OBA Council Events Calendar Reunions Distinguished Old Boys Alumi Notes Sporting Notes Museum Newsletter

ALUMNI NOTES The following information has been received since the publication of the October edition of Red & White. Items of interest for future publication should be forwarded to the IGSOBA by post or by email to oldboys@ipswichgrammar.com. Sam Stephens (2000-2007) joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a Pilot and is now studying for a Bachelor of Business at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. Sam will graduate from his academic and military training in 3 years as a Pilot Offi cer and then go on to complete his Basic Flight Training at Tamworth. Kai Cruikshank (2004-2008) joined the Army as a General Service Offi cer and is now studying for a Bachelor of Business at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. Kai will graduate from his academic and military each other in their accommodation block. Lex Satre (2007-2008) is studying for a Bachelor of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Lex will graduate from his academic and military training in 3 years and then proceed to Basic Flight Training at Tamworth. Darren Cameron (1979-83) has worked as a fi sheries biologist and manager for various Australian and overseas fi sheries and marine resource agencies since he graduated from UQ in 1987. Townsville is Darren’s Australian base, although in the last 3 years he has been working as a fi sheries adviser for the Pacifi c Islands Forum Fisheries Agency based in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Darren’s partner, Eliza and their 3 young children enjoy living in the Solomon Islands. Drew Allen Carter (1993-1997) was Dux of the School in his fi nal year and was awarded the Leslie Roy Nixon Memorial Shield for Academic Excellence, having achieved the rare distinction of being Dux of his Year in each of his 5 years at the School. An active sportsman, Drew also represented the school in GPS sports including tennis, cross country (4 years) and hockey (5 years) being Captain of the Firsts Hockey team in his senior year. After completing his senior year Drew moved to Melbourne where, as a resident of Newman College, he completed an Arts Degree at the University of Melbourne, graduating with First Class Honours in History and Philosophy. In 2003 he was awarded a postgraduate scholarship and commenced his PhD studies at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne under Professor Raimond Gaita. His thesis, completed in 2008, examined issues in Moral Philosophy, and has brought a long academic journey to an end…although a career in academia is now beckoning. Stephen Paul Gray (1980-1984) has collaborated with Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds on his past two books, Roy: Going For Broke and Roy On The Rise – A Year Of Living Dangerously, both published by Hardie Grant. He has been the Media & Public Relations Manager for Queensland Cricket for the past 12 years and is married to Cheryl. They have two sons – Darcy (4 ½ ) and Tim (3) – and are living at Birkdale. He stays in regular contact with a number of Old Boys, with a 25-year-reunion planned for September. (See proposed Reunions for contact details). Maxwell Ray Gore (1979-62) advises that he and his wife Lyn manage the Ace Caravan Park,Tin Can Bay. Graeme Kan (1987 - 1991) completed a Bachelor of Science (Earth Sciences) Hons degree at the University of Queensland in 1995 before returning to UQ in 1999 to commence a Bachelor of Business (Leisure and Event Management) Degree at the UQ Ipswich campus, graduating in 2005 with a Deans Commendation. He has been working in Events Management since 1997 and is currently the Operations Manager of Suncorp Stadium. Barry McNamara (1960-1961) returned to the family property after leaving school. Shortly after that he purchased his fi rst grain and cattle property with his wife Lesley. A couple of years later they purchased an additional property and developed more cultivation and irrigation. In 1989 he left fulltime farming and worked for a large rural fi nancier, going on to become Queensland state manager. During this time he started the world’s fi rst Private Bank for agribusiness. In 2007 he started a Management and Finance company for agribusiness and now has clients throughout Australia and Europe. Later in that year they formed a Chemical company which now has clients throughout Australia and Asia. He is proud to have his son, Neil, with him in these ventures. Being from a farming background, he feels passionate about providing a good service and product to help rural producers to decrease their costs and increase their output. Barry and Lesley have 3 children – Alison, Melissa and Neil and 5 grandchildren. He loves spending time with his family and they enjoy travelling when they get the opportunity. He believes his education and the friends he made at Ipswich Grammar gave him a good foundation for the rest of his life and has very much appreciated the opportunities it afforded him. 8 training in 4 years as a Lieutenant after completing a year at the Royal Military College Duntroon. Sam and Kai, although a year apart at IGS now fi nd themselves in the same section living next door to RED & WHITE Greg McPherson (1988-1991) went on to study Mining Engineering atuniversity. After graduating he has worked in several coal mines around Central Queensland for contract mining companies. He currently works for BHPBilliton as a Project Controls Engineer and resides in Townsville. Jason Meijboom (1986-90) moved to the Gold Coast after leaving school and worked at a multitude of jobs including panelbeater, petrol station manager and also travelled overseas for a year. In 2000 he started as a Classroom Teacher at the age of 27 and was also married in the same year. In 2002 he took on the job as ICT coordinator at the school, as well as teacher, and built and maintained the school’s computer network. In 2004 he became Head of Curriculum and over the next couple of years also ran many ICT sessions at conferences across regions including some work for the ICT Learning and Innovation Centre at the Sunshine Coast. In 2006 he spent the last term as a Deputy Principal. In 2007 he was seconded to Brisbane Technology Park to work on a project (OneSchool - www.oneschool. eq.edu.au) for the Offi ce of Strategic Information and Technologies under the Department of Education, Training and the Arts as a Senior Business Analyst. This year he is a District Liaison Offi cer for the South Coast Region for OneSchool. Today he live at Bonogin on the Gold Coast with his wife and 2 sons, Levi (5) and Hudson (1) and is also kept busy by house renovations and a small IT business. Royal Rea (1985-89) graduated from USQ with a Bachelor of Engineering in 1994 then worked as a Mechanical Engineer with CSR for two years. From 1996 to 1998 he was a Volunteer Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, Japan Tokyo North Mission. He then returned to his profession as a Mechanical Engineer for Russ Larkin & Associates. He served as a Senior Constable with Queensland Police from 2000 to 2008 at Maroochydore Police Station. On graduating from UQ with a Master of Engineering (Mining) in 2008, he has been employed since February 2008 as Mining Engineer (short term planning) for Norseman Gold, Western Australia. Rob Reeves (2003-7) who was volleyball captain in 2007 went to Iraq in 2008 with the Junior Australian Mens Volleyball team to compete at the Asian Youth Championships. Their 5th place was the best result since 1981. This year he was selected to represent Australia at the recent Youth Olympic Festival in Beach Volleyball in Sydney in January. After three days of tough competition Rob and his partner managed to pick up a Bronze medal. Robert Shailer (1968-69) worked in a bank for 13 years and then ran his own hardware business for 25 years. He also has a farm and runs cattle but is basically semi retired living parttime on the Sunshine Coast and at Mission Beach in North Queensland. Dr Chris Tudge (1978-82) still lives in Washington, D.C. and teaches at American University in the Biology Department and has a research affi liation to the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian Institution. While visiting Brisbane and Ipswich (where his parents and family still live) last July and August he paid a visit to the School. This is a regular, every 2-years pilgrimage in which he brings his wife and two adopted daughters from China to see his family, giving his parents an opportunity to see their youngest granddaughters. In October he was an invited speaker at a conference on the evolutionary relationships of crustaceans in Rostock, Germany, a coastal town on the Baltic Sea. He studies the evolution of crustaceans (including crabs, prawns and lobsters) for his research area. In November he spent nearly 3 weeks in Brazil for research as well as at a conference on crustaceans at Gramado in southern Brazil. He was an invited speaker to a special symposium on their reproduction (another of his research areas). While in Brazil he visited a colleague at the University of Såo Paulo to teach his graduate students at a special workshop and present another invited lecture. Desmond Robert Whybird (1965-69) whose career was featured in the 2006 Issue of Red & White in an article” A Family of Engineers” has changed his role with international professional services company GHD to Chairman after fi ve years as Chief Executive Offi cer. With more than 6000 people in a network of 100-plus offi ces throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe, GHD serves clients in the global market sectors of infrastructure, mining and industry, defence, property and buildings and the environment. Dale Alexander Young (1991-95) went to Vietnam as a volunteer with AUSAID after completing degrees in Science and Engineering. In the following 3 years he worked with GHD Engineering in Brisbane and for the last 2 1/2 years has been in Africa with his partner, Dr Tanya Russell who is contracted to work on Malaria eradication in Tanzania. Becoming aware of a prolonged cholera outbreak occurring at two villages and seeing their lack of access to clean safe water he decided to try and assist them. With a small grant of $15,000 from GHD to run a hygiene, water and sanitation project he is achieving great results. He has had to negotiate a maze of political paths, cultural and language barriers to fi nally be given support at all levels to give some of the most disadvantaged people on the planet the chance to control and maintain improvements to their communities. Dale is working on a voluntary basis and would appreciate support for his blogspot at: www.tanzaniawater.blogspot.com