College Governance

Burning yet FLOURISHING



'To succeed, to flourish, you must burn: flourishing is the end point of a lot of hard work.'

Libby Munro. (Actress, Fairholme College Old Girl 1998).

Following a year of community consultation throughout 2022, we are delighted to share a high level summary of our Strategic Plan for 2023–2026 with you.

As we build upon the strongest enrolments ever experienced by our secondary school, we look to a continued strengthening of practice. In all that we do, we seek to honour our College’s motto: Ardens sed Virens - ‘burning yet flourishing’: a biblical reference to Moses and the burning bush, thus our foundation in Christ, as well as the Fairholme paradox which acknowledges that burning passion and hard work fuel our ability to flourish.

Undeniably, given that this Plan has been written in the third year of a global pandemic, there is a requisite shift in thinking as we strategise a future Fairholme. COVID-19 has disrupted the certainty of things but within that uncertainty lies greater opportunity for reimagining. The pillars upon which our Plan is founded speak to sustainability and renewal, enriching our communities, learning built on a foundation of wellbeing, and developing our people who determine our culture. Ultimately, our students are the focal point of all our endeavours and our Christian faith guides our practice.

We continue to focus upon the full Fairholme journey as a pathway to life beyond school. We envisage our school-leavers as confident, capable, hope-filled young women who can and will make a positive difference in their communities – locally and globally. Former principal Daisy Culpin (1922 – 1940), wrote in her first letter to the girls of Fairholme: “the honour of a school depends upon the honour of its members; what you ARE, the name of the school will be.”

Our strategic commitment is to create a richly inspirational environment where learning, in all its permeations, is central to students’ lives, in the present, and in the future. To do so, requires planning that is visionary and responsive; adaptive, and data-informed. Herewith is an action plan for the future, and for all those who live and learn within Fairholme College during that time – may this continue to be a place of flourishing. Let us be mindful that “to keep us in the Infinite Game [of education], our Just Cause must be durable, resilient, and timeless” (Sinek, 2019).



Mr Ian Andersen | Chairman

Dr Linda Evans | Principal