Skip to Main Content

Senior School

Campus News


Dr Ross Sundberg AM KC visits Brighton

On Thursday, 18 May, Senior School Brighton was delighted to welcome Dr Ross Sundberg, AM KC, to tour the new Senior School building. Dr Sundberg is a born and bred Baysider and the only time he has not lived in Brighton is when he studied overseas and when he taught at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Sundberg knew no other school than Haileybury. He attended Castlefield between 1948 and 1960 and is considered one of the finest scholars Haileybury has ever produced. He was Pipe Major of Haileybury’s Pipes & Drums and led the band to its first victory over Scotch College in the State Championships.

He studied law at the University of Melbourne where he completed his undergraduate degree. Dr Sundberg also attended Oxford University and was awarded a scholarship to study the Bachelor of Civil Law. He graduated from the BCL as Vinerian Scholar — the best student in the course. He was awarded a Master of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy at Monash University, as well as a Master of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Sundberg practiced as a barrister and was appointed Queen’s Counsel, now King’s Counsel. He was an exceptional Judge of the Federal Court and, in 2018, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Dr Sundberg was a member of Haileybury’s Council from 1997–2009 and was Chair of the Council from 1998–2009. He worked with then Principal, Michael Aikman, and chaired the selection committee that recommended to Council the appointment of Dr Robert Pargetter and our current CEO|Principal Derek Scott as leaders of the school.

Dr Sundberg was also the Patron of Haileybury’s Pipes & Drums and continues to be an enthusiastic supporter.

To acknowledge Dr Sundberg’s contribution to Haileybury, the school named the South Road entrance to Castlefield the Ross Sundberg Gates, the buildings of the Senior School Brighton are the Sundberg Centre, and the prize awarded to the Year 12 Dux is the Ross Sundberg Prize for Academic Excellence.

Head of Castlefield, Katrina Manson, and Head of Senior School, Justin Main, are pictured in the Sundberg Centre with Dr Sundberg. Students Georgia Poole (Year 12), who achieved the perfect score of 50 in Legal Studies in Year 11, and Senior Prefect, Ben Carroll (Year 12), met with Dr Sundberg over morning tea and chatted with him about their plans for the future.

Vocational education on show

The last week of May was a very busy week showcasing the skills that VET students are learning as part of their VCE program. The Music (Sound Production) students worked alongside our venue technician, Matthew Sanderson, to produce the technical requirements of Quadchella.

Quadchella features the VCE Music students performing in a music festival environment with games, food and more than 400 supportive Senior and Pre-Senior students celebrating the end of Semester 1.

Eddie Yeo (Year 12), Alana Gan (Year 11), Teleetha Fernando (Year 11), Jed Kaufman (Year 12) and Ben Reed (Year 11) demonstrated their skills in setting up a complex microphone plot, troubleshooting technical problems and working as part of the audio team to produce a professional standard event.

The Hospitality students were on show during the annual Mother’s Day Luncheon in Altera Terra which was organised by Lenice Norris of the HPFK and featured Nicholas Grigsby, Deputy Principal, Head of Senior Schools, who delivered a warm and welcoming address to the 80 members present.

The guests were treated to a three-course meal served by Units 3 and 4 students Jed Kaufman (Year 12), Hayden Ly (Year 12), Christian Nguyen (Year 12), Aarial Wrigley (Year 11). They were ably assisted by six Unit 1 and 2 students with performances by VCE Music students.

The students had the opportunity to practice their front of house customer service skills by taking orders, carrying plates, addressing dietary requirements and popping lots of champagne corks! The students worked brilliantly as a team to ensure a smooth service for our guests.

E-Safety resource for parents

One of the hardest elements of modern life for us all to deal with is online safety and what is considered appropriate behaviour online. For teenagers, the issues involved with having an online profile and being part of a social media reality can prove to be particularly vexing and difficult.

Some of the best resources available to help teachers, students and parents understand the pressures and protocols associated with online activity are provided by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. There are a number of webinars for parents and carers which is a great way for parents of young people to start their journey to a better understanding of how they can help keep their children safe online. I highly recommend the resources provided on this site.

Dr Nicholas Grigsby

Deputy Principal
Head of Senior Schools