Last year, Andrew Boardman was overseeing a team of more than 50 bus drivers. It was a role that he enjoyed, yet he still felt there was something missing – a sense of purpose.
He’s since solved the issue by following his passion. Andrew is SU QLD’s new Pine Peninsula Field Development Manager (FDM), where instead of bus drivers; he’s overseeing a dedicated team of school chaplains in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
Being a ‘northerner’ is nothing new for Andrew, who spent more than 15 years in the ‘deep north’, Cairns. He’s also no newcomer to school chaplaincy. From 2008 to 2011 Andrew served as a high school chaplain in Cairns, which sparked in him a passion for helping children and young people.
“I loved seeing young people’s lives transformed. I saw plenty of young people come through the school and their life was a mess. As a result, they were wagging school and doing things they shouldn’t have been doing.
“But then after spending time walking along with them on their journey, it was great to see those same young people find their purpose and get focussed on getting a good OP score and having a vision for what they wanted to do in life,” he says.
It’s those memories of chaplaincy that has Andrew excited about his new role, which of course means establishing relationships and working with the local LCCs and school communities in his region.
“Chaplaincy inspires me because life is a journey for everyone. What school chaplaincy does is it allows for a person to gently come in beside a young person who may be struggling on their journey and you can help encourage them and point them in a good direction.
“What I love about the FDM role is that I get to support our chaplains on a broader scale and work with the LCCs, so together we can positively impact our communities, which ultimately filters down to the individual young person in need,” he says.
For those of you in the Pine Peninsula region, who have yet to meet Andrew, what can you expect from him? You’ll get a sincere family man with a genuine heart to see children, young people and their families supported and shown that they matter, they are valued and there is always hope – regardless of who they are, where they come from, and what they’ve been through.
“I base my work around my faith. So I want the LCCs, the chaplains and the school communities to know that I’m here to serve and support them in what they’re trying to achieve in their schools. I know that each school community, each LCC is different, so I’m just really keen to get to know people and understand what they’re doing, and then how I can help,” he says.