Principal: Luke Brown
Luke Brown is Principal of MacKillop Catholic College, taking over the reigns of leadership from foundation Principal, Luke Reed who led the college since its opening in 2016.
Luke Brown came to MacKillop from the position of Director of School Effectiveness with Cairns Catholic Education Services and previously as Principal of Our Lady Help of Christians School, Earlville, where he oversaw a rejuvenation of curriculum and teaching practices within a flexible learning environment.
Luke also has experience as a Principal across other primary schools in Queensland and New South Wales.
Deputy Principal – Head of Primary:
Janelle Newman
Janelle Newman is our Deputy Principal – Head of Primary. Janelle has worked in Cairns since she began teaching and 25 years of this time has been in Catholic Education. During her career, she has held a variety of leadership roles in curriculum, wellbeing, learning support and library information services. Janelle has recently completed a Masters of Education.
Janelle came to Mackillop from her position as Deputy Principal – Head of Middle Years at St Andrew’s Catholic College, Redlynch which is also a Prep to Year 12 College. Janelle is a strong advocate for Prep to Year 12 schools and firmly believes in the diverse opportunities and benefits that they offer our children as they journey from childhood into young adulthood.
Janelle is passionate about ensuring that our children receive all the care and support they need to develop strong literacy and numeracy skills, which are the foundation to being the best learner and the best person they can be.
Assistant Principal – Religious Education:
Lyndal Rick
Mrs Lyndal Rick is MacKillop Catholic College’s Assistant Principal – Religious Education and also leads the Learning and Teaching team at MacKillop. Lyndal is committed to working collaboratively to provide learning environments which promote well-being and equip students with the capacity to engage in life-long learning in a supportive, Catholic context.
Lyndal’s professional career spans two decades in schools of the Diocese of Cairns where she has undertaken a variety of classroom teaching and education leadership roles. Previously Lyndal held the APRE, Curriculum Support Teacher and Learning Support Teacher roles at St Michael’s School, Gordonvale.
Lyndal and her husband Gavin have three children. She is currently completing Masters of Education studies.
Deputy Principal – Secondary:
Sarah Coleman
Sarah Coleman joined the MacKillop family in 2019 following four years as Head of English at Trinity Anglican School. Prior to that she taught for 9 years at Saint Augustine’s College, Cairns. Sarah has a passion for curriculum, and loves nothing more than being in her English or History Classroom. Having graduated from the University of Queensland with a double degree in Education and Arts (Classics and Literature), she then went on to complete a Master of Arts in Ancient History, and is now working towards her Masters in Educational Leadership.
During her education career, Sarah has worked extensively with the QCAA in senior curriculum development and implementation. Learning and wellbeing for all students is at the heart of Mrs. Coleman’s work, and she loves working with young people to help them achieve their personal best.
Assistant Principal – Students:
Anna Harris
Anna Harris is our Assistant Principal – Students. Anna comes from a strong faith background and has worked in Catholic Education in the Cairns Diocese for the past 15 years. She has held various pastoral, wellbeing, and curriculum-based roles in middle and senior leadership.
Anna came to MacKillop Catholic College from St Andrew’s Catholic College, where she held the position of Assistant Principal – Religious Education in the Middle Years. Anna brings a wealth of knowledge in pastoral and diverse learning practice and programming, and Religious Education. Given her previous experiences, Anna understand the benefits of Catholic, Prep to Year 12 Colleges and is committed to assisting MacKillop Catholic College to grow to its full potential in the coming years.
Anna is particularly passionate about upskilling young people with the tools to navigate childhood, adolescence and beyond – and creating safe, supportive, and accommodating environments that allow students to truly flourish.
Assistant Principal – Administration:
Melissa Headridge
Melissa Headridge is the Assistant Principal – Administration at MacKillop. Melissa brings more than 25 years experience in teaching and education leadership, in a range of curriculum and pastoral roles at schools across the Cairns Diocese and overseas.
To ensure successful educational and wellbeing outcomes for all students, Melissa believes that building collaborative relationships between parents, the community and school is essential.
Melissa came to MacKillop Catholic College from St Mary’s Catholic College where she was the Pastoral Leader.
Melissa’s extensive experience supports her role at MacKillop, in which she contributes to the strategic planning, leadership and management of the College.
Business Manager:
Joanne O’Brien
Joanne has been an accountant for over 25 years, and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).
She is a trained tax specialist with over 15 year experience, before taking up an opportunity with Catholic Education Cairns.
Over the past 7 years Joanne has been working as a support accountant for our head office, and is well accustomed to school and college processes.
She more recently helped with the migration over to our new finance system D365, and trained many other Business Managers and Finance Assistants in the product.
Joanne has 2 teenage children who attend one our Colleges, and she loves the values and inspiration our Catholic College provide our children.
