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YOG Profiles
Yarra Old Grammarian profiles
Tiana Koehrer, YOG 2014
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PROJECT OFFICER, FIRST PEOPLES’ ASSEMBLY OF VICTORIA
Tiana Koehrer joined Yarra in Year 7, only a few weeks after the devastating Black Saturday bushfires swept through Victoria.
“Joining Yarra at that time was important for me – it was a defining moment. I arrived on my own but I ended up meeting a wide range of people and personalities. Everyone knew everyone in my year level and I’m still good friends with my Year 7 group.” Tiana remembers Year 7 camp being moved due to the bushfires and later the excitement of the Debutante Ball. She also remembers teachers who had an impact on her because of their unbridled passion for their subjects. “Being in philosophy classes with Mr Manning opened my eyes to the world. There were many interesting debates.” Tiana is a proud Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri woman and since leaving school and studying Public Relations, she’s used her communication and organisational skills to work within Aboriginal communities. “I resonate with my Aboriginal culture and heritage. My grandmother is a Wurundjeri elder who is heavily involved in the justice system and I’m grateful that my family have documented our history and connections,” she says. Tiana works in the treaty process with organisations and the state government. The end aim is to navigate agreements with Aboriginal traditional land owners on issues that can include water rights, reparation and language revival. “It is a big step for Victorian Aboriginal people and it is a complex process but Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can benefit, share and learn about our culture, language and experiences,” says Tiana. Yarra’s motto remains firm inspiration for her, years after leaving the school. “To me it means seeing beyond the horizon, rather than just looking at what is in front of you. It’s about keeping moving ahead and I carry that with me. I also remember going to see the counsellor at Yarra to talk about careers, because I felt anxious –I didn’t know what I wanted to do then. He said ‘maybe the career you want to do doesn’t exist yet, so make up your own.’ That was one of the most important pieces of advice I’ve received.”
Anthony Basford, YOG 1985
CEO EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE COUNCIL
“My experiences at Yarra are part of who I am and what I do today.” During devastating bushfires that ripped through East Gippsland last summer, Anthony Basford recalls a moment that brought home the enormity of the situation.
“I vividly remember standing on a high point next to the Mitchell River in Bairnsdale and the whole sky was red. As far as I could see, the horizon was glowing as the fire burned. It was extraordinary to see,” he says. The Black Summer fires destroyed about 250 homes and burned about one million hectares of land but after some good rainfall, the paddocks are green once more. “People in East Gippsland are resilient and they value their connections to community. People love living here,” says Anthony. Anthony joined Yarra Valley Grammar in Grade 5 and has good memories of School Camps and Geography classes that allowed him to explore the great outdoors. “We went to Central Australia in Year 10. We travelled by bus and visited Uluru, camped, saw floods at Lake Eyre and flowers on the Birdsville Track…awesome.”
This influenced his decision to study Environmental Science at university. After his degree, Anthony travelled and this remains a passion. He has explored Europe and America, and Easter Island and Alaska are on his wish list. Anthony began his working life as a teacher in the UK where he helped children from disadvantaged backgrounds who were challenging the school system. When he returned to Australia a few years later, he moved to local government. In his current role as CEO, he oversees the bushfire recovery activities and the provision of support and amenities so communities can renew and rebuild.
“Being a leader is a journey – we’re a collection of our experiences over time. Leading this organisation is a team effort and I’m committed to the job and to leading this organisation through some extraordinary times. COVID-19 has added another twist but the people in this area are very resilient.” The Yarra motto still holds relevancy for Anthony years after he left the school.
“I’m an optimistic person and ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary. I once read a quote that said ‘while someone is saying that something can’t be done, someone else is doing it’. It’s important to have optimism. “I also think it’s important to do the right thing, even if that is hard. We all face hurdles but you have to get over them, move on and do what you want to do.”
Inspired by
YARRA
To hear Rev Paul Joy’s interviews with these YOGs please go to: www.yvg.vic.edu.au/podcast
Yarra Old Grammarian profiles
Kristen Collins, YOG 1992
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE MANAGER
Kristen arrived at Yarra in Year 11 at a time when girls were only enrolled in Years 11 and 12. She had been at an all girls’ school since Prep so says her first day at Yarra was a culture shock.
“I’ll never forget the first assembly in the old basketball stadium. We walked in and all the boys’ eyes were on us. But I never felt unwelcome,” she says. Kristen got involved in as many activities and interests as she could at school – from Drama and Debating to Music, Psychology and English Literature.
“I loved debating. It gives you confidence to speak in front of people, helps you develop critical thinking and teaches you to think on your feet,” says Kristen. Kristen became School Captain, so her public speaking skills came in handy. The role also taught her some valuable lessons about leadership. “To me, good leadership is not about you as the leader, it’s bringing the best out of a team. You set targets and a strategy but it’s the team’s journey to achieving those things that’s important,” she says. “Leadership is like being a conductor – you have various parts of a business and they need to sing to the same tune.” Kristen did an Arts degree and then travelled while she worked out her future career path. Her altruistic nature saw her lean towards international development work and she initially joined the International Development Division of an engineering company. She now works with a business working on multi-million dollar projects in the Indo-Pacific region. “International development tries to make the world a better place for as many people as possible. We might work on a large infrastructure project to improve water supply and sanitation, or improve roads to provide better access to education or healthcare facilities.
“People still have poor or no sanitation so it’s important that the work continues, even in this COVID world. It’s a privilege to make a small difference in people’s lives.” Kristen says her time at Yarra gave her so many opportunities to go out into the world. “At Yarra, you could try things. It was all there for you and it was up to you to have a go. That mindset gives you quiet confidence to try things once you leave school. Yarra gave me confidence to lead a productive life and to chase dreams.”
Jon Adam, YOG 2006
DIGITAL DELIVERY MANAGER
Jon Adam dreamed of coming to Yarra when he was in primary school.
“I went to primary school nearby and on the drive to school, I’d pass Yarra and saw the kids playing on the sports fields and I knew I wanted to come here. I knew this was the right place for me,” he says. Jon enrolled in Year 7 and immersed himself in athletics and soccer.
“I loved going to the soccer pitch every Saturday morning with friends. It was all about being outside and spending time with my mates,” says Jon. Jon’s favourite subjects at school focused on creativity and included Visual Communication & Design (VCD), Photography, Woodworking and IT. He wasn’t as interested in Maths because he couldn’t see how, in the future, it might apply to his world, but he now uses Maths a lot in his day-to-day work. “I struggled with Maths because I could never see how it would apply to real world applications. But you have to get through it and I had fantastic support from teachers.
“I always found English a bit of a challenge, too, but the more I did it, the better I became. I remember that in Year 11 I got a good score for an essay and I was astonished. But I attribute a lot of my growth during those years to being surrounded by passionate teachers.” After VCE, Jon studied Advanced Multimedia which combined Technology and Design. He did a two-year advanced diploma at Swinburne and then an extra year of study, which gave him a degree plus plenty of hands-on experience and practical tools. He now works with major consumer electronic brands and services to understand customer issues and to design user-friendly digital solutions to help resolve those customer problems. In the past decade his team has grown from four people to 30 members. “Technology is an increasing part of our lives, but it is an aid. You still need someone to steer technology in the right direction,” he says. Jon has many happy memories of days at Yarra – from playing saxophone and displaying his discus-throwing skills at athletics events, to enjoying his daily peanut butter sandwich at lunchtime and getting his first part-time job at Hungry Jack’s so he could save for a new snowboard.
He credits his parents for their willingness to make sacrifices so he could go to Yarra and take on board the school’s values.
“I learned to be humble, to appreciate what I have and to always look to the future,” he says.
Inspired by
YARRA
To hear Rev Paul Joy’s interviews with these YOGs please go to: www.yvg.vic.edu.au/podcast
