Meet our Boarding Families!

At the beginning of 2019, Dean of Boarding Mr Casey Brealy began at the College in his initial role as Head of Cotter House. His wife Megan also joined the community as the O’Brien House Mum, and is currently a member of the College’s Development and Communications team.

“It was such an amazing and warm welcome to what was a thriving boarding school,” Casey said. “It was lovely to land at a school that fit so closely with our values and we felt comfortable almost immediately.”

Prior to Nudgee College, the Brealys worked at a boarding school in the south of France where Casey was Head of Boarding, and before that at a school in Toowoomba.

In 2021, Casey and Megan welcomed their daughter Mia to the world, who was lucky enough to instantly gain 300 ‘big brothers’.

“Most afternoons you find Megan, Mia and our crazy dog Clyde up in the Boarding Village spending time with the boys,” Casey said. “And we’ll always be up there on Sunday mornings for the bacon and egg cook-up.”

For the Brealys, some of their fondest memories are from when boarders and their families have visited their home on campus.

“One memory that stands out to me occurred before Valedictory in 2020, when students and families joined us in our backyard for breakfast before we said our final goodbyes,” Casey said. “That was a really special moment for me.”

Casey and Megan also recall many wonderful memories visiting regional and remote families.

“It’s amazing seeing how far and wide the Nudgee College community spreads, and how broad and diverse our community truly is,” Casey said.

From the joy of working closely with boys and parents, to having the College’s spectacular facilities as your backyard, Casey said the benefits of being part of the Nudgee College community are extensive.

“You start making connections with people all over Queensland - in fact all over the globe,” he said. “That wider community gives you so much fulfilment.”

While there is no denying that leading a Boarding community is a busy role, Casey said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s lovely to know that my family will get to grow up in such a vibrant community with so much culture and care,” Casey said.

“We’re so blessed to be part of the Nudgee College Boarding community,” Casey said. “It is truly a privilege to work with so many good people and be part of the lives of so many young men.”

While Director of Boarding and Head of Cotter Mr Mike Silcock may be a relative newcomer to Nudgee College, he is certainly no novice in the world of boarding.

Prior to commencing at Nudgee College at the start of 2022, Mike spent nine years as Dean of Students and Boarding at St Patrick’s College Ballarat, a fellow Edmund Rice Education Australia school. More than a career, Mike has been involved in the world of boarding for almost his entire life. Growing up in the United Kingdom, he was a boarder himself from the age of seven until he graduated at 18. He also met his wife, Ainslie, while they were both staff members at a boarding school. In addition to being part of the Nudgee College Boarding family through Mike, Ainslie is also a teacher and has been working in the day school.

Mike and Ainslie’s two sons, six-year-old Banjo and two-year-old Bodhi, were born into boarding. On the Silcocks’ second day at the College, Banjo requested a Nudgee College cap from the Locker Room. He is already well stocked with blue and white merchandise in preparation for his enrolment in 2026.

For Mike and Ainslie, boarding is their life.

“We go to dinner every night to spend time with the boys,” Ainslie said. “The more of a family-feel Boarding has, the more comfortable the boys are to be themselves.”

Banjo has also been a welcome addition to the Boarding crew during their recreation trips.

As an Edmund Rice school, the College’s values are shaped by the Touchstones of Inclusive Community, Justice and Solidarity, Liberating Education and Gospel Spirituality. This is one of the main reasons why Mike and Ainslie were so eager to join the Nudgee College community.

“The warmth of welcome since arriving has been amazing,” Mike said. “We moved here not knowing anyone and now feel part of the family.

“The community of Boarding staff who live on site is particularly special, with a sense of family, connection and being part of something special.”

As an Old Boy who graduated in 2010, Head of Murphy Boarding House Mr Alex O’Regan has a longstanding connection with Nudgee College. After studying teaching at university, Alex initially returned to the school in 2016 as a Science and Physical Education teacher, before taking on a supervising role in boarding in 2017. From there, Alex was appointed a Senior Supervisor in O’Brien.

In 2018, the O’Regan family moved on site when Alex was appointed the Assistant Head of Hodda Boarding House, thus his wife Steph and their border collie Scruffles became members of the Boarding community. During 2020, Alex began his current role in Murphy.

As a Boarding staff member, Alex has been a ‘father figure’ for many years, and at the end of 2021, he became a father when his son Nathaniel was born.

“One of my favourite Boarding memories is a recent one; the night we introduced our son to the Murphy boarders,” Alex said.

“The boys welcomed him as one of their own. This was a very special moment for us as a family.”

From dinner together in the boarders’ dining room, to gathering for House barbecues, Alex said there are so many ways his family enjoys engaging with the Boarding community.

“Steph, Nate, Scruffles and I love to go for daily walks and often stop and chat to other Boarding staff and their families along the way,” he said, “we also often stop into the Boarding Village to say hello to the boarders.”

The campus is like a small town in itself, and it is this friendly community feel that the O’Regan family believe makes Nudgee College boarding special.

“Although we are new parents,” Alex said, “we certainly feel like there is no better place to raise a family.”

Head of O’Brien Boarding House Mr Jeff Campbell had a wealth of experience at Nudgee College before he joined the Boarding community. He was a day student, graduating in 2004, before returning as a teacher in 2009 to teach Geography, Religion, and Humanities subjects. But he felt like something was missing, so in 2014, Jeff moved into the Senior Supervisor role in O’Brien, before being appointed the Assistant Head of Cotter Boarding House. In 2018, Jeff commenced his current role.

When Jeff began in Boarding, it was just him and his wife, Amber. Since then, the couple have welcomed three children, all of whom are immersed in Nudgee College Boarding life. In addition to attending Boarding breakfasts and dinners regularly, the Campbell family enjoy spending their time in the afternoons down on the Flats with other Boarding families.

“There is just a really nice vibe on the ovals hanging out together with all the dogs running around,” he said.

Sometimes special moments in life are born out of hard times, and this is certainly the case for Jeff.

“When I had some surgery a couple of years ago, while it wasn't a great time, it was nice to be part of the Boarding community with so many people touching base and helping Amber,” he said. “It was a real reflection of why we want to be part of this community.”

From a sense of safety and security to living in close proximity to people with similar ideals, Jeff said there are so many positives about campus life.

“Everyone knows each other and everyone looks out for each other,” he said. “Boarding attracts people with the same values - community, people, relationships.”

For more than 20 years, Head of Hodda Boarding House Mr Ken Mitchell has been an important influence in the lives of Nudgee College men. Relocating from Sydney in 2001, Ken joined the College community on a 12-month teaching contract before moving into the Senior Supervisor role in Cotter Boarding House. Over the years Ken also worked in the day school as a House Dean for both Barrett and Magee. In 2005, Ken took on the role of Head of Middle School Residence, while also tackling the Head of Cotter Boarding House role. Five years later, Ken was appointed the Director of Boarding, in addition to his current role as Head of Hodda. After juggling two significant roles while raising a young family, Ken relinquished the Director of Boarding role in 2015 to allow more time for family and to focus on leading Hodda.

After decades in Boarding, Ken is considered a role model and ‘father figure’ for hundreds of young men; however during that time he has also fathered four boys of his own alongside his wife Kristen. His three eldest sons, Liam, Finn and Owen, are all Old Boys who remain part of the Nudgee College community through coaching sport, tutoring, and supervising boarders. Their youngest, Seoirse, is a current Year 8 student.

After years of working in Boarding, sending their sons to Nudgee College could seem like an obvious choice for the Mitchells, but Kristen credits the College’s diverse opportunities with this decision.

“We have four very different boys, and every one of them found their own place,” she said, “whether that was through the academic life, in a sporting program or as part of Cattle Club.”

As a family, the Mitchells help out in the College vegetable garden and attend boarding dinners. Over the years they have also travelled together throughout regional Queensland, meeting with former, current and prospective families.

While Kristen has always been an honorary member of the Boarding community, in 2022 she became an official one, taking up the House Mum role in Hodda. When you watch Ken and Kristen interact with the boarders, it’s clear they make a great team.

“Kristen is great at picking up on boys’ emotions,” Ken said, “if a boy doesn’t seem himself, she will send him to me.”

Kristen praised Ken as being a 'boy whisperer'.

“After a chat with Ken, the boys always seem to feel better,” she said.

For the Mitchells, one of the most important parts of Boarding is building a nice culture and a safe home where the boys feel happy and like they belong.

“It’s also the rewarding nature of it all,” Ken said, “such as the process of successfully putting 78 boys to bed.”

Nudgee College Boarding is more than a workplace for the Mitchells, it is where their sons grew up, where they made lifelong friends, and where they continue to welcome new boys into the Nudgee College family.