Appointment of Mr Simon Shepherd as our new Principal

On behalf of the School Council, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Simon Shepherd, M. Ed. Leadership B.A, Grad Dip. Ed.,Grad Dip Outdoor Ed., PGC, CPP, GAICD, to the position of Principal of St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar. 

 

After a rigorous and broad selection process, it became very clear that Mr Shepherd is the best person to lead St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar into its exciting next chapter of development and growth. The Selection Committee and the School Council have unanimously affirmed their confidence in Mr Shepherd’s capacity and the experience he has gained in senior leadership roles and, accordingly, have appointed him as the School’s twelfth Principal from 1 January 2027. 

 

Mr Shepherd is currently the Principal of Westminster School in Adelaide, which provides learning opportunities from Early Childhood through to Year 12, a position he has served in for the past eight years. Before this Principalship, he was Principal of SCOTS PGC College in Queensland for four years. In addition, Mr Shepherd has held a number of senior positions in independent schools in Victoria. 

 

Throughout his career, Mr Shepherd has strived to be a positive influence on the lives of young people and felt driven to make a meaningful difference to the institutions that he has worked at. As a younger educator, he sought to deliver changes to help students in his care, and through his journey into leadership, he has increasingly been able to empower others to do the same. 

 

Mr Shepherd succeeds Dr Annette Rome, who will retire from her role at the end of this year after a 40-year career in education and 10 years of outstanding leadership of SMBG. As we are witnessing during our centenary celebrations, the School today is a vibrant and dynamic learning community offering our 1,056 students an exceptional education, focused on the whole child, that prepares them for life.  

 

Mr Shepherd welcomes the opportunity to continue to build on the achievements of the School over recent years and contribute further to the rich learning culture for which SMBG is recognised.  

 

Mr Shepherd will be relocating to the Berwick area with his family and is looking forward to joining the broader St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar community. Please join the School Council and me in congratulating him on his appointment as the next Principal of St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar. 

 

Yours sincerely, 

 

Mrs Fiona Templar   

President of School Council, St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar