Deborah Doyle commenced her teaching career with the Department of Education and Training following the completion of a 4 year Education Degree (History and Geography Major, Business minor) from Edith Cowan University.
As a teacher she has worked at Northam Senior High School for six years starting there as a graduate teacher. She is now the Head of Department of Society and Environment. Commencing in 2007 she is a Teacher Development Centre Coordinator (TDC) for the History: Ancient and Modern Course of Study. She has also attended Senior High Schools Country Week Sport for two years as the coach of the girls soccer team.
Milton Butcher commenced his teaching career with the Department of Education and Training following the completion of an Arts Degree (History and Economics majors) from the University of Western Australia and a Diploma of Education from Secondary Teachers College. He also holds an Honours degree in Education and a Diploma of Computer Science. He has an intense interest in history in general with the medieval period and the crusades, World War I and the Greco-Persian conflicts of the ancient world of particular note.
As a teacher he worked in both rural and city schools. He was HOD of Social Studies at Eastern Goldfields SHS and worked in Student Services and VET at Girrawheen SHS. In 1995 he managed the Mayer Key Competencies trial for the Department.
As a Deputy Principal he has served in Girrawheen SHS, Carnarvon SHS, Katanning SHS and Ballajura Community College. After acting as Principal of BCC in 2002, he returned to Katanning SHS as Principal. Currently he is Principal at Ocean Reef SHS.
His has served as an Army Reserve Officer for a number of years in WAUR, II IRC, 11/28 RWAR and 16 RWAR. Between 2003 and 2005 he was the Commanding Officer of WAUR. He now he serves as a Staff Officer in the Headquarters of the Royal Military College of Australia.
In WWI his maternal grandfather served with the 10 Light Horse Regiment at Gallipoli and the Middle East and a paternal great uncle served with the 57 and 16 Battalions on the Western Front. In WWII his father and paternal grandfather served with the RAAF.
He lives in Mt Lawley with his wife, Jodine, and two children. Mr Butcher is the ANZAC Student Tour, 2007 Tour Leader.
Claire Leitch commenced her teaching career with the Department of Education and Training following the completion of a Bachelor of Arts (History and Politics majors) and a Diploma of Education (Geography major) from Edith Cowan University.
As a teacher, she has worked at Willeton Senior High School (coming back as an ex- student), John Willcock Senior High School and John Willcock Campus (Middle School). Currently she is the History teacher at Geraldton Senior College.
Claire lives in Drummond Cove with her husband Bradley.
Vic Grzejszczyk commenced his teaching career in 1984 with the Department of Education and Training following the completion of an Economics Degree (Economics and History majors) and a Diploma Of Education from the University of Western Australia.
Vic began his teaching career after being posted to Morawa Agricultural District High School. A transfer followed this posting to Carine Senior High School. Whilst at Carine Vic spent some time in Student Services as a Year Coordinator and also had a brief stint as Acting Head of Learning Area (Society & Environment).
In 2001 Vic secured a merit based promotion to substantive Head of Learning Area (Society & Environment) at John Forrest Senior High School in Morley.
Vic was born in Australia to parents who were migrants from Europe following the chaos and dislocation caused by World War II. Vic’s father was a Sergeant in the Polish Air Force in World War II and was captured by the German Military in the very early stages of the war. Vic’s father became a prisoner of war and spent the next 6 years in a variety of Prisoner of War camps throughout Poland and Germany.
Vic’s father survived the war and spent the next 2 years working for the American Armed Guards providing policing and general security in war ravaged Germany. Assisted passage to Australia was his reward for assisting g the Allied Forces in post war reconstruction.
Vic loves sports of all kinds but in particular Aussie Rules Football, Cricket, Boating and Fishing. He lives in Eden Hill with his wife Caroline and his three teenage daughters.
Michael White is the Head of Learning Area for Society and Environment at John Curtin College of the Arts with recent experience as a Deputy Principal at Armadale and Governor Stirling Senior High Schools. Michael has a passion for History having taught Modern History for over twenty years. His interest in military history spans from pre classical Greek through to the Western and Eastern Roman Empires and then picks up again with Napoleonic history running through to the contemporary world. His interest in Military history is linked to a part time career in the Army Reserve where he is currently serving as a Captain in A Squadron Tenth Light Horse. His work at Tenth Light Horse involves the maintenance and development of the capability of the soldiers with whom he serves. Mike has coached junior sports in both softball and basketball; his main interests are his family, history, sport and reading.
Whilst on the ANZAC tour Mike will be keen to visit the sites in Gallipoli where Tenth Light Horse served, notably ‘The Nek’. He is also keen to recognize his family’s service during the tour, acknowledging his Great Uncle’s service, Adolf Knable who was killed at Fromelles and whose name is recorded at VC corner and his cousin Hamel White who won an MM at Mouquet Farm and subsequently died of his wounds.
Mike’s background prepares him well to be Deputy Tour Leader and support and guide the cultural and emotional growth that the students will experience on the Premier’s ANZAC Tour.
Peter has worked as a journalist in the Perth media and in Federal and State Government media liaison and senior public communications roles for over 30 years.
Peter joined the then Department of Employment and Training in May 2000, which was later amalgamated with the Department of Education to form the Department of Education and Training. Previously Peter had been Media Liaison Officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
As well as a cousin who put his age up to serve with the 10th Light Horse in the First World War, his other connection with ANZAC results from hearing the first hand accounts of the war on the Western Front from close family friends and neighbours who served there.