Our College

Our Founders

The Honourable Ivan Gibbs

Ivan Gibbs was born at Whittlesea in Victoria on 22 November 1927 and grew up in a country atmosphere. Here among other things he learned to ride a horse, milk a cow, plough a paddock, drive cattle, fight fires and build a house. At the age of 14 Mr Gibbs left school and worked as a contract laborer for local farmers and later commenced an apprenticeship in the grocery trade. At 18 he leased his grandparents' general store for nine years. During this time he took a wide interest in public affairs including the Captaincy in the Urban and Rural Fire Brigade volunteers and was also on the church vestry. While on a trip around Australia with his wife and two young sons in 1956 Mr Gibbs was on the look out for a better climate and lifestyle and settled in Southport. Here he joined an automotive spare parts business and in 1961 bought out his partner and formed South Coast Wrecking Co. which eventually became Gibbs Truck Parts. He was soon immersed in community activities, involved as President of the local kindergarten, involved with Scouting, Senior Citizens, Lions and church groups.

In 1967 Mr Gibbs was elected to the Gold Coast City Council where he served two terms as an Alderman and was Deputy Mayor from 1973–1976. He also served in Parliament from 1974-1989 and was a State Minister for 10 years. In 1992 he was elected as a Life Member of the National Party of Australia, Queensland.

In the mid 1980s a group of prominent businessmen went to see Mr Gibbs wanting to establish an Anglican School on the Gold Coast. His preference was for the Coomera area but they had located a suitable and well priced property near Mudgeeraba and so All Saints Anglican School was established. From that time Mr Gibbs had always had a vision to build a similar school in Coomera. In 1986 an informal meeting was held in Mr Gibbs' home one day to look at ways and means of establishing an Anglican school in the Coomera area. It took 10 years of intensive effort to get the project under way. A small office was set up at the back of the Holy Rood church, Mr Mark Sly was appointed as Principal and enrolments began. Of all the projects Mr Gibbs has been involved in, he regards Coomera Anglican College as his greatest achievement.

Mr Ian Smith

Ian Smith was born in Orange NSW and lived on a farm where he learned to drive a tractor at the age of 10. He started school in Cudal and then moved to Sydney where he attended Shore School as a boarder for 10 years. He was good at sports - football, cricket, athletics and was an Australian Schoolboy Hurdling Champion and record holder.

Mr Smith went to Massy Agricultural University in New Zealand then came back to Australia to farm for seven years. He later went into real estate in Sydney and became Assistant to the Chairman of a large public company; mining coal, construction and merchant banking.

Next Mr Smith moved to Queensland and became involved in real estate development on the Gold Coast where he met and helped Ivan Gibbs, and the Anglican Church asked him to advise on property matters. Mr Gibbs then asked him if he would help set up Coomera Anglican College as he had with All Saints Anglican School.

Together with Mr Gibbs they selected the site and location and prepared the land. They obtained approvals from the Gold Coast City Council and completed the first plans of the new school.

Mr Rod Lane

Rod Lane was born in Sydney on 30 December 1945. He attended Wollongong High School and graduated with a School Leaving Certificate at the age of 17. Mr Lane’s sporting interests were swimming and playing rugby and he was a member of Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club.

Mr Lane commenced his working life with David Jones as a Junior Executive Trainee. At the age of 19 he made his first foray into the world of private enterprise with a mobile book keeping service and commenced work with his father in the transport industry. At 21 he went to manage the Melbourne office of Lanes Interstate Transport with the instruction to "be a success or go broke". Needless to say he was successful and spent the next 18 years building a national transport business. Mr Lane then retired to the Coomera Valley in 1983. Later he commenced a new small business in heavy compaction equipment hire which he sold a few years later.

Needing a new interest, Mr Lane was approached and invited to help form the Coomera Valley Rotary Club and after holding many offices including President he was awarded Rotary International's highest honour, a Paul Harris Fellowship. In 1996 he had a chance meeting with Ivan Gibbs who, having heard of his recent resignation from Rotary said to him, "Have I got a job for you"... it was the beginning of Mr Lane's involvement with Coomera Anglican College.

Mr Lane is married with one son, three daughters and five grandchildren, three of whom were students at Coomera Anglican College.

Mr Richard Morris

Richard Morris was born in South Africa on 9 January 1927. He enjoyed his school years and felt privileged to have had the benefit of a good Anglican education and sporting opportunities. This motivated him later to ‘put something back’ into Anglican education. After getting his Bachelor of Commerce degree, Mr Morris started a career in accountancy by serving articles in Johannesburg with a firm that is now called Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He passed the final examination to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in 1951 and became a Partner from 1957 until his retirement in 1987.

From 1962-1992 Mr Morris volunteered as Chairman of the Finance Committee of St Barnabas College in Johannesburg. Founded as a non-racial school under the auspices of the Anglican Church, the College directly contradicted the Government ideology of Apartheid and received no Government grants. It was constantly at risk of being closed down by Government decree yet survived and grew from 20 students to a fully fledged co-educational high school of 300 students on a campus of over 40 acres. Most of the students came from underprivileged backgrounds and in some years the fees paid met only 25% of the running costs, the rest being covered by sponsorships and charitable donations.

In 1952 Mr Morris married Shirley Jack from Brisbane. They have one son, four daughters and 13 grandchildren scattered around the world. In 1992, all their children having left Johannesburg, they decided it was time for Shirley to return to Queensland and chose Helensvale to build a new home.

Through joining the Anglican Parish of Biggera Waters they met and enjoyed the hospitality of Ivan and Doris Gibbs. Ivan, keen to get a new Anglican School started and finding that he had available a retired Accountant with 30 years experience in supervising the finances of a successful Anglican school, invited Mr Morris to join the Steering Committee whose deliberations resulted in the founding of Coomera Anglican College. Mr Morris was appointed to the first Council of the College and served as Chairman of the Finance Committee until his retirement in June 1999.