The St Philip’s College community is delighted to announce the commissioning of our fifth Life Governor, Ms Libby Prell.

Life Governor is an important position that acknowledges the dedication and loyalty to the College. Previous Life Governors include Mr Colin Gilmore AM, Mrs Jan Heaslip OAM, Dr Charles Butcher OAM and Mr Chris Tudor AM.

Libby was honoured as a Life Governor after her sixteen years of service on the College Board, seven of which as the Chair. Her highlights during that time included the recruitment of Roger Herbert as Principal, supporting past Headmaster, Chris Tudor in construction projects such as the Bruce Reid Sports Centre and Chris Tudor Centre, embedding a strong skill-based board, and importantly, ensuring staff felt supported to thrive.

In June 2022, Libby announced her decision to retire as Chair and Mr Bruce McKay was named as her successor.

This morning’s service was a chance to acknowledge the achievements of Libby with the students, staff and special guests.

The College would also like to acknowledge Dr Kevin Davis AM, who will also be commissioned as a Life Governor of the College. Kevin was heavily involved in assisting the College to become incorporated as a company limited by guarantee whilst maintaining the status of a Uniting Church college. In June 2002, he announced his decision to step down from the Board.

The College also gives its thanks to Ms Sarah McNamara for her contribution to the College board following her departure. Sarah’s commitment to St Philip’s both as a parent and as a board member have been incredibly valuable and her contribution has made a significant impact on the College.

Libby Prell

Alice Springs has been home to Libby Prell since 1980 and she has since become a well-known community member and businesswoman in the Territory.

Libby served on the College Board for sixteen years, including seven years as Chairman of the Board from 2016 to 2022. Over her tenure, Libby served as inaugural Chair of the Planning and Infrastructure Committee, and Chair of Governance & Remuneration Committee. Her business acumen had the Business Manager seeking her counsel as Chair and as a member of the Finance Committee.

Libby always had a deep respect for educators, and she felt the least she could contribute was to create a sound governance framework for educators to feel safe and thrive!

In 2006, Libby was a new parent representative council member, and St Philip’s made a major step in its maturation by endorsing a constitution that gave the then College Council some delegated authority from the Uniting Church Northern Synod. Later, and following the example of Wesley College in Melbourne, St Philip’s became a company limited by guarantee, and garnered ownership of school property: all the time retaining strong ties to the Uniting Church through practice and culture. Under Libby’s determination and guidance, St Philip’s achieved incorporation in 2020 - a proud moment for the Uniting Church and the College, and a team effort by many.

Her most important achievement was succession planning, a procedure created from the legacy of 2016 when the College had a new board chair, principal and business manager – something they all vowed was best not to be repeated. Recruiting a principal into an organisation such as St Philip’s is the most important job for any board. Roger Herbert commenced as Principal in mid-2016, coinciding with Libby’s promotion to Board Chairman, and the two have worked tirelessly together to ensure systems, processes and best practice governance and reporting became entrenched into St Philip’s.

“Libby became Chairman of the SPC Board at exactly the right time. She excelled in encouraging the board to be ‘world-class’ and accept nothing but the highest standards in governance. She was instrumental in SPC becoming incorporated,” explained Principal, Roger Herbert.

Academic dinners, end of year assemblies, and Year 12 Graduation were important celebrations in Libby’s annual calendar. She would remind graduating students of the privileged life they had growing up in the outback, and also attending St Philip’s College. However, they should always remember that it was a privilege not to be taken for granted.

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