Alumni Profile

Georgie Gibbins from the Class of 2009 shares her journey since leaving Barker and her current role as Clinical Midwifery Specialist and Team Leader of Dragonfly Midwifery Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) which provides a specific care model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women and Babies.

What has been your journey since finishing Barker and what inspired your choice in career? After leaving Barker in 2009, I was ecstatic to have my 91.3 ATAR and therefore I began my Bachelor of Medical Science at USyd. I had always had a passion for health specifically physiology and anatomy and was thinking that postgrad medicine might be the path I'd take. In my third year of B. MedSci I attended volunteer work in Nairobi, Kenya through IVHQ. Little did I know this trip would change my passions and career choices for good. I worked in a women’s and children’s clinic providing basic healthcare to families who attended and gave support and education to local health workers, regarding HIV and other infectious diseases, reproductive health and contraception in Mathare Slum, Nairobi. I was then privileged enough in my third week to attend the labour and birth of one of the women I had seen during my volunteering. This exhilarating and enlightening experience, showed me the power of a woman’s body and the incredible bond that can be formed with woman and midwife/doula in the birthing space no matter the language barrier. I came home and enrolled in B. Midwifery UTS pretty much immediately. In 2015 I graduated with Distinction as a Registered Midwife and was accepted into a New Graduate position at Coffs Harbour Base Hospital. Throughout my career as a Midwife I have always held high regard for the birthing space as a sacred space as well as championed continuity of care - that is, care of one woman throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum by a known midwife or team of midwives. Following my New Grad year I became a Birth Unit Team Leader at Fairfield District Hospital, then after a sabbatical explored Agency Midwifery through HCA Australia until being asked to join the Midwifery Group Practice at the newly formed Northern Beaches Hospital in 2019. I worked in this model for two years, becoming the Team Leader in my penultimate year, then moving to Westmead to further my passions in continuity of care for all women in December 2020. Tell us about your current role with Dragonfly Midwifery WSLHD. My current role is Clinical Midwifery Specialist and Team Leader of Dragonfly Midwifery Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). Dragonfly midwifery is an all-risk continuity of Midwifery care model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women and Babies in WSLHD. I joined Westmead in 2020 and have developed alongside my midwifery and obstetric colleagues this model in collaboration with community elders in Western Sydney. In this role I have fostered a great knowledge of high-risk cases including being the Primary

Midwife for five sets of twins, cardiac mothers and babies needing heart surgery at birth, as well as supporting women through circumstances including poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and mental health. Through quality improvement and model development, I became a Clinical Midwifery Specialist in early 2021 and my current role as Team Leader focuses on model development, mentoring new and junior team members, research presentation and high-risk case review. I recently presented our Dragonfly Midwifery work and the subsequent results reducing low birth weight babies and therefore intergenerational health, at the Australian College of Midwives Annual Conference in Cairns September 2021. Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Barker? I joined Barker in Year 11 (2008) and have great fondness of the numerous new opportunities offered to me. It’s very difficult to pinpoint a favourite moment but becoming Lance Corporal on my first Bivouac at Singleton, singing solo in Hobart cathedral on a Chamber Choir Tour and winning the 1st Dance competition, are just a few. Do you have any advice to share with current Barker students? Say YES to every opportunity. Try new things and always accept the encouragement and offers to rise. School is your best time to explore your passions and Barker is an environment that encourages this. My other piece of advice is that you will fall where you are meant to even if your first steps after school are side steps - trust in the process!

You Serve!

No, not a tennis article, rather an outline of the service aspect of Barker’s 32 year partnership with Bungan Beach Surf Life Saving Club. A summer sport, it also provides Service Learning opportunities for students.

First, the obvious, Surf Life Saving (SLS) patrolling. In 2021-2022, students and staff provided over 1682 patrol hours at Bungan. This despite COVID-19 curtailing sections of the season. Patrols occurred on Saturdays, but many of the Barker troupe volunteered on other holiday days, including Christmas Day! Patrollers help do the core “business” of keeping eyes on the water, but they also help the wider beachusing community. Many members have provided first aid for non-swimming beach users. Several (some quite serious) fin chops have been patched and there are rolled ankles and blue bottles to be dealt with. Barker students also help provide water safety at the annual Malabar Magic Ocean Swim which raises funds for swimming lessons for children with disabilities. Service does not stop at the beach. One advantage of our students and staff gaining various SLS awards is their ability to be a life saver off the beach. All do CPR; a great skill to acquire. Many members get advanced awards such as Advanced Resuscitation Techniques. Several Sydneysiders are alive today because of the swift, well-trained response of a Barker Bunganite! Adding to this service, is the recent gazetting of Surf Life Saving as an Emergency Service. Many members of the Barker community at Bungan have undertaken swift water training and have been called out to assist with flood rescue events in the last two years, including Hawkesbury-Nepean flooding on three occasions. Several Barker folk have been sent as far afield as Nowra, Nyngan and Wagga Wagga helping in partnership with the SES. We have the boats and we have the skills! Year 12s have also given their time to the Club’s Nippers program. Captains, Charlie Edis and Nic McGibbon, gave up many of their Sunday mornings, to help the next generation learn the skills required to navigate the surf safely. They applied their skills and imagination to the program with aplomb. The Nippers loved having them about the place. Another aspect of student’s involvement in SLS is its pairing with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. Students are able to count surf life saving in a range of components of DEAS; skill, service and physical recreation. Different students count different aspects of SLS towards the awards that they are currently undertaking. SLS is service for life. Barker students from the early years are still patrolling. What a great way to stay in touch with your cohort, at the beach! We are thrilled that the 2022 cohort are forming a completely new patrol.

Matthew Lloyd Coordinator Surf Life Saving

Dance Showcase

The stage in Leslie Hall burst to life with colour, lights, music, and exciting pieces in the inaugural Senior School Dance Showcase.

Both Dance Troupes and Recreational classes performed together for the first time in Barker’s history. The fast paced, hugely energetic program was a culmination of many hours of rehearsals, and entertained a huge audience. Dancers have worked throughout the year to develop skills, teamwork, and choreography, led by their highly accomplished Dance Instructors. There was a range of disciplines including Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. This concert was a truly fitting celebration of that effort. Troupes from the Junior School also joined the program with Years 1 - 2 performing as Teddy Bears, Years 3 - 6 as Conga Dancers, and Years 5 - 6 Putting on the Ritz. It was a wonderful opportunity for dancers from all years to work together. Highlights from the program included a solo from our talented Tomas Barnett of Year 7. His effortless grace gliding across the stage in a lyrically inspired piece called “Happiness Does Not Wait” was moving and quite breath taking. Tomas has recently been accepted into the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne where he plans to head next year. We will miss him, but are in awe of him and wish him all the very best. The Open Jazz Troupe had a successful season and won $500 at the Ryde Eisteddfod. It was decided by the dancers in the Troupe that they would like to donate the money to Lifeline. As Ocea Couzner, Dance Captain, said, “Lifeline provides compassionate support for people in crisis, particularly for people our age, who are struggling with mental health issues, abuse, suicide, and sexuality concerns. We are so happy to be able to support this incredible charity and to thank them for all the work they do.” It was an honour to have Ms Elizabeth Lovell, CEO of Lifeline, to accept the cheque during the concert. We are proud that the students chose to give their winnings to such a worthy cause. The 2023 Dance season looks to be even bigger and better. More Eisteddfod Troupes are on offer, more styles of Dance and excitement to be had. Students can dance for sport, competitively, or just for fun. They can also choose Curricular Dance as a subject in Years 9 and 10. Keep an eye out for what is to come next in this exciting new chapter of Barker Dance.

Jennie Bradbury Acting Coordinator of Co-curricular Dance

State v State in Rugby Clash

Barker’s Rugby 1sts were invited by Rugby Australia to play in the inaugural fixture for the Manu Sutherland Shield against St Joseph’s Nudgee College, Brisbane in September.

The match was streamed via Stan Sport and the night before the big match, the staff and squad were fortunate to hear from Barker Old Boy Nathan Spooner, Ben Te’o, a former professional rugby union and league footballer who is now coaching at Nudgee College as well as Nudgee Alumni and QLD Reds players Josh Flook and Dane Zander. Manu Sutherland was a true ‘Legend’ of the game known by so many people and it is very fitting that the Manu Sutherland Shield has been developed to celebrate the skill, commitment, respect, and enjoyment seen in schoolboy and schoolgirl challenge matches played before major international and Super Rugby matches in Australia and other school rugby events. He had a big influence on rugby in Australia which started in the 1980s. Manu sadly passed away in 2019, and a farewell was held at the Waratahs versus Crusaders Super Rugby match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. One of Barker’s Captains, Isaiya Katoa, spoke to Stan Sport post-match ecstatic about being able to be part of this opportunity. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, once we found out about the opportunity being provided by Rugby Australia, we started preparing and trained for four weeks in the lead up. What an opportunity it was to come and showcase schoolboy rugby here at Nudgee” said Year 12 student (Class of 2022) Isaiya Katoa. Barker successfully brought home the Manu Sutherland Shield following a dominant 25-0 victory. We would like to extend our gratitude to Rugby Australia for the invitation and St Joseph’s Nudgee College for their exceptional hospitality.

Hannah McGrory Social Media Coordinator

Running to the Para-Olympics

With three recent state titles at the NSW All Schools and a medal in the National Cross Country in Adelaide, Year 8 student, Cooper Robb-Jackson, is testament of his strong belief to get out there and have a go.

“You just never know what you might achieve,” Cooper said. “It’s definitely a pretty good feeling. I love the competition and I really enjoy the social aspect of these events.” Cooper has been racing competitively since he was nine and is a T38 classified athlete, which is a disability sport classification for people with cerebral palsy. He wasn’t aware that he would be eligible to compete in the T38 category, but since his first event competing in the 100m, 200m and 800m races, Cooper has not looked back. “The 800m race is definitely my favourite. It is a more enjoyable and tactical race to run,” he said. Even though Cooper has been racing competitively for several years, he says he still finds it hard to control the nerves.

“I just try to remember the things that my coach and my parents have said to me and that helps to calm me as I prepare for the race.” Being the fastest T38 Athlete in every distance ranging from 100m - 1500m ever in Australia for U16s shows that he is a very talented athlete with huge potential. His goal is to make the Para-Olympics and is trying to push for the 2024 Para-Olympics in Paris, running the 400m race. Training four times per week, with a competition every Saturday means juggling school commitments in an already busy schedule. “My school commitments have to come first and sometimes that might mean doing my homework in the car on the way to training, or at the track.” Cooper is definitely an advocate for inclusion, diversity and the importance of raising awareness regarding anyone living with a disability and how that effects them socially and in a sporting environment. As Head of Barker College, Phillip Heath, said, “Cooper has long been one of our most courageous, humble and talented students. To see his progress has been a joy and to achieve at this level against all comers, is truly magnificent.” His truly proudest moments are always wearing the Barker Red and in fact he has posted two races to his Tik Tok account where he has had 6.2M views of him competing for Barker. This exposure and interest is enormous and such positivity in a world that is always craving positivity. “As a family we were blown away with Dylan Allcott being named Australian of The Year as there is no bigger voice when it comes to those with a disability which also allows kids like Cooper a platform to create change in our world. As a family we are vocal in this area and will always have our children challenge the status quo and to be heard to make positive change and not for them, but especially for those whose voices don’t get heard,” Cooper’s father, Troy, had to say. “As a family we appreciate any opportunity to highlight how amazing people with disabilities truly are - our family are the lucky ones to be surrounded by them all the time and we want everyone else to experience that.” When asked for a final word, Cooper simply had this to say - “Don’t underestimate people with a disability!”

Julie McAllister Editor