A member of Westbourne’s first Year 12 at the Truganina campus, Dr Mein was a winner of the JP Pascoe award and the Neville R Hudson Award for the Dux of the School;

subsequently completing her Higher School Certificate with six As. Having also won a major residential exhibition to Queen’s College she commenced her studies in first year medicine at the University of Melbourne in 1984.

Now a James Cook University Adjunct Professor in Medicine and Director of Medical Services with the Wuchopperan Health Service in Cairns, Dr Mein’s distinguished service to the community has involved work in a wide range of medical fields, including family planning, population health and general practice. More specifically, her work over several decades with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been focused on promoting health literacy through the development of a culture of education. Teaching people about how to best manage their health is, she believes, the very cornerstone of successful preventative programs.

We congratulate Dr Mein (1983) on the award of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday honours. This award is in recognition of Dr Mein’s outstanding service to medicine and community health.

CLASS OF 1983

Janet came to Westbourne on a music scholarship, making an enormous contribution to music and the performing arts program, playing the trumpet and violin, singing in choirs, participating in the orchestra, string ensemble and bands and performing in music theatre productions.

On leaving school she continued her studies at the College of the Arts graduating with a Bachelor of Music. Since then, Janet has forged a very successful career as a professional singer both in Australia and the United States, performing soprano roles in operas, operettas, concerts, pantomimes, choirs and choral societies. She completed her Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music in New York in 2016. Since then Janet has sung world premieres of new chamber works and has starred in new comic opera short film collaborations. Other performance highlights while in New York include soprano soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand in a collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music and the New York Oratorio Society.

In 2019, Janet performed Cio-Cio San in Pacific Opera Project’s bilingual production of Madama Butterfly, performed in Japanese and English. She joined the company again as Yum Yum in The Mikado, and Mimi in La Boheme. She is currently a member of the Los Angeles Opera chorus.

CLASS OF 2006

Stacey Morlang Sullivan

As a member of the current Australian Women’s Lacrosse Team that competed at the Women’s Lacrosse World Championships being hosted by the USA in July of this 2022. Stacey has sustained a long career on the pitch both domestically, collegiately, and internationally. Having played in four World Cups, earning gold, silver, and bronze medals. Stacey is a 3-time Australian Team Captain and 3-time All- World Team selection.

Stacey was recruited to Loyola University, Maryland, USA on a Division 1 scholarship and helped change the model of what a collegiate women’s lacrosse player could be. She remains the top 5 of all-time leaders in goals and points for Loyola. Stacey was inducted into the 2016 Loyola Hall of Fame class. Stacey was the Head Coach of the U19 Australian Women’s Lacrosse Team helping them win Bronze in the 2019 World Championships. Stacey has spent the last 15 years coaching and mentoring players at her local club Newport Ladies Lacrosse Club, as well as coaching and playing for her State. Stacey is currently the Head Coach and Player for Newport Ladies Lacrosse Club State League Premier Team along with being the Director of Coaching for the club.

Stacey has also built a successful lifestyle business and most recently she has joined the leadership team of Aleda Collective with footballers Luke Darcy and Matt Wadewitz as a facilitator to elite leaders in all fields.

CLASS OF 1998

Dr Dirk Welsford, BSc (Hons), PhD, MAICD 

For the last 20 years as a university and government research scientist, Dirk has been leading research teams delivering real-world outcomes using science, with a focus on the conserving the marine environment and Antarctica.

After completing his Victoria Certificate of Education at Westbourne in 1991, Dirk completed a Bachelor of Science Degree with First Class Honours at Melbourne University. He then worked at the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute in Queenscliff before moving to Hobart to undertake a PhD at the University of Tasmania. Work at the Tasmanian Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute was followed by an opportunity to lead the fisheries team at the Australian Antarctic Division in 2006. During this period, he worked on at subantarctic Heard Island and the McDonald and the McDonald Islands were recognised as the most sustainably managed in the world. He acted as the Chief Scientist of the AAD during 2020/21, before leading the development of a science strategy for the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. He is currently the Science Convener for the new Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water, leading a team enhancing the role science plays in government decision making.

Dirk has produced over 150 scientific publications, including being a co-author of the Antarctica chapter of the Australia’s 2021 State of the Environment Report. He has represented Australia and chaired forums across the world, and was the first Australian elected as chair of the Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, SC-CAMLR in 2019. 

CLASS OF 1991