.Heather is passionate about inquiry-based learning, play theory, relational pedagogy, and collaborating with families to support the growth of the whole child. Her educational philosophy emphasises celebrating and nurturing children’s God-given abilities in Christ-centered learning environments that foster a love for learning. 

Outside of school, Heather, along with her husband Ben and three children, enjoys Mandurah’s coastal lifestyle and actively participates in their children’s sports clubs and church community.

Pieter has been working for the College in this role since October 2011 and is responsible for Finance, Human Resources, Property and Maintenance and ICT. Prior to joining the Education Sector Pieter was working in the Business, Banking and Finance Sector for 25 years. 

Pieter works across the Primary and Secondary School and enjoys the diversity of the role and the challenges it brings. The Education environment is constantly changing and it remains a challenge to ensure the College remains ahead on the funding and technology side as well as ensuring we achieve the best outcome for staff, students and our families with the resources at our disposal, this is a challenge Pieter is relishing.     

Outside of school, Pieter loves playing golf and spending time with his family. He is married to Janine and they have one adult child, Talya.  

In 1995, Sally graduated from Bishop Grosseteste College / Hull University in the UK and began her career in education at a Beacon School, where she taught, and took on the role of English and Drama Coordinator. Continuing in school leadership and teaching, she also served as a Teaching and Learning Consultant for local schools until 2009, when she moved to Mandurah with her family.

At Mandurah Baptist College, Sally initially worked as an English Teacher in the Secondary School before transitioning to the role of foundational Primary Deputy of Curriculum at Austin Cove Baptist College. Returning to MBC in 2012, she taught in the Primary School, and now oversees K-6 English coordination.

Having taught across all levels of primary and secondary education, Sally is well-placed to effectively use her knowledge, skills, and experience in her current role as Director of School Improvement and Staff Development. Her goal is to empower teachers throughout the College to reach their full potential and make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people.