Podcasts @ The Hamilton and Alexandra College: Recent Episodes
The Hamilton and Alexandra College
David Thornton joined the Board in October 2021. David was raised in Penshurst and Hamilton and is the Managing Director of Thornton Engineering Australia Pty Ltd. David’s father founded the business in 1975 as a Penshurst based engineering workshop servicing rural industries. Since moving the business to Geelong in 2000, it has grown to be a market leader in structural steel, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, heavy wall pipe, stress relieving and heavy plate fabrication. The company supplies nationally and internationally to some of Australia’s largest companies and employs over 180 staff, including 15 full time staff at the original workshop in Penshurst.
David is an Old Collegian (1990), is married with four children and has a strong community focus, as an active member of Apex Geelong, coaching junior football and an avid member of a cycling group that he founded.
Jessica Dowdy is an experienced litigation and dispute resolution solicitor and the Director of Melville, Orton & Lewis. She specializes in family law, intervention orders, criminal law, child protection, and civil law. Jessica was raised on a farming family in Binnum, South Australia, and attended Frances Primary School, Naracoorte High School, and Walford Anglican School for Girls in Hyde Park, Adelaide, where she graduated in 2004.
After receiving a scholarship, Jessica attended Bond University and completed her Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide in June 2008. She began her career as a Law Clerk, Placement Student, and Solicitor at Hume Taylor & Co Solicitors in Adelaide. In 2009, Jessica was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the Supreme Court of South Australia and signed the High Court of Australia Roll.
Jessica joined Melville Orton & Lewis in Hamilton in 2011 as a Solicitor and was promoted to the role of Director in 2016. She appears regularly at mediations and before the Courts in Hamilton, Warrnambool, Portland, Horsham, and Ararat. Jessica is dedicated to advocating for clients from all backgrounds and is actively involved with the local business community. She is also at the forefront of legal developments in Victoria and serves as the President of the Western District Law Association and a member of several legal advisory groups. Jessica has a personal background in farming and small business and takes a keen interest in matters with a farming or small business element.
Mardi Johns is a lawyer and farmer in the Western Districts with her husband and three children. She completed her education at Immanuel College and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (with Honours) and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science from Flinders University.
Mardi served as an undergraduate Legal Officer in the Royal Australian Navy and completed the Royal Australian Navy Officer Training Course in 2006. She worked as a permanent Naval Legal Officer for five years and earned a Graduate Diploma in Military Law from ANU.
Mardi joined the Navy Reserves in 2009 and began working with Melville, Orton and Lewis solicitors in Hamilton. She has been practicing law in the Western Districts for the past 14 years and enjoys the gratifying, family-friendly, and collegial experience. Mardi considers it a privilege to have served the local community as a trusted lawyer.
Formal Dinner – Term Four.
It was a pleasure to host our final Boarding House Formal Dinner for 2022 this week. In our 150th year we focused this terms’ dinner upon connecting our Old-Collegians with the context of the Western District agriculture industry. Three impressive old-collegians attended our dinner and presented their life-story from College to the present day.
Sam Winter-Cooke is a local farmer and operations manager at the Murndal property, Tahara, close to Hamilton. Sam spoke of his time at University in Adelaide and the passion he has for an outside office! Sam encouraged boarders to be innovative in their practice, to try different approaches to whatever they choose, and most of all, be a problem-solver when it comes to entering the agriculture sector.
Lachie Holcomb graduated in 2018 continuing his passion for farming at his home property. Lachie spoke of the importance of persevering through the tough times and to understand life is not always going to be smooth riding. For Lachie today, he is a proud livestock agent with JM Ellis and Co, working alongside James Pike.
James Pike graduated Year 12 in 2011, alongside Sam Winter-Cooke. Both studied at University in Adelaide, with James complete a Bachelor of Commerce. James’ stressed the importance of hard work whilst at school and that your attitude in having a go will set you apart from others. James’ story was an eye-opening experience for the boarders as he discussed the plethora of opportunities in the agricultural industry; from viticulture, goat farming, aquaculture, and hemp farming practices. He highlighted the future for Australian industry in particular the medical industry being supported by agriculture. As a livestock agent and real estate agent, James also gave the important advice to all boarders that they must be focused upon having good communication skills and social intelligence to survive in the real world.
In our 150th year of celebrations we invite Dr Nick Russell a College parent and local Orthopaedic surgeon to join us to share insights on his career pathway.
Mr Russell was born and raised in the foothills of Adelaide. During school he found his interests lay in Maths and Science, and after finishing at Blackwood High School, undertook a Bachelor of Engineering at Adelaide University. He then worked as a structural engineer in the design of bridges and multi storey buildings. Whilst enjoying the challenges of engineering design, he re-thought his long term career path, looked afield and deliberated medicine, a career he had never previously considered. After gaining entrance through the post graduate admission process, he completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Flinders University. It didn’t take long to realise that his training and work as an engineer was not wasted. He found an exciting combination of these skills in Orthopaedics, the surgery of bones and joints, where physics and materials engineering form the basis of successful surgery. He went through the surgical training program, and has been working as an Orthopaedic surgeon in Warrnambool and surrounds for almost 7 years now. He is married to Katherine, has one daughter at the College, with his second daughter starting next year, and a 5 year old son.
Lucie and Toby Hawthorne are old Collegians and Boarders of the College. In our 150th year of celebrations, we invited Lucie and Toby to share both their experiences in boarding and the value this has brought them through their life journey and current occupation.
Our first Boarding House Formal Dinner introduced Dr Andrew Bradbeer speaking on the topic of sleep and sleep hygiene. The importance of sleep hygiene could not be understated; it is important for growth, recovery, concentration, mood, sport performance, mindset and attitude. It is recommended that adolescents aim to get at least nine hours of sleep a night, with the quality of sleep also an important factor in understanding our sleep patterns. Dr Bradbeer’s engaging presentation provided knowledge and practical advice to our boarders to take away which was relevant and realistic. The broader topic of stress, anxiety and how electronic devices effect our sleep patterns was discussed with advice about how to deal with this and what to do.
In focus is a regular podcast published by The Hamilton and Alexandra College. The hosts, Deputy Principal Wellbeing Kristen Waldron and Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning Susan Bradbeer, invite the College community to focus in on what matters most in education, whilst having fun.
In focus is a regular podcast published by The Hamilton and Alexandra College. The hosts, Deputy Principal Wellbeing Kristen Waldron and Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning Susan Bradbeer, invite the College community to focus in on what matters most in education, whilst having fun.
This episode featuring Principal, Dr. Andrew Hirst.
In focus is a regular podcast published by The Hamilton and Alexandra College. The hosts, Deputy Principal Wellbeing Kristen Waldron and Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning Susan Bradbeer, invite the College community to focus in on what matters most in education, whilst having fun.
In focus is a regular podcast published by The Hamilton and Alexandra College. The hosts, Deputy Principal Wellbeing Kristen Waldron and Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning Susan Bradbeer, invite the College community to focus in on what matters most in education, whilst having fun