Rev. Dr. Kylie Crabbe

Kylie Crabbe graduated from Warrnambool College in 1995, and undertook a double degree of Arts at the University of Melbourne (with a focus on criminology and psychology) and Theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity, and then a Master of Theology in biblical studies. She became a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia, and after being in congregational ministry at Armadale Uniting Church, she eventually moved to the University of Oxford, where she did a doctorate in New Testament Studies, and was Lecturer in Theology at Trinity College (2015-2017), Instructor in New Testament Greek for the Faculty of Theology and Religion (2016), and Assistant Welfare Dean at Trinity College (2017). In late 2017 she moved back to Melbourne and has since then been working at Australian Catholic University, where she is Senior Research Fellow in Biblical and Early Christian Studies, Director of Graduate Research Programs for the IRCI, and Coordinator of Graduate Student Experience for the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy.

Kylie has published and taught widely in New Testament studies, Second Temple Judaism, and the early Roman empire more broadly. She is particularly keen on work that shows connections between the ancient world and everyday life. Her first book was about hope and the ways people in antiquity thought about “time” and “history”. More recently she has been researching disability in antiquity and today, and currently holds a major grant from the Australian Research Council about early Christianity and disability. This also leads her to work with a range of people to think about the impact of disability, uses (and misuses) of biblical texts about healing, and more. She also has another major project on domestic violence and other gender-based violence in antiquity and contemporary settings, a large collaborative project on human flourishing, and another on the (often overlooked) activities and people who worked during the night in the ancient world. In addition to university students, she works with church groups and other community organisations, as well as connecting with general audiences through ABC radio, podcasts, or writing in the media.

Tim Hodges

Tim Hodges is a former Warrnambool College student (1991 – 1996) and School Captain (1996) who had a deep passion for sport running through his veins throughout his teenage school years. Tim realised early on a professional sporting career was not for him – so instead he set himself for a career covering sport in the media. He has since become one of Australia’s leading sports television producers.

He is the Executive Producer for Fox Footy’s award winning AFL 360 – the longest running show in AFL TV history. He is a senior producer for Fox Cricket’s BBL coverage and is part of ABC Grandstand’s Friday night AFL team.

An RMIT Journalism graduate, he has worked for the likes of Channel Ten, ESPN & SEN Radio covering events including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Grand Slam tennis tournaments, Formula One Grands Prix, Bathurst 1000s, Boxing Day Test cricket, and AFL. Tim is also the author of the best-selling sports book on Supercar champion Scott McLaughlin, called Road To Redemption.

A self-confessed petrol head, Tim recently ran a race team in the 50th Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway with leading Australian driver James McFadden. A passion project – Hodges Motorsport won three big events across the summer of speedway, and placed 5th in the Classic final.

He remains a passionate, diehard, one-eyed Collingwood supporter.

Dr. Rachael McMillan

Rachael attended Warrnambool High School/College from 1994 to 1999.

Dr Rachael McMillan is a lecturer, anatomist, researcher and physiotherapist, who practices clinically in Geelong and with Football Australia. Dr McMillan has been working as an academic for over 15 years in both Anatomy and Physiotherapy. Rachael’s PhD research investigated gluteal tendon and muscle adaptations in active populations and those with pain, including a collaborative project with the Australian Ballet.

Rachael has won multiple international and national awards for her research investigating hormone therapy and exercise as interventions for post-menopausal women with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (gluteal tendinopathy). Key findings from this randomised clinical trial suggest hormone therapy with exercise and education is a viable intervention for post-menopausal women with greater trochanteric pain syndrome when BMI is less than 25. This trial was the first of its kind across the world and has influenced the way clinicians identify and manage this condition. By invitation, Rachael also delivers education on assessment and management of painful hips nationally and internationally.

Dr. Miranda Menaspa (nee Wallis)

Miranda started at Warrnambool College in 1999 and graduated in 2000.

Miranda began her career as a physiotherapist at the Warrnambool Base Hospital in 2004. With a passion for sport (having been a Warrnambool Mermaid back in the day), she pursued opportunities to work in one of the big sports medicine clinics in Melbourne. Miranda started working in elite sport as a Sports Physiotherapist at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2012 during the lead up to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. She has worked across numerous Olympic and Paralympic sports, attending Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and Rio, as well as multiple World Championship events across the sports of water polo, rowing, basketball, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics. Miranda later attained fellowship with the Australian College of Physiotherapists as a Specialist Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist, one of about 60 in Australia.

Miranda now holds the role of General Manager of Performance Support at the AIS, where she leads a network of world-class practitioners and teams across high-performance sport in disciplines such as sports medicine, psychology, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, performance nutrition, performance analysis, etc. Miranda is passionate about creating environments that support our Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes to thrive, inspiring the next generation of athletes (and support staff) to achieve their sporting dreams.

Jake Nicolson

Jake attended Warrnambool High School from 1990 – 1995.

Jake was studying cookery at the college during year 10 and 11, he then landed a job washing dishes at a local restaurant called Amarant’s after a position was advertised at the school searching for students keen to get into hospitality. The dishwashing role developed into a cookery apprenticeship after he had completed year 11, where he continued his study at TAFE here in Warrnambool. During the second year of his apprenticeship, he made the move to the well renowned Lakehouse restaurant in Daylesford where his passion for the industry continued to grow and he spent his final three years as an apprentice. Jake spent all of his money on eating at the best restaurants he could afford and began entering cookery competitions as a way of networking with more industry people to continue honing his skills and developing his knowledge within the kitchen and the industry.

Through encouragement, support and an eagerness to learn more, Jake set his sights on the UK, travelling to London working under some of the world’s best chefs. After 5 years of working abroad he returned home where he began working at the prestigious restaurant Circa the Prince in St Kilda, rising to take on the head chef role in 2010 at the age of 31. Circa was awarded 2 Hats in the Age Good food Guide and ranked #21 best restaurant in Australia in the Gourmet Traveller top 100. After a move to Brisbane in 2013, Jake then opened a series of restaurants for the Ghanem Group where he has stood as Executive chef for 10 years leading and mentoring a brigade of over 80 chefs across eight different restaurants. Jake also received a Best Chef of the Year award in 2018 from Restaurant & Catering Australia. The restaurants in Jake’s Ghanem Group portfolio continue to collect awards each year due to the culinary excellence they display. With an admiration and respect for amazing ingredients and how it’s produced, Jake was able to turn a love of cooking and making people happy through food into an exciting and rewarding career as a chef.

Brigid O’Connell

Brigid O’Connell attended Warrnambool College from 1997 – 2002. Brigid began studying Arts at the University of Melbourne, then swapped courses to Professional Communication at RMIT after experiencing journalism through work experience.

Throughout her degree Brigid developed her journalism skills by working shifts at The Standard as a general rounds reporter, writing for SAGE – a newspaper for VCE students produced by The Age – and worked as a lawn bowls reporter for a sports news agency during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She also did work experience at various TV, radio and newspaper newsrooms – wherever she could get a place during holidays.

After graduating in 2005 Brigid started a cadetship at Leader Newspapers. During this time she won a Melbourne Press Club Quill Award and a UN Media Peace Award for her team’s reporting of the homeless crisis in their suburb. She became the youngest editor for the suburban newspaper network at age 23. In 2010, Brigid started full time at the Sunday Herald Sun as health reporter, moving across to the daily Herald Sun when the two papers merged a few years later. She has held that job for the past 14 years.

For the past seven years the mum-of-three has taken a day’s annual leave each week to work as a sessional tutor teaching journalism subjects at Deakin University. Brigid has recently finished up at the Herald Sun following the birth of her identical twin girls, Bonnie and Orla.

Brigid is continuing to teach journalism at Deakin and has started a new job this year as tutor and facilitator of Country Press Australia’s three year Community Journalism Program. She is relishing the chance to pass on her enthusiasm for journalism and writing experience to students in rural newsrooms across the country undertaking the cadetship program.

Murray Turland

Murray attended Warrnambool College from 2000 to 2005.

Murray applied for the Air Force pilot program during VCE (04/05), so that he could enter straight from High School into the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). He was awarded the ADFA Education Award (free laptop!), for ‘excellence in the recruitment process’. The prize was to entice students to apply while still in high school. The obligation was to stay for 14.5 years, including all training, however Murray ultimately ended up serving just over 17 years.

Murray graduated from UNSW@ADFA with a BSc. (Mathematics & Physics majors) before commencing pilot training on the CT-4B in Tamworth, NSW and PC-9 in Perth. After graduating pilot training in 2010 he was posted to fly the AP-3C Orion, taking him throughout SE Asia, the SW Pacific and Middle East.

Murray then became a flying instructor in 2016 and returned to Tamworth to teach on the CT-4B, the aircraft he himself had trained on.

Moving to East Sale, Victoria in 2019, Murray helped set up the latest pilot training school and continued instructing student pilots on the PC-21. His final posting before resigning was to fly the Kingair, facilitating the instruction of Air Combat Officers and carrying passengers throughout Australia, including the chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force and the Governor General.

In 2022 Murray joined the ‘Great Resignation’ and took advantage of the post-covid boom in air travel to join the Airline Industry in the US, flying the Embraer 175 for Skywest Airlines out of Salt Lake City.

Natalie Wood

Natalie was a student at Warrnambool College from 1991 – 1997, whilst also spending 1995 in the USA on student exchange. During her school years Natalie was actively involved in many sporting events including senior hockey State finals, State athletic finals and was involved in student council from Yr 7 and in her final year was School Captain.

Natalie played and captained State Level underage cricket and after moving to Melbourne was selected in the U/20 Australian Cricket squad with the team becoming National Champions. Natalie also studied a Bachelor of Human Movement and a Bachelor of Secondary Teaching, as well as finding a small but passionate womens football competition. Over 17 years Natalie played for Melbourne University and Darebin Falcons, represented Victoria 10 times and was selected three times on the All Australian team. Natalie was selected to play in the first two Exhibition Games for the Western Bulldogs before retiring in 2015. Across this time Natalie’s teaching career was also flourishing, developing student leadership and connection to community. After studying a Masters in School Leadership, Natalie then spent four years as an Assistant Principal at Bellarine Secondary College.

With AFLW in it’s infancy Natalie soon found herself learning her coaching trade at Geelong Football Club in their VFLW program. Soon after she was offered a fulltime role, left education, and spent her days at GMHBA coaching as an Assistant in the AFLW and Head Coach of the VFLW. Five years later, and a short stint at Western Bulldogs, Natalie was appointed to Essendon Football Club as their inaugural AFLW Head Coach. Her role has now evolved and includes AFL Men’s Development Coach – Teaching and Learning. She splits her time between being the AFLW Head Coach and the first female coach in the men’s program, in Essendon’s 150 years of rich history.

Natalie has forged through spaces that were not accessible to women and young girls when she was encouraged to dream of her future, and is creating a legitimate coaching pathway for women to pursue.

Peter Worland

Peter Worland attended Warrnambool High School from 1964 to 1971.

After attending Monash University he taught at Debney Park High School, where he received a teacher of the year award in 1980. He was Director of Services at Melbourne’s Wesley Central Mission, before taking on a ministerial advisor role in the Victorian Health Minister’s office.

While on the Minister’s staff Peter proposed three anti-tobacco measures, banning tobacco promotion and advertising, increasing prices by imposing an additional levy and hypothecating a proportion of these funds to fund health promotion activities. The strategy to achieve this involved gaining the support of hundreds of leaders across the community. Peter played a key part in this and feels it is his proudest achievement of his working life.

Peter has also been General Manager Marketing and Community Relations at NRMA, Sydney where he implemented the award winning ‘HELP’ advertising campaign. He has headed up his own consulting company for 14 years (1998-2012) with clients such as Melbourne University, Australian Stock Exchange, Ernst and Young, Westpac Banking Corporation, and Transurban Limited. Peter helped facilitate the effective market entry into Sydney leading to Transurban receiving the right to build, own and operate Australia’s (then) largest toll road Westlink M7.

From 2012-2018, in his final job, as Executive Director Uniting NSW/ACT Peter managed an annual budget of $1billion, more than 9000 employees and 50,000 clients across aged care, disability, drug and alcohol, children and families and telephone counselling services. On his retirement he was credited by the board’s chair Heather Watson with ‘Successfully transforming Uniting, implementing a new structure, new branding and streamlining Uniting’s operating model.’