Dovetails Spring Summer #21

FROM THE OLD SAINTS’ PRESIDENT

There are many valuable ways in which alumni can connect with current students at the College. So far this year, through initiatives such as Heritage Week, Futures Expo and Project Utopia, ASC has welcomed back over 50 alumni from a range of peer years. The experience is an extremely rewarding one for alumni and current students alike. As Old Saints we can reflect on our time at All Saints’ College and help students visualise future possibilities.

Reunions are always fun events on the Old Saints’ calendar, and so far this year, despite a few Covid-related delays, there have been six class reunions. The one thing all the reunions have in common is the number of people who say it was so fun and enjoyable catching up with former peers! If you’ve got a reunion coming up, I encourage you to attend.

Did you know that our alumni group is made up of 7,246 people from 36 years’ worth of leavers? Yet the Old Saints’ Committee has nine members from only five different

year groups! We would really love to diversify further and have others join our meetings. Please email oldsaints@ allsaints.wa.edu.au if you’d like more information about how you could become more involved with Old Saints’.

The Old Saints’ Committee is an organisation that serves and represents the alumni, but we can only succeed with alumni participation. As a committee, we are looking forward to the year ahead and will be working hard to continue finding ways to connect not only within our alumni community, but also with the current College community.

Sian Angel (née Morgan, Class of 2002) Old Saints’ President

GENERAL NEWS

IN MEMORIAM

WE TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHOM WE HAVE LOST THIS YEAR, AND SEND OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO THEIR LOVED ONES.

BABY NEWS

1943–2022

Disura Gunadewa (Class of 2016) 1998–2022

18 MAY 2021

Congratulations to Sam (Class of 2009) and her husband Andrew who welcomed their second child last year. Hamish Arthur Glover was born on 18 May 2021, a very welcome addition to the family, especially his big brother Jack!

LIVING THE DREAM

A career change from engineering to aviation proved to be what dreams are made of for Andrew Korol (Class of 2013) when he landed a job with a local charter company in the Abrolhos Islands.

Making a literal sea-change and moving to the islands, Andrew now spends his days flying fishermen and tourists in light aircraft between Geraldton and the array of tiny dirt runways on the islands.

Occasionally, he is lucky enough to sneak down to the beach and catch his own dinner on the vibrant tropical reefs. In Andrew’s words “Many people mention I have the best job in the world. I don’t think they’re wrong!”

LIFE IS A DANCE

This couldn’t be truer for Sam Glover (née Griffiths, Class of 2009) who, after 27 years of dancing and 15 years of teaching dance, started the Sam G Dance Academy (SGDA) at the beginning of this year.

Sam believes every child deserves to experience the joy of dancing, and her goal is to make dance affordable and accessible to everyone in her local community of Atwell.

At SGDA dance classes are just for fun, with no exams, concerts or additional expenses for parents.

www.facebook.com/SGDanceAcademy

Ally

(Class of 2003) 1986–2022

Cameron

(Class of 2003) 1985–2022

On 10 June 2022 Erin (Class of 2002) and her husband George welcomed their first child, Finn Henry O’Neill, into the world! Finn seems to have inherited his parents’ love of travel, as he thoroughly enjoyed his first plane ride on their recent trip to Sydney. Erin hopes Finn’s delight continues when they embark on their next (slightly longer) trip – all the way to Europe!

OLD SAINTS’ SCHOLARSHIP

We are delighted to announce the 2023 Old Saints’ Scholarship has been awarded to Megan Dillon, daughter of John Dillon (Class of 1988).

Megan is widely regarded as a kind person with a strong moral compass and leadership skills. She is an active contributor to her church and wider communities, and is involved in swimming squads, tennis and hockey. She is also practising to become an accomplished pianist!

Congratulations, Megan; we look forward to welcoming you into the All Saints’ community in 2023.

Children of Old Saints are eligible and welcome to apply for the Old Saints’ Scholarship. Students are not academically tested; however, they must demonstrate leadership and commitment through sport, community group or club involvement.

For more information and details on how to apply, go to allsaints.wa.edu.au/enrolments/scholarships

ANNA IS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS READY

Ever since her days at All Saints’ College, Anna Foucar (née Thornton, Class of 2009) has dreamt of representing Australia in a sport – and that dream is finally coming true!

In April this year Anna represented WA at the Australian Dragon Boat Championships in Adelaide, and has been selected as part of the Australian Dragon Boat team for the Asian Championships to be held in Thailand in November. Anna has been selected in the Perpetual (Premier Division) Squad, so she is also on track to represent Australia at the World Championships in 2023.

On behalf of the Old Saints’ community, we wish you the best of luck, Anna!

FINN HENRY O’NEILL 10 JUNE 2022

Mrs Sandra Potter (former staff member)

Gibellini

Bowering

HAMISH ARTHUR GLOVER

ANOTHER BOOK FOR STEVEN

Steven Thiele (Class of 2018) will be releasing his second book, Tales of the Marked: Faithless, on 1 December 2022 –available in print and eBook!

Faithless is the second book in the Tales of the Marked trilogy and continues the story where Steven’s first novel Torchbearer left off.

Steven has been working on this manuscript for a couple of years, and loves building detailed and unique worlds in which to tell stories. He thinks growing up in Perth, the most isolated capital city in the world, played a big part in him becoming an avid reader and, ultimately, a writer of fantasy!

LEADING THE WAY

Michael McPhail (Class of 2010) is Beijing bound after accepting a job at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as an Executive Officer to the bank’s President.

This unique opportunity came about after Michael completed a Master’s degree in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing as part of the Schwarzman Scholars program.

Designed in collaboration with world-leading universities, Schwarzman Scholars is a fully funded Master’s degree and leadership program that aims to create an international community that bridges differences.

Want to know more? Michael would be happy to share his experiences with other Old Saints who may be interested in applying! Simply email him at michael@mcphail.biz

Thank you to Michael for his willingness to share. We wish him all the best as he embarks on this exciting chapter ahead!

BE READY FOR LIFE PIVOTS

Damien Norris (Class of 1990)

As I write this, I am sitting at a white table by a white wall under a blue window on the Greek Island of Santorini, waiting for my family to wake up so we can all begin an island cruise. Life is pretty good right now and, since leaving All Saints’ at the end of Year 10, many things have happened.

At 21 years of age I returned to school as a mature age student, then travelled the planet with another Class of 1990 Old Saint, Nick Parkin (who sadly passed away in 2013). That experience changed me forever. I went to university and became a philosopher. I went to law school and became a criminal lawyer. I married a Canadian and we had a wonderful son. Life has been an adventure. Full of life pivots.

In 2019 I convinced my wife to sell everything we owned, rent out our home and become adventuring minimalists – energetic enthusiasts exploring a lifestyle ‘on the road’ and accepting the adventures that were offered. The focus of our travels was human movement, in particular the emerging sport of parkour which had captured my imagination and become my new passion and business in Perth: The Wilding Project.

BRON’S RIDE FOR A REASON

After losing her uncle to cancer in January, Bronwen Anderson (Class of 2015) decided it was time to take a stand and do her part to help find some answers.

Bron has signed up for the MACA Cancer 200 – Ride for Research and will be riding 200km in support of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, an organisation dedicated to tackling some of the world’s biggest health issues, including better outcomes and kinder treatments for those touched by cancer.

Not one to do anything by halves, on top of training for the ride, Bron has just completed a half Ironman and will tackle the full Ironman 140.6 in Busselton in December!

If you would like to support Bron’s fundraising efforts, head to www.cancer200.org.au/fundraisers/ bronwenanderson/cancer-200-2022 to make a donation and leave your message of encouragement.

The first round of travels and explorations spanned 12 countries, and the information gathered landed me a research position at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver (Canada) and the opportunity to complete a PhD in what I am calling human rewilding: the practice of training the human body for longevity. In summary, and to put my research into a school context, I’m endeavouring to rewrite the meaning and purpose of physical education.

I am two years into the PhD project and once again the family is on the road testing the PhD’s central theories.

If my life is evidence of anything, it is to trust your intuition, always follow your passions, and be ready to ‘pivot’ when the moment calls. Do that and life becomes a wonderful adventure full of tales worth telling.

Michael McPhail (rear) with fellow graduates from Tsinghua University.

OLD SAINTS’ WALK

AT

This process of acknowledgment reminds us that as the current custodians of the College, we owe our today to the yesterday of others.

Old Saints are able to recognise and celebrate their time at the College by purchasing a brick in the OId Saints’ Walk. Bricks are available in three formats for only $50.

Visit oldsaints.ascollege.wa.edu.au/oswalk.

SAVE THE DATE 2023

• Class of 2018 – 5 Year Reunion

Friday, 3 February

• Old Saints’ Annual General Meeting

Monday, 20 February

• Pasar Malam

Friday, 24 February

• Class of 2013 – 10 Year Reunion

Friday, 10 March

• Heritage Week

Monday, 13 to Friday, 17 March

• Class of 2003 – 20 Year Reunion

Friday, 18 August

• Class of 1993 – 30 Year Reunion

Friday, 25 August

• Class of 2022 – 1 Year Reunion

Friday, 20 October

• Beers, Bubbles and Bites

Friday, 17 November

*All dates subject to change.

OLD SAINTS’ COMMITTEE 2022

President – Sian Angel - Class of 2002

Senior Vice President – Kirsty Johnson - Class of 2016

Junior Vice President – Jared Walkemeyer - Class of 2020

Secretary – Mark Balding - Class of 1988

Treasurer – Glenn Angel - Class of 2002

Ellen Smith - Class of 2020

Sue Wilson - Class of 1985

Sonia Johnson - Class of 1985

The Committee meets four times a year and is actively looking for new members from across all peer groups. If you are interested in helping us take the Old Saints to new and exciting heights, email oldsaints@allsaints.wa.edu.au for details.

ALL SAINTS’ COLLEGE, WE BELIEVE THAT, BY HONOURING THOSE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE US, WE CAN BETTER DEVELOP A DEEP APPRECIATION OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND THUS EFFECTIVELY SHAPE OUR COLLEGE’S FUTURE DIRECTION.

PEARSON (CLASS OF 1992)

ONGS AND RIGHTS CHASING WR

A JOURNEY TO DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD

By Elaine Pearson

Elaine established Human Rights Watch’s Australian office, has worked for the United Nations, holds degrees in Law and Arts as well as a Masters in Public Policy, and writes for a range of international publications.

Passionate about challenging systems that are unjust and fighting for change, Elaine has just released her first book Chasing Wrongs and Rights to share her experiences defending human rights around the world.

In this extract from the prologue of her book, Elaine describes how her childhood as a mixed-race Australian, her time studying English Literature at ASC and Pauline Hanson all contributed to fueling her fire and desire to seek change.

Whenever I go home to Perth in Western Australia, I remember it’s the big blue sky that I have missed. You can’t help but look up into that deep shade of blue. Cloudless and intense with heat from the searing sun. I used to daydream a lot growing up, looking up at the sky, thinking about the world outside Perth, thinking about what people elsewhere were doing.

My family moved to Perth in 1981, when I was five years old. My mum and dad drove across the Nullarbor (no trees) Plain from Sydney for five days in our yellow Toyota station wagon packed full of all our belongings – I was wedged on some dusty pink pillows between the TV and the legs of our Formica dining table.

I was born in Blacktown, in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, to a white British father from South London and an ethnic Chinese mother from Singapore. It was Dad’s second marriage; his first wife had died tragically, and he raised four young children alone – my half brothers and sisters.

My father worked for Qantas Airways, scheduling the flights in and out of Australia in an era before this was done by computers – he was made redundant in the 1990s. My mother was a nurse at the local public hospital. Nowadays, a lot of my friends’ families are mixed race. But back then, in Blacktown and in Perth, our family looked different.

ELAINE

HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS HONEST, FUNNY, COMPASSIONATE AND COURAGEOUS. SHE IS THE ASIA DIRECTOR AT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AND HAS CONDUCTED NUMEROUS HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

From an early age, I was always slightly self-conscious of not quite fitting in. Like most mixed-race kids, I had a crisis of confidence from my early years – am I white, am I Asian? Am I Australian? Am I British? I may have been born in Sydney, but my passport said I was British. I only got myself an Australian passport after I turned eighteen.

Dad emigrated to Australia as a ‘Ten Pound Pom’ with his young family around 1960, but he never lost his British accent.

My father talked a lot about his childhood – growing up in the Great Depression and World War II. He was one of over 800,000 children evacuated from London during the Blitz, and was relocated to Brighton.

He would tell me stories of this time in the Middle East, and about my grandfather whom I had never met – who had worked on the railroads in Cuba before returning to London, where he met my nan. I loved these stories of faraway places and my family. They made up for the absence of any family on his side; my father was an only child and my nan died when I was just a baby.

In contrast to my dad, my mother rarely spoke of her child- hood in Singapore. But we made annual trips back there to visit grandparents, my great-grandmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins. No one spoke much of the past during those visits; we were too busy eating and shopping. I always thought this was a cultural thing in Asian families – the past was too painful, too shameful, and it was better for everyone to focus on the present.

Mum left school at seventeen to study nursing, working in Singapore and the UK. My parents met in Singapore in 1971 and my father is a lot older than my mother.

In Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, the migrant culture was all about assimilation and fitting in and shaking off the qualities that made you different. I felt like my Asian side was something to hide. I remember the kids at school relentlessly bullied one guy in my class from Vietnam because of his heavily accented English. It was awful. It made me not want to be Asian, not want to be different. Because I was mixed race, I felt like I could blend in, but in Australia this meant pretending I wasn’t Asian. I got so good at it that sometimes I forgot that I was Asian. I also had the whitest name ever.

My mother never complained about how hard it must have been for her as an Asian woman moving to Australia in the 1970s, to marry an older husband with four children from a previous marriage.

By the time we moved to Perth my siblings were all in their late teens or early twenties and had already moved out of home or overseas.

I was a typical youngest child, spoilt and precocious. When you spend a lot of time alone or with adults who praise you frequently, it helps to build your confidence.

I was lucky to have an English literature teacher at my high school, All Saints’ College, who recommended interesting books for me to read outside our syllabus. Mr Gipson suggested John Pilger’s A Secret Country about Australia’s hidden past and untold stories. I read with horror about the massacres of First Nations people after white colonisation and the criminalisation of Aboriginal people that continues to this day. There is a line in the book that I can still remember, more than twenty years after I first read it: ‘Every Aboriginal man, woman and child in the town of Roebourne, Western Australia, experiences arrest at the rate of three a year.’

The book blew me away. I suddenly discovered a whole other perspective of history that we were never taught in school and that I had been ignorant of.

I’m no longer a Pilger fan, but the book had a lasting impression on me.

It ignited a passion for stories of injustice that were untold. But I wasn’t just drawn to telling the stories, I became interested in how people could change and challenge systems that were discriminatory and unjust.

I suppose I also have One Nation politician and renowned racist Pauline Hanson to thank for starting me on my career as a human rights activist. It was her anti-Asian statements that led me to take part in my first protest.

In her maiden speech to Parliament in 1996, she said: “I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians... They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate.”

Something inside me snapped. As someone who was Asian and whose family had tried desperately hard to assimilate, too hard in retrospect, those words felt like a kick in the guts. I took it personally.

When Hanson came to Perth, I wanted to make my voice heard. I joined the protests outside the venue where she was due to speak. We chanted loudly, ‘Racists are not welcome here!’ I got on the 6 o’clock evening news, angrily shouting and wearing my dad’s green knitted jumper that was too big for me.

I remember afterwards the Australian Prime Minister John Howard criticised the protesters.

Howard’s comments blaming the protesters and not Hanson’s racism made me even more furious. Racism certainly played a role in my political awakening and throughout my career, I’ve seen racism as the silent factor that pervades so many other human rights abuses. Some people may not want to acknowledge it, but it is at the heart of why some people are treated differently and why unacceptable behaviour is tolerated or justified by governments.

I see it clearly in many of the abuses that I have documented over the years and abuses that feature in this book – whether they are ethnic Somalis in Ethiopia, First Nations people in Australia, refugees and migrants, or victims of trafficking everywhere.

I wrote this book because a lot of young people ask me questions about human rights work, what we do at Human Rights Watch, and how I got started. I have

been with the organisation since 2007, working to investigate and expose human rights violations around the world. I wanted to give an insider’s account of how we try to generate change. Sometimes we succeed, other times we fail, but the fight for lasting change requires persistence. Change also requires uncovering uncomfortable truths, exposing injustices that would otherwise be ignored or buried.

My colleagues at Human Rights Watch were supportive of me writing this book, and it is written with their blessing. I’ve tried hard to obtain approval from those individuals whose stories feature in this book, and I thank them for letting me share their stories. In a few cases I’ve had to change a name for security reasons, and occasionally I’ve merged a couple of characters to protect someone’s privacy or because I’ve been unable to locate an individual to obtain their consent. These stories are told to the best of my recollection, with the caveat that some of the events happened a long time ago.

Beyond the reports, the press releases, the media interviews and advocacy meetings, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes to protect human rights. I wanted to give readers a picture of what it is like to be on my shoulder in various places, doing the job of being a human rights activist and ‘chasing wrongs and rights’. This is the story of what I have learned on my journey.

Extract from the prologue of Chasing Wrongs and Rights by Elaine Pearson. Published by Scriber, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Australia, September 2022.

Elaine Pearson interviewing Kurdish Iranian writer and refugee Behrouz Boochani on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, 2017.

Elaine Pearson (centre) with Damian Griffis (CEO of First people’s Disability Network Australia) and Kriti Sharma, Human Rights Watch researcher, launching the report ‘I Needed Help, Instead I was Punished’: Abuse and Neglect of Prisoners with Disabilities in Australia’ in Sydney, 2018.

DAYNE’S SPOKE-TACULAR SOLO ACT

I recently went on a bit of an adventure.

I flew across to Europe with my bicycle to go on a six-week, self-supported solo cycle across Europe. I ended up riding approximately 2,000km.

The decision to embark on what most would consider a crazy adventure was surprisingly spontaneous. The desire to implant some adventure and excitement into my year coincided with the opening of international borders, and out of that an idea was born. I would take my bicycle across to Europe and over two months I’d cycle solo across four countries. After a few weeks of frantic preparation and training in the Perth hills, I embarked on a series of budget flights, finally landing in Rome.

The classic tourist experience in Rome would have to wait; two days after touching down, I was ‘in the saddle’ and beginning the first leg of my journey. With my sleeping bag, camp kitchen and a few pieces of carefully chosen clothing loaded onto my bike, I set off south along the Via Appia. Ideally, over the next week I would follow this ancient Roman route through mountains, cobblestone streets and dirt paths while soaking up the 35-degree European summer.

Unfortunately, I had underestimated the presence of gang activity in southern Italy! So, on Day 4, after another sleepless night listening to what sounded like gunshots, and sirens going off around my camp, I made the decision to cut this leg of the trip short and return to Rome, where I hurriedly disassembled my bike and headed for London.

Landing in the UK was a relief, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I arrived amid a major rail strike, which resulted in a 115km cycle from the airport to my couchsurfing hosts in London. Despite these initial setbacks,

I was riding high on the excitement of the previous week and was keen to keep the ball rolling. The next leg of the trip consisted of a cycle north to a small fishing village where I would catch an overnight boat across the North Sea to the Netherlands.

All cyclists are acutely aware that crashing is an inevitable part of the sport, and I had predicted I would have a few bruises and cuts during my trip. But what I hadn’t expected was a full speed collision with a London red double-decker bus. On my way out of London, I found myself lying on the road with interested bystanders watching as paramedics tended to me and took my vitals. To my surprise, I – and, more importantly, my bike – came away with little more than some cuts, bruises and muscle aches.

Once given the all-clear by doctors, I was back in the saddle and powering away, trying to make up for lost time – I wasn’t keen on missing the boat to the Netherlands. That night, sitting on the top deck of a surprisingly large cargo/passenger ship, I watched the sun set over the sea with a very well-deserved beer in hand!

What a blessing the Netherlands turned out to be! It was exactly what I needed. After close encounters in Italy, and an actual impact in London, I was very grateful for the dedicated bicycle highways that run throughout the country. To have an entire street dedicated to cyclists was a dream! The beautiful, flat landscape made for perfect riding conditions as I crossed all the way into Germany.

I was lucky enough to have a friend join me for a few days at this stage of the trip. My childhood best friend, Greg, made the trip up from Switzerland to cycle with me. Together, we spent five days off grid cycling through the Ebbe mountains. This was a challenging section, as no amount of training in Perth could prepare me for the 4,000m climb along our route. We cycled through picturesque forest and set up camp at night wherever we could find a piece of flat ground. It was oddly calming to be so isolated. Our days were spent in the saddle and evenings stargazing while catching up on the years apart.

All good things must come to an end and Greg needed to return home. My solo adventure continued, but not before another minor setback – a bout of food poisoning which left me unable to ride for a few days.

Surprisingly, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me a few days in Munich to tick off some regular touristy activities, like visiting museums and dining in actual restaurants. Mountains of German food and cheap beer soon had me ready and rearing to ride again. I set off, leaving civilisation behind and entered the Black Forest in southern Germany.

I had spent weeks scrolling through photos of this forest from hikers and cyclists on Instagram. I was over the moon to be doing it myself. Dense and hilly, I loved the days of riding the fast-winding trails, stopping to say hello to other travellers I came across. Being able to speak German was very helpful; these conversations saved me from taking wrong turns on multiple occasions.

Before long I was on the other side of the forest and pleased to arrive at the door of some family friends who took me in and provided me with an actual bed; this was luxury. The trip was almost at an end, but not without one last mishap.

After stepping off the overnight bus to Berlin (from where I was booked to fly home), had the strange feeling I was missing something. It didn’t take long to realise that ‘that something’ was my passport – still tucked into the seat pocket of the bus which had driven away 15 minutes earlier. Absolute dread set in; without my passport, wouldn’t be going anywhere – let alone home! Several frantic phone calls later, I had the next destination for the bus keyed into my GPS, and the race was on.

Headphones in, Australian Indi rock blaring, I raced 50km across Berlin to try and retrieve my ticket home. While I’m no stranger to racing and pushing my body to the limit, this was a new record. I stood at the bus stop on the other side of Berlin, drenched in sweat, holding back the urge to vomit, and crushed to see that there was no bus parked at the arrival bay.

That’s when the lime green bus, displaying E45 to Berlin rumbled towards me. I had somehow managed to beat the bus! I stumbled back on and was overjoyed to find my passport, safely tucked away where I had left it.

A few days later I would be back on my budget flight home. The journey of a lifetime would be over.

While eager to be heading back to my family, friends, and to my own bed, it took a mere five hours into my first flight for me to start wondering (and planning) where I could ride next!

Dayne Metzner (Class of 2019)

FLIGHT OF FANCY? NOT ANYMORE!

Brandon Loo (Class of 2011)

I am now a full-time writer with Point Hacks, a website that educates readers how to efficiently earn frequent flyer points and later use them to book luxurious experiences, such as Business and First-Class flights. I write a mix of industry news, guides and travel reviews based on my experiences.

I’ve always harboured a passion for penning a story – I have fond memories of interviewing my teachers for a short write-up in The College Courier when I was in Year 8. However, I never seriously considered taking up writing or journalism in university.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve also enjoyed the thrill of flying and travelling to new destinations (who doesn’t?). In 2015 those two passions came together – I discovered the value of frequent flyer points and the premium experiences they could unlock. And I wanted to write about it.

After booking my first trip with points, I messaged the website I had gleaned the tips from (Point Hacks) over social media and asked whether they’d be interested in having me review my upcoming flights. They gave me a shot.

I became a freelance contributor over the next few years while juggling university studies and, later, a job in the area in which I graduated.

By 2020 Point Hacks had grown exponentially in size and readership, and they wanted me to join the team in a permanent role. It was a tough decision, but I made the leap to become the Senior Content Writer. I haven’t regretted that choice for a moment.

While a lot of the job is working remotely, I’m fortunate that Point Hacks uses points to send me on amazing trips. The goal is to inspire our audience with first-hand experiences of where points can take them.

My first ‘field trip’ was riding The Ghan Expedition from Darwin to Adelaide – a stunning three-night rail experience through Australia’s heart. A more recent overseas highlight was covering the first-ever Qantas non-stop flight from Perth to Rome. There are several more trips in the pipeline!

If an opportunity to do what you love comes up – no matter how small it is – I say, ‘give it a go’. Who knows what doors it can open?

A fun stop at Alice Springs while travelling on The Ghan Expedition from Darwin to Adelaide.

NO-ONE LEAVES SCHOOL THINKING THEY’LL END UP TRAVELLING THE WORLD FOR WORK. BUT THAT’S WHERE I FIND MYSELF NOW, AND IT HAPPENED IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED OF WAYS.

CLASS OF 1987 | 35 YEAR REUNION

ON SATURDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 1987 GOT TOGETHER AT THE OLD COURTHOUSE IN FREMANTLE FOR THEIR 35 YEAR REUNION AND TO CATCH UP ON OLD TIMES.

CLASS OF 1997 | 25 YEAR REUNION

THE CLASS OF 1997 HELD THEIR 25 YEAR REUNION ON FRIDAY, 26 AUGUST AT THE OLD COURTHOUSE IN FREMANTLE. ATTENDEES REMINISCED AND SHARED MEMORIES AND ANECDOTES.

CLASS OF 2002 | 20 YEAR REUNION

ON FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST THE CLASS OF 2002 MET AT THE LEFT BANK IN EAST FREMANTLE FOR THEIR 20 YEAR REUNION WHICH INCLUDED PLENTY OF CHATS AND A FEW GAMES OF POOL!

CLASS OF 2012 | 10 YEAR REUNION

THE CLASS OF 2012 HELD THEIR 10 YEAR REUNION AT THE LEFT BANK ON FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER. FORMER STUDENTS ATTENDED TO UPDATE EACH OTHER ON WHERE LIFE HAS TAKEN THEM OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS.

CLASS OF 2017 | 5 YEAR REUNION

A HUGE TURNOUT OF ATTENDEES WERE AT THE LEFT BANK ON FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER FOR THE CLASS OF 2017 - 5 YEAR REUNION. IT WAS GREAT TO SEE SO MANY TURN OUT TO RECONNECT.