Matt Dowd – Chair and Parent Representative

Matt and his wife Lauren have lived in Swanbourne since 2007. With a daughter in Year Three and a son in Pre-primary they are both proud parents and active in the school community. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and with a Bachelor of Engineering, Matt has been a Board member at Swanbourne since 2018.

Professionally, Matt leads a successful vocational education and training business focused on supporting young people into work and job pathways. Prior to this Matt held senior operational roles with BHP and a variety of companies servicing the resources sector.

Matt is passionate about supporting Swanbourne Primary and its teaching staff to deliver great holistic outcomes for its students.

David Knox – Principal

David began his teaching career in 1990 and has been a principal for 20 years. He is a member of the Australian College of Educators and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education degree from the UNE. 

Since becoming a principal, David has lead schools in the Esperance, Pilbara and Perth districts as well as a tenure in Head Office where he worked on the National Partnerships- Literacy and Numeracy program and supported schools across the system during post Expert Review Group reviews in meeting their prescribed improvement strategies. David has also held part time/contract positions with Fairfax publishing, Edith Cowan University as a sessional lecturer and the Department of Defence Force Personnel as an Education Consultant.  

David spends much of his work time in classrooms and out with students as he is committed to working as a collaborative team to create a caring, inclusive and respectful school culture and a curriculum that values each child as an individual.

Hilary Macnamara – Secretary and Parent Representative

Hilary and her husband Ben have two children currently attending Swanbourne Primary, with a toddler eager to attend in the years to come.

Hilary is a senior corporate lawyer and company secretary with twenty years’ experience in Brisbane, Sydney, London and Perth in international law firms, investment banks and publicly listed mining and oil & gas companies. She has experience in mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings, corporate and commercial legal advice and corporate governance and was most recently the Company Secretary of Shell Australia and its various subsidiary companies for over five years.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws (Honours) from the University of Queensland, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia and has been admitted to practice as a solicitor in both Australia and England & Wales.

Hilary is invested in ensuring Swanbourne Primary continues to provide a wonderful education and community for our children.

Sarah Murray – Staff Representative

Sarah has diverse experience in teaching and education, including postings within Australia and the United Kingdom. Sarah has been teaching at Swanbourne since 2015 and has taught across year three to six during that time.

Sarah joined the school Board in 2015. In addition to teaching her Year Five class, Sarah has an active role in the program ‘Kids Together – Sharing Cultures – Sharing Schools’, as well as contributing to the Logo refresh committee and the Uniform Committee.

Maryanne Hood – Staff Representative

Maryanne joined Swanbourne six years ago having previously taught a smaller, school in Kwinana, and joined the Board in 2018.

Maryanne is passionate about literacy development across all areas of the school and having completed the Literacy Leadership Course in 2019, was deeply involved in developing the school’s English Operational Plan. In addition to teaching Year Ones and Two's, Maryanne coordinates the annual school Scribblers Festival excursion and implementation of the Story Dogs program on behalf of the school.

Nicole Sanders – Parent Representative

Nicole and her husband David have been members of the Swanbourne community since relocating from Adelaide in 2011.

Their eldest son and daughter graduated from Swanbourne Primary in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and are now in secondary education. Their youngest son is in Year four at Swanbourne Primary.

Nicole has a passion for the sciences and has degrees in molecular biology, forensic and analytical chemistry and biochemistry and currently works in oncology research with a focus on immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Prior to this she managed a pre-clinical and analytical lab at the University of South Australia.

Nicole enjoys contributing to the board with a focus on ensuring every child continues to have the opportunity to reach their full potential during their time at Swanbourne Primary.

Michelle Wilmot – Parent Representative

Michelle and her husband have been part of the school community for eight years. Her eldest graduated from Swanbourne Primary in 2019 and is now in secondary education and her other two children are enrolled in Year Five and Year Three.

Michelle has been on the School Board for two years and has a background in small business management and marketing.

With strong ties to the Defence community, Michelle is a committed advocate for Defence families at Swanbourne Primary.

Cameron Jenkinson – Parent Representative

Cameron and his wife Karen are long term residents in Mount Claremont and along with their three children are heavily involved within the local community, including the Swanbourne Surf Lifesaving Club, Allen Park Tennis Club and Swanbourne Tigers Football Club.

Cameron’s eldest son recently graduated from Swanbourne and his two younger children are enrolled in Year 6 and Year 4 classes at the school.

Professionally, Cameron is currently the Chief of Strategic & Industry Partnerships at Buildxact and has previously held senior roles in the hardware and construction sector including senior roles with Bunnings.

Cameron has been on the School Board since 2018 and is passionate about fostering innovation within Swanbourne Primary.

Katie Watts – Staff Representative

Katie joined the Swanbourne teaching staff six years ago and has taught classes ranging from pre-primary to year 6 during that time. Prior to this, Katie taught at Challis Primary School in Armadale for a number of years after graduating from Murdoch University.

Katie joined the Board in 2018 and is a passionate advocate for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and how these topics can be integrated into every day teaching. In addition to her role as a classroom teacher, Katie is also the STEM Coordinator for the school and works with staff to challenge students to solve real-world problems in an authentic context.