Our Tutors

These are the tutors who presented courses during the 2020 Albany Summer School, 6th - 17th January.
The full list of courses for 2021 will be available on 29th September 2020
Enrolments commence on 29th September 2020

Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes

Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes is a hand embroidery artist based in Perth, WA. She has been stitching for as long as she can remember, but only took it up full-time in 2012 when she started her business, Beautiful Stitches. Her former professional career as a scientist was strongly grounded in mathematics, and that passion for geometry and number is clearly expressed in her embroidery designs. It is all about colour and pattern! Ann-Marie teaches her style of embroidery at a variety of venues around Australia including Tresillian Arts Centre in Nedlands, city and country branches of the Embroiderers’ Guild of WA, the Embroiderers’ Guild Victoria, and the Embroiderers’ Guild of SA in Adelaide. In 2018 Ann-Marie taught on the Needlework Tours Craft Creations Cruise running from Sydney to Seattle and followed this with teaching engagements on the west coast of USA. She has also been running children’s hand sewing classes for seven years and loves the diverse and delightful ideas that children dream up and stitch in her classes. “I believe that every single stitch you make is a BEAUTIFUL STITCH. Each stitch is a small brush of love on the fabric, which records forever the time you put aside to create something special with your own hands. I hope we get the chance to meet and share our passion for creating beautiful handmade items.” www.beautifulstitches.com.au

Richard Beavitt & Annie Robinson

Annie Robinson and Richard Beavitt are highly experienced and skilled Alexander Technique teachers and musicians. They have been teaching the Alexander Technique in Perth since 1993, and have taught at WAAPA, UWA, TAFE, Murdoch University and UWA Summer School. They have together run many introductory workshops on Alexander Technique, including specialised workshops for groups such as the Australian String Teachers Association, the Australian Society of Music Educators and the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing. Richard ran the first Introduction to Alexander Technique at the 2019 Albany Summer School, while Annie ran a class on looking after your voice. www.usefactor.com.au

Richard Beavitt

Richard Beavitt’s introduction to the Alexander Technique arose out of his own solution to the developing stresses of being a musician as a young man. He had decided to go running on a regular basis to get fit, and at the same time avoid some of the more usual pitfalls of being a musician. In these regards, running proved to be an enjoyable success but in the process, he also developed a very sore leg! Despite some care and attention, a new stretching routine, a library of information on running, rest and a new pair of expensive running shoes his leg still refused to get any better. He suddenly found himself at the tender age of 25 having difficulty walking, or standing, for any prolonged period. At that time he had a guitar-playing friend, a "long" person who wrapped himself around the guitar when he played, and who had had some success with lessons in the Alexander Technique in alleviating his consequent chronic back pain. So, Richard went along for some lessons with an Alexander Technique teacher and the pain in his leg miraculously disappeared! Richard has been fortunate to have taken lessons in the Alexander Technique from some excellent teachers, all of whom trained at the Constructive Teaching Centre in London under the directorship of Walter Carrington. He had two years of lessons in Leeds, first with Margaret Rakusen (Shoulder) and then with Steve Hallmark - both of whom subsequently went on to run their own training courses. He started his own training to be a teacher of the Technique with Chris Stevens, who combined the rigour of a scientific background with a willingness to experiment with the Technique. He completed his training in Australia in 1992 with the teacher who had run some workshops for musicians in Leeds, Vivien Mackie. Richard has now been teaching the technique in Perth for 25 years and continues to do so – this has included an eight year period at WAAPA, various series of workshops at UWA, as well as a private practice in which he has come to meet and work with a broad range of people who are seeking out the possibilities of the Technique to alleviate pain, rehabilitation following injury, or otherwise enhance their ability to move outside the confines of habit. www.usefactor.com.au

Death For Beginners

Over the course of the week you will hear from, and get the chance to discuss your end of life questions with, the following highly experienced professionals and passionate community members…

• Vanessa Hillerman is a Paralegal at the Albany Community legal Centre where she has worked for nearly 15 years. Vanessa has qualifications of Cert III and Cert IV of Legal Business Studies and Cert III and Cert IV of Community Services Work. She has always been community minded and loves interacting with people, particularly with older people. Having experienced the loss of both parents she is passionate about educating people about future planning and “having that conversation”.
• Dr Jonathon Ramachenderan is a WA GP training and education supervisor of general practice trainees involved in practice-based training. He is involved in Palliative Care education and training across the regions, training nurses, doctors and aged care workers and has delivered lectures on anaesthesia, palliative care and wellbeing topics such as self-care to various audiences.
• Sonya Coleman has worked at the Albany Community Hospice since 2017 where she plans, coordinates and facilitates effective, people-centred grief support programs. She coordinates support services, resources and provides communication support for carers and guests of the Hospice. Sonya also designs and delivers training to volunteers and facilitates the “Weavers” carer support program.
• Peter Tomlinson has lived in Albany since 1995 and has worked at the Albany Cemetery Board since 2007. He has a background in the Public Service and the Ministry which aligns with his work of balancing the management of the cemetery records and finances together with ministering to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Peter is also a volunteer on Community Radio.
• Nicola Hockey is a highly experienced therapist who has worked with children and their families for 37 years, as an educator and support for children with social, emotional, educational, disability and trauma backgrounds. In her “Small Steps Therapeutic Play and Counselling” service she uses Sandplay as a means of helping children, young people and adults address grief.
• Rob Maroni is a practicing accountant and financial planner at Patersons where he specialises in working with individuals, business proprietors and Superannuation Trustees to establish and manage suitable plans and portfolios to meet their retirement and other financial needs. Rob, as an Aged Care accredited professional, also assists individuals and families as they go through life’s transitions in dealing with succession, aged care funding and estate planning issues.
• Irene Montefiore has long had an interest in promoting health literacy - empowering people to make informed decisions about their own health care - so end of life care and death literacy seemed a natural progression. Around ten years ago, Irene was involved in the establishment of Natural Burial areas in Albany and Mount Barker, then along with Kate Thomas founded Albany Death Cafe in 2014. As co-convenor of the group's monthly meetings since then, Irene has spent a lot of time discussing death, dying, and the many related questions that arise when people finally have the opportunity to speak openly about this fascinating, but strangely taboo, fact of life.
• Chris Lee is an Albany resident who has been involved in organising DIY funerals and has built coffins for friends. He has extensive teaching experience through his work as a sailing instructor.
• Kate Thomas was named Albany Citizen of the Year 2019 in recognition of her co-founding of the Albany Death Café with Irene Montefiore. Kate is a recently retired practice nurse who has also worked as an Assistant Funeral Director and is a qualified wedding and funeral celebrant.

• http://www.albanyhospice.org.au/
• https://www.smallstepsplaytherapy.com.au
• https://thehealthygp.com/
• https://www.psl.com.au/
• https://www.albanyclc.com.au/
• https://albanycemeteryboard.com.au/
• https://deathcafe.com/profile/8083/

Fiona Buchanan

Fiona Buchanan is a professional Western Australian artist working in both pastels and oils. She paints the ocean and portraits. Her current subject is the energy of the ocean and its connection to the human soul. Fiona trained in theatre arts as a scenic artist and designer. This taught her that nothing is impossible with paint, that incredible illusions can be created simply by applying liquid colour.
She enjoys trying to put her emotion and attitude to the Earth’s beauty into her work, which is about the environment and its balance. She works in oils on canvas and in pastel. She takes and uses her own reference photos and loves visiting the places that she paints. She is always searching for just the right colour, the one that flashes only for a moment as the light shines into the water. Fiona loves to work in pastel as it’s such an expressive medium and has such a beautiful velvet finish. As she love to draw, this medium allows her to draw and to paint at the same time. Fiona was a finalist in the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture in 2011 and also won first prize in Australian Artist magazines Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes competition in 2017. She features in the ‘Artists of Perth’ book published in 2017.
www.fionabuchanan.com.au
Instagram @fionabuchanan.art

Ainslie Castle

Ainsley Castle is the mum of four beautiful daughters and she’s passionate about getting people moving! Her special areas of interest are teaching dance and fitness to children, seniors and participants living with intellectual disabilities. In addition to over 20 years of experience in childcare and aged care, she is trained and experienced in delivering dance and fitness programs. Ainsley is a qualified Personal Trainer with a Certificate IV in Fitness, a Group Exercise Leader certification and Australian Sports Commission Community Coaching certification. She currently teaches Zumba Fitness for adults, children, seniors and special needs, Physical Education in primary and secondary schools around Albany, aqua fitness classes, and Fitball classes. She also teaches beginner, intermediate and advanced Line Dancing with the Over 50’s Recreation Association.

April Dean

April Dean’s lifelong interest in art and craft was sparked by creative parents and a childhood joy of making things. A one-time Fremantle Markets regular, she is known to local families through her years as session coordinator and President of the Albany Playgroup where activities included simple cooking with young children.

Neil Elliott

Neil Elliott is a full time, multi-award-winning, Perth hills-based painter and sculptor. He started his career as a newspaper cartoonist and later ran his own cartoon and illustration company in Subiaco for 15 years. His work now, is usually mixed media and created with a sense of humour. Neil draws his inspiration from history, engineering, his dreams and the many interesting objects found in his studio. In 2016 Neil won the Packer's Prize for his painting "Bathroom Intruders' at the Royal Perth Show. In 2017 he was awarded an ART ON THE MOVE state-wide touring exhibition of his sculptures. www.neilelliott.com

Mahshid Ferdowsian

Mahshid Ferdowsian is Persian and has lived in Africa for 14 years. and later, in Albany, for the last 32 years. She has been actively involved in introducing her rich Persian culture to the community and has demonstrated cooking at schools and community centres, and by invitation at different events where her Persian treats have been very popular. She has also taught Persian cooking at Albany Summer School for three years. Mahshid has also worked as Teacher Assistant, and won the Children’s Week award. She loves working with children and teaches Virtues and values at Schools. She has many interests and hobbies including sewing, hand crafts, gardening and interacting with people.

Dr Joné Gaillard

Dr Joné Gaillard is a Florentine who came to Australia more than 40 years ago. She has a degree in Politics and Social Science from the University of Florence, a postgraduate diploma in Politics from Nancy (France), a MA and a PhD from Melbourne. A social historian, she has taught Italian language, history and culture first in Florence, then as Affiliate Professor at the University of Northern Colorado and, finally, at La Trobe University in Melbourne, where she lives. Besides giving lectures at Universities and cultural institutions, both in Australia and overseas, she has published many articles on different aspects of the European culture, and two books, one of fiction and one on opera librettos. Retired, she now lectures at the U3A and leads groups on tours in Europe. A native speaker of Italian, she also speaks French and Spanish. This will be Dr Gaillard’s 10th visit to Albany for Summer School.

Vernice Gillies

Vernice Gillies is a local Minang Elder with a lifelong passion for the preservation of her heritage and local cultural traditions. She welcomes the chance to share it with the broader community and encouraging Noongar youth to take pride in this unique heritage. She has held a number of jobs in the Public sector including as Education Officer with the Albany Branch of the WA Museum and is now a Director of the Kurrah Mia Art Shop and Cultural tours. She will lead the Aboriginal heritage courses which will be co-presented with other Local Elders.

Pam Goodman

Pam Goodman is a Feldenkrais Practitioner with over 40 years experience in the method. Her work as a physiotherapist led to her interest in the educational process. Feldenkrais uses movement as a tool for teaching greater self-awareness and autonomy. It can be beneficial for anyone, and is used for the benefit of sports people, dancers, actors, musicians and anyone wishing to move and live more easily.

Antonia Grasso

Antonia Grasso started ballroom and Latin dancing in 1992 at Wrightson’s Dance Studio. Dancing was a good hobby to balance her serious job as a lawyer. In 1993 Antonia was part of a Formation Team which won the State Ballroom Dancing Championships in Perth. In 1995 after completing her dance studies with Derek Gatley (an international adjudicator in ballroom and Latin), Antonia started teaching at Wrightson’s in 1995 until 1999 when she relocated to Albany. Whilst in Perth, she performed several floorshows and was the choreographer for some musicals. Antonia did all her medal exams up till the Oscar stage. Once in Albany, Antonia was teaching at Albany Ballroom Studio, both classes and one on one. She also choreographed some dances for the Albany Light Opera Company over the years. In 2016 Antonia started her own studio, “Antonia’s Dance Studio”, situated at 129B Lockyer Avenue. There she teaches every night, both classes and one on one lessons. Antonia also thoroughly enjoys choreographing couples’ special bridal dance. Antonia’s students have performed for residents at retirement villages and perform at the Albany Agricultural Show every year. Antonia’s style of teaching is fun-orientated, and she loves to impart her passion for dancing to her students.

Marie Haass

Marie Haass is a French/Australian visual artist. She studied and worked in Paris and Berlin before moving to Perth, Western Australia where she completed a MA in Visual Arts at Curtin University of Technology. She has held six solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions, including Drawing Matters, Spectrum Gallery, Vancouver Arts Centre, Sens-ation, Taipei/Perth exchange, Now and Then, A Hundred Years of Art and Design In Western Australia, Pica, Autumn in Venice, Palazzo Correr, Venice, First International Biennale of Women Artists, Stockholm. Marie has over 30 years of teaching experience in the field of painting, textiles, drawing, art history, visual culture. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, such as Artbank, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Curtin University Art Collection, Central Institute of Technology, Royal Perth Hospital Collection, Holmes a Court Collection and the Mundaring Shire Collection. Her current work is based on still life and symbolism, and she uses coloured pencils extensively to render her subject. Her coloured pencil workshops are very popular throughout Australia. www.mariehaass.com

Dr Alan Hancock

Dr Alan Hancock is an educator, writer, and theatre director. His work has been broadcast by the ABC and BBC and published in magazines and journals world-wide. His stories and scripts have won prizes, while his work with writing groups, universities, government bodies and business organisations has drawn praise and brought him a long list of testimonials. He has directed plays that have been performed at the Edinburgh festival, by professional theatre companies, and for student drama festivals in Australia. You can find out more at www.alan-hancock.com

Maureen James

Maureen James first learned basketry at the Albany Summer School in 1985. In 1987 she was chosen to exhibit at the Crafts Council of Western Australia’s Centre and the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery. She also exhibited in the Viewpoint (1993) exhibition. Since then she has tutored at the Albany Summer School in 1988, 2018 and now, 2019. She has also taught basketry in Margaret River, at the Mt Barker Arts Centre, at the Stirling Range Fibre Weekend, Vancouver Arts Centre in Albany and twice in Pemberton at the Fine Wood Craft Gallery.

Penny Jewell

Penny Jewell is a textile artist living and working in Walpole, Western Australia. Having a lifelong love of both textiles and plants allows her to combine her interests in the effects of botanical dyes on both fabric and paper. The interplay of temperature, PH, flora and fabric are not always totally predictable – but she finds the different possibilities and the sometimes, unexpected results fascinating. Her exhibitions include the 2015 Duo exhibition, Glimpse, at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, W.A. (Bendigo Bank Southern Art and Craft Trail 2015). Her work can be found in numerous retail outlets and galleries including the Art Gallery of Western Australia Shop, Found – Fremantle Arts Centre, Aspects Gallery at Kings Park Botanical Gardens, the Art Gallery of Ballarat Victoria and the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.

George Knowlden

George Knowlden is a recently graduated electrical/electronic engineer and has been tutoring maths to high school students for the last 9 years. During the 2019 Albany Summer School George taught a smart phone course and enjoyed it so much he’s coming back for the 2020 Summer School. He works in cybersecurity and electronic engineering.

Tony London

Tony London holds teaching qualifications from Monash University, Edith Cowan University and the University of WA. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Educational Administration WA, a Paul Harris Fellow awarded by Rotary International for work in education, a Rotary Community Award for work in education and the Australian National Medal 2007. Tony has had a distinguished career in education, as Senior Teacher, Victorian Education Department 1968-1971, Teacher, House, Master in Charge of Boarding, Christ Church Grammar School, St Joseph’s College, Albany, WA, 1981; Deputy Principal 1982-1987 Principal, All Saints’ College, Bull Creek, WA, 1987-2000, Educational Consultant, Student Teaching Supervisor, Murdoch University, University of Western Australia 2001-2009, Self-funded Voluntary Educational Consultant, India 2005-2017. He has taught English, English Literature and History. He is interested in the development of Literacy and Leadership Programs, Teacher development programs in North India for the Tibetan Government in Exile and his poetry and prose have been published in a wide range of national magazines and media outlets.

Enzo Manera

Enzo Manera is a local chef with a passion for creating good food for the soul from Great Southern produce and sharing his knowledge and skills. Enzo has run his own café for 5 years, cooked in mining camps, was Head Chef at the Albany Entertainment Centre and has worked in various cafes and restaurants including Lime 303, Pepper & Salt and has cooked for functions such as Manjimup Cherry Festival long table lunch. Enzo’s Sicilian background has nurtured the love of classic Italian food while his experience in various cafes and restaurants and working with chefs from different cultures has given him a broad knowledge of different cooking methods and styles. He currently works at Denmark Agricultural College cooking for students and staff.

Ilona McGavock

Ilona McGavock is a registered osteopath, practising in Sydney and Fremantle since 1999. She commenced the practice of yoga at the age of 21 seeking relief from pain after a car accident and has since completed over 1300 hours of teacher training in Iyengar and Vinyasa styles and in yoga therapy. Qigong came into her life in 2005 while working at The Healing Point in Fremantle. Here she trained with Dr Bisong Guo. She has also trained with Master Zhenhua Yang and Dr Peter Caughey (TCM). llona teaches several classes a week at her studio in Fremantle, in the local community at the beach, in a suburban park, at Solaris cancer care, and has taught a small group of staff and patients at “April No Falls Day” (2019) at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Ilona also runs her osteopathic practice in Fremantle. Ilona brings a lifetime of personal practice, twenty years as a health professional and an intimate knowledge of anatomy and physiology to teaching and the pursuit of wellness. She has taught in Sydney, Auckland (NZ) and since 2014, in Fremantle and the local community. Ilona has a particular interest in supporting students with their unique needs, helping people to access their inner resources for better health and well-being. www.onestudioyogaqigong.com

David Morrell

David Morrell has kept honey bees for over 50 years as an amateur beekeeper. He has a degree in Science, majoring in Zoology and has taught high school biology and human biology. In the last ten years, David has taught conservation and land management, animal production, forestry, plant production, mathematics and beekeeping at the WA College of Agriculture in Denmark. David also has a Cert 4 in Training and Assessment and he has lived in Denmark for nearly 40 years..

Tim Newbold

Tim Newbold holds a Bachelors Degree in Art Education from Wayne State University, Michigan USA and has taught art at primary and secondary levels of schools in WA. He has run his own hot glass-blowing and leadlight studio for more than 15 years in Albany and has taught leadlight and stained glass in the TAFE system and for various community workshops including the Albany Summer School. Now retired from full time work, he is able once again, to undertake leadlight repairs and commissions.

Dr. Mike O’Shaughnessy

Mike O’Shaughnessy discovered the joys of drumming and percussion in 1990, listening to a group of African drummers playing through the night at a campsite in Wales! Since then he has studied drumming, percussion, and marimba music with many teachers in Australia, the UK, and West Africa. The last five years have included study of classical percussion at The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He has played drums and marimbas in numerous musical groups including Acushla, Village Vibes and WAAPA’s Defying Gravity and also been a member of The Spooky Men of the West choir. He leads community drum circles and has taught drumming and marimbas to adults and children for many years. He believes we are all musical and that music brings joy and expression into our lives. His classes aim to be fun, to allow people to discover and develop their musical abilities, and to enable people to play music together in community.

Merry Robertson

Merry Robertson's formal art training is as Graphic Designer, and after graduating she spent four years in a Perth design studio. She has been a designer and marketing consultant for many years with her art skills mainly focussed on illustration, branding and advertising. Along the way however she has worked on drawing and painting commissions of an illustrative nature. In 2013 she returned to study, spending over two years at Fremantle Art Centre, reinvigorating her printmaking and drawing skills. She has also spent four years as an Art Guide for the Art Gallery of WA. Exposure to the best visual arts from around the world has greatly influenced her approach to her art. Story, symbolism, relevance and meaning play a strong part in her works. Merry has her own studio and printing press where she produces works in drawing, mixed media, linocut and collagraph. She has entered a number of Perth and regional exhibitions and enjoyed some success. As of 2017, and newly settled in Albany, she now dedicates the majority of her time to her art practice where she continues to focus on printmaking, drawing and mixed media works. She is the Chair of ArtSouthWA, which produces the annual Southern Art and Craft Trail, and she is currently working with the City of Albany on the production of Guided Art Tours. Merry’s work can be found in many public and private collections.

Annie Robinson

Annie Robinson has had a 30-year career as a singer, performer, singing teacher and choral director. She has taught at secondary school, TAFE, University and in the community, and has run a private voice and Alexander Technique teaching studio for the last 26 years. She is a qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique having completed her Alexander training in Melbourne in 1992. Annie began her performance career at 15 as a backing vocalist in a rock opera, and sang in bands, folk clubs and cabaret. She completed a degree in Music at LaTrobe University in 1989. Annie moved to Perth in 1992 and taught Alexander Technique to Music Theatre and Jazz students at WAAPA until 2001. She completed her AMusA in singing in 2005. She has studied and performed music from Medieval to Contemporary, and has continued to perform in vocal ensembles, opera choruses and as a soloist throughout her singing career. She was a founding member of the Winthrop Singers at UWA in 2007 and was a member of the vocal group Intermezzo from 2003-2006. In 2012 Annie travelled to Shenandoah University in Virginia to complete her certification in Somatic Voicework© the LoVetri Method. She attended the inaugural Australian Somatic Voicework© training program in 2017 in Toowoomba. She is currently a vocal specialist teacher with the School of Instrumental Music at Churchlands Senior High School as well as teaching Alexander Technique and voice in private practice.

Patricia Roux

Patricia Roux has been teaching yoga since 2008 in France, Switzerland, Indonesia and Australia. Passionate about the practice, she seeks to provide a platform in which students are encouraged to increase their sense of body awareness as well as the capacity for introspection. Her classes are an opportunity to learn simple keys for a healthy and balanced life, through a clean-cut and mindful approach. Patricia has a Masters degree in Sociology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Studies and a Bachelor degree in Psychology. Originally from Switzerland, she is based with her family in Western Australia, where she provides hatha yoga, meditation and yin yoga classes.

Esther Schlager

Esther Schlager has lived in Albany for 30 years and In that time, she ran the Spiritualist Church for 5 years. She has held talks and discussions on spiritual awareness and has taught tarot readings, healings and meditation. Esther has also taught Understanding of the Tarot and its symbols for 18 months at Albany TAFE. She still does readings, healings and discussions with groups and individuals.

Veana Scott

Veana Scott has over 35 years’ experience in photography, photo-journalism and Photoshop. She is a respected judge with the West Australian Photographic Judges association, judging at the Perth Royal Show and numerous local shows and events. She is a member of the West Australian Photographic Federation and as president has run several camera clubs over the years. She enjoys conveying her love of photography to students, encouraging them to take advantage of the power of modern technology. She will teach photographers composition and the intricacies of their cameras in a fun learning environment to include hands-on excursions.

Nicky Shelton

Nicky Shelton is a Western Australian Artist who has embraced the journey of fine art since 2012 after giving away a successful corporate career. Australian birdlife ignites her passion to paint in oils, capturing the unique charisma and personality of each feathered subject she gets to know. Nicky’s artworks have been jury selected as Best in Show and finalist in international and Australian art awards including the Asia Pacific Clifton’s Art Prize, Holmes Art Prize for excellence in realistic Australian Birdlife and the Midwest Art Prize. Her artworks are represented by Jahroc Galleries, Margaret River, Western Australia and online by ArtBaazar.com. Nicky’s paintings are collected by bird art enthusiasts worldwide. She is a member of the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia and an advocate for Birdlife Australia. In 2018 Nicky was Resident Birdlife Artist at Whiteman Park and held her first successful solo exhibition in Fremantle. Since July 2018 Nicky has been painting and promoting her Australian bird art in Europe. She returns home to Western Australia in September 2019. www.nickyshelton.com.au

Melissa Sims

Melissa Sims’ macramé passion began three years ago whilst on holidays in Queensland, one workshop later and she was hooked and hasn’t stopped since. An experienced, qualified floral designer, Melissa ran her own florist and art gallery in the beautiful hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland for several years. This allowed her to immerse her creative mind in a variety of art and craft mediums and develop a keen eye for colours and design, which she loves to share.

Rose Sing

Rose Sing has been studying and practising belly dance (Middle Eastern dance) for close to 30 years. In that time, she has taught many women and children, delivered workshops, given presentations and provided entertainment across the Great Southern region of Western Australia and interstate.

Simon Smale

Simon Smale is a landscape architect who worked for over 20 years in protected natural landscapes with New Zealand's Department of Conservation, has undertaken design and protected areas consultancies in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, China and Laos, and has worked in television, presenting a 24-episode bilingual series on conservation, gardening and land management on NZ's Maori Television channel. For the past decade he has managed Bush Heritage Australia's contribution to the Gondwana Link connectivity conservation project in the southwest Australia global biodiversity hotspot, based out of Albany on the South Coast of WA. www.bushheritage.org.au

Tania Spencer

Tania Spencer is a sculptor based in Lake Grace and has a love for all things wire. She creates large hand bent knitted wire sculpture, suspended wire textile installations, wire drawings, crocheted, knitted and metal embroideries in copper and steel. She also constructs work with recycled textiles, plastics and metals. More recently her work has shifted to include softer textile interventions in the public domain. Created with brightly coloured surveyors tape, these optimistic new installations are markers on the landscape, industrial signifiers of change and places of activity. Tania has a BA from Curtin and has had 4 solo exhibitions. She has been included in many national group exhibitions such as Love Lace at the Powerhouse Museum and Tamworth Textile Triennial and has exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe and Bondi numerous times. Tania is available for private commissions and festivals and takes sculpture workshop bookings for schools and community groups

Mike Staude

Mike Staude is a music specialist at Flinders Park Primary School in Albany. He has been sharing the joy of the ukulele, the world’s happiest instrument, with the young-at-heart since 2006.

Philippa Thomas

Award-winning Western Australian quilter, Philippa Thomas, began quilting while she was living in Brazil in 1988. In 1990 she began teaching patchwork and quilting classes as part of the American Womens’ Association, giving courses of 8 lessons, approximately every 6 months. Between 1996 and 2011 she continued teaching, in India and the UK, then moved to Perth in 2011. Since then, she has been involved with quilting as a practitioner, administrator, judge and contributor to quilting publications. Since 1993 until now, she has been the winner of many awards including the 2012 West Australian Quilters Association (QuiltWest) 'Millennium Quilt' Mainly Applique Amateur 1st Place, 2015 West Australian Quilters' Association (Challenge) 'Half Light' on a theme ‘Illumination’, 1st Place Member's Choice Award and 1st place in the 2018 West Australian Quilters' Association (QuiltWest) ‘Beach Bum Boulevard’ in the pictorial quilt section. https://pippaquilt.blogspot.com/

Mark Tupman

Mark Tupman establishes and manages living production systems on the beautiful and bountiful land of South West W.A. Throughout his adult life he has been actively involved in a range of organic gardening, permaculture, biodynamics, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management projects. He combines principles from these fields with personal experience in a consultancy service, ProductivEcology, that works with local resources and communities to meet the current economic, social and environmental needs of our society. Mark is now also working as a horticulturalist on the Whitchcliffe Eco Village team. This is a massive project and is set to become WA's biggest eco village, all run along sustainable lines. At the moment they are developing model organic vineyard, orchard, vegetable garden and animal systems to meet the needs of residents. Mark has a Diploma in Horticulture, a Certificate in Permaculture and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. www.productivecology.com

Martien van Zuilen

Martien van Zuilen is a felt artist, curator and tutor living in Perth, Australia. She exhibits her high-quality and distinctive felt art nationally and internationally. Since the late 1980s she teaches felt-making workshops at all levels of experience; throughout Australia, in Europe and throughout the USA. Martien runs the artisan dyeing studio Colourant Dyeworks, supplying hand-dyed fibres and fabrics to feltmakers and textile artists worldwide. She is the founder of the Victorian Feltmakers, the current editor of Felt (Australia’s national felting magazine) and the Convenor of Fibres West Inc. Alongside time in the studio, it makes for a busy and creative life! In 2013, Martien completed her PhD in Anthropology with an ethnographic thesis on the significance of women’s textile art practices in contemporary Australia. Her artwork is regularly included in international publications, including books and magazines. www.martienvanzuilen.com

Jenny Wilson

A textile artist for many years, Jenny Wilson prefers to use her own dyed and printed fabrics and threads in her work rather than commercially dyed materials. For this course she turns her attention to using procion dyes, achieving results ranging from subtle and elegant through to vibrant and exciting.

Tony Windberg

Tony Windberg is a professional artist with 3 decades experience in teaching art. Since completing his B.A. (Fine Arts) degree from Curtin University in 1986, Tony has held 13 solo exhibitions, been selected to exhibit in numerous state and interstate group exhibitions and received significant WA and national art awards. He works in a range of traditional painting and drawing media but also uses non-conventional materials and surfaces. A popular teacher, he enjoys sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for art. His work can be seen at www.tonywindberg.com

Dianne Wolfer

Dianne Wolfer is author of 19 award-winning books, including 2019 CBCA Notables, The Dog with Seven Names (written anthropomorphically) and In the Lamplight the third title in her ‘Light’ Series. In the Lamplight joins Lighthouse Girl and Light Horse Boy (which inspired Black Swan Theatre’s, The Lighthouse Girl and Perth Festival’s street theatre, The Giants). Dianne writes across genres. Her fantasy quest novel, The Shark Caller was sparked by the ancient practice of calling sharks and is optioned for film. Nanna’s Button Tin a gentle story about searching for a special button has sold into the US market. Dianne completed PhD research into anthropomorphism and loves talking about Animal Characters in Children’s Literature. www.diannewolfer.com

Renata Wright

Renata Wright is a Western Australian artist living in Perth. Her early artistic influence was watching her father making leather belts, bags, saddles and more. The intricate carved designs on each item were what interested Renata most, and she spent many hours copying the designs, and drawing, painting and being creative in whatever ways she could. Although she wanted to study graphic design when she left high school, she was encouraged to learn “something more reliable” so she did secretarial studies instead. However, she never lost her love for art and learned oil painting, pottery, drawing and watercolour out of work hours. Renata continued experimenting with art and developing skills in her favourite medium – watercolour – and after many years of combining part-time office work and part-time art (painting, attending courses, and teaching adults and children), she finally bit the bullet and is now following her dream of being a full-time artist. She has found a love for spider and pig art, and is now developing a series of both while she continues to teach all subjects in her regular watercolour classes. www.renatawrightart.net

Wayne Zadow

Wayne Zadow is a farmer in the Kojonup district who has had a life-long interest and love of birds. He is
largely self-taught, mentored by Ray Garstone. He has participated in numerous Birds Australia
campouts as a member and as a leader. Wayne has participated in surveys listening and looking for
the elusive ground parrot on the South coast and bitterns in the Southwest. He has been involved in
the Black Cockatoo programme, Atlas counting and has travelled extensively through the outback,
Kimberley and Pilbara areas of Australia birdwatching. Wayne has a particular knack for finding nests.