News of OGG - October
Wednesday, 27 October 2021
An art exhibition in Los Angeles, a range of illustrated children's books, a play performed online, tik tok tourism, a blooming floristry business and an AFL Grand Final; some of the ways OGGs Myke Mollard (P’89), Zoe Young (Ga'95), Sid Hewison (Fr'00), Courtney Ray (Russell, A'01), Easton Wood (Cu'09), Tayla Honey (Ga'15) and Brodie Murray (M’19) have been busy during Covid lockdowns!



Myke Mollard (P’89)
Talented Australian illustrator and author Myke Mollard has worked tirelessly through the last two years of COVID lockdowns, knuckling down to not one but four new children’s book titles.

In the first lockdown, Myke started a project with self-publishing author Viarnne Mischon (founder of the School Broadcasting radio Network) to produce, design and illustrate her children’s book An Antechinus in the Attic. It was launched in 2020 with little fan-fare but with a forward by Dr Jane Goodall DBE, it paved the way for an interest in Myke Mollard’s books again.

In early 2021 it gained the attention of the publisher Woodslane Press and they signed him up for the relaunch of his bestselling book An A-Z of Australian Bush Creatures as well as three fresh new Bush Creatures titles to be launched across 2022.

This is the first time in a decade Myke’s classic bestselling title has been available in hardcover and he has been driving demand and the resurgence of his art through social media and TikTok. Gaining steadily in followers, Myke is exposing his process, teaching children about Australian Bush Creatures, showcasing his artwork and laying the foundation for bigger and brighter educational tools to come in his “Sketching Wild” branded media project and quest to teach children to draw Australian Bush creatures.

“Sketching Wild” has taken a bit of back seat as the schedule to draw two new titles, Australia’s Dangerous Bush Creatures and Australia’s Endangered Bush Creatures, both with highly cinematic and engaging illustrative pages, is proving a momentous task. These two books will be out in April 2022 and Myke is showcasing his progress via TikTok, with commentary as he researchers his work, films backyard birds and takes his followers through his laborious process via his enthusiastic VLOGs.

Myke’s has also been busy building a new website which will be launched in December 2021 where merchandise, his stunning art works will be able to be purchased on demand. Between all four books and his website there will be close to 800 animals illustrated and editorially explored to show the diversity and unique living heritage of our beautiful bush creatures from our land, air and sea. Myke doesn’t focus on conservation, extinction, or climate change but considers these books more about a celebration of life and awareness of their plight. He’d like to be thought of as a “preservationist” and one that seeks to preserves life through awareness and bringing to the table his perspective. “There is a deep sense of the urgency, of stewardship, and for us to take generational ownership in becoming responsible custodians. In that, to give the environment a helping hand and make good on our commitment to policies that protect and foster our ecosystems.”  

An A-Z of Australian Bush Creatures has been revised and republished and is available at Woodslane Press, bookstores or via his own online site and online booksellers Booktopia, Dymocks and QBD or internationally try Book Depository. 




Zoe Young (Ga'95)
One of Australia's leading contemporary painters, Zoe Young’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles is currently underway in collaboration with domicile (n.) The exhibition features large-scale acrylic paintings that depict imaginary dinner party scenes in Hollywood that the artist created while in lockdown in Australia.

Still. Life. is Zoe’s sophisticated imagining of the complex reality of human life - what it is, and what it may or may not be again. She has always infused her work with evolving dialogues around contemporary culture, art history and the world of nature.

Zoe is a graduate of The National Art School and Artist in Residence of The Sturt School of Craft and most recently shortlisted for the Sovereign Art Prize in Hong Kong. Zoe is described as a rising talent, having won the Portia Geach Women's Art Prize (2018), the Calleen Art Prize (2020), and the NSW Women’s Leadership Rural Scholarship (2021). Her work was featured in the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair (2018), The Sulman Prize (2019) and the Archibald Prize Exhibition (2013, 2017). She currently works from her studio in the Highlands on the east coast of Australia.

The exhibition can be found at domicile (n.): 4859 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029 until November 15.




Sid Hewison (Fr'00)
Recently famed as a TikTok tour guide, Sid is bringing almost 850,000, mainly international, virtual visitors to Australia via his sids.ventures account.

Sid had been guiding multi-day, remote camping tours, professionally, across Australia since 2012 with a passion for the natural world, culture, education, adventure and dedication to people's experience. When covid wreaked havoc on the tourism industry he realised he had to do something different and decided to bring his tours online.

"Part of the inspiration behind it was basically to bring the tours to the people who I couldn't actually get to, or who couldn't get to me. And I wanted to still be able to bring what I felt I could actually provide to the world.” He said.  "If they are in lockdown watching, that's the plan."

He was interviewed on the ABC just after commencing his documented six-month motorbike trip around Australia. Now just over halfway through Sid has gained an extra 100K followers on Tik Tok.




Courtney Ray (Russell, A'01)
From a corporate job in finance, Courtney turned her love of flowers into a booming online business after her honeymoon in the USA in 2013. The trip resulted in an idea that basically led to her disruption of the traditional florist business model in Australia.

Daily Blooms, established in 2014 is an online florist operating out of Melbourne, Sydney and Geelong, sourcing flowers from markets and local growers every day. To begin with it offered one daily arrangement, depending on what was in season and available.  Always thinking of ways to improve, Courtney has grown her business to the successful enterprise it is today and during covid, business has boomed.




Easton Wood (Cu'09)
Easton announced his retirement from the AFL this month, bringing the curtain down on one of the most decorated AFL careers among Old Geelong Grammarians. He captained the Western Bulldogs to the second premiership in the club's history in 2016, one year after winning the club's best and fairest and earning All Australian selection. Easton spoke to the Bulldogs' website last week about his career.




Tayla Honey (Ga'15)
After five seasons with the Melbourne Vixens, either in the full squad or as a training partner, Tayla has signed with the London Pulse in the UK's Netball Superleague. Competitive netball for those on the fringes of Australia's Super Netball competition has been scarce in the past two years due to Covid, so the promise of more playing time was a huge plus when considering the move abroad. "With Melbourne in lockdown for so long, and (secondary leagues) VNL and ANL either being postponed or cancelled, it’s touch and go as to when we would next get out on court. It’s great knowing that I’m heading to a competition that is going to be played, with the possibility of getting some consistent court time," Tayla told NetballScoop.com.




Brodie Murray (M'19)
Congratulations to playwright and actor Brodie Murray who was recently awarded the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Best Emerging Indigenous Artist for 2021 for his play Billy’s Choice.  Brodie, a Wamba Wamba man, started work on the play while studying Aboriginal Performance at WAAPA in Perth.

Billy’s Choice is set in Lockdown Victoria 2020 on Wamba Wamba country near present day Swan Hill and in inner city Melbourne, Eastern Kulin Nations. It explores the conflict that can arise as young people seek independence, focusing on the cultural and political contexts of growing up in modern Indigenous Australia. It is a story about expectations, and the challenges of moving away from family and Country. Young Billy (Brodie Murray) is facing big decisions about his future and identity as he looks towards life after school. His father John (Corey Saylor-Brunskill) is an Indigenous leader in the Koorie Justice sector who pushes Billy to pursue studies at Uni. Meanwhile Billy’s uncle, Wumyah (Dion Williams) counsels Billy to be patient and listen to country to help him think. Buried family secrets emerge and tensions arise as Billy starts to uncover the truth behind John and Wumyah’s strained relationship. What he chooses to do next rests on his uncle’s wisdom, and memories of the past.

Directed by Rachael Maza, it was one of several Fringe shows that switched to digital due to lockdown, with help from filmmaker Davide Michielin. Switching to a filmed staging wasn’t straightforward. The script required tweaking and at that time Brodie was locked out of Melbourne as an artist-in-residence at the Castlemaine State Festival where he was performing Soul of Possum, an historical live reading. He recorded his scenes solo and sent them to Michielin while the other two characters in the play lived in a share house in Melbourne and were able to record each other.

Billy’s Choice was originally developed as part of Yirra Yaakin’s ‘Yirra Yaarnz 2020’ play reading series in Perth.