Featured in The Educator, 9 May 2025 here
One school on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is tackling societal concerns about the issue of "toxic masculinity" at its source through ‘Leading Men at Flinders’ – an immersive year-long program for senior boys that is designed to address the concerns in society about violence, matters of consent and respectful relationships.
Helping young people step up as positive role models
Matthew Flinders Anglican College Principal Michelle Carroll said schools had an important role to connect students with high-performing role models who demonstrate what it looks like to be an “ethical leader”.
“At Flinders, we want to empower our boys and girls to learn how they can step up in their communities as positive role models,” Carroll told The Educator.
“Our Leading Men at Flinders program is one of the ways we are supporting our Senior boys to learn about positive masculinity and grow through fun, challenging and practical experiences with inspiring leaders.”
As part of the program, twelve 17-year-old boys from the College have spent two nights camping under the stars and three days engaged in mentoring with inspiring men and women on a 3,000-hectare agricultural property in Mt Russell on the Darling Downs.
During the leadership retreat from 25-27 April, the Year 12 students, guided by four staff at Flinders, were generously hosted by Ash and Kirsty Butler on their family-owned property, Yambeen, located west of Toowoomba.
The Yambeen Farming Company specialises in the production of a variety of high-quality grain and cotton on basalt soils formed through the volcanic erosion of the Toowoomba Range.
The Butlers were honoured to open their home and property to help support and mentor the students. They were joined by guest mentors Spencer Lavers, a squadron leader in the Royal Australian Air Force, and Tom Healy, the Improvement Process Manager at Pinata Farms, the largest pineapple producer in Australia, and son to cricketing great, Ian Healy.
Flinders staff who guided the boys on retreat included Dr Louise McCuaig, the Director of the Flinders Discovery Institute; Mr Duncan Greenbank, the Head of Senior School; Mrs Sanette Janse van Rensburg, the Head of RAVE (Religious and Values Education); and Mr David Cameron, Secondary Teacher.
Lessons from life on the land
Over the course of the weekend, the mentors gave a unique insight into how they live their lives and explore challenging careers while being mindful to support their own mental health and act ethically and respectfully through situations of uncertainty, risk, overwhelm, change and opportunity.
Ash and Kirsty Butler shared how they navigate their mental health and grow their character through the evolving challenges of managing a modern farming business, especially one that is dedicated to sustainable farming practices and determined to utilise the latest machinery and technologies.
Tom Healy explained how he has taken a winding path through professional sport, an AgriBusiness degree and tertiary life and work internships and jobs in agribusinesses and on farms, including Yambeen, to form a goal to become the CEO of a leading Australian agribusiness.
Lavers, a fighter pilot and fighter combat instructor in the Royal Australian Air Force, shared insights into the extraordinary leadership skills he has developed over his 1,500 hours flying jet aircraft, including on operations, and also from training new pilots to transition to their first front line fast jet.
What the Research Says
Dr Louise McCuaig, Director of the Flinders Discovery Institute which facilitates the program, said, “Research tells us that young men’s decisions about life, learning and leadership are typically informed by a complex mixture of social myths and socioeconomic, academic and cultural factors, along with observing how other men navigate these dynamics.
“We want to connect our boys with authentic role models who can support them at this crucial time of their journey into adulthood when they are establishing their identity and exploring their place in the world,” Dr McCuaig said.
“Our mentors on retreat had incredible insights to share from their diverse life experiences, and were eager to challenge our boys to explore ethical questions and set goals for themselves to become positive role models.”
Dr McCuaig pointed out that it has been proven that a core group of strong young leaders who demonstrate integrity, fairness, empathy and respect for others can have a powerful positive impact on their peers and set a standard for how students should treat one another.
“That’s the culture we seek to develop at Flinders.”
