TY

I moved to this wonderful city at the age 4, after spending my earliest years barefoot, climbing trees and running around on the plains of South Africa. On arriving in HK and not wanting to lose our connection to nature, my family decided to live on a Houseboat, which is where we settled for the next 15 years – so grateful that I was able to wake up on the ocean every morning!

My curious nature and love for traveling gave me the opportunity to study in the United States where I received my Bachelor of Education. On returning to Hong Kong I searched high and low for a workplace that felt like home- then I found Backyard Gang! My first day with the team brought me straight back to my childhood! The fact that I can relive some of my fondest memories and be privileged to share these with so many little people everyday is an absolute dream.

Can’t wait to meet you!
Ty
Team Manager

BETH

When I think of my childhood, I am instantly transported back to the sprawling fields of my home country of Ireland – riding my bike past fields full of sheep, cows and the occasional donkey to seek out new adventures with my friends. It seemed we were always outdoors no matter the season or weather – nature walks in autumn, snowball fights in winter, catching frogspawn in spring and come summer, jumping into the wild Atlantic ocean!

I moved to HK over 12 years ago and instantly fell in love with our gorgeous country parks, islands and beaches. When I’m not having awesome adventures with the Backyard Gang, I can be found traveling around the world on my own escapades.

During my travels, I was lucky enough to spend a semester in China learning Mandarin as part of a fully immersive programme. Using this amazing skill set, I am super excited to be bringing in a new Mandarin element to our BYG sessions and being able to combine my love of nature and this awesome language with the kids (and the team!)

Beth
Programme Development Manager 

MATT

Growing up in the beautiful Rangitikei region in New Zealand, my childhood was spent seeking adventures on my family’s dairy farm. With my father’s strict policy of ‘not being inside unless it was dark’, my brothers and I spent every spare moment (when we weren’t helping on the farm milking cows and shearing sheep) in the streams and native bush – building huts, climbing trees and making up games.

I relocated to Hong Kong in 2009 with the idea of staying for a few months but, like so many, I quickly fell in love with the city and spent the next ten years or so teaching in International Primary Schools (and meeting my now wife). In 2019 I stepped away from the classroom to work as a consultant, specialising in curriculum development and splitting my time between Hong Kong and NZ. With the pending arrival of my first baby girl, I made the easy decision to once again be based in Hong Kong and was lucky enough to discover The Backyard Gang, enabling me to combine my two passions of education and the great outdoors.

As Head of BYG’s Ed Services, I am incredibly driven to provide our unique teaching methodology to students across Hong Kong and get them outside learning through play the BYG way!

Matt
Head of Educational Services

ANNIE

I’m a fresh face to HK and am constantly in awe of what the city and surrounding islands have to offer. Born and bred in south-east Melbourne, my primary school had its own wetlands which we were encouraged to explore and our family holidays were spent camping, surfing and befriending wombats – the outdoors has always been a huge part of my life.

I spent a year designing, developing and delivering outdoor education programmes in Melbourne before deciding to see what the wider world had to offer, packing my bags mid-2022 and buying a one-way flight to Europe. In 2023, I found myself in HK and stumbled across The Backyard Gang – the perfect match where I can merge my love of fresh air with my passion for educating. It’s so cool that my work day involves sharing my own childhood experiences and travel adventures while being constantly inspired by the future legends of the world, right here in HK’s backyard.

Annie
Assistant Programme Manager

EMMA

Hong Kong has now been home for over half my life – I love it! The mountains, the beaches, the ocean – I am forever exploring our wonderful city.  Always one for a new adventure, I’ve trekked across Iceland, NZ, to Machu Picchu and up Kilimanjaro (not to mention across the whole of HK too!)

When Chris first floated the idea of setting up the Backyard Gang a few years ago, it filled me with excitement – a great chance to re-create all the memories from our own childhoods, and pass them on to the kids here in HK!  I’m so proud of what we’ve already built and super excited to see where else we can go with it.

Emma
Director & Co-Founder

CHRIS

Growing up in West Sussex, UK was very different to our life here in HK. I’m the second of 4 kids and spent the majority of my youth either in the pool or on a bike and generally trying to stay out of mischief.  I moved to Hong Kong in 2003 and met my girl soon after. We now have three little Eurasian babies, Jack, Georgia and Jessie who are just awesome!   I am so fortunate to call Hong Kong my home, first as an expat and now integrated into a Chinese family all of my own.

The opportunities in our country are boundless and I’m so lucky to be able share these with every kid (and adult) that I meet through our programmes.  I truly hope you like what we have done and that we can add value to your lives too.

Chris
Director & Founder