The GNLC Board is the governance board for the College which runs on a “not for profit” basis.

The Board is appointed by Lutheran Education Victoria, NSW and Tasmania (called “LEVNT”) and is accountable to the Lutheran Church of Australia Victorian District (called the “District”), and the District has the ultimate responsibility for all financial commitments of the College.

There can be up to 10 voting members on the GNLC Board including a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary. Further to that, the Principal, the Pastor, the Business Manager and the Heads of Years regularly act as non-voting Consultants to the Board.

The main responsibilities of the Board are to…

Meet on a monthly basis to review the day-to-day administration of the College
Maintain and monitor the financial records of the College
Ensure the College’s compliance with the policies and procedures of LEVNT and the District
Ensure compliance to the College’s constitution, by-laws and all relevant government regulations
Appoint the Principal and ratify Executive appointments (Business Manager, Deputy Principal, Heads of Years and Head of People and Culture)

The Board is blessed with a group of volunteers, all of which have great character. However, we are always looking for talented individuals with specific skill sets that could potentially provide renewal and different insights to the governance of the College.

Please read on to discover more about the current team on the GNLC Board.

Chairman - Russell Wedding

In 2018 I was appointed Chairman after joining the Board in 2017. My wife's name is Karen and she previously worked as an Integration Aide at the College for eight years. We were married in 1994 and have had many fabulous years together.

My day job is working for Mondelez International as a National Account Manager. Mondelez is a global snackfood company based in the US, and owns brands such as Cadbury, Oreo and many others.

I was born in Hamilton in Western Victoria and grew up on a sheep and cattle farm and moved to live in Melbourne in 1990 to follow my dream of playing cricket for Australia, which unfortunately didn’t quite work out!

I am a member of the Wyndham Hobson’s Bay Lutheran Church and worship at St Phillips Lutheran Church here on the grounds of the College. I also lead the church youth group every second Friday during school terms, which is a whole lot of fun! I was baptised and confirmed in the Lutheran Church at Hamilton.

It is an honour and a blessing to be appointed to the College Board and as the Chairman I will continue to do my very best to ensure the College continues to grow students academically, while also helping them develop good values and a sense of community, under the leadership of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Vice Chairman - Neil Leek

Neil has spent the past 36 years in Business Management at independent schools in Darwin, Alice Springs, Perth, and Adelaide. He completed his business degree in 1983 and left his employment in the Western Australian Government in 1986, to take up a new career at an independent Christian school in Darwin.

Over the years, he gained significant experience in the many aspects of school operations, including financial management, strategic planning, master planning and the development of new schools.

Neil has been actively involved in the Associations of Independent Schools in the NT and WA, Block Grant Authority NT Board and Treasurer/Board member of Baptist Care NT Ltd and Foodbank NT. He served on the LESNW Finance Committee for several years and is currently a Board member of Narwarddeken Academy Ltd, which establishes and runs independent Aboriginal schools in Arnhem Land.

Neil worships at Victor Harbor Baptist Church and serves on the Leadership Team as the Church Treasurer.

Neil has a passion for Christian Education and good governance and is delighted to serve the College as a Board member.

Board Secretary & Business Manager - Fergus Weber

Fergus has served as the Business Manager at Good News Lutheran College since 2017. He has had a varied background with substantial business and finance experience in the education sector and accounting firms in the commercial sphere.

Prior to joining Good News Lutheran College, Fergus worked as the Finance Manager of a similarly large independent school and a Manager at a prominent national chartered accounting firm. He enjoys the opportunities and challenges that the role creates to ensure an ongoing vibrant college in which to educate our young people in this local community.

Fergus provides advice to the Board in relation to the corporate functions of the College, including overall financial management of the business, oversight over the operations team and facilitates the growth of the College through capital development projects to ensure that Good News offers a quality Prep to Year 12 co-educational education.

Board Member - Jerry Gubecka

I have been a Board member of Good News Lutheran College since 2015 and am a representative from “Christ the Lord” Slovak Lutheran Church (where I worship and am a committee member). I have previously held the position of Vice-Chair on the College Board.

My background is varied with experience in Information Technology, Customer Service and Transport. I currently work as an Uber Driver. I am looking to help the College grow in the community, with knowledge gained from work and personal experiences. This is my second stint as Vice-Chair on the College Board.

Graeme Simpkin

I have been serving on the Good News Board since 2009 and nominated to the Board as a representative of the local congregation, Wyndham Hobson’s Bay Lutheran Church. My professional background is in engineering and computer science. I have been involved with the College since before its inception when we were surveying potential properties around Wyndham, where the College could be located.

It has been a privilege to watch the community of Good News develop over the years, and I pray that both the staff and the families who attend Good News will be blessed by their involvement with the College.

Board Member – Marion Nott (B.App. Sci, Grad Dip Admin, M.Ed)

It was my pleasure to return to the Board of Management at Good News Lutheran College as a District Representative in 2020. My career has spanned in excess of 35 years and I have been involved in education working directly with students across kindergarten to Year 12 in a range of capacities including teaching, faculty leadership, campus leadership and regional consultancy and administration.

During this time, I spent a number of years in the Lutheran Education system, some of these as the Assistant Director of Lutheran Education in the South Eastern Region. It is a pleasure to reconnect with the Good News Community (I have acted as Secretary to the Board previously), to acknowledge the wonderful development of the College in recent years, and to have this opportunity to serve God and the Lutheran and educational communities in the Werribee area.

District Representative - Gary Jewson

Gary grew up in the southern mallee country of north-western Victoria & attended Hopetoun Primary School and Secondary School until the end of Year 10. His last two years were spent boarding at Luther College in Croydon, Melbourne. Gary studied teaching at Deakin University & his first teaching appointments were at Sandringham East (Year 3) & then Wheeler’s Hill Primary School in Melbourne, first in physical education & later as a classroom teacher.

Gary and his wife Libby (who is currently the executive officer of WRISC, an organisation in Ballarat supporting women who have been victims of family violence) lived in Melbourne before moving to Geelong in 1985 for Gary to begin teaching at St John’s Lutheran School in the following year.

Libby and Gary have three children. André is a professional actor, currently performing as ‘Zazu’ in a south-east Asian tour of the ‘The Lion King’; Melanie (whose passion was musical theatre, singing and dancing) was tragically killed in a car accident in 2004 at the age of 18; and Ashlee, a medical doctor, who is currently training to be a paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. Gary taught Year 3 and Year 6 at St John’s before becoming Principal in 1999.

To assist with the establishment of Geelong Lutheran College, Gary was then also appointed Principal of GLC in 2008 to prepare for the first day of school in 2009. Gary took up a position at LEVNT in July 2018 as Education Officer: Formation.

Since the loss of their daughter and sister in 2004, Gary and his family have worked hard to make good things come out of their grief, raising much needed funds for a hospital chapel at the Port Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu which has now been completed. They have since established the Melanie Jewson Foundation in 2012 and now continue its work in supporting health and education in Vanuatu.

I hope this gives you some understanding of what the College Board is responsible for, and a little about the people who are involved. It is fair to say that, as a group, we are committed to providing the framework for the College to be able to flourish and grow through the Word of God. It truly is a great privilege and honour to serve you all.

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