Warrnamboo Warrnambool

Sean Dooley is a Melbourne author who works as a television comedy writer. He has a weekly spot with 3RRR Breakfasters and regularly contributes to The Age and ABC radio about birds, the environment, sport and, well, anything really.

His greatest claim to fame is that in 2002 he broke the Australian birdwatching record for seeing the most species in one year.

He then wrote about it in The Big Twitch, thereby outing himself as a nerd. He’s part of the writing team for the ABC’s hugely successful Spicks and Specks.

Peter McPhee is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, specialising in the social history of France since 1780.

McPhee has published widely on the history of modern France, most recently A Social History of France 1789-1914 (London & New York, 2004) and Living the French Revolution 1789-1799 (London & New York, 2006).

He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Academy of Social Sciences, and was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to education in 2003.

Professor McPhee was Provost of the University of Melbourne in 2007-09 and is currently writing a biography of Maximilien Robespierre.

Alias DA on Friday's puzzle page in the Age, David Astle is a lifelong wordsmith, writer, columnist and ABC broadcaster. His latest book - Rewording The Brain - explores the neural benefits of crosswords. You can catch him on Evenings most weeknights, or flapping a dictionary on SBS's Celebrity Letters & Numbers.

George McEncroe is the CEO and founder of Shebah, Australia's ridesharing service for women. While trying to safely get her four kids where they needed to go and support her family as a single mum, she came up with an idea for a business: ridesharing that allowed an all-women fleet of drivers to earn income whenever suited them, and that provided worry-free transport for women and children. Now that she's turned her idea into a reality, she's added CEO to the list of roles on her resumé, which include stand-up comedian, breakfast radio host, ABC producer and more.

 

George started her career in comedy after becoming a Victorian Finalist for Raw Comedy. Her debut one-woman show for Melbourne International Comedy Festival won her a Best New-Comer nomination. George has appeared on Spicks and Specks, Can of Worms and is a regular guest co-host on The Circle. She can be heard on 3AW, 774 and Radio Australia as well as occasionally popping up on Triple R.

Jon Vertigan has been waking up South West Victoria on local radio station 3YB in Warrnambool for 7 years.

In a radio career that spans 18 years, Jon has worked right across regional Victoria with stints also in Melbourne and Sydney.

A husband of 1 and father of 2, Jon has recently discovered fitness and has lost some 28 kilos in the past five years.

Jacinta Ermacora is a councillor with Warrnambool City Council.

Born and raised on a sheep farm east of Warrnambool, Ermacora’s first job was as a rouseabout in the family shearing shed. After moving to Melbourne to study at RMIT she worked as a social worker at Broadmeadows Community Health Centre, South West Centre Against Sexual Assault and the South West Primary Care Partnership. Jacinta has also taught research and community development in the Welfare Studies Course at SWTAFE.

First elected as a councillor for Warrnambool City Council in November 2004, she currently serves as chair of the WCC City Development Advisory Committee, Deputy Chair of Wannon Water Corporation and Chair of the Wannon Water Executive Remuneration Committee.