Meet the Staff

Meet the Boarding Staff

Mr Xavier Gargan

Xavier is a teacher of Biology, Science and Physical Education from Years 7-12. He has coached AFL, basketball and water polo and coordinated rowing within both APS and GPS schools.

Xavier’s family includes his wife Sally and their three children, Rory, and twins Ethan and Charlie. He loves working in boarding and uses his experience to create the best environment for today’s boarding pupils to thrive. Individualised boarding experiences and positive outcomes for all boys are what he sets out to achieve.

Mr James Battaglia

James Battaglia is a teacher of Years 7-10 science as well as senior chemistry for both the HSC and IB courses. He is also a mentor of Mackay House and the coach of the 14B Rugby team.

He lives in the boarding house with wife Nicola, their daughter Rosie and their dog Mabel. His passions include cooking, watching/playing sport, and overseas travel. He passionately supports the Chicago Bears, Gold Coast Titans and Carlton Football Club.

Mr Kirk Ng

Kirk Ng specialises in English and Economics, with prior experience as a Head of Year. He also has a special interest in EAL/D, which saw him teaching at the Foreign Languages School affiliated with Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai in 2014. Passionate about his cultural background, he spent part of his university degree living and studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong to feel more connected to his father’s ancestral roots – an experience he forever cherishes. He is a keen footballer (the round ball), cyclist, and trail runner. He resides in the Boarding House with his fiancé, Anita, and their spirited pup, Diglett.

Mr Tim Wales

Tim Wales is a teacher in the PDHPE department. He spent 4 years with the Learning Enhancement department and a part-time load in PDHPE, before transitioning to a full-time PDHPE teacher in 2022. He is also a Year 12 Cooper House mentor and coaches in the College’s AFL and cricket programs. His passions include watching and playing sport (AFL, golf and cricket), nutrition, physical fitness and the mental health of young men. Tim lives in the Boarding House with his partner Maddy and their two girls Billie (3) and Darcy (10 months).

Mr Saahil Parekh

Saahil Parekh (ON 2015) is an English and Latin teacher, as well as a Year 8 mentor in Whitaker House. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, critiquing a range of television shows, films and music, and playing squash, tennis and (mediocre) golf. A sporting tragic, Saahil is an avid rugby league enthusiast (particularly his beloved Roosters) and has previously played cricket for St George and NSW U/17s. He has coached the 1st XI cricket team at Newington since 2019 and the Combined GPS 15 Years XI since 2021.

Mr Liam Hart

Liam Hart is our Adolescent Health Nurse within the boarding house. He has worked on and off in the emergency department at Royal North Shore Hospital for the last 10 years. Liam has been working as a school nurse since 2018. He likes watching all sports, travelling, learning languages and closely follows politics. A lot of his spare time is taken up by his daughter Lucia. He lives in the boarding house with his young family and enjoys the variation of experiences in the boarding house.