32 PLC i n Pri nt | Nove mbe r 2 0 2 0
Staff Service Chairman of Council’s Retirement After eleven years of service to the PLC College Council, our current Chairman Mr Russell Walley, is retiring. In announcing his retirement, Russell told the Council it had been a privilege to serve on the PLC Council. Appointed to Council in June 2009, he has served the past nine years as Chairman of Council, and also Chairman of the Executive and Finance committee and a member of other Council Sub-Committees. Central to his devoted and tenacious leadership has been his Christian faith, serving God and others in his tireless work on our Council. 1 Peter 4:10, ‘As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace’, exemplifies Russell’s godly service over this extended period of time for our College. He has been strong in his commitment to our girls and took great pride in seeing them thrive in the Christian culture which is the foundation of our College. His deep knowledge and genuine interest in the College, and all it stands for, has been a great hallmark of his leadership as Chairman of Council. As a judicious steward, Russell has led the College through a period of growth in enrolments and physical resource renewal, as well as managing some difficult decisions with great wisdom. Russell’s strong commitment to the College community along with his financial acumen has been invaluable, making a positive impact on the resilient position the College is in. He has provided enduring support to other Council members, leading a cohesive team with a great heart for the College, past, present and future. Russell has graciously immersed himself over this time in the life of the College,
attending many events along with his wife Lyn, and we are indebted to him for his significant energy over these years. Their daughter Lauren graduated from PLC in 2010. Our sincere thanks are extended to Lyn for her support of Russell in his service to the College as we are mindful of the time it has required and the impact this has had on family time. On behalf of the College community and the College Council, we express our gratitude and sincere thanks to Russell and we wish him and his family God’s richest blessings as they move on from our community to serve in other ways. The incoming Chairman is Reverend Mark Chew. A current parent of PLC girls Emma (Year 11) and Lauren (Year 8), Mark has served actively on the PLC Council for ten years and is a member of the Executive and Finance Committee. With a background in commerce and finance, Mark currently serves as a Pastor at Holy Trinity Doncaster and St John’s Blackburn and is also on the Board at Ridley College. He begins his term as Chairman of PLC Council in November 2020. Mark is looking forward to the contribution he will make to our College as Chair of Council, and we wish him and the Council well as the school moves forward into the next exciting period of its history. Cheryl Penberthy Principal
