John Ruge Australia Bound

After dedicating more than 11 years to St Andrew’s College, Head of Senior College, John Ruge, left at the end of July to take the next step in his educational leadership journey, joining Scots All Saints College in Bathurst, New South Wales, as its new Assistant Head of College and Head of Senior School.

John says the move is an exciting opportunity for him and his wife, Kathryn, to take up a new challenge without being too far away from their three young adult children who have now left home.

“I’ve loved my time at St Andrew’s, particularly working with the passionate, hard-working staff who have joined me over the years in the Senior College. We’ve always been a tight, dedicated team, and I’m really proud of the culture we have developed with our senior students.”

John’s new role brings more leadership responsibility, with oversight of the secondary campus at Scots All Saints.

“It’s also the chance to experience life in regional New South Wales at a high-performing school which has an important role educating students from more remote areas, and where boarders are able to bring their horses to school during term time,” shares John.

Rector, Mark Wilson, says John has been instrumental in shaping the Senior College, developing a strong staff culture, and a student environment grounded in respect, inclusion, and high expectations.

“John has played a pivotal role in shaping a high-performing Senior College culture. He helped strengthen pastoral care systems, improve tracking of student progress, was a founding member of the well‑being group which initiated our new framework, and developed new initiatives like Year 12 Life Skills and Year 13 Te Waka,” Mark says. “We thank John for his dedication and service and wish him every success in this exciting next chapter.”