Alumni

After graduating in 2013, I dove straight into the study of a Bachelor of Primary Education at JCU. I completed my first two years in Townsville then travelled by myself to Japan and fell in love with the culture and language. I then went on to start studying Japanese at a night school. My third year of university I chose to transfer to Cairns. I’m so happy I made the choice to move. I love the relaxed, casual atmosphere in Cairns and there were many more opportunities for jobs. While studying I worked a variety of part-time jobs which I really enjoyed. I met so many amazing people and really grew as a person working for a tour company, teaching English to overseas students and as a student representative at JCU. This also grew my confidence and my wallet to travel more and see many other incredible countries. Graduating from my degree in 2017, I then went onto teach year 4 and special needs at one of the best state schools in Cairns. I gained much insight into different areas of education. My second year out of university I gained a permanent position at Freshwater Christian College which has been rated one of the top schools in Queensland. I taught Primary Japanese as well as Year 5 last year. This year I am continuing at the same school as a Year 6 and Primary Japanese Teacher. I am eager for the exciting year ahead where we are taking some of the high school and year 6 students to Japan. Teaching can be very challenging, however, I love my job and the children and wouldn’t change it for the world!

I graduated from GCC in 2015 and went on to study Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours) at the Queensland University of Technology (2016-2019). I got the opportunity to learn from the professionals at some of the major hospitals and clinics in Brisbane and Cairns, as part of my degree. I am currently working at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) as a radiographer and have loved every second of it so far. As a new graduate radiographer, my role involves general and emergency x-ray, intra-operative imaging in surgical procedures and portable imaging in ICU, wards and the currently segregated COVID-19 areas in the emergency department for the patients who are unable to be brought in to the department. I am also currently training in informatics (PACS) which involves the more behind the scenes work by managing the background difficulties that occur in the imaging storage system as well as general technical difficulties in both imaging and reporting departments. I love facing challenging and complex situations everyday for learning purposes and am looking forward to building on my experience and growing my career within healthcare.

Following my graduation from GCC in 2013, I obtained a traineeship at Cassowary Coast Regional Council where I worked for a year to save money for my Gap Year in the UK. In 2015 I moved to the Isle of Man and spent a year working as an assistant within an international boarding school. I worked and lived at the school during the terms and got to know people from all around the world and on the holidays I travelled throughout the UK and Europe, an experience I will never forget. Following my return to Australia I spent a year and a half studying Secondary Education at Uni, but found I had changed my mind about studying and simply wanted to start working and living life. I joined the Royal Australian Air Force at the start of 2018 and have vastly enjoyed my time. In the RAAF I have pushed myself physically, mentally and accomplished things that I could never have dreamed about doing while at school.

My name is Chelsea De Angeli and I graduated from Good Counsel College in 2017. During Grade 11 and 12 at GCC, I studied a Certificate III in Fitness which landed me a job at one of the local gyms in Innisfail. I worked at Contours Gym throughout Grade 12 and up until September 2018 when I then moved to Cairns. I worked for a company called Spotless, which meant I was lucky enough to work at the Cairns Naval base as a gym receptionist. This is where I met some of my now closest friends who very easily persuaded me to join the Navy. The 8th April 2019 is a date that will stick with me forever, as this is the day I began my Naval Career. I spent 3 months down on the Victorian Peninsula with limited phone use and long days full of discipline and fitness. I graduated recruit school and was officially a Naval Sailor (Almost) in July. I then began the initial training for the job role I was joining as. Six months of Aviation Support training on the central coast, and I now live in Sydney and work on the biggest war ship in the fleet. Lashing down helicopters, refueling and a first response fire fighter is now my life day in day out. We are currently preparing for a 3 month deployment up to the Pacific islands which will be heaps of fun for everyone involved and such an awesome experience to help me advance in my career.

Dave Maloney graduated in 1994. he lives in Canberra, is married to Jackie and has 3 children Sophia, Eleanor and Yitzhak. Dave has been a youth worker for almost 10 years. He works for a charity organisation and a primary school where he mentors, helps and supports students at school. Dave also works in a residential program to ensure young people are given a chance at having the best life.

After graduating from GCC in 2012, I moved down to Brisbane to begin a dual degree in Business and Design at Queensland University of Technology. While at university, I further developed my online brand and content creation across YouTube and Instagram. I also founded a clothing brand called Rift Supply Co, and completed marketing internships at companies including SurfStitch in Burleigh Heads and Endeavour College of Natural Health in Brisbane. Once I graduated from university, I began working full-time in digital marketing at Doughnut Time, helping to manage and maintain all digital and web aspects of the Doughnut Time franchise, as well as several other notable restaurants and cafes across Brisbane. I then chose to depart from Doughnut Time to work for myself instead. Since then I have been running my clothing brand and creating content online for my own online channels as well as for companies such as Coca-Cola, Dominos, Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art, Marvel, Paramount Pictures, Fairtrade and a lot of other great brands and charities. Check out her brand-@riftsupplyco

After finishing school and my school based traineeship at ANZ, I was lucky enough to be employed straight away with ANZ in Innisfail. I was there for 3 more years as a service consultant on the telling queue and then eventually being accredited to perform as a personal banker helping out with the sales side of business. Over the years there I developed many customer skills and really broadened my knowledge on so many different aspects of life in the real world and how things work. I’ve since moved to Cairns to gain more opportunity to continue learning and have found it very fulfilling. Allowing me to work closer to a larger network of colleagues as there are many branches and managing figures in the area. Being able to help customers achieve their financial goals however big or small, is still a big motivation for me as it is important when it comes to money, you’ve got to be in control. As a person I’ve also realised I’ve grown a lot and I know how important is to be accountable, meticulous and respectable when it comes to many parts of life not just work. I’m still learning to this day and I hope to keep learning.

I went straight to uni (UQ) from high school and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I enrolled in a dual Engineering/Science degree… then failed my first semester. I found the transition to a new city a lot to deal with and couldn’t really find my niche. Then I continued to sign up to a UQ college campus where I met a lot of good friends and ended up finishing a Science degree. I decided to try research by completing an Honours degree, which I found rewarding, receiving First Class which was an achievement after such a rocky start to the degree. I then worked as a research assistant in different labs at UQ, from population genetics with sharks, to permafrost microbiology. In the end I found that the career of science research was a long road and decided to make a career change, completing a Masters in Town Planning. Being a bit more mature meant that I found the study process much easier. I received the dux of my year (a big surprise) and really felt I had come full circle from the start of my uni experience. I’m currently a town planner in Cairns and am really enjoying my work! I’ve since moved to Cairns to gain more opportunity to continue learning and have found it very fulfilling. Allowing me to work closer to a larger network of colleagues as there are many branches and managing figures in the area. Being able to help customers achieve their financial goals however big or small, is still a big motivation for me as it is important when it comes to money, you’ve got to be in control. As a person I’ve also realised I’ve grown a lot and I know how important is to be accountable, meticulous and respectable when it comes to many parts of life not just work. I’m still learning to this day and I hope to keep learning.

My name is Jamie Livingston and I graduated back in 1996. After finishing year 12 I went on to a few different jobs as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I worked on a local banana farm then started an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner but realized it wasn’t for me. I then went on to become a PADI scuba dive instructor and worked in the tourist industry for a few years all over Australia. In 2006 i joined the Australian Army as a combat engineer and later became a member of the Australian special forces with the Special Operations Engineer Regiment based out of Sydney. I deployed overseas as part of a peacekeeping mission to Timor Leste in 2008 and I was also a high risk search specialist as part of Australia’s domestic counterterrorism team with the role that defense helps support. I discharged in 2011 and went on to run my own business which allowed me to move back to Innisfail and work with local businesses in support of the feral pig eradication program run by Terrain. In 2015 I moved to the USA and I am now flying helicopters contracted to the US Forest Service and department of interior fighting wild fires all over the country. I’m currently flying a Bell 407hp where there are only around 38 of these helicopters in the world. They specialise in fighting fires and lifting cargo at high altitudes which other helicopters struggle. In the past I have also flown the Sikorsky S61 similar to the navy Seaking helicopters and the giant Skycrane both on fires. To the students that don’t really know what they want to do when leaving school don’t worry too much as it takes time to find a passion to excel in. You spend most of your time in life either working or sleeping and life is short so find a job that you love and it won’t feel like work at all.

I graduated from GCC in 2013 and as Business was my favourite subject, I had no doubt that I wanted to study Business. I always loved IT, but felt it was my hobby. I started a Bachelor of Business with Marketing at JCU Cairns but soon changed to an Accounting major as I was offered a cadetship. The cadetship was perfect in the sense that I soon learnt that I was not cut out to be an Accountant. I completed a Diploma in Business and then moved over to a Bachelor of Information Technology. In my 3rd year I enjoyed being a tutor as well as doing placement with a company in Cairns which worked in DAM (Digital Asset Management). After my placement I was offered 2 days a week with the company while finishing my degree. One of the focus areas of my degree was also teaching us to create LinkedIn accounts and to use LinkedIn effectively. I was amazed to be contacted by a Sydney company who had found my LinkedIn profile and was flown to Sydney to do apresentation on the DAM that I currently worked with. I was very excited to be offered a position at the Sydney branch of an international company where I do presentations across the whole Asia-Pacific of my company's DAM products.

After graduating from Good Counsel College in 2013 with an OP, I accepted my offer to study a Bachelor of Primary Education majoring in Physical Education at James Cook University, Cairns. I quickly grew a passion for teaching in Catholic Schools, therefore in my 3rd year of University I began studying a Graduate Certificate in Religious Education to gain RE qualifications. I graduated from my degree in 2017, followed by graduating from my graduate certificate in 2018. I was very happy with my choice to study at James Cook University, Cairns. I particularly loved the relaxed atmosphere, the support provided by all staff was incredible and it was very easy to make connections with your cohort and lecturers. I have a very close connection with my family and love what the country life offers, therefore coming back home to work in Innisfail was a must for me. In 2018 I accepted my first job offer at the primary school which I attended, Good Counsel Primary School (GCPS), Innisfail, where I taught Year 6. In 2019 I continued at GCPS teaching Year 5 and in 2020 I will again be teaching Year 5 at GCPS. I absolutely love living in Innisfail and love inspiring young minds. I am very thankful for the people who have helped shape me into who I am and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Past student Sam Tschui signed up for the Navy for his gap year in 2021. He then decided to continue on this path with the Navy and recently completed this course at HMAS Penguin. Sam has been posted to HMAS Melville, and his first assignment will be performing border security tasks for thirteen weeks at sea. Congratulations Sam!

Hi everyone Jayden Walker-Epong here, just a quick update on how I have been travelling in the Royal Australian Navy since graduating Good Counsel College in 2015 and graduating RAN Recruit School in October 2017 at HMAS Cerberus. Since leaving recruit school I received my first posting which was aboard the HMAS Melbourne Ship which was located in Sydney. After spending many months at sea, visiting numerous countries and performing numerous operational exercises I was also promoted from Seaman to (AB) Able Seaman Boatswain's Mate on the 29th of March 2019. A few months later HMAS Melbourne was decommissioned on the 26th of October 2019 after 27 years of service. Since then I had been working on base at HMAS Kuttabul in the Fleet Supply Unit on Garden Island in Sydney awaiting the arrival of a new ship I had been posted to. My new posting which I received on the 13th of January 2020 was to be aboard the NUSHIP Supply which was yet to be commissioned as the ship was yet to be bought over from Spain but as of April last year 2020 I was posted closer to Innisfail at HMAS Cairns Naval Base working in Fleet Support Unit due to a family member being quite ill. Living in Sydney away from Family and Friends was always hard but I learnt many skills and seen things I would of only dreamed of and I also played in the Royal Australian Navy Rugby League Team. Thank you Good Counsel College for the wonderful five years and awesome memories I still carry with me today.

After graduating in 2014, I enrolled into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in 2015. I only have a few weeks left of my degree and feel confident that I will have a job thanks to the clinical experience I have gained. I have already been to a few job interviews prior to graduating in December. JCU has been a very supportive learning environment and definitely the amount of clinical experience has given me self confidence and shown me what I am capable of. In the lead up to graduation, we are given lectures to be job ready with resume and interview training.

I graduated from GCC in 2012 and started at JCU Cairns in 2013 studying my Bachelor of Nursing. I graduated JCU as a Registered Nurse at the end of 2015, and started my graduate position on Ward 1 at the Innisfail Hospital in January 2016. After working the ward and High Dependency Unit for 2 years, I got the opportunity to increase my skills and transfer into the Emergency Department (ED). I absolutely love the pace and challenges of the ED, and working in Innisfail Hospital has allowed me to gain skills and face challenges I definitely would not have encountered in a larger facility. I am currently furthering my knowledge and skills by completing my Post-Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing externally through QUT University, while also working, allowing me to put my knowledge immediately into practice. I love giving back to the community I grew up in by caring for people at their most vulnerable. I couldn't be happier in my current roll and look forward to the rest of my career as a Registered Nurse!!

Liam graduated in 2013 and completed Year 12 with an OP, of which especially Maths B and Physics were vital as he knew he was heading into an electrical apprenticeship. Towards the end of Year 11 Liam was signed up in a school-based electrical apprenticeship with D'Urso Air Conditioning and Electrical. The owners Erik and Carl D'Urso were both past GCC students so this was very special! Liam completed his apprenticeship and then went on to also complete his Certificate III in Aircon & Refrigeration. In 2017 Liam was awarded the 2017 Queensland Apprentice of the Year. We love catching up with past students and hope they inspire our current students to give a little more and try a bit harder to reach their dreams and goals.

After graduating in 2013 with an OP 3, I got into my first choice course studying Law and International Relations at UQ. After a year of studying, I realized that a career in law was not for me and decided that I was destined to be a teacher. I am just about to graduate from a Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Arts majoring in History, Legal Studies and Japanese. I will be starting as a Japanese and Humanities teacher at Ipswich State High School in 2020. I’m excited to begin my career educating and inspiring young people!

I graduated from GCC in 2013 and then went on to studying a Bachelor in Pharmacy at James Cook University. At school, I studied subjects that I felt would not only get me into university, but help me while I was there. Those subjects included Biology, Chemistry and Maths B. James Cook Uni promoted rural work throughout the degree, which inspired me to come back to my home town and serve my community. After graduation I applied to Alive Pharmacy, where I have been working ever since I graduated university in 2017.

I finished high school in 2011, I did not get an OP because I never planned on attending university, I secured my dream job with frontier services as a childcare worker and spent 2 years travelling to remote cattle stations to provide childcare for 3-6 weeks at each property. My goals eventually changed and I was looking for a change, I found myself feeling lost and unsure what to do. An opportunity to work as an assistant in nursing in a remote aboriginal community in central QLD came up and I jumped at the opportunity. I had absolutely no interest in being a nurse or living in central Queensland, 1300km’s from home, but I thought at the very least I would earn some money and go back to Innisfail in 12 months. I started my new job and quickly learned it was exactly what I was meant to be doing and it was a no-brainer to enrol and do a bachelor of nursing while working. I was welcomed into a very small tight knit community, and I have never considered leaving. 5 years later I have finished my bachelor and secured a graduate position at a large rural hospital in Central QLD. I believe it is important to remember that you will always be better off to try and take a chance and not enjoy something than to never take chances and always wonder what could have happened. I am a strong believer in going to university when you have found something you love and are passionate about!

Hi, my name is Gabrielle Hall and I graduated from Good Counsel College in 2019. Upon finishing high school, I made the courageous decision to move to the other side of the country... beautiful Tasmania, where I began my studies at the Australian Maritime College. As Covid-19 struck the world and uncertainty was upon us, I moved home back to Innisfail for 6 months and studied online while working on the sugar cane trains for the local South Johnstone sugar mill. I then quickly moved back to Tasmania and am currently still continuing my degree in a Bachelor of Global Logistics and Maritime Management. I am thoroughly enjoying my studies and love every aspect of the AMC. I am also the Women's Officer for the Australian Maritime College Student Association, which is a volunteer committee that holds fun events for students all year round. We also operate the uni bar (Seafarers Bar) which is, fun fact, the only fully student-run bar in Australia! I absolutely love the lifestyle in Tasmania and spend many of my weekends camping, diving, sailing, hiking, and more! I particularly enjoy day trips to Cradle Mountain to hang with the wombats... they're my favourite.

My name is Georgia McBain and I am a 2012 graduate of Good Counsel College. During my senior years at Good Counsel I studied a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education which sparked my love for working with children, and lead me to apply for a Bachelor of Primary Education at JCU in Cairns. After graduating and working for a couple of years in Innisfail, I moved to Cairns to start my uni degree. I completed my degree at the end of 2019 and am now back in Innisfail working as the Year 5/6 teacher at St Rita’s in South Johnstone. I’m so happy to be back in my home town working at such a lovely little Catholic school, and I am looking forward to my first year as a Primary School Teacher! The hard work throughout high school and university has definitely paid off!

I graduated from GCC in 2017 with a Traineeship in Hospitality Operations (Certificate III) and BLA Excellence Award. A special mention and a huge thank you to my hospitality teacher, Ms Loretta Kreis (Clancy) who inspired my passion for hospitality/cookery. Through her encouragement and teacher excellence, she extended my skills to the next level by participating and excelling in culinary competitions both local, regional and state (Feast of the Senses, Taste of the Tablelands, Australian Culinary Competitions at South Bank and Gold Coast). In 2018, I commenced an Apprenticeship in Commercial Cookery with Pullman Cairns International and became a Commis Chef (graduate) in November 2020. I loved being the “Omelette Chef” on breakfast buffet and excelling at Eggs Benedict. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, buffets were no longer offered to customers and a la carte dining became the “norm”. Both work and TAFE trained me in the techniques of commercial cookery in addition to critical thinking, conflict resolution, empathy, commitment, reliability and of course - good hard work! My passion is food, health and nutrition. I have moved to Brisbane to study further towards another qualification in food sciences.

I was one of few who left GCC before graduating Year 12, completing only up to Year 11 in 2013. I moved to Perth, Western Australia, to get my feet wet in the plumbing and gas industry starting an apprenticeship in January 2014 & completed it in 2018. I jumped head first into the trade and became very passionate about my industry, learning along the way the importance of being a plumber and gas fitter & the services we provide. Whilst doctors cure, plumbers prevent diseases; being the first line of defence when it comes to human health. It’s not all about 1’s and 2’s; completing jobs such as running medical gas pipes in hospitals, compressed air lines in industrial & commercial factories, stainless steel diesel lines for commercial back up generators in city buildings and more. I entered the 2016 Master Plumbers & Gas Association of WA Apprentice of the Year awards as a 3rd year apprentice becoming a finalist of only 12 in the state and was runner up. I continued my career as a tradesman and did further studies to obtain my plumber's license & opened my own business in late 2019. I love my trade, and the satisfaction I get out of problem solving tasks but also the security I have of being a licensed tradesman. Everyone needs a plumber some time in their life!