After losing its long-serving headmaster to a fatal car accident last year, high profile northern NSW boarding school, The Armidale School, has chosen a female ex-British Army Captain as its new head.
Dr Rachel Horton's impressive career, so far, includes being a representative rugby player and international referee, and holding a doctorate in immunology.
She is currently Deputy Headmaster and Head of Secondary at the 1400-student Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne where she has worked for three years.
Prior to teaching she had a career in scientific research and a stint in the Royal Engineers.
She moves to Armidale in July next year to become the 126-year-old Anglican co-educational boarding and day school's 15th head - and the first woman in the role.
Her appointment became necessary after a shocking car accident east of Armidale on the Waterfall Way claimed the life of TAS headmaster for 21 years, Murray Guest, in late October 2019.
The popular principal was the sole occupant in the vehicle which burst into flames after hitting a tree.
Dr Horton's appointment follows an international search by the TAS board which assessed candidates from across Australia and overseas.
She has previously taught chemistry and physics at Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) in Brisbane where she was also a housemaster.
She has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Hons) in Pathology and Microbiology and a PhD from the University of Bristol in the UK.
Prior to teaching in Anglican schools she was a science researcher, a university lecturer and a postdoctoral research fellow at universities in Canada, Australia and Kenya as well as the UK where she was born.
RELATED READING: TAS headmaster dies in fiery car crash near Armidale
As a British Army Reservist, Dr Horton interrupted her PhD to undertake a year's service with the Royal Engineers as Squadron Operations Officer, which included a six-month tour of duty in Iraq as Captain in 2003-2004.
She was third in command of 135 men under extreme conditions.
She also played representative Rugby Union in England and Canada for more than a decade before retiring to become a referee 11 years ago.
Dr Horton has refereed international VII and XV matches and was the first woman to referee Premier rugby in Queensland.
"We could not be more pleased that Dr Horton has accepted our offer to lead the School into the future," said board chairman, Sebastian Hempel.
"In Dr Rachel Horton we have a leader who exemplifies the importance of individual academic achievement being complemented by those values of integrity, compassion, service and character we all recognise are the foundation stones upon which a TAS education is based."
Dr Horton was looking forward immensely to the opportunity to starting at TAS and moving to Armidale with her husband Curtis Coulson, a qualified outdoors activity instructor and former rugby player.
Former deputy headmaster Alan Jones, who was propelled into the acting head of school role while the search was on for a replacement for Mr Guest, has received the "heartfelt gratitude" of the board for his calm stewardship.
Prior to Mr Guest's death Mr Jones had been due to retire in 2020 but stayed on and will now leave the school at the end of Term 3 2021 after a term of transition and handover to Dr Horton.
Dr Horton noted she and her husband were both raised in small farming communities and had a deep respect for rural communities, their challenges and complexities.
"I am excited and honoured by the opportunity to lead TAS and continue its task of developing independent, empathetic, well-rounded and socially responsible young people who contribute positively to their community," she said.
Dr Horton is not only the first woman to head TAS but will also be the first woman to lead a member school of the Athletic Association of Great Public Schools NSW (AAGPS).
TAS is also the only institution in the select group of Great Public School located outside metropolitan Sydney.
The school has flagged holding a series of events in the NSW North West and New England region and metropolitan capitals during second term next year for Dr Horton to meet parents, ex-students and members of the wider community.
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Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
