Michelle Pini is an experienced journalist and broadcaster who holds a Masters in Communication from Deakin University. She is currently managing editor of popular news website Independent Australia. Her prior marketing career within the wine industry spanned over 20 years and included corporate management roles as well as her own marketing consultancy. Michelle’s freelance work has appeared in a variety of publications and she presented a popular drive-time community radio program for radio station 94.1 3WBC in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs for several years. Michelle is an enthusiastic advocate for social equity, human rights and the environment, and an active community member. In Warrandyte, where she has lived for 17 years with her partner and two daughters, she has participated in and headed many community groups and championed local issues. Michelle was a regular contributor to the award-winning community newspaper Warrandyte Diary for many years, both as a reporter and sub-editor.
Bambi is CEO of Neighbourhood Watch in Victoria, an organisation of some 5,000 volunteers who aim to build connected communities to prevent crime, in partnership with Victoria Police. Her career kicked off in newspapers and she spent some 18 years in print, radio and television, including state and national marketing roles for media brands and organisations. She brings to Neighbourhood Watch a passion to help improve society by actively driving pro-social behaviour, and to build communities.
Jeanette has been a journalist for more than 30 years and has won a number of industry awards across her career. She was editor of regional community newspaper, The Gippsland Anglican, for seven years. Jeanette is a well-known national news journalist specialising in agricultural and rural journalism. Most of her work as a rural-based journalist is published in mainstream media and specialist industry magazines. She is also a content producer for corporate and government clients. Jeanette is an author of community history books and gained a sociology degree from Monash University as a mature student.
Heather is the local history librarian for Casey-Cardinia Libraries. She is the president of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society. She is a regular contributor of history articles to the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish and the Garfield Spectator. Heather is also the author of a number of blogs, including one on Carlo Catani(1852-1918) at carlocatani.blogspot.com.
Shivani is an academic at the School of Design, Swinburne University of Technology. She is a lecturer in Communication design and design research, and the director of the Bureau Design Studio, a student-led design agency. Shivani has had extensive experience mentoring students across a wide variety of design outcomes including publication design, information design, illustration and typography. Prior to her academic career, Shivani was a practicing designer. She holds a PhD in Experimental Aesthetics, and her research focuses on people’s responses to designed artefacts.
Mike has been a journalist the past 35 years. He trained on suburban newspapers in Melbourne, worked in London and in recent years has written for The Australian and the Herald Sun. He has been a senior media adviser in Victorian and Australian government's, was the International Red Cross media adviser during emergencies and disasters around the world and was media consultant to London and Washington international law firm Amsterdam & Partners. Mike has spoken at many conferences including the Walkley Foundation Annual Public Affairs Convention, the Australian Government Relations Summit at the National Press Club, and the Australian Defence Force Academy, 'Duntroon', Information Warfare conference on the Afghanistan War. He is based in Canberra. Mike believes strongly in the importance and value of community and local newspapers. He is a regular contributor to the Chewton Chat and in recent years did a six month stint as sports editor of the Castlemaine Mail, filling in for the editor who was on maternity leave.
Lisa was appointed Editor of the Castlemaine Mail in 2016 after an involvement with the Mail which spanned over 25 years. Whilst a student at Castlemaine High School, she began contributing local junior football reports via a Media Studies partnership with the Mail. Lisa was later offered a cadetship at the Midland Express in Kyneton. Two years later she transferred to the Castlemaine office to work on a broad range of local news. She became a sports journalist and later stepped up to the Senior Journalist role covering all facets of news for the Castlemaine Mail and Midland Express. The small team at the Mail gathers its stories, takes most of their own photographs and designs their own page layouts. Lisa has worked on the company’s Tourist News and Wedding publications, features and undertaken relief work in editor roles for the Midland Express and Castlemaine Mail. Lisa said she is always surprised by the diversity, passion, determination and success of local sports people of all ages and loves telling their stories.
Nieta Manser works in the Department of Education as an Education Improvement Leader and has been a literacy coach, instructional leader as well as working in leadership in the primary school setting. Her children’s book, ‘Echidna’s Can’t Cuddle’ was shortlisted for the WWF Environmental Literacy Award in 2017 and has been published in China and Korea.
Brendan McCarthy is a multi award winning photojournalist and photographer with over 20 years experience in the print and online news and magazine publishing industry. In addition to covering local and regional news during an 18 year career with Fairfax Media, his work has also appeared in Lonely Planet Publications, Slow Magazine, Asian Geographic, National Geographic Online and National Geographic textbooks. In addition to his hands-on work, Brendan has also taught and mentored photography in both formal and informal settings. Now working as a freelance photographer based in Central Victoria, his passion for “telling the story” through pictures remains undiminished.