We recently asked the new Head of College, Captain Richard Parker, a couple of questions to help give us some insight into what priorities are important to him. Here's what he had to say;
How many days have you been in your new role and what did you do on your first day?
I’ve now been officially 30 days in my new role. On my first day, it was bizarre walking into the building and turning left rather than right to find myself in a new space and new role. In the absence of knowing where the best place to start with work, I decided on my first day (15th January) to spend my time moving around the office so I could look out the window and completely unpack, filling the space with reminders about what's important to me in life.
What and how do you think the roles you have had in the past help with your new role as Head of College?
It is strange to only move 20 metres around the corner but one advantage of being in Officer Formation last year and part of the Executive Leadership team here at Eva Burrows College, was that I was part of the team and understood where Deborah Robinson was leading us as a college. I hope to continue on the work established in 2019, helping the wider Salvation Army community understand the purpose of the college.
Pre my recent college role I spent 2017 and 2018 in Darwin overseeing the work of The Salvation Army in the Northern Territory which meant having a dispersed team, with Alice Springs being over 1,500kms away. This experience has shown me the challenge of leading a dispersed team; in which we are at Eva Burrows College, being spread all over the country.
Can you tell us a little about your significant others and what you enjoy doing in your spare time to unwind?
To unwind I enjoy spending time with the family. I’m married to Katie and we have three children; Miriam (16), Hannah (14), and Caleb (8). Katie works in the Victoria Division of TSA and life is fairly busy at times with the kid's various activities. I also enjoy running and often try to fit in a run before work.
What are you looking forward to the most about your role as Head of College?
I’m looking forward to getting to know the wider team across the college and working on the challenge of helping The Salvation Army understand our place in the organisation. It is important that as a college community we continue to work on collaborating with each other and the broader organisation. My hope is that by communicating we can remain flexible and respond as a united voice to the education and development needs of The Salvation Army Australia.
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Captains Katie and Richard Parker |