Headed for greatness
Monday, 26 November 2018
 

The roles of Head Boy and Head Girl at John XXIII College present enormous opportunities for leadership and personal development, as well as being challenging and demanding positions in a very busy academic year. Those who take on this role require a range of diverse skills and capabilities, and make significant contributions to the life of our College. Throughout the years, our Head Girls and Head Boys have unfailingly proven themselves to be extraordinary individuals, whose leadership at the school level has stood them in excellent stead for success in life. We caught up with several former Head Boys and Head Girls to see where their journeys since leaving school have taken them.
 

Emily Rohr (Class 1986)

I currently run two businesses; one is Short St Gallery, an art gallery in Broome specialising in regional Australian art. This has led me on an amazing journey working with Indigenous people across Australia and I have been very lucky to have been given insight into the nature of the land and its relationship to all who are born here, and the wonderful cultural practices of our Indigenous people. I also founded a small natural skin care company called Rohr Remedy, which utilises Australian bush medicines.

I am very passionate about regional Australia and have dedicated my working life to try to create work opportunities in Indigenous communities that are based on truly equal business relationships and honestly recognise the wisdom and talents of people living remotely. Although I never set out to do this, it was really just the path that my life took. I have great memories of John XXIII and am proud to be an Alumni. John XXIII, apart from forming the foundation of many lifelong friendships, always instilled a great value system and a sense of social justice.

Michael Tucak (Class 1988)

I work as a lawyer in the arts and creative industries and am also a Councillor at the Town of Cottesloe. I still occasionally broadcast on RTRFM 92.1. I remember moving into the new school buildings just in time for Year 11 and 12. I remember us as a group with a strong creative spirit, who got on well overall; there are lots of good memories (and many laughs amongst them) from back then. I’m looking forward to our 30-year reunion this year.


 

Alice Barter (Class 2003)

I am a human rights lawyer working with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia, currently on secondment to the Coroner’s Court of WA. My memories of John XXIII College are of outstanding musicals, inspiring teachers and friends, being part of strong sports teams and a vibrant community spirit, especially in relation to the support my family and others have received during difficult times. I look forward to being part of the community again when my son starts at John XXIII College.

Jack Bourke (Class 1998)

Since graduating from John XXIII College 20 years ago, I have spent most of my time studying and then working in Perth. I am a Clinical Immunologist, which is a varied and interesting career. It can certainly be challenging at times, but is also very rewarding too. I am married to a wonderful, inspiring woman and we are lucky enough to have two beautiful sons.

We have embarked on our journey as JTC parents this year, with our eldest son having started Kindy. It has been lovely reconnecting with the school and seeing our son really developing in so many ways. Memories of my years at JTC generally bring a smile to my face. It was the place where I began many great friendships, and my closest friends today are still my JTC mates. It’s also where I learned to love rugby. I was guided, encouraged, challenged and inspired throughout my time at JTC and I feel fortunate to have attended such a great school. I am looking forward to watching my boys on their own journeys at JTC in the years ahead.

Kristin Williams nee Lord (Class 1999)

I am actually seven months pregnant with our second child and my husband Charles and I live in Hawthorn East in Melbourne with our 18-month-old son, Edward (Ted). I became a lawyer, and after a few different career decisions, I’m now a Manager in the Research Office at the University of Melbourne and love it. I am just about to go on maternity leave; our next baby is another little boy due in December in time for Christmas.    

With Charles and Ted I am going to be totally outnumbered! I have extremely fond memories of my time at JTC. Especially now, nearly 20 years on, knowing we had such a special cohort where I am still connected to school friends and a part of the school community despite living interstate. I’m grateful for the solid foundation, life skills and confidence the experience gave me. As one of my closest friends and our classmate Fiona Rishworth would have put it: ‘Life is short. We are so lucky we had JTC’.

Deborah Spartalis nee Kounis (Class 1994)

Following the sale of my business, North Perth Physiotherapy, in 2015 I am now consulting to the Faculty of Science, School of Human Sciences at The University of Western Australia. I married Michael Spartalis in 2002 and we have three daughters; Zara, Alexia and Jordana. My sisters and I share fond memories of our time at John XXIII College. Our school provided us with fantastic learning opportunities, a supportive environment and a world-class campus that was a daily visual reminder of how good we had it! But most importantly, JTC provided us with the strong foundations of friendship and social connection, not only with our fellow students and the teachers, but into our community and beyond. It is really lovely to bump into other Alumni and staff from time to time and reminisce on our days at school.

A new generation of leaders

Congratulations to the newly-appointed student leaders for 2019. We were honoured to have had 67 nominations for these roles. We are delighted to announce that our Head Girl and Head Boy for 2019 are Ella Fracaro and Alex Kirwan.