Our Board

The School Board of Directors governs the administrative, legal and business matters of the School. The School welcomes applications from interested members of the School and wider community to join the Board.

The Board’s email address is: boardchair@shearwater.nsw.edu.au.

​Click to download the School’s Constitution.

Applications for membership of Shearwater, the Mullumbimby Steiner School Limited (the non profit company that operates the school) are welcome from parents and guardians of current students, current staff members and other active supporters of the School.
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OLGA BRUVEL
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​Olga has been on the Shearwater Board for four years and has been in the role of Board Chair since 2021. With anthroposophist parents, Olga has anthroposophy in her DNA. Her two teenage daughters have attended Steiner schools since Kindergarten – one graduated from Shearwater last year and the other is due to graduate next year. Olga has  spent the last 19 years in various capacities on her daughters' Steiner school Boards, including in Darwin, Samford Valley and now Shearwater. Olga believes a Steiner education is now more important than ever. 
STEVE HEPTONSTALL
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Steve has been a Board member since 2021, is the Deputy Chair and was previously the Chair of the Board at Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School. Steve has both legal and leadership experience, which has been put to the test in recent times. He has two boys at Shearwater, in Years 9 and 12, although both seem to spend more time at the gym and basketball than at School! Steve has the ability to combine a higher spiritual purpose with a very pragmatic approach.
VICKI LAWRENCE

Vicki has been a Board member since 2020 and was re-elected in 2022. Vicki has forged a lasting connection and unique insight to Shearwater over the past 10 years having been an employee, a parent, an HR consultant, a High School dance teacher, a WAVE choreographer and a community member. Vicki’s two sons joined Shearwater in Early Childhood and are now in Years 9 and 7. Vicki offers the Board 20 years experience in Human Resources and an understanding of the School's organisational culture and operational needs, combined with strategic visioning and community values. 
DAVID FRAPPELL

Bio coming soon!
KERRYN GRIFFITHS

Kerryn has been a Board member for over three years and, somewhat surprisingly, finds herself in the role of secretary. Formerly a school teacher with a passion for meaningful, lifelong learning, Kerryn is now a professional coach and leads an online professional development community for coaches across the world. Kerryn has one daughter in Class 4 and another in Kindergarten. She loves the heartfelt warmth of Shearwater and is grateful for the opportunity to give her children the spiritual depth and richness of a Steiner education. 
ALANA ROBINS

Alana relocated from WA in 2020 with her daughter, who is now in Class 6 at Shearwater. Alana was elected to the Shearwater board at the 2022 AGM and previously held the position of Treasurer on the Perth Waldorf School Board. Alana has over two decades of experience in finance and business management across a range of industries and combines her corporate skills with a heart-centred nature, country values and interest in natural health and spiritual development. Alana continues her studies in anthroposophy and appreciates the holistic, nurturing and inclusive nature of Steiner education.
JOSH RUSHTON 

Josh has been a Board member for more than three years and, as the son of Shearwater founders, he has Shearwater in his bones. He was a eurythmy teacher and High School Guardian from 1998-2007, and is the current WAVE Director. Josh is an integral part of the Shearwater community and uses this understanding to inform decisions within the Board. When he is not serving on the Board, Josh is out saving lives as the chief of Mullumbimby Fire Rescue. Josh has a daughter in Year 8 and a son in Class 7. 

​Ask the Board

Ask the Board is a new regular section of our newsletter which commenced in 2020 - an ongoing conversation between the School Board and the School community, opening communication, transparency and understanding to support our school as best we can. You can find answers to the following questions by clicking on the links below.

What should I do if I’m concerned about something that is happening (or not happening) within the School?

Why should I become a member of the School company?

How do you become a Board member?

What does it take to become a Board member?

How do I get changes made?

What happens at a Board meeting?

What does the School Board do?

Why do we have a School Board?