Alumni
All former students are invited to contact the school to lodge your contact details or for more information regarding past student activities.
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Alumni Students
Name: Brody Oxenham
Current position: Founder, Manexo Media
Year graduated: 2013
I attended Trinity Bay State High School from 2011 to 2013. During my time there, I studied Business, Film & Television, Health & Physical Education, and also completed a School Based Traineeship in Business.
Some of the random memories I have from T-Bay include making (what we thought were) the best music videos in FTV, the antics of our senior sports and swimming carnivals, having to sprint like Usain Bolt from your class to the tuckshop on Pizza days, or finally seeing your friends at Apex at 3:00pm.
I’m also grateful for my mum, Ms Cunningham, who was a long-time teacher at Trinity Bay for 14+ years, and was the one who encouraged me to pick it as a school.
Upon graduating, I pursued a Bachelor of Business in Marketing & Economics at James Cook University in Cairns. It was during this time that I began to explore the world of entrepreneurship and digital marketing.
In 2018 in my final semester of university, I took the leap and started my own business Manexo Media helping companies grow through digital marketing. Since then, we’ve worked with and helped over 500 businesses, providing tailored marketing solutions to help them grow online.
In addition to my work at Manexo Media, I have been actively involved on the committee for the Cairns Young Chamber, the board of Rights In Action, as well as working in marketing roles for Y(E)P Cairns, Launch FNQ and North Queensland Airports.
I’m also grateful to have completed the Cairns Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leaders Program in both 2019 & 2022, as well as being recognised as a finalist in the Emerging Leadership category for the Cairns Business Excellence Awards 2021.
As I continue on my journey, my mission is to help make marketing and growing a business online as easy and stress-free for Australian business owners as possible.
Name: Nathan Lee Long
Current position: Associate – Civil & Aviation Team Lead, Northern Australia, Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd
Year graduated: 2003
Best memory: Distracting Mr Wilson (maths teacher) during class with questions about his latest hike, bike ride or similar activity.
Life after Trinity Bay: Nathan Lee Long is an experienced project manager and development consultant and accomplished people leader. Starting his professional career in the Engineering and Urban Development fields he began his career as a Cadet Civil Designer. Over 20 years later his professional experience includes People Leadership, Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Development Consultation and Asset Management.
After graduating from Trinity Bay, Nathan harnessed his skills gained from Graphics classes throughout all of high school to quickly take hold of his career. Progressing into project management after winning a corporate scholarship through his employer at the time. Professionally, Nathan has held the following additional professional positions:
- Branch President – Urban Development Institute of Australia, Cairns Branch
- School Council Community Representative and Chair – Trinity Bay State School
- Member - CQ University Region Engagement Committee
- Justice of the Peace
Nathan made himself part of the Cairns community through several organisations including the following:
- Vice President – Cairns Show Association
- President – Cairns Food & Wine Festival Inc.
- Vice President – Edge Hill State School P&C Association
- Vice President – Cairns & District Chinese Association Inc.
In 2013 Nathan was invited to participate in the Queensland Plan workshops and was a judge for the Queensland Multicultural Awards. In 2018 Nathan was a baton bearer for the Queens Baton Relay as part of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The Lee Long Family have a long history with Trinity Bay State High School over 3 generations of teachers and students.
Name: James Harding
Current position: Senior Associate, Holding Redlich
Year graduated: 2008
I attended Trinity Bay State High School from 2004-2008. I was heavily involved in Rotary Debating and Bond University debating in 2007 and 2009. To this day I am still involved in the same competitions, adjudicating the debates since 2015 and give back the opportunities that I was once afforded by those who volunteered. While at Trinity Bay I was mentored and encouraged by long term teacher Mr Keven Morrissey and have always been grateful for his influence.
The critical thinking, advocacy and public speaking skills gained at Trinity Bay led me to study Law at James Cook University in Cairns from 2009 to 2012. I then completed a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice through the Australian National University.
I was admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2013 and I have practiced in Property and Commercial Law since then. On the 1 July 2018, I was promoted to Senior Associate of the National Law Firm Holding Redlich, based in Cairns. At 28 years of age this makes me certainly one of the youngest in Queensland. I also teach final year subjects to students at James Cook University studying law to help upskill the next generation of lawyers coming through and making them 'job ready' to stay in our region.
Name: Andrew Butt
Current position: Head of Music, Marist College Ashgrove
Year graduated: 1981
In recent times, Andrew has been prominent in Queensland's music scene, being a finalist in the last three years of the Queensland Music Awards and winning the jazz category in 2013/2014. Andrew's accolades include a Churchill Fellowship and performing as a jazz soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Andrew Butt Trio+ has been regularly featured at major venues and festivals across Australia including Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Paris Cat Jazz Club, Tanks Arts Centre Cairns, Brisbane International Jazz Festival, Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and on ABC JazzTrack and radio across the country. Andrew has toured extensively as a performer, educator and director of ensembles throughout Australia and internationally to Indonesia, Fiji, New Zealand, China, Europe and North America.
Andrew holds qualifications in both Education and Music including a Masters Degree in Performance and Research from the Queensland Conservatorium - Griffith University and PhD in Performance from the University of Queensland and been mentored by a diverse range of musicians including George Garzone and Brandford Marsalis.
Name: Marina Candido Visontai Cormedi
Age: 25
Home country: Brazil
Commencement of studies at Trinity Bay SHS: Year 11, 2010
When I first thought about studying abroad,
Australia was the country that most interested me. It has an interesting
history, exotic nature and friendly people. I started looking for cities and I
was enchanted with Cairns, because it was so close to the Great Barrier and had
many beautiful beaches. It was also important for my family and I that it had
high quality education at public schools. Moreover, the climate was similar do
Brazil and, as it was a smaller city, I thought it would be better to experience
Australian culture. I chose Trinity Bay State High School because it has a nice
structure and diverse and interesting subjects to choose from.
The school was very prepared to help international
students to adapt and make the most of the exchange experience. There were other
international students there as well and the school organized meetings so we
could get to know each other. Also, there were always someone from staff to
help me with questions and inform about school activities. At Trinity Bay, I
loved to be able to choose which disciplines to attend! They were more
practical than in Brazil and teachers respected the student’s learning pace. In
one of the disciplines, Biological Sciences, I first had contact with concepts
of medical genetics and assignments with scientific methodology. This rouse
great interest in the subject, which later influenced my career choices.
One of the main goals of this time abroad
was to become fluent in English. I got a lot of support from school and from my
host family in the first weeks. Then, I started making friends with Australians
and international students which made me practice English all the time as well
as helped me enjoy my exchange time.
I chose to stay with a host family and it
was the best choice I could make. Lynn and Tony were a lovely couple that made
every effort to make me feel welcome! They organized a birthday party, they took
me to road trips nearby Cairns and they really helped me with my English. They
were genuinely concerned with my wellbeing and became a family to me. We still
keep in touch nowadays. Also, they had other exchange students staying with
them, one of which has become a good friend of mine. I visited her in Germany
in 2016 and it was great to remember our adventures in Australia.
After I came back from Cairns, I finished
High School in Brazil in 2011 and I graduated in Medicine in 2018 from
University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil. I’m currently in a medical
residency program on Medical Genetics at University of São Paulo and I plan on
specializing on Cancer Genetics. My time at Cairns contributed significantly in
my career. It allowed me to get in touch with very interesting subjects and
helped me to become fluent in English. Also, living away from home made me more
independent and focused. I am very grateful for this experience!
Name: Michele Hicks (nee Lloyd)
Current position: Business Manager
Year graduated: I wouldn't exactly call it graduating, however, I left school at the end of 1975.
Best memory: I don't have any one best memory, but if I have to give one it would be 1974 when I spent each math lessons reading because I was angry with my mother for making me repeat Year 9 because she thought I could do better at maths. Didn't really like maths, but I love to read and I was able to read a lot of books that year.
Life after Trinity Bay: I worked in various positions in local business and the hospitality industry. In 1988 I had been made redundant from a position in the hospitality industry and went to Parramatta State School After School Care to advise that my daughter would no longer be attending. A couple of days later the Principal contacted me to ask if I would be interested in working in the school office. This was the result of a conversation between the Principal and the After School Care co-ordinator where he asked her if she knew anyone with office skills who was looking for work. I consider myself very fortunate that she put my name forward. I worked at Parramatta State School until 1998. I then transferred to Bentley Park College as a challenge to move myself out of my comfort zone. During 2006, I decided I was tired of driving from Smithfield to Edmonton and back each day and started to look around for positions available in a school closer to home. I have now been at Trinity Bay for 11 years. It is the irony of my career with the department, that I started it at the primary school I attended as a child and I will finish it at the high school I attended.