Daramalan College alumni stories
A LITTLE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
Daramalan weddings are fairly common these days so not usually newsworthy, but in this instance, I’m making an exception. This weekend (Nov 12) sees ex-student John Lane (1992) marry Canberra lawyer Clare Carnell. And why am I telling you this? Because John is the son of former Canberra Liberals leader Bill Stefaniak and Clare is the daughter of…yep, you guessed it, Kate Carnell, the ACT’s Chief Minister from 1995 to 2000. Looks like a match made in political heaven especially considering John excelled at Debating in school, as well as being a very handy Rugby player. (Especially that game-saving tackle during the Dara Rugby Tour of Fiji).
RUGBY BOYS YEN FOR JAPAN
In another testament to the success of the Daramalan Rugby program, two recent ex-students are making their mark on the international stage.
Tom Haddad (2018) has just signed with top Japanese Rugby outfit, Toyota Shokki after an exemplary season playing 1st grade for Gungahlin Eagles, as well as a successful pre-season run with the Brumbies.
And ex-Brumbie Mack Hansen (2016), now playing for Irish team Connacht in the European league, is really proving his worth including a match-sealing try against Ulster in his last game and has just been chosen to train with the Irish national team who will play against Japan this Saturday. Dara v Dara!
A WINNING COMBINATION
With the passing of Australian entertainment legend Bert Newton, it’s timely to acknowledge the association Bert had with ex-Daramalan student Peter Wynne, class of 1969. (And if you are at an age where your initial reaction is 'Bert who?' it's probably safe to keep scrolling).
Peter started work with CTC Channel 7 Canberra in 1970, later moving to Channel Nine in Melbourne where he has stayed for over 40 years acting as Producer and Executive Producer on such shows as ‘The Don Lane Show’ and a decade of producing 'The Logies' hosted by Bert. (As well as 'The Block', 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire', 'The Daryl Somers Show', 'Carols by Candlelight' and many more).
Peter’s latest production was a wonderful 90-minute tribute to Newton, broadcast on Channel 9 which bumped '60 Minutes' off the schedules, a rare feat in itself
WHAT AN ICE JOB!
Growing up through Canberra winters must surely be the perfect training ground for a job in a cold climate. So if you are friends with Dani Yannopoulos (1991), best to say ‘good-bye’ now as next Wednesday she is off to Antarctica for 12 months to take up her new position as Station Leader of Davis Research Station.
She will share a small village of shipping containers with around 40 scientists, tradies and technicians with winter temperatures plummeting to -40 degrees.
Dani, who spent the last 20 years working with Australian Customs and Border Force, headed overseas after leaving Dara for life experiences and now she will be reaching an area of the globe that only a handful of people have ever seen.
She said she’ll miss her (warm) Kingston apartment and the shops, but HAS packed her hair dye, ‘as I refuse to go grey graciously, and while I have really short hair, I may grow it’.
RUNNING OUT OF NETFLIX CHOICES?
Maybe try closer to home. Daniel Widdowson (1998) has just released his latest production, a 90-minute psychological thriller on YouTube that explores mental health, trauma, and forgiveness. (Just like queuing at the Daramalan canteen really! ). Daniel's story revolves around four strangers who find themselves isolated on a seemingly innocent retreat, where their pasts and coinciding relationships are revealed. I won’t spoil the end – you’ll need to watch here. https://www.youtube.com/playlist...
For something a little more mainstream, our Queenie Van de Zandt (1988) has a small role in the ABC’s new Sunday night drama “The Newsreader” also on iView.
