Gympie former school captains share career, study highlights

From a high-flying lawyer to heart transplant researcher, we caught up with local achievers who were school captains from as early as 1980 right to 2021. Here’s what they’ve been up to since high school graduation.

Rory Dennis – Gympie State High School, 2018

Rory Dennis films weddings as a freelance videographer in Brisbane.

He started study at QUT after school will graduate next year with a Bachelor of IT majoring in computer science.

Rory also participates in various university clubs including robotics.

Greg Groves – Gympie State High School, 1980

Greg Groves studied at the University of Queensland studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Computing and then worked as a computer programmer in 1984 at the TAB of Queensland in 1984.

“For the next 37 years, I progressed through the ranks within the various instances of the TAB until I retired in 2021,” he said.

Mr Groves is now travelling across Australia, house-sitting in his retirement.

His favourite memory from his school days his playing afternoon inter-house cricket, and he still often visits Gympie to see the races.

Adrian Onvlee – Victory College, 2002

Adrian Onvlee is a team leader for Green Options Landscape Management, looking after 28 sport venues in Brisbane and Moreton Bay areas.

He also works as casual event day staff at Suncorp Stadium and QSAC and volunteers at Sports Turf Association of QLD and Australia.

From working as a labourer in the desert to a ginger farm, Mr Onvlee has had many work opportunities and now lives in Brisbane with his wife.

He has worked alongside many AFL teams as well as the Brisbane Broncos, QLD Fire Women’s cricket team and Brisbane Lions.

Annika Coyne – Gympie State High School, 2012

Annika Coyne works as an exercise physiologist with a special interest in musculo-skeletal rehabilitation and women’s health.

She studied a Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at QUT before starting at a private practice in Brisbane.

Having played soccer for 18 years, she loved sport and exercise from a young age, and was inspired to help others by her grandmother who worked as a nurse.

She loves travelling around the world, and is about to marry her “dream guy” next year.

“I’ve loved my journey post high school so far. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years and am excited for the what comes next,” she said.

Tom Canniffe – Gympie State High School, 2012

After graduation, Tom Canniffe studied law and international relations at Griffith University before he worked as a lawyer specialising in planning and environmental law.

He has been enrolled as a legal practitioner with the High Courts of Australia and New Zealand since 2019.

“I now work in anti-bribery and corruption compliance for one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies’ across their Australian and Pacific assets,” Mr Canniffe said.

His job involves a lot of travel and leads a varied work schedule, he said.

Isaac Pickersgill – Cooloola Christian College, 2005

Isaac Pickersgill now works at the Sunshine Coast Council as the Co-ordinator of Financial Services.

He studied a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

He holidayed through Europe and New Zealand, and lived in London with his wife in 2013.

Mr Pickersgill is now married with two children, and is a member of the Local Government Finance Professionals committee and the Buderim Hockey Club.

Hollier O’Neill –St Patrick’s College, 2014

Hollier O’Neill currently does casual work in medical science and science communication while studying to become a doctor in paediatrics or emergency medicine.

She studied a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with honours and travelled to Oxford University in her honours years.

She then began her PhD in Biomedical Science researching ways to improve heart transplants as well as her medical studies.

Ms O’Neill also loves doing indoor rock climbing in her spare time.

“Gympie gave me so many opportunities and I’m so grateful to have been raised there,” Ms O’Neill said.

Nathan Polley – Victory College, 2001

Nathan Polley works in international development based in Cambodia, and works with various projects across Africa, Asia and South America.

He also does a range of lecturing in leadership, business administration and arts programs, along with online work in the TVET sector in Australia.

Mr Polley studied a management degree at the Queensland University of Technology before moving on to a MBA at the University of the Sunshine Coast and later a Doctorate at Alphacrucis University College.

He is about to start a Masters in Development, has been married for eight years, and has two children, Aaliyah and Judah.

“My family and I enjoy living and working in the developing world,” Mr Polley said. 

Andrew Last –St Patrick‘s College, 2005

Andrew Laststudied music at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music before completing a science degree in ecology and conservation biology at Griffith University and then a master's degree in creative industries at QUT.

He completed his teaching degree in Mallorca through the College of New Jersey’s global program and now works as an international school teacher in Modena, Italy.

Mr Last worked in Tokyo, Japan and Wroclaw, Poland and now lives in north Italy with his fiancée, Antonia and their two baby girls, Elsie and Emily.

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Jade Elkington-Harris –Victory College, 2017

Jade Elkington-Harris is currently studying a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Languages while working part-time in retail.

She moved to Brisbane to study for several months before she gained a working holiday visa and spent six months working overseas before returning in 2020 to study at QUT.

Ms Elkington-Harris has been with her partner, who she met in Paris, for three years and is always itching to travel.

“I grew so much from that [travelling] experience which I believe has assisted me in figuring out exactly what I wanted to do, and who I was.”

Natalya Lee – Gympie State High School, 2018

Natalya Lee has been a disability support worker for the past two years and now works at a doughnut and coffee shop at the Sunshine Coast.

She studied occupational therapy at the University of the Sunshine Coast after graduation, but later changed her degree to primary education.

“Life after school has taught me some very valuable lessons. I still have some very close friends from school which is lovely,” Ms Lee said

She aspires to be a classroom primary teacher after university before becoming a music teacher.

Bodie Torr – Gympie State High School, 2021

Bodie Torr received a Certificate III in Fitness and now works as a group fitness instructor at Gympie City Gym and GCG Elite.

He started studying his TTP at the University of the Sunshine Coast to pursue a degree in education next semester.

Mr Torr plays for the Gympie Devils and will soon make his A-grade debut at the start of the season.

Lachlan Mahaffey – Cooloola Christian College, 2007

Lachlan Mahaffey travelled to Mongolia to volunteer for an NGO and teach English and music after graduation.

He soon entered Australia’s mining industry, and has worked in the resource sector for a total of 13 years.

Mr Mahaffey studied a Bachelor of Business Majoring in Economics as well as a Graduate Certificate in Mining Engineering and is currently aiming for a Master of Mining Engineering.

He works as a senior mining engineer at Lady Loretta Mine in North West Queensland, while also running a family beekeeping business.

Mr Mahaffey is now 32 and has three children – Harlan, Bjorn and Nadia with his wife Lkhamaa.

Pete Croce – Gympie State High School, 1998

Pete Croce is currently an officer in the air force and lives in a grape vineyard in Canberra.

After graduating high school, he completed a Bachelor of Journalism and worked at The Gympie Times and later the Cairns Post for four years while he joined the reserves in the navy as a part-time job.

Mr Croce then decided to make his part-time job a full-time career.

He still plays rugby and touch footy and has two girls who “run his life” together with his partner Amanda.

“Looking back, I’ve always been very thankful for the community I group up with and the teachers who took the effort to get the best out of us,” Mr Croce said.

Stacey Watson (nee Mochalksi) – Gympie State High School, 1996

Stacey Watson moved to Hervey Bay to complete a Diploma of Recreation and Fitness and a Certificate IV in personal training at TAFE and become a personal trainer.

She then worked in the fitness industry for one year at Newcastle before she decided to study a Bachelor of Education at Griffith University.

Mrs Watson now works as a teacher at Gympie West State School where she currently has a grade three class.

She’s married and has two children.

The family loves living in Gympie and getting involved with sports across the town.

She coaches Gympie Junior Touch and now manages the Gympie Diggers Football Club.

Lillian Chambers – James Nash State High School, 2020

Lillian Chambers started working and studying at the University of the Sunshine Coast after graduating in 2020.

She is in her second year of study out of five for a Bachelor of Law and Business and works at a local law firm around her study hours.

Jack McPherson – St Patrick‘s College, 2018

Jack McPherson worked for several months after graduating high school in 2018 before he moved to Brisbane to start his studies at the University of Queensland.

He currently works as an undergraduate electrical engineer in the city and is enjoying his time in Brisbane.

He is studying for a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) with a major in electrical engineering and he’s very eager to graduate after his final semester this year.

He played rugby union for King’s College in 2019 and 2020 and casually plays for the UQ team.

Dillyn Blackburn – James Nash State High School, 2020

Dillyn Blackburn began studying a Bachelor of Early Childhood at the University of Sunshine Coast to become a primary school teacher.

She currently works as a teacher aide at Gympie South State School.

Ms Blackburn started competing in rugby union at the Sunshine Coast and has been selected for the Queensland Country Women’s team twice and will compete later this year.

“[I] have loved the opportunity Noosa Dolphins have provided me,” Ms Blackburn said.

“My first year of rugby was through the school rugby union competition and without this opportunity James Nash State School provided, I wouldn’t have found a passion for this sport.”

Henry Fredman – St Patrick‘s College, 2014

Henry Fredman started studying at the University of Queensland after graduating high school in 2014.

He completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, and continued on to study a medicine degree. He is in his final year of study.

He has been working as a part-time physiotherapist in Brisbane while he studies medicine.

He has not decided which specialty he would like to pursue, but he hopes that he can move back closer to the Gympie region.

Prue Townsend-Webb – St Patrick’s College, 2016

Miss Townsend-Webb graduated from St Patrick’s College in 2016 and studied at the University of Queensland.

After receiving her degree in civil engineering in 2020, she worked full-time as part of the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane before moving to work on a massive bridge project in Port Augusta, South Australia.

She returns to Queensland about every month to see her family and friends, she said.

When she’s not in the office or on-site, Miss Townsend-Webb spends her time exploring the wineries and scenery of South Australia.

Dayjil Buhle with her husband, Jacob Buhle and their two children.

Dayjil Buhle (nee Fincham) – St Patrick’s College, 2005

Dayjil Buhle studied a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Queensland for four years.

She is now an associate water engineer at ATC Williams in Brisbane, and is currently working part-time to take care of her family.

She married Jacob Buhle in 2018 and has two children, aged two and six months.

Mrs Buhle said she loved her family life and taking camping trips together.

Anneke Harries – Victory College Captain, 2017

Anneke Harries got an early acceptance to the University of the Sunshine Coast Gympie Campus after graduating from Victory College in 2017.

She graduated from USC with her Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year, and started work as a registered nurse at the Cooloola Coast General Practice at Cooloola Cove and Tin Can Bay.

She will soon move to work at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital after studying throughout Covid-19 during her internship at SCUH.

Now 21, she is still together with her high school sweetheart, Nevin who she met the Annual Gympie Mayoral Breakfast in 2016.

Kelvin Cochrane Cooloola Christian College, 2003

Kelvin Cochrane studied at the University of Queensland in Gatton after graduating in 2003.

He received his Bachelor of Agricultural Science and started dairy farming in the Mary Valley with his wife, Ronnie, in 2007.

Mr Cochrane left the farming industry last year to start Cochrane Real Estate in Gympie together with his wife.

He is now 36, married, has three children and is vice president of Gympie Cricket.

“[I] love all things sport and Gympie,” Mr Cochrane said.

Tim Young – Victory College, 1997

Tim Young attended the University of Southern Queensland after graduating in 1997 t0 study for a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering.

After two years, he changed his studies to a Certificate IV in Aeroskills in Mechanical in Melbourne.

Mr Young finished his studies as a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer and now works in aviation, specialising in aircraft engineering reliability and continuing airworthiness.

He married in 2004 and now has four children.