If you’re looking for St Stephen’s School Carramar’s new Deputy Head of Teaching and Learning on the weekend, there’s a reasonable chance you’ll find him somewhere near the water. Justin Forbes is a keen free diver, water and snow skier, camper and former SCUBA instructor who spent several years teaching on the Barrier Reef. He also enjoys, in his words, “ruining a good walk by playing golf”. And while his weekends might involve a morning swim, coffee, gardening and the hope of an Eagles win, the weekday version of Justin has recently found a new home at our Carramar campus.
Born in England and adopted by his parents, Justin moved to Australia when he was two and grew up in Rockingham, spending his childhood riding BMXs with mates, snorkelling, fishing and making sure he was home before the sun went down. That early connection with the ocean eventually led him to the Barrier Reef before he moved into education 26 years ago. Since then, his career has taken him through pastoral care, boarding, curriculum and senior leadership roles, all of which gave him a broad view of the many moving parts that, as Justin puts it, “makes a school tick”.
It was St Stephen’s School’s strong sense of community and Carramar’s “almost rural feel” that first caught his attention. His early impressions of the campus have only strengthened since arriving. His favourite spot so far is outside the Library, looking across the rolling green lawn, a view he feels captures the openness and connection built into the campus. Quoting classic Australian movie, The Castle, he says “it’s the vibe”.
Behind the Deputy title, Justin’s approach to his new role is grounded firmly in people. He believes respectful, positive relationships underpin good educational institutions and has spent his first months investing time in getting to know colleagues and taking opportunities to connect with students. He is equally conscious that he has joined a community where a great deal of good work is already happening.
In this industry we stand on the shoulders of giants, and that is how I feel in this moment.
Rather than arriving with an urge to reinvent, he is looking forward to fostering what is already strong and supporting staff to focus on the young people in front of them.
Perhaps the clearest thread connecting Justin’s life outside School with the work that brought him here is that he seems happiest when he is part of something: a strong sense of purpose and a place with people at its centre. For Justin, Carramar felt like that kind of place from the moment he first stepped out of his car. As he settles into life at St Stephen’s School, we hope that feeling of having found the right place only continues to grow.
