Listed below are the wonderful tutors currently working for our tutorial department within our correspondence and online schools. All are highly skilled, experienced and dedicated to helping you. They are based in many areas around Australia and prove our belief that distance is no barrier to learning!
JONATHAN WHITE – GARDENING AND HORTICULTURE
After finishing school, Jonathon White studied ecology and natural resources at university, while working as a casual gardener on weekends. After graduating, he spent many years working in the nursery industry, eventually starting his own garden maintenance business. Since then he has obtained additional qualifications in horticulture and garden design, and his business has expanded to incorporate garden design and installation.
These days, Jonathon designs and installs all styles of gardens; however, his true passion is native habitat gardens and through their creation he is able to fashion the happy marriage of his two loves – horticulture and the natural environment. He also operates a small wholesale nursery where he propagates and grows an extensive range of native and exotic plants. Many of these plants are used in his design installations, with native grasses being his favourite.
For many years now, Jonathon has shared his gardening knowledge by tutoring adult education courses and he is always fascinated by the diversity of people he meets. He is also frequently inspired by the level of love and devotion so many people invest in their gardens. Jonathon believes that whether your goal is to obtain a part-time job in a retail nursery, or to develop a large company with many staff, the horticulture and landscaping industry has many opportunities for people with varying aspirations. All you need is a love of plants and a willingness to learn.
FRANK ROSEBY – ANIMAL CARE, MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
After gaining a degree in rural science, Frank joined the CSIRO Division of Animal Health, and interesting times followed in the ivory towers of research and academia. Ten years later, he was back in the real world helping Victorian farmers tackle livestock health problems and fickle markets. Then his world expanded as he moved out of his comfort zone, for many years at a time, to work with farmers in Asia.
Between these challenging periods in Asia, he held various positions with Australian government department, which took him into the newly emerging fields of biotechnology and environmental science.
Living and working in rural areas of India, Malaysia, Laos, China and Japan exposed Frank to the incredible variety of their farm production systems. Some of these systems are quite complex, with many different kinds of “livestock” – silkworms, poultry, fish, cats, dogs, pigs, goats, cattle and horses – all doing their bit to sustain the production system. In hindsight, he considers that perhaps many of these systems are more appropriate to our world of rising energy prices and global warming than the systems we use in Australia. This view was reinforced during a year studying organic farming on the North Coast of New South Wales.
STEVE TAYLOR – WRITING COURSES
When Steve went to school there was no consideration given to the possibility of anyone becoming a writer for a living He did have an interest in sports, however, and decided to embark on a journalism course at university with dreams of covering the cricket in the West Indies, the rugby in South Africa ...
Naturally, he had to choose some other subjects and he went for Creative Writing and Drama After leaving university he worked with several theatre companies, acting, writing and directing, as well as doing projects for screen and radio. Since then he’s had over thirty books published, including works for kids, teens and adults, ranging from plays to teaching manuals. His plays have also been produced all around Australia by theatre companies and in schools and his poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and journals here and overseas.
Steve didn’t ignore journalism, however, and carried on an involvement in that field for seventeen years, writing about the arts, real estate, news – practically just about every topic, actually. Over the years he’s also taught both writing and drama for community organisations and a variety of educational institutions.
MICHAEL PYNE –WRITING COURSES, PUBLIC RELATIONS
With a Masters degree in Education, plus a Master of Arts degree in Australian History, Michael currently has nineteen books to his credit. These mostly comprise English, plus modern and ancient history, texts that cater to the NSW high school curriculum. He also teaches part-time at Sydney University’s Centre for Continuing Education in both Vietnamese and Middle-eastern history.
Michael has been with Lifestyle learning Direct for twenty years now and has tutored many students who have gone on to success in writing. He never fails to be impressed by the depth and extent of writing talent that exists here in Australia, and the amount that is yet to be discovered.His own experience with writing has convinced him that writing is a very personal process, providing a means of self exploration as well as a way of communication.
Michael is an avid traveller with a particular focus on Indo-China. He is also passionately interested in politics and enjoys the company of people with similar interests. His love of history complements his interest in politics and he likes to unravel the problems of the present, especially in Australia, by delving into their historical causes. History is his great passion in reading.
Jeff Toghill - Writing Courses
It was while serving in the navy that Jeff Toghill began putting serious effort into his writing. Travelling around the world, visiting new and interesting places all the time, it seemed totally natural to keep his own personal record of his travels. Eventually he extended this to writing about the people he served with, and others whose lives Jeff found interesting.
It was only a small step from writing for him-self to writing for magazines, so that by the time Jeff decided to seek a career ashore, he was already a well-established freelance writer for magazines all over the world. That small step became a big step when he turned professional, and the hobby which had brought Jeff handy pocket money now made him a comfortable living.
Initially Jeff tried different types of writing, looking for the genre that would best suit him. For several years Jeff wrote drama features for ABC radio, then switched to television where he found a good market for his scripts, subsequently writing individual dramas as well as scripts for ‘soapies’ and popular series like ‘The Sullivans’, ‘Division 4’, and other well known productions.
Although fiction short stories were very lucrative, to widen his scope, Jeff tried novel writing. While his first novel was published in Australia, he felt this was not a sufficiently profitable field, so he turned to magazine writing. For many years Jeff wrote both as a staff writer and a freelance writer for a number of major magazines, and at one stage he was editor of a national magazine where he honed his editing and proofreading skills.
Non-fiction, Jeff found, better suited him as it took in a wide range of subjects and gave him a chance to extend his writing experiences. Subsequently he began to write books on a wide variety of subjects, including Australiana, sports, biographies, history, travel, education and walking. His latest Australian book ‘Walking Sydney’ is part of a series on walks in the major Australian cities. Jeff has published almost 70 books in UK, USA, S.Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, and he is currently engaged in writing for a main-stream London publisher. Jeff enjoys teaching new writers the skills of his profession, and gets tremendous satisfaction from interaction with them and seeing their work appear in magazines and on the bookstands.
Jeff lives in Sydney with his family and Jack Russell terrier, ‘Titch’.
DEBORAH BATES – COACHING AND COUNSELLING
As a teenager, Deborah embarked upon an exciting 20-year travelling, working, personal growth, studying and living journey across Australia. She then went on to develop herself further through drama, dancing, theatre, light opera, writing, publishing, philosophy, people, additional study and the community.
Currently she works as a community worker where she successfully co-ordinates placements of people within local community organisations. In addition to this, she mentors, counsels and tutors individuals in life management and relationship challenges. She also conducts personal growth workshops and holds discussion groups, and has written and published several workbooks and manuals.
Her professional qualifications include:
·B.A. (majoring in religious and philosophical studies)
·Diploma Professional Counselling MAIPC MAIC
·Certificate IV Business (Human Resources) Distinction
·J. P. (Qualified) MQJA
TIM BYRON – PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELLING
Dr Timothy Byron has always had a
fascination with the workings of the human mind. He studied psychology at the University of Wollongong
before completing a PhD at the University
of Western Sydney. His
speciality within this subject is cognitive psychology, which deals with the
investigation of thought processes such as short-term and long-term memory,
perception, decision-making, and the understanding of language and music.
Tim also has experience in tutoring a wide
range of psychological subjects at the university level, from introductory
psychology and biological psychology to the history and philosophy of
psychology. He also prides himself on keeping up-to-date with the latest news
within psychology, from research on how different treatments of depression
work, to research on the effects of aging on the brain.
In tutoring psychology at Lifestyle
Learning Direct, Tim’s aim is to encourage students to learn more about the
basics of psychology so they can either use that knowledge in their own work or
progress to further learning and careers.
Tim has recently moved to the Gold Coast
and enjoys the lifestyle there. Music is a passion and in his spare time he
plays organ, piano and bass. He has also played in various bands in a range of
genres – from classic rock to cabaret, and indie to country music – at a
variety of venues, from the Sydney Opera House to the BrisbaneOldMuseum
and the Corner Hotel in Melbourne.
Rosemary Davies has impressive and diverse experience. Her background includes a number of years in agriculture, media and communications, and community education management. Through these events, she gained the practical skills and qualifications to launch into her own successful consultancy in design, communications, public relations and project management, which has been operating for over 20 years.
With a diverse range of clients from government, education and private business, her management work has covered community events, tourism and tour leading, environment and agriculture projects and promotions. This included a major business launch by the Prime Minister, with national and international dignitaries, as well as the development of books and publications, and agricultural, environmental and landscape project management, along with project management work for the renovation of several of her own homes.
Rosemary has always been an active member in community projects and events and has founded several highly successful community groups, (one just launching nationally) who hold regular community event and activities for fundraising in the wider community.
RACHEL SMITH – SPORTS AND NUTRITION
Bachelor of Human Movement (Science) – with a second major in Biomedical Science – in 2002 at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton. During her studies she realised her passion for nutrition and decided to combine this interest with her experiences and knowledge of health and exercise.
After completing uni, Rachel worked for Netball Queensland in a junior and participation development role, which involved developing the “Net Set GO!” participation program to encourage children’s physical activity and skill development. During this time, she also formed a partnership to develop a sports science business – Advanced Sport – and in 2006 she left Netball Queensland to focus solely on Advanced Sport and establish an athlete gymnasium and senior school strength programs.
In 2007, Rachel relocated from Brisbane to the Gold Coast to pursue her original passion (nutrition) and commenced studies in the highly competitive Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics program at Griffith University. Currently, she has completed all nutrition and dietetic theory and looks forward to finalising her studies as an accredited practising dietician (APD).
Rachel also works part-time for the Australian Drug Foundation, co-ordinating their alcohol and sport management “Good Sports” program in the Gold Coast and Beaudesert regions. This allows her to continue an important involvement in community grass-root sports: the backbone of Australia’s elite sporting prowess.
Rachel is still involved with Advanced Sport, providing their nutritional support while at the same time setting up her new business venture – Easy Step Nutrition. In her spare time she enjoys being active, utilising the Gold Coast’s spectacular beaches, and loves great food and cooking new and fabulous recipes for her fiancé and friends.
TONY ALDRIDGE – WRITING COURSES
Tony Aldridge was born and raised in the city of Broken Hill in far western NSW, and he’s always had a great appreciation of the artistic celebration of the outback in all its forms. At school his teachers emphasised the mythical qualities of the Australian pioneers, and his earliest interest in literature was derived from Lawson, Patterson and other celebrated writers of the nineteenth century such as Richardson and Boldrewood.
His first successful writing experiences were submissions to school magazines and uni newspapers. Since then he has written and co-authored a number of books and publications, with subjects as diverse as the challenges of youth, myths and legends, sport, and the difficulties of balancing sport and study at the elite level. He has also reviewed a number of books for publishing companies, tutored Higher School Certificate students in English and History, and has been a senior HSC examiner.
Tony also completed a Masters degree, which presented writing challenges of a different type, and he discovered it was good to focus on the discipline necessary to be successful in expressive, rather than poetic, writing modes. His experiences have convinced him that writing is a very personal process, providing a means of self-exploration as well as communication, and not simply an outcome. It should be enjoyable and fulfilling.
JULIA HEBAITER – HOSPITALITY COURSES
Julia’s 21 years' experience in the hospitality industry has been extensive and varied. She owned and operated an award-winning restaurant in Melbourne for seven years. Throughout her time in an industry she is passionate about, she’s worked both front and back-of-house in various roles, including management, waiting, cooking, staff training, event management, and organising and executing catering functions, both big and small.
Being the scenes, she has managed all the business aspects – legal, marketing, finances, menu planning, staff recruitment, etc – that set the all-important foundations for any successful business. She has worked in food businesses ranging from cafés and bistros to silver service establishments – and everything in between. She has catered for parties, weddings, corporate functions, fashion shows, awards nights and other events.
Julia’s extensive experience has given her all-round knowledge of cooking, catering, and the delights of sharing food with others. She grew up in an Italian family where food had huge social, cultural, and even healing, functions. She enjoys spending hours in her own kitchen, whipping up endless culinary delights for her family and friends.
Julia has two writing and editing diplomas and she has published a large folio of works. Many are food-related and some appear in renowned literary journals (Overland) and culinary publications (Slow Food Press). She is Senior Editor of two books: Tasting and Feasting Excellence, a 130-page dining guide endorsed by Stephanie Alexander (that’s Julia pictured at the book launch); and Chef Michel Bonnet’s food memoirs, A Boy From Burgundy: A Million Meals, A Million Miles. Julia runs a freelance writing business specialising in creative food, travel and lifestyle writing and is in the process of completing her first food book.
MICHAEL PYNE –WRITING COURSES, PUBLIC RELATIONS
Jeff Toghill - Writing Courses
ROSEMARY DAVIES – GARDENING, EVENT MANAGEMENT, PROJECT MANAGEMENT
TONY ALDRIDGE – WRITING COURSES
JULIA HEBAITER
