Celebrating our Pymble dads

In the lead up to Father’s Day this Sunday, we are delighted to showcase some of the amazing fathers in our Pymble family. All of our Pymble dads are wonderful parents dedicated to balancing their love of family with their work. Happy Father’s Day to all our Pymble dads and father figures – we are grateful for all that you do!

Peter Fathers

Meet Peter Fathers, who has the most appropriate surname for this weekend’s celebrations. Peter is a History, Society and Ethics Teacher at Pymble as well as Acting Head of Year 9 and loving dad to Patrick, 3.5, and 11-month-old William.

What do you love about being a dad and what are your favourite things to do with your children?

I love watching my boys growing into cheeky fun people. My favourite thing to do is to wrestle with them and play together at the beach. 

How do you balance home and family with working responsibilities?

It takes a lot of planning and family support. 

What advice would you give new working parents?

The early years of your children are precious. Do not waste them! 

What is one of the positives about being a working dad at Pymble?

My Head of Department is highly supportive of new working parents and creates a positive atmosphere and is always understanding.  

Ryan Stewart

Meet Ryan Stewart, History teacher at Pymble and doting dad to Madelyn, 11, and Saxon, 8.

What do you love about being a dad and what are your favourite things to do with your children?

I love being as close to my children as possible during the early part of their life journey so I can enjoy their successes and happiness but also be there to assist with any challenges. I love being involved with their sports, soccer for Maddie and rugby league for Saxon. More recently they have started surfing which I’m stoked about! I also love watching films with them (particularly from my generation in the 80s and 90s!) and enjoy playing retro video games with them too.

How do you balance home and family with working responsibilities?

This is a real challenge for full-time teachers. I try to, where possible, mark whilst on the train when commuting – but marking always finds its way home! After school sports for the children can be tricky to attend on weekday afternoons. It’s a case of putting family first, where possible, and being present at home when time and work commitments allow it. Engaging in activities on the weekend which all the family enjoy allows everyone to spend quality time together. 

What advice would you give new working parents?

It’s helpful to work out ways to prioritise family for periods of time on weeknights and weekends. Be sure to take time out when needed to attend important events and milestones in their growth. Share parenting experiences (both positive and negative) with colleagues to support each other. 

What is one of the positives about being a working dad at Pymble?

It’s very helpful and reassuring to be able to share parenting experiences (and war stories!) with colleagues at Pymble as it allows us to feel a sense of togetherness with other parents as we navigate the demands of parenting, family and full-time teaching.  

Cameron Munro

Meet Cameron, our Campus Operations Manager at Pymble and dad to Finn, 5, and two year old Ruairi.

What do you love about being a dad?

Their infectious laughter, silliness and cuddles and the ability to get away with Dad jokes.

What are your favourite things to do with your children?

Tickle time, rough and tumble, playing sports and building things are a daily occurrence. At weekends we like to go on adventures which includes bush walks, bike rides and climbing over the rocks at the beach, basically anything that will tire them out!

How do you balance home and family with working responsibilities?

I do my best to close off my day at work before I arrive at home and make an effort to stay away from emails especially at weekends. If someone needs me urgently they can call. The kids want my attention as soon as I walk in the door, once playtime is over the real challenge begins of dinner, bath time and getting them to bed! 

What advice would you give new working parents?

Kids are more resilient and independent than I’d imagined; time away from them just makes you more excited to see them at the end of the day.

What is one of the positives about being a working dad at Pymble?

Lots of Pymble staff have children and can resonate with the challenges and the joys of parenting. Conversation over a much needed coffee at the onsite Archies café often goes back to sharing stories about our kids. It’s great to be in a work environment which is supportive and shows sensitivity towards staff who also have parenting responsibilities.

Peter Fogale

Meet Peter, Geography, Business and Economics Teacher at Pymble and dad to Ben, 13, and Emma, 11.

What do you love about being a dad? What are your favourite things to do with your children?

Being a dad is the best. I get to share the lives of two unique humans, that I’ve helped bring into the world. That means I get to see them grow and learn and share in their achievements and disappointments in equal measure. Ultimately, it’s such a special combination of love, caring and joyful responsibility.

We are quite an active family. In between ferrying the kids between sporting commitments, we find time for some competitive half-court games of basketball in the backyard, time in the pool and catching a movie. There’s also competition about who gets to cuddle our dogs on the couch!

How do you balance home and family with working responsibilities?

My wife is the ultimate planner so I lean on her a lot in managing our collective schedules. In relation to my teaching responsibilities’, I find it helpful to plan the days and week ahead during any downtime so that I am able to pre-empt the inevitable surges in workflows. There are always going to be unexpected events but the juggle is easier if you have already penned in the things you know are coming regardless.  

What advice would you give new working parents?

I am loathe to give parenting advice! I wouldn’t pretend to say that I always get it right. That said, I do think that good parenting mostly requires turning up, being present and simply being available.  

What is one of the positives about being a working dad at Pymble?

I have always strongly believed in the power of education as a compelling force for good in the world. It’s why I changed careers to become a teacher. Working at Pymble allows me to role model this for my children and I have been fortunate to work in a culture that places family first. For example, when a family member was unexpectedly sick last year, the Pymble family provided great support by covering classes, providing meals and offering to help with the kids.