Bishop Druitt College Alumni in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | School

Bishop Druitt College Alumni

Locality: Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6651 5644

Address: 111 North Boambee Rd 2450 Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.bdc.nsw.edu.au

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25.01.2022 Acclaimed Artist Jacob Spokes (HSC 2012) Jacob is an emerging artist living and working in Sydney’s inner west. In 2014, Spokes completed a Diploma of Fine Art St George College of Fine Art, Kogarah, with a focus on painting. Spokes’ vivid abstract paintings are an emotive and conceptual response to landscape and place, inspired by the contrast of built and unbuilt environment that forms the city of Sydney. Spokes currently has a piece hanging in the Louis Vuitton flagship... store in Sydney CBD. Jacob says about his process; I have an idea of colour relationship before I start and that’s it. No preliminary sketches or anything. The works reveal themselves after a layered serendipitous process, whereby I apply layers of colour and form until I reach a point in which the work is compositionally sound. EXHIBITIONS 2018 - Louis Vuitton Store, Sydney 2018 - Out Of Line, Piermarq, NSW (group) 2014 - Grad show Diploma of Fine Art, St George College of Fine Art, Kogarah PRIZES 2019 - $10,000 AVIS plein air grant 2014 - Runner-up Elioth Gruner Landscape Prize, AGNSW Jacob was recently selected by AVIS Australia for their campaign 'The Art of Discovery', which sent him on a road trip to Lightning Ridge, NSW and resulted in a new body of work and a spectacular short documentary. Go to avis.com.au then The Art of Discovery: Jacob Spokes, Lightning Ridge They gave me a car and said I could go anywhere and make work about the destination. I chose Lightning Ridge as my Dad lived and worked there as a miner when I was young and I wanted to learn more about the place and how my Dad lived there. A film crew followed me and we documented the whole process. I made 3 works from the trip which are being auctioned off for charity. The works are on billboards around Aus and NZ. (see last photo)

24.01.2022 A blast from the past! Our first HSC Cohort in 1999

23.01.2022 "Caitlin Seary (née Whitehead HSC 2004) studied HPE/English at Griffith University, worked as a sales assistant at Billabong Womens before entering teaching. She is now the Sports Coordinator, Senior Teacher and Faculty Leader at Kimberley College, Brisbane Bayside that provides multi-aged, non-graded education which incorporates thinking skills based learning experiences as part of an individualised curriculum." Caitlin is a Queensland State champion for women’s fitness and bodybuilding, is married to Mitchell and has a nearly 1 year old son, Jimmy.

21.01.2022 Claire Maizonnier attended BDC from 1999 to 2004, representing the college in State Cross Country and then moved to Coffs Education Campus. She completed a BA in Social Science, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland, as Support Services Assistant at the Library and becoming involved in the Responsibility to Protect Student Coalition as President. In this role she was responsible for event planning and management, coordinating meetings with the ...steering committee, coordinating with the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect regarding the co-hosting of seminars and other events. Claire held educational events around topical issues such as mass atrocity prevention, the protection of civilians against genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. She undertook a research internship writing a report on sexual and gender-based violence in West Papua. In 2014 Claire studied for a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Uppsala University in Sweden, joined the Association of International Affairs and elected to the Board of Peace and Conflict Studies as Student Representative. Concurrently, Claire researched the role of women in indigenous water resource management and community participation of the Andean people in the Apurimac region of Peru under the auspices of the Centro Bartolome de las Casas, Cuzco. In the following year, Claire spent 7 months working for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the UN Secretariat in New York. Here she provided assistance to colleagues in the Branch in relation to its work on the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly. She covered a number of official meetings during the high-level week of the General Assembly and the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit and prepared informal summaries for senior management. Claire was chosen as a Rotary Peace Fellow and as such, was elected as a Global Peace Index Ambassador in 2016. Back in Australia, Claire was a Policy Graduate for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, Canberra. and currently has been posted to Ghana as Third Secretary at the High Commission in Ghana, that is, as an Australian diplomat. This will be her role for the next three years. Another BDC success story congratulations on such achievements!

21.01.2022 David Slater - Australian Composer David was the founding Head of Music at Bishop Druitt College from 1995 to 2006, where he also established and conducted the Coffs Harbour Regional Youth Orchestra and the North Coast Camerata. After moving for a short period from Coffs Harbour to the Gold Coast, he now resides in Sydney's inner west. After eight years as Director of Music at one of Sydney's oldest independent girls' schools he now advises Australian groups on international ...music touring. He regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses throughout Australia, in Asia, and in Europe where he is on the faculty of several high-profile international music festivals. His most recent appointment is as Australia's Ambassador to the World Choir Council. Other awards include the Symphony Australia Prize, the National Award of the Orchestras of Australia Network and an Australia Day honours for services to music in the community. David has studied, taught, performed and conducted the music of Ludwig van Beethoven for more than 40 years. He sits on international music festival juries in countries including Sweden, Italy, Spain and Russia. He composes chamber, orchestral and choral works, for the concert hall and for TV and film. His recent work includes a focus for young and solo performers. It ranges from pieces for youth orchestra (Exploratory Surgery and Scherzo and Chorale No.3) to pieces for harp (Efflorescences), violin (Pensive Moments), double bass (Etude), cello or viola (Sonatina), voice (Summer Haze), flute or clarinet (No Leaves To Blow) and bassoon (Lamentations) which have all been performed extensively, many for the NSW HSC.

21.01.2022 Clever Girl - Megan Telford has received the Rural Doctors Association of Australia Medical Student of the Year Award for 2018. Read more at https://www.facebook.com/582671671784737/posts/2064518836933339/

18.01.2022 Geordie Robinson After graduating from BDC in 2006, Geordie was accepted into The Actors Centre Australia's full-time Journey program before graduating in 2008. He has performed on stage at the Belvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills in Sydney. Geordie began in the Australian television, film and theatre industry taking on roles in Green Cyc's production of The Taming of the Shrew, as well as staring as Laertes in the Q Theatre production of Hamlet, Sydney. In 2011, he was cast i...n the Australian premier of the play, The Birthday Boys, at The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). In 2012 Geordie was cast in the television series, Underbelly Badness as Craig "Schiz" Bottin, Drug Cook and Decker's associate. In 2014 Robinson acted opposite Rebecca Gibney in the TV series Winter. His previous guest roles included the Australian medical drama All Saints and the pilot Could Gone Pro, along with a small role in the Australian film A Few Best Men. He also appeared in the Australian short film, The Pear and the upcoming American drama series, Girls Like Magic, directed by Mad Men actor, Kit Williamson. He also appeared in the Australian movie Teenage Kicks in 2016 as Trent. Moving overseas in 2017, Geordie appeared in the lead role of Blackrock by Nick Enright in the Australian Theatre Company in Los Angeles. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and as such has appeared in the 2018 movie The Debt Collector as Tim.

18.01.2022 GINGER KELLY Artist Biography Lauren Small graduated from BDC in 2001 after commencing in Year 7 and still remembers how some PE class used to be spent picking up rocks on the oval. After high school Lauren studied at the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, being awarded a high distinction Diploma of Applied Science (Equine Studies). In 2003 she travelled around Australia for 12 months with her parents and 3 younger brothers (all BDC graduates) and shortly after returni...ng from these travels suffered two major horse-riding accidents and a fractured spine which ended her career working with horses. After travelling to the UK and Ireland Lauren began focusing on her freelance illustration business, having had a passion for drawing and painting since childhood. She now runs a surface pattern design and handmade business under the label 'Thistle and Fox' and still creates freelance illustration work under the name 'Ginger Kelly' for various publishing projects around the world. Lauren lives in the Orara Valley and works part time as a vet nurse at Pacific Vetcare in Coramba and Coffs Harbour. You can find Lauren's artwork at Ginger Kelly Studio via www.artbygingerkelly.com and www.thistleandfox.com Her huge portfolio of over 2000 fabric designs are used in handmade products by small businesses around Australia, the USA and Canada. She doesn't get much sleep. Another BDC success congratulations Lauren!

18.01.2022 ATHLETICS: When Brooke Hanson missed qualifying for two consecutive Olympic Games in the prime of her career, she was left with a choice. Throw in the towel and forever ponder what could have been, or continue to chase a dream she had harboured since she was a little girl. Hanson chose the latter, and we all know her story ended at the top of the podium at the 2004 Olympics. The 41-year-old was at Bishop Druitt College this morning to deliver the message to students to never ...give up on their goals. She was also there to present a special Olympic flag to a former student who has battled through his own adversities. Keaan Van Venrooij has dealt with rotator cuff complaints and stress fractures in his tibia which have hampered his career as a pentathlete. Though after winning the Under-19 Oceania Championship in 2017, Van Venrooij had his crowning moment last October. The 19-year-old was one of nearly 4000 competitors who at-tended the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires as he represent-ed Australia on the biggest stage for a young athlete. Van Venrooij said it was great for his achievement to be recognised by an athlete of Hanson's ilk. "It was an absolute honour to get the flag from Brooke, Van Venrooij said. "She's been through injury like I have so is a real inspiration for me. For Hanson, she cherished the opportunity to speak to students from an area she has always had close ties with. "It's really special for me to come and give back to young athletes chasing their goals, Hanson said. "I hope the students who aren't just athletes, but also those in the field of the arts, music and so on all chase their dreams no matter what.

17.01.2022 GOLF PRO SUZIE FISHER Suzie, LPGA Class A U.S.Kids Golf Academy Director Oklahoma U.S.Kids Golf Tournament Director Oklahoma City Suzie have been teaching golf and junior golf since 2000. She is a native of Coffs Harbour, Australia and moved to The United States in 2000 to pursue a career in Golf. Suzie was A foundation member of the Class of ’99 at Bishop Druitt College. Her biggest achievement at that time was in 2000 was winning The Australian Amateur Championship at Roy...al Sydney Golf Club. Suzie played golf for four years at The University of Tulsa and graduated in 2004 with a degree in Exercise Sports Science. At The University of Tulsa Suzie was four time Academic All American and four time first Team All WAC. She played professionally for 4 years on The Australian LPGA and Futures Tour. She started in 2008 at the Golf Club of Oklahoma and has taught golf there for 12 years. Suzie’s teaching philosophy is based around everyone is unique and requires to be treated that way. Suzie has taught and coached every level of golfer from a brand new beginner to The Club Champion and Division 1 College players. Suzie is currently a Class A LPGA Teaching Professional, TPI Level 2 Junior/Golf Coach certified, Aimpoint certified, Level 2 U.S.KIDS GOLF certified coach, U.S. Kids Top 50 Master Teacher and a Callaway Master Fitting Professional. Suzie is the Director of a U.S. Kids Golf Academy. The U.S. Kids Golf Junior Academy seeks to serve every member of the family. The programs will benefit players of every age based on proven models of learning, simple and repeatable swing development, use of goal-planning booklets, and most of all, making golf a family endeavour. U.S. Kids Junior Academy philosophy believes: Learning is best when it is experiential and in groups. Goals should be discussed and tracked regularly. Parents need to be engaged and play a vital role in their children's progress. Play on the course is from tees that are scaled to fit one's ability. Optimal performance happens when people are having fun! Suzie came home over the Christmas holidays to catch up with family and to run a Kid's 4 Day Golf Clinic at the Coffs Harbour Golf Club. Congratulations Suzie on such an illustrious career in sport.

16.01.2022 Bailee Dean (HSC 2013) studied a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at CSU Bathurst Campus was a journalism intern at SBS Australia before being posted to News Corp Australia as an entertainment reporter. Since then Bailee moved from being a journalist at Women Want Adventure to being the Communications Officer for Australia and New Zealand at the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) since August last year. Another BDC success!

15.01.2022 More Foundationers with Foundation Principal, Victor Branson at the 25th Celebratory Dinner: Lyndall, Jade, Julian, Melissa, Sally, Krystal, Sam Victor, Corrine & Christian

13.01.2022 As part of a Personal Interest Project for Society and Culture, one of our school captains is conducting a questionnaire about Westernisation. She's struggling to find people born before 1995 and would greatly appreciate if anyone could respond to the link below: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSdiozwG3QW7GLNhc/viewform... Many Thanks, Olivia Gerrard

13.01.2022 Rosie Phillips Rosie started school at Bishop Druitt College in its second year and continued through to the Higher School Certificate in 2008, elected College Leader and presented with the Singh Award for Excellence in Drama. In 2009 she was awarded the Young Citizen of the Year for the North Coast of New South Wales. Rosie studied for degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney, respectively.... After graduating in 2015, she worked in a large law firm and as a tipstaff for a Supreme Court judge in the Common Law Division. Currently Rosie is on staff at Hoffmann and Koops, Lawyers, working in the area of commercial litigation and criminal defence. She has been involved in complex cases involving trusts and contract law and breaches of directors duties under the Corporations Act and white collar defence. Rosie has a particular interest in social justice. She has volunteered at several legal centres, including the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, Redfern Legal Centre and Voiceless. She was also recently the Project Officer at the Australian Pro Bono Centre at the University of New South Wales for a research project concerning image-based abuse. Well done Rosie. See more

12.01.2022 Jerome Meyer After graduating from BDC in 2010, I moved to Kenya to teach English for almost a year. On my return, I begin to study a Bachelor of Law and International Studies and graduated from Macquarie University in 2016. Whilst at university I did two exchange programs one in Uppsala, Sweden and the other in Essen, Germany. After my exchange, I moved to Berlin to study German at Humboldt University. In late 2016, I then moved to the UK and began working in a Law firm in... London primarily in family law. Yet instead of following a path in law, I chose to pursue a career in international relations. In June, 2017 I was accepted to study a masters in International Affairs in Geneva, Switzerland where I now live. Currently, I am in my second and final year of my studies. However, I am also currently working at the World Economic Forum and will be attending the summit in Davos for their 50th anniversary. Alongside this, I am learning French and Swedish. Since February 2019, I have also been working with an international women’s empowerment organisation based in West Africa (Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone) where I have been writing a report, outlining how women in west Africa have been able to prevent election violence. I will be presenting my results at the United Nations as part of Geneva Peace Week in November this year. Occasionally, I have also been writing articles for online newspapers like the Organization for World Peace. An example of this writing is found at https://theowp.org/oman-paving-the-way-to-an-arab-israeli/ Congratulations on such achievement as summarised here, Jerome. Another BDC success! See more

06.01.2022 Foundationer - Christian Callisen Christian Callisen was a foundation student at Bishop Druitt College and a member of the College’s first HSC cohort, graduating in 1999. He was school vice-captain and Dux of College. After graduation, Christian worked as a computer technician and as a banker before taking time off work to complete a research degree in early modern intellectual history. Since 2011, Christian has worked at the executive and senior executive levels in the Austr...alian Public Service (APS), first at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and, since September 2017, at the Department of Social Services. Through his work in the APS, Christian has delivered national policies and programs in health, community services and disability services, and has had the privilege of working on such significant initiatives as Aged Care Reform and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In his current role, Christian oversees the Department of Social Services’ operations across Queensland and the Northern Territory. Christian has also published academic pieces in the fields of early modern intellectual history and the history of the virtual, and maintains an interest in these fields and in the creation, dissemination and impact of discourses around suicide and suicide prevention. His work has appeared in the Journal of the History of Ideas and he is the editor of Reading and Writing History from Bruni to Windschuttle: Essays in Honour of Gary Ianziti (Ashgate, 2014). Christian holds a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning), Postgraduate Certificate in Business, Master of Arts (Research), Master of Business Administration, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders. BDC is very proud of you!

05.01.2022 HARRY’S HOSPITALITY Harry Buchanan (top left), one half of the Components Café team, grew up in Dorrigo with his 2 brothers, and at school’s end he decided the next phase of his life needed to be spent exploring, discovering and expanding his horizons. His gap-year (one of many years as it turned out) took him on a journey across the world and culminated in meeting his partner, Josh, in the UK in 2014. Together they continued to pursue their travel dreams, completing TEFL cou...rses (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), thus enabling them to work in countries like Poland and China before winding their way back to Australia. Woolgoolga, to be more precise. After a year spent honing their skills in hospitality and enjoying the relaxed coastal Woopi lifestyle, they were approaching another cross-roads when, as fate would have it, an offer they just couldn’t refuse presented itself to take over Components Café, landing them back in Harry’s home town of Dorrigo. He’d come full circle much to the delight of family. Harry and Josh met up through their creative hobby as acoustic music duo Josh singing and Harry playing guitar. They’d previously played gigs at Components Café and Mum, Hazel is a Music teacher at BDC as well. Once they purchased the premises, they started to add bespoke furniture items thanks to Harry’s uber-talented dad and Dorrigo local Gordon Buchanan. It started with their coffee counter exquisitely carved by Gordon from Rosewood timbers from his property and gifted to the boys. Then came the guitars hanging in the cafe, the book-exchange book-nook, a miniature chair & corner display box Harry’s brother Tristan inherited the sculpting gene, and his beautiful hand-carved chopping boards adorn the Cafe’s kitchen. They both play squash at the local courts, have a strum and a sing, pop out to Bellingen for a meal they don’t actually get much down time! Congratulations on such an achievement, Harry - it’s great to hear about the family backing your project.

04.01.2022 Jessica Wilson attended Bishop Druitt College from Year 7 to Year 12, sitting the HSC in 2009. 27-year-old born and bred local Jess is an entrepreneur who has taken herself from paddock party-planner to being named as Forbes Magazine’s ‘one of 1,000 entrepreneurs under 30 to change the world in 50 years’ through her shopping app Stashd despite being told she ‘didn’t have it in her’ to have a career in the fashion industry. ‘I am so excited to be sharing my experience and ...key learnings at StartUp Coffs Coast! I started my first business in Coffs Harbour when I was 16, just over 10 years ago now so it’s exciting to come back after building a business and working all around the world to share skills which can be applied from any laptop anywhere in the world to start a startup.’ Jess said. Jessica Wilson grew up on a farm in Karangi, starting her first business at 16 years old running formal after parties for students on the farmland she grew up on, utilising different paddocks as venues. From there she grew and scaled this business to cover 16ths, 18ths, and 21st and made enough money to put herself through her first year of university. From ages 19 to 21, she worked throughout Australia, New York, and Paris with some of the biggest fashion brands in the world. This unique perspective allowed her to see an emerging trend within the global fashion industry which resulted in the launch of Stashd. Jess booked a one-way ticket to Sillicon Valley at 21 with no contacts and lived off two-minute noodles for two months, but managed to meet people from the companies like Yahoo, Facebook, and Google which gave her the insight to start Stashd. In 2016, Jess took Stashd into China and launched it via the TV series ‘The Next Unicorn’ (China’s version of Shark Tank x The Apprentice) which was a televised global search for the next billion dollar business in China. The judges included the seed investor in Paypal, seed investors in Baidu, the ex CEO of Alibaba and partners of leading China funds Sequoia, GGV, and Zen Fund. The television show was aired to 15 million per episode in China and Jess was placed in the grand finals with the bronze trophy as the last western team and last female founder/CEO. Jess will be at StartUp Coffs Coast to inspire entrepreneurs and ‘big thinkers’ of all ages, right across the Coffs Coast. BDC is proud of you, Jess.

03.01.2022 Crow Cam - amazing things happening at BDC. #crowcam

03.01.2022 THE EARFUL TOWER Oliver Gee was dux and captain of the Primary school and left after Year 7 in 1999. He left Coffs Harbour for Perth, but ended up in Paris! Nowadays he runs an award-winning podcast called The Earful Tower. He has just published his memoir called Paris On Air - a laugh-out-loud account of that five-year transformational period, which he, unlike Hemingway, has considerately published while still alive. It is available as an audiobook, e-book or paperback.... He tells of how five years in France have taught him how to order cheese, make a Parisian person smile, and convince anyone you can fake French (even if, like Oliver, you speak the language like an Australian cow). You can find out more about Oliver and his podcast here: https://theearfultower.com The book, which was published in April 2020, has proved a hit in Paris, selling out four times over at the famed Shakespeare and Company bookshop. He’s currently touring the world (virtually, of course, during the lockdown) talking about Paris, books, and life in Montmartre. Caroline de Maigret, supermodel and author of ‘How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are’ says, Oliver Gee has the talent of finding love and humour in Paris’s smallest details. He definitely is one of our greatest Parisian voices. David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen and Drinking French, says Oliver Gee is very engaging, and presents a different side of Paris, from his personal perspective, with panache, and wit. Get a copy of Oliver's book here: www.theearfultower.com/preorder

01.01.2022 Ambitious Amber At BDC Amber Ford achieved an Academic Excellence Award in Technical Drawing and Visual Arts 2003, Award for Academic Excellence in Design & Technology 2004. In 2005, she designed the cover for Stage 6 Art Diary and was winner of the Whitehouse Institute of Design Award.... After graduating from BDC in 2006, Amber completed qualifications from the University of Sunshine Coast and topped her class at Design College of Australia. Amber has a unique knack of being able to combine the goals of a business with all the right visuals to elevate it. She consistently sees opportunities to develop, strategise and create progression across multiple industries. Amber has over 10 years experience in design ranging from humble beginnings as a designer in a print factory, to an in-house for a big corporation then landing herself a lead senior role at an agency. On 20th March 2019 it all began. Amber launched her design business in Brisbane with a gold foil logo. She is the founder and creative director of Husq Designs, (https://www.husqdesigns.com). We are a boutique branding agency based in sunny Brisbane. We specialise in developing market-leading brands that are not only thoughtful and emotive but beautiful. Our expertise lies in developing unique visual identities based on strategy and research mixed with passion, ambition and refinement. Amber set up her business in the Cayman Islands mid last December and is currently working with international clients from Dubai, America and Canada.