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Jeremy Sawkins

Guitar

What do you teach at the Con?

I teach guitar and Jazz Combo at WollCon.

What genres do you teach?

My specialised genres are jazz, blues and rock. I also delve into Latin, African and classical guitar styles.

What is it that you love about teaching music – particularly at Wollongong Conservatorium?

I enjoy teaching music because I do like people and music. I consider myself to be empathic as a teacher. It is an opportunity for me to inspire, educate and influence people in a positive way. For young people a musical education/instrument study can be a pathway to their development of self-esteem and identity.

Teaching at WollCon is enjoyable for several reasons.

Firstly, in the short time that I’ve taught there, I’ve had some extremely gifted students come my way. It is easy and a pleasure to teach these people. Some have gone on to tertiary studies at Sydney University (Conservatorium).

The location of WollCon is extremely conducive to a guaranteed pleasant teaching experience for every visit. The charm of the old architecture set in the ambience of the Botanical gardens is always appreciated.

The teaching cohort is also a huge asset to the place, comprising a congenial and hugely talented group of people. The admin staff are also a great bunch of people, always friendly, helpful, diligent and informative.

Please share a particular career highlight and why it’s special to you.

I’ve had many career highlights, mainly in performance and recording situations. Some memorable performances were in 1997, touring Europe with the ARIA award winning jazz group Wanderlust and performing at prestigious festivals like the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) and the JVC Jazz Festival in Rome. These performances are special to me because I was representing Australian jazz abroad, playing inspiring original music with a great bunch of musicians who are also some of my best friends.

What’s one piece of music that you’d recommend people listen to?

I would recommend people listen to the recording called “M.D./Lookout Farm” by American saxophonist/composer David Liebman. It is a fairly obscure piece from the early 1970’s. It covers so many aspects of music that satisfy me.

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Anne Mowbray

Director

Anne has been a member of the Wollcon Board since 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from UNSW. She is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law and an accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She has taught family law and other subjects at Wollongong University.

For a number of years she has been a subscriber to the Australian Chamber Orchestra which regularly performs in Wollongong . She has been passionate about music and in particular music education to children and adults.

Jake Pearson

Director

Jake has worked in the disability sector for 24 years- 17 of these with Interchange and 7 years as their CEO. Jake is passionate about inclusion and equality for both people with disability and their carers.

He holds an MBA, Bachelor of Commerce, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, as well as completing Diploma’s in Case Management, Community Services Coordination and the AICD Company Directors Course.

Jake is also a committee member on the International Short Breaks Association Board and has been a Director on the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Board since 2022.

Wayne Morris

Director

Wayne is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as being a qualified company secretary and accountant with over 35 years experience in banking and finance. He performed for nine of those years as Chief Executive of IMB Ltd, and the preceding seven years as Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, also with IMB. Wayne’s primary expertise is in the areas of governance, management, accounting, risk management and banking and finance. He has spent his whole life living in the Illawarra and is passionate about ensuring the Illawarra can provide the best possible opportunities and lifestyle for its residents. In 2024 Wayne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the community.

Dr Terumi Narushima

Deputy Chair

Dr Terumi Narushima is a senior lecturer and Music Discipline Leader at the University of Wollongong. She is a composer, performer and sound designer specialising in microtonal tuning systems. Her works include Tritriadic Chimes, a sound installation for LA MicroFest, Hidden Sidetracks, a composition for custom-made instruments premiered by Ensemble Offspring at Sydney Opera House, and a project to build microtonal flutes using 3D printing. She has worked on theatre collaborations which have been presented nationally and internationally, including Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens, Lost in Shanghai, and The Story of Chi. She performs with microtonal ensemble Clocks and Clouds, and her book Microtonality and the Tuning Systems of Erv Wilson is published by Routledge.

Nicky Sloan

Chair

Nicky is the CEO of Community Industry Group. She has degrees in Dementia Care, Community & Environment and Marketing, and a Grad Dip in Project Management. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Honorary Fellow of UOW. In addition to Chairing the WollCon Board, she is Deputy Chair of the Regional Development Australia Illawarra Shoalhaven Board and an Independent Non-Executive Director of Warrigal, a large not-for-profit specialising in the provision of services for older people.

Her corporate governance and strategy experience extends through a 20+ year career on boards in the corporate, government and NFP sectors.