Outstanding Young Alumni Awards 2016
ARTS:
Kieran Rafferty (OH 2012)
Kieran is an established drummer and music teacher. After winning the open category of Australia’s Best Up-And-Coming Drummer Competition in 2013, Kieran received endorsements from international companies, as well as the opportunity to perform at the 2015 Australia’s Ultimate Drummers Weekend and was featured in renowned magazine Drumscene. Kieran has performed at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival, the latter with the award winning Monash Art Ensemble. He has played with both local and international artists, including Vince Jones, Dave Douglas, Joe Chindamo, George Garzone, Mike Nock, Tony Gould and Paul Grabowsky. As well as being the regular drummer for The Voice 2013 winner, Harrison Craig, Kieran teaches at established drum store/school Drumtek in Northcote and St. Francis Xavier College.
BUSINESS:
Brittany Drummond (OH 2010)
Brittany is the owner of popular healthy café Soul Press, Brighton and Edithvale. Soul Press serves cold-pressed juices, acai bowls, raw sweet treats, popsicles and cold-drip coffee. After the success experienced by older sister Dior from Soul Press in Edithvale, Brittany opened and runs the store in Brighton. The store often hosts pop-up organic skincare and active wear shops to support fellow health-conscious local businesses. With over 17k Instagram followers and a loyal customer base, Soul Press is quickly becoming a local institution.
Maddison Connaughton (OH 2010)
Maddison is the deputy editor of VICE Australia. While studying at the University of Melbourne, Maddison interned at a number of places including Change.org, The Oaktree Foundation, Business Spectator and the University of Melbourne. Some of these internships then led to job opportunities, with Maddison working as a freelancer and an editorial assistant for Broadsheet Media, Business Spectator and a communications officer for the University of Melbourne. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including The Age, Broadsheet, The Saturday Paper and The Australian. Maddison was recently named as a finalist for the highly prestigious Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award for her work with VICE.
COMMUNITY:
Matt Hutson (OH 2012)
Matt recently walked 37.7kms to raise over $3,000 for Grandmothers Against Poverty and Aids (GAPA). Over the last couple of years, volunteering organisation African Impact has organised two enrichment trips each year for the students and grannies at GAPA in Khayelitsha, South Africa. The aim of the trip is to provide an enriching learning experience and offer the community at GAPA the opportunity to do something that many of them have never done before. GAPA empowers grandmothers in South Africa to take charge of their lives and circumstances by means of education and providing an environment to raise issues within their community. The money raised by Matt was enough to fund a trip facilitated through African Impact for the ‘grannies’ to head to Boulders Beach, where they will learn about basic water safety skills.
SPORT:
Angus Brayshaw (OH 2013)
Angus Brayshaw currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL. Angus was selected as pick #3 of the 2014 AFL draft, missing the age cut-off for the 2013 draft by just a few days. Angus has played 24 games for Melbourne up until June 24, 2016. In his debut season, Angus played 21 games and finished fifth in the NAB AFL Rising Star voting.
Gina Michael (OH 2012)
Gina is an accomplished hip-hop dancer, teacher and judge. In 2015, she placed second with her dance crew, Raw & Rugged, in the upper section of the World of Dance competition LA. The group were also in the grand finale of Australia’s Got Talent in 2016. Raw and Rugged are not only a dance crew but also an institution that helps disadvantaged children by giving them a new start in life. Gina was also recently a judge at the 2016 Australian National Dance championships and the Dance Off Challenge. Her teaching credits include Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance, Montanasa Studios and Haileybury.
