Dr Ken Spillman (1976) is the son of Pat nee Smith and John Spillman (1949), who attended St Ildephonsus College, New Norcia, in the 1940s with his brother, Kevin Spillman (1953).
Kencame toMarist Junior College in Subiaco in Year 7, the year his family moved to Wembley Downs. He graduated from Marist Senior College, Churchlands, in 1976. His sister Lyn Spillman(1974) graduated from Siena Girls’ High School, and his younger sisters Jan Spillman (1978) and LeaneSpillman (1982) attended Newman. Encouraged to write while at school, Ken published his earliest work while still in his teens. For many years he worked as a literary critic and non-fiction writer on works such as ‘Identity Prized: a History of Subiaco’ (1985) before launching his first full-length fiction, ‘Blue’ (1999). He has since published more than 75 works of fiction aimed at both adults and children, and has been shortlisted for, or won numerous prizes. He has also written over 25 books of non-fiction.
Last year was a huge year for Ken, with the release of 13 new books (of which 11 were children’s books for Scholastic Asia), and the launch of a book published in 2022. He co-authored the other two books; one published by HarperCollins, ‘More Than I Am’, and another titled ‘Secret Agent, Unsung Hero’, which he wrote with Hon Peter Dowding SC (former Premier of WA, 1988-1990). This is a biography of Peter’s uncle, Bruce Dowding, who worked with the French Resistance and was beheaded by the Nazis. Ken says the project gave him an intense immersion in the 1930s and 1940s, and took him back to the study of Nazi Germany in the Marist College classroom, where a very young teacher, Frank Egan(1971),first excited him about writing history. Frank was a Marist College Old Boy and taught Geography, History, Social Studies and Religion at his alma mater from 1972 to 1983. In acknowledgement of Frank’s encouragement all those years ago, Ken sent him a copy of the book.
This year Ken is working on his third biography, about a man who came out to WA in 1849 with the Benedictines. (The Benedictines founded New Norcia and, a few years later, a second monastery near Perth which gave Subiaco its name.) Ken also generously hosted a table at our Year 12 Careers’ Breakfast earlier this year, and inspired some of our students considering a future in writing!
Pippa Williams (1994) grew up in Scarborough and, after primary schooling at St John’s, came to Newman in 1990 for Years 8 and 9 at Newman Siena in Doubleview, and then for Years 10 to 12 at Newman College, Churchlands.
Pippa, who was followed by her younger sister Mia Fox (Williams 1997), loved her time at Newman. She bonded with an incredibly strong group of friends and they are still her closest friends today, 30 years later.
After school Pippa studied Physical and Health Education at UWA and, in her third year, completed a prac placement at the WA Police Academy in the Physical Training Department. At the time she had an inkling that being a PE teacher wasn’t perhaps the right fit, and liked what she saw at the Police Academy. Pippa finished her degree and then went to the USA where she worked at a summer camp and travelled for three months. On her return, aged 21, she joined the WA Police Force.
Pippa spent four years with the Police, but a conversation with Anna Wood (Georgiades 1994), one of her friends from school, changed the course of her life. At the time Anna worked for the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA), now the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in Communications and Recruitment. She suggested that Pippa should have a go at applying for the Fire and Rescue Service as she thought she would really like it.
Pippa applied, but didn’t get in on her first try. The desire to become a firefighter took hold however, and on her second attempt in 2003, aged 25, she was successful and part of Trainee Firefighter School 53.
After graduating Pippa went to Perth Fire Station as a reliever, where she had the opportunity to work at many stations and with many crews across the metro area. After three years Pippa attained a position at Duncraig Fire Station where she worked for 14 years gaining experience in all operational aspects of the job including bushfire fighting, structural firefighting, rescue and HAZMAT.
Pippa has also completed four secondments to the Communications Centre where she answered 000 calls, dispatched jobs to crews and communicated with crews at incidents as a radio operator. Over the past five years Pippa has developed a keen interest in training, and has spent time at the Academy instructing trainee firefighters in Breathing Apparatus and Internal Structural Firefighting. She has travelled throughout the state in her role including to Christmas Island to train volunteer firefighters in Breathing Apparatus, and leading a Taskforce in Exmouth for the Total Solar Eclipse.
After deciding to take the next step in her career progression, Pippa applied for and successfully completed the selection process for Station Officer training. After completing the course throughout 2020 she was promoted to the rank of Station Officer in November that year. Today she is one of three Station Officers at Daglish Fire Station on A Platoon, covering the Western Suburbs from Subiaco to the coast.
With over 21 years of service Pippa still loves her career as much as when she first started. She enjoys knowing that the work she and her crew do is meaningful, and is helping to make our community a safer place. She also loves the camaraderie amongst her workmates and the opportunity her career has provided for the perfect work-life balance for raising her family (operating on two 10-hour days followed by two 14-hours nights, then four days off).
As a Station Officer she enjoys the station management side of her role but also loves attending operational incidents, leading a crew. Whilst the work can often be under high pressure conditions, responding to critical incidents where members of the community are potentially having a very bad day, Pippa has found immense personal and professional growth in her role, dealing with the unexpected challenges and the opportunities to learn from every incident, every day.
We hope to have Pippa at a future Careers’ Breakfast to inspire our Year 12s to consider a career in the Fire and Rescue Service after they have gained some life experience in the years after leaving school.
Pippa’s partner is Shane Chester (1994) and they have three sons who have all come to Newman since kindergarten: Jaxon (2023), Luca (Year 11) and Griffin (Year 8). Pippa and Shane chose Newman for their boys to have the same fantastic schooling experience they both had.
We weren’t surprised Pippa was one of the organisers of the 1994 Reunion in October and had a great time catching up with everyone!
Danny Green (1990) is the youngest of four siblings, including Narelle (1984),Sharni (1986), and Brendan Green (1988). Danny’s father Mal, who he considers an ‘absolute legend’, taught Danny the values he learnt growing up in the bush, and fighting his way out of really tough times. He was firm, fair, and raised his boys to never pick a fight or throw the first punch.
Many will remember Mal, as he coached with the Marist Junior Football Club (MJFC) for 50-odd years, coaching AFL players like ‘Spider’ Burton (1987), Quenton Leach (1989), Matt Connell (1989; current Mathematics and HPE Teacher) as well as Danny and his brother Brendan, who was a 1993 West Coast Eagles draft who played for Claremont before going to work with Danny.
Growing up, Danny loved surfing and ping-pong – but really wanted to be a boxer. To that end, Mal suggested Danny go into martial arts when he was about 12, around the time he came to Newman.
After finishing Year 11 in 1989, Danny entered into a carpentry apprenticeship, believing it was important to always have something to fall back on. After completing that, he was laser-focused on boxing.
In 1993, aged 20, he competed in his first amateur match and subsequently began to win title after title. In 1998, he won a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport and a bronze medal at the Liverpool International Boxing Tournament. He was selected for both the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Summer Olympics, and remains immensely proud to have represented his country.
In 2001 Danny moved to Sydney and turned professional, training under three-time world champion Jeff Fenech. Over the next 17 years he fought 38 times, winning 33 and losing five. His first loss in his professional career was not until his 17th fight against Markus Beyer in Germany in 2003. He lost to him again in his 21st match in 2005.
Danny’s third loss was to Anthony Mundine in his 24th fight in Sydney, in 2006. At the time, the two were engaged in an ongoing feud, resulting in their fight being the most-watched pay TV event in Australian history. They went the full 12 rounds. Mundine won but, as difficult as it was to accept, Danny acknowledges Mundine was the better fighter on the night.
In 2006, director Mick Angus produced ‘The Fight Game’, a documentary about the early part of Danny’s boxing career, which Danny followed up with ‘Closed Fists Open Heart’, his biography published in 2008. That year he also retired from boxing and appeared in Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars. He was very light on his feet and he and his partner, Natalie Lowe, came second overall.
In April 2009 he came out of boxing retirement for eight years. He won all his fights except for two in 2011. His last was in Adelaide in February 2017, when he finally beat Anthony Mundine and retained the Australian cruiserweight title.
Danny has broken many boxing records in his time, won many titles all over the world, and is the only Australian to win the World Championship four times.
In 2002 Danny married Nina, and they are tremendously proud of their two children, Chloe and Archie.
He still loves surfing and is often at the beach, for which at least one man is particularly grateful. In October 2006, Danny was out in some massive waves at Yallingup when he spotted someone being dragged out to sea in a rip. Danny grabbed him and paddled him safely back to shore, his actions that day resulting in him later being awarded a Commendation for Bravery.
In 2009 he was part of the Sydney to Hobart team on supermaxi yacht Investec Loyal. Danny recalls the first night was horrendous! At one point he nearly fell off and thought for sure he was going to die.
“Give me a fight any day,” he says, “I thought I was tough, but those ocean racing sailors really are!”
In early 2013 Danny heard how young Daniel Christie (18), had been king hit in Sydney, on New Year’s Eve 2012. The punch knocked him unconscious, and he fell and cracked his head. His grieving family had no choice but to turn off his life support system 11 days later.
Daniel’s story touched Danny deeply. Despising street violence, his disgust led him to launch the ‘Stop the Coward Punch’ campaign, which changed how coward punches are now reported and perceived. It has had an effect on lowering the number of attacks overall, but it breaks Danny’s heart to hear of one, saying people need to learn the difference between being tough, and just being a thug. The campaign, still going strong, and his anti-violence advocacy led to him being nominated as WA Australian of the Year in 2017.
In 2014 Danny launched an online health and fitness program to offer everyday people the chance to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Working with him were the country’s top sports and exercise specialists, dietitians and nutritionists. Later that year, with Tim West, he launched a new kind of boxing gym, called 12RND which, as implied, has 12 stages/rounds, each of which takes just three minutes to complete. This revolutionary method means people are no longer bound to session times, and can do their rounds when it suits them.
The idea has since spread all over the world, with 90 sites around Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with an estimated 15,000 members. In 2020 the franchise united under one brand – UBX (You Box), which is now rolling out across the US, UK and Ireland, making UBX the largest provider of boxing for fitness in the world.
While Danny inspires everywhere he goes, with his energy, enthusiasm, and giant heart, he continues to inspire at Newman College too, where he is featured on one of five Alumni Inspiration Walls, in company with Prof Barry Marshall AC (1968), Dr Rosanna Capolingua AM (1976), David McAllister AC (1980) and Daniel Ricciardo AM (2006). Danny’s feature is at the entrance to the Weights Room in the Frank Ehlers Swimming Pool rooms where, every day, his words encourage students to pursue their dreams, no matter how wild. Danny’s still busy, pursuing his!
‘If you’re short on talent, make up for it with tenacity.’
Born Anzac Day 1944 Dale Neill (1961) spent his formative years at St Brigid’s in West Perth and Our Lady of Victories in Cambridge Street, Wembley and, on 7 February 1954, he was among the founding cohort of St Joseph’s Marist Brothers in Salvado Road, Subiaco.
At 13 Dale had a brief but serious flirtation with the notion of becoming a Marist Brother. An even briefer flirtation with a Brigidine Convent girl in the back row of the Piccadilly Theatre put paid to that idea!
Dale’s favourite subject at St Joseph’s was Physics with Br Ernest, particularly the study of light and lenses and, in the 1959-1960 holidays, Dale started a serious ‘summer romance’ with photography. While Dale’s mates were swimming and surfing, Dale sweated and sweltered, spray painting caravanettes for seven weeks at £3-10-00 ($7 today) a week. With his hard-earned pay he bought a Hanimex C35 rangefinder camera for £24, and started shooting on film. Incredibly, he still has all those negatives today.
After leaving school Dale went for a job as cadet photographer with The West Australian, but the jobs were eliminated due to budget cuts, so he and everybody else who’d applied missed out.
After two years studying at Graylands Teachers’ College Dale was posted to remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley, starting in Halls Creek.
It was there in August 1964, in Australia’s most remote area, in the desert halfway between Halls Creek and Alice Springs, Dale used up one of his nine lives. He set off with three other young male teachers from Balgo Mission. On their return from Alice Springs across the Tanami and Great Sandy Deserts, their Holden EJ station wagon bogged and jammed in second gear, 60 miles east of the Northern Territory border. Three inches of unseasonal rain then caused a lake to rise, for as far as the eye could see, around their car.
Dale and his three teaching mates knew this was it. There was no panic; just no way out. Resigned, they stayed with the car and wrote last letters home to their mums. Three days later a geo-survey group in 4WDs happened to pass by. With one seat spare, they left food for the others and took Dale with them to Balgo to raise the alarm.
Back in Perth Dale read the ad for a lecturer in Photography at TAFE. A panel of five professional photographers grilled him unmercifully for 20 minutes before the chairperson summed up the interview, saying
‘Mr Neill, you shouldn’t be lecturing this course, you should be doing it’.
So, Dale enrolled in the TAFE photography course. He flourished, achieving straight ‘A’s. Two years later Dale applied for the lecturing job again, and got it. He had found his niche. He taught photography, trained new TAFE teachers, set up TAFE’s first TV station and Audio-Conferencing Centre, and progressed to be an Associate Director. He never regarded it as work for it was fun. He had fun every day.
Then, at 53, Dale was redundant because he was ‘too old’.
After a brief emotional wave receded, he took stock, and set up three small businesses. FACEZ studio in East Fremantle, teaching at UWA, and WILDHEART Tours. He estimates it cost him in income, but rewarded him in quality of life by 200%.
Twice or three times a year for the next 20 years, Dale led photography tours around the world.
On 26 December 2004, an undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck off the coast of Indonesia. A few days later Dale joined a group of seven Perth volunteers to rescue newly-orphaned children on the east coast of India, where 15,000 lives had been lost.
Dale’s job was to photograph the rescue of orphans from four villages and their relocation to Hebron orphanage. It was the early days of digital photography, and Dale dutifully burnt all images to CD. On return to Australia he felt utterly sick when he discovered he had a faulty batch of CDs and no images. He called his videographer who also backed up, and saved the cause. Those images, and the video, raised enough money to buy new land on which to build a new orphanage. Dale’s images also won him the WA Professional Photographer of the Year Award in 2005.
Dale’s next best love was cycling. He cycled anywhere and everywhere, raced professionally for ten years and toured for 40, much of it on a tandem with his wife Margaret. They’ve pedalled through France, Germany, the British Isles and Indonesia, as well as numerous trips through Kalgoorlie and Tasmania. He loved cycling so much that, in 1974, he co-founded the Cycle Touring Association of WA which is still active today.
Another love is flying and, in 1992, he qualified as a private pilot. Besides local ‘overseas’ flights to Rottnest, he flew up the Murrumbidgee in the ACT and down the Rhone in France.
Of the hundreds of thousands of images Dale has taken over the years (including around 60 wonderful images of his friends, classmates, events and buildings from his time at St Joseph’s and beyond, which he kindly donated to our Archives in 2021) is ‘The Wounded Princess’, one of his favourites, of a troubled, young Fremantle girl, whose life changed dramatically for the better after Dale took her portrait. The band The Zimmer’s Apprentices wrote a song of the same name in 2021 (available on Spotify and YouTube).
As Dale reflects on his life, he realises success is not measured by traditional metrics like money or fame, but by the joy he feels every single day. Part of that joy is in coming along to our annual Year 12 Career Breakfasts where he inspires our youngest, soon-to-be alumni with his amazing accomplishments and his life’s motto: “If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.”
To that end Dale, who turned 80 this year, and his wife Margaret took a trip up to the Kimberley in May. They went by bus up to Broome, glamped at Cygnet Bay, sailed through the Buccaneer Archipelago, and visited the Horizontal Falls, enjoying “the most exciting two weeks an 80 year old can have!”
Raised in the dusty streets of Boulder and educated at St Ildephonsus College in New Norcia, Alec Epis carved out an extraordinary path—from homesick schoolboy to VFL legend with Essendon. Along the way, he picked up a memorable nickname, found joy in vineyards, and never forgot the school footy jumper he longed to wear.
