Pacific Project 2014 Delegate Profiles
Pacific Project is a unique collaboration between UN Youth Australia and Destination Dreaming, partnering to help young people to understand and contribute to the world around them.
It is a year-long project for years 10 -12 students and culminates in a two week exploration of East Timor. This years delegates departed late last month!
ALEXANDRA FULLER
Year level: 11
Height: not enough to reach the top shelf anywhere.
Motto: “Turn your cants into cans and dreams into plans” (also subtly brilliant Dr Seuss musings).
Description: a teenager with an unnatural interest in studying, a passion for travel and a lot she wants to learn about the world.
Hobbies: reading, cycling, baking, learning French and perusing travel journals.
Hopes for the Pacific Project: to gain an insight into the culture of Timor Leste, understand humanitarian projects taking place within the nation and work with an amazing range of people towards common goals.
What she learnt in the trips lead-up: that my community is incredibly generous and supportive, and that Australia has a diverse and resilient neighbour in Timor-Leste.
On the trip she will probably: immerse myself in Timorese culture and language, gain a passion for the work of the UN and NGOs, fail at all and any sporting activities and provide a constant supply of puns to all delegates.
KATE ROBERSTON
Year level: 11
Height: 170 cm (world average woo!)
Description: Crumbling amongst the hard life of year 11 but already has a countdown to the fabulous days of summer and getting her license. And a bit too political for her family’s liking.
Hobbies: don’t have enough time… but in the summer: surfing, beach, boys and melting in the sun.
What she learnt about the trips lead up: a Coin toss at a bottle of vodka is a very effective way of raising money
On the trip she will probably: fall in love with the kids and try to smuggle them home in her suitcase … but on a serious note – have the most amazing escape into a whole new world.
ELLA CROWLEY-BURROWS
Year Level: 11
Height: A few centimeters shorter than she’d like.
Motto: “Never regret anything that made you laugh”.
Description: A terrible joke teller who listens to old music and reads newly released books, she wishes that she could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles end everyone would eat and be happy. She doesn’t like heights.
Hobbies include: Attempting to bake complex desserts and failing, trying to find time to read, and watching too many Disney films.
Wants for the Pacific Project: To make new friends and to understand the East-Timorese culture better.
What she learnt on the trip’s lead up: That vaccinations aren’t that bad!
On the trip she will probably: Try and take pictures of everything and fail miserably at every attempt to play sport.
MATTHEW FRIEDMAN
Year level: 11
Height: well this just got personal, didn’t it?
Motto: “you make a living by what you get; you make a life but what you give.”
Description: about 17 years ago some molecules decided to take over the world. They arranged themselves into a cohesive organic organisation, but due to bureaucracy have been too distracted by having a good time to do much in the way of world domination. One day though…
Hobbies include: finding innovative ways to commit fashion crimes, learning about anything and everything and writing mock-autobiographies
Wants for the Pacific Project: To understand why and how foreign aid does and should work.
What he learnt in the trip’s lead-up: having dinner at Lions Club whilst trying to raise money is actually the best thing ever. Especially when they order dominoes.
On the trip he will probably: start to smell a bit. He will also sing a lot and might become infected by good times and/or Malaria.
CAITLYN BALJAK
Year level: 10
Height: 5″2 (short, ok?)
Motto: “if music can’t fix the problem, the music isn’t loud enough”.
Description: with a head full of random trivia, this tea sipping, zombie-obsessed girl loves nothing more than the great outdoors. She’s a massive believer in the idea that ‘big things come in small packages’ and enjoys deep philosophical conversations that are absolutely pointless.
Hobbies include: immersing herself in zombie pop culture, jamming on vocal chords and guitar, beach activities and debating (or just arguing to be honest).
Wants for the Pacific Project: to give her some perspective, friends and to take her experience back to Australia to enlighten others as to what the deal is.
What she learnt in the trips lead up: needles suck.
On the trip she will probably: make everyone sing (badly) to some classic hits, ask repeatedly ‘what is *insert word here* in Tetum?’ and initiate a World Cup-worthy soccer match.
NICHOLAS MEZO
Year level: 11
Height: 6″0′
Motto: “Mottos are pretty cool”.
Description: a boy whose idea of luxury involves The White Stripes, Big M and good company, and who believes that those that don’t accept their limitations are the ones that go beyond them. He wears runners unreservedly.
Hobbies include: writing, reading too many dystopian books and yelling at nobody in particular .
Wants for the Pacific Project: to give him some new friends and insight .
What he learnt in the trip’s lead-up: tomato sauce and mustard is a popular combo at sausage sizzles outside Masters on the weekend .
On the trip he will probably: tell too many bad jokes, play too much foursquare with local kids and try to force his idea of ‘good’ music onto everybody around him.
AMY PATON
Year: 11
Height: tallish?
Description: is way too passionate (in both really good, and really bad ways); turns far too many ordinary situations into song and dance numbers; will always win her arguments – even if she’s wrong; drinks way too much tea.
Hobbies: dancing, especially in really slippery socks to the wicked musical soundtrack; artistic practice of any kind (ask the margins of my schoolbooks); hiking, being in nature.
Wants for the Pacific Project: to give her new friends and some great experiences.
Recent learning curves: vegetarian children are absolutely thrilled with a slice of bread and a sauce face at sausage sizzles.
On the trip she is likely to: make everyone else question her sanity.
NICK YOUNG
Year level: 12
Height: 177.879 cm
Motto: “Hakuna Matata”- nice, Nick, nice.
Description: a young man of aspiration sadly confined by the bounds of year 12. A dreamer, a believer and an employee of the damn finest video store in all of southwest regional Victoria.
Hobbies include: surfing, basketball, bow hunting, hot air ballooning, cave diving, circus acrobatics and cooking two minute noodles in faster than the recommended time.
Wants for the Pacific Project: To meet great people, understand a bit more about another culture and escape the icy depths of Warrnamboolian winter.
What he learnt in the trip’s lead-up: My friends, family and peers believed East Timor was in Africa. Fundraising is no easy feat. Mosquito nets are actually quite reasonably priced online.
On the trip he will probably: contract malaria, make great friends and drink plenty of water because hydration is paramount to success.
ELEANOR HALL
Year level: 11
Height: 5” something?
Motto: “Try everything”- that sounds fun.
Description: is weirdly obsessed with the FIFA World Cup (actually bothered to wake up at 1:30am to watch games), plays hockey, soccer, touch footy and does surf life saving. Has an extreme love for chocolate – once ate chocolate for 94 consecutive days… Loves reading every type of book, but loves writing even more. Weird Facts: Once called a team on the Amazing “Jay Walkers!” before she realised they were from the amazing race… once accidentally turned down a high five from John Howard on his morning run…. (He almost fell over… oops). Is quite in love with all of the Killers’ music (no not the ax murdering type, but the band).
Wants for the Pacific Project: to give her the chance to experience a beautiful culture and meet new friends both from the delegation and Timor. Also wants to just help out in any way possible.
What she learnt in the trip’s lead-up: Google Translate doesn’t have every language… and mosquito nets are kind of hard to find.
On the trip she will probably: wear the same clothes way too often, get way too involved in local soccer games, be obsessed by any wildlife she finds, find weird plants to become allergic to, annoy everyone by taking an excessive amount of pictures and be secretly agitated about how Germany and Costa Rica are going in the World Cup…
CORINDA HOLLIS
Year level: 12
Description: loves history and anything related to Jimmy Fallon + associates lip-synching. She also knows many styles of dance.
Wants for the Pacific Project: to allow her to meet people and establish great relationships and to experience and gain an understanding of Timorese culture.
What she learnt in the trip’s lead-up: lots about what happened to the ancient people who inhabited the city of Petra (thanks major work) and lots of other HSC woes/fun times.
On the trip she will probably: laugh, possibly causing everyone else laugh with her / at her.
ACCOMPANYING ADULTS
CAMPBELL NICOL
Height: 5″12′
Description: a veteran of UN Youth, this is his first trip to Timor-Leste. Campbell knows far too many odd or useless facts and yet can never win trivia nights.
Hobbies include: photography, being asked questions about his beard, science and music.
What he wants from Pacific Project: for e’rybody to have a good time, meet some cool people and hopefully get a tan.
What he learnt in the lead up to the trip: way too much about derivatives, integrals and complex numbers. #exams
On Pacific Project he will probably: tell just the right amount of excellent jokes, be typecast as ‘guy-with-beard’ and worry too much about World Cup results.
PAIGE BURTON
Height: not a clue.
Description: spends way too much time watching TED Talks. Sucker for a good story told well.
Wants for the Pacific Project: to see an amazing group of people finally meet.
What she learnt in the trip’s lead-up: anticipation is hard to live with!
On the trip she will probably: tell you to wash your hands, drink water and wear sunscreen -all the time. Will also play obscene amounts of soccer, buy waaaay too many Beng Bengs and sing along loudly, out of tune to a beaten up acoustic guitar.
JONTY KATZ
Height: KATZ, 6″4′
Description: a travel-loving American politics obsessive with a large collection of trivia questions.
Wants for the Pacific Project: to get to know the delegation, and make sure that everyone has the best time possible.
What I’ve learned in the lead up: that I have almost no warm weather clothes and that vaccines are far less scary now, compared to when I was 5.
On Pacific Project he will probably: cope poorly with the humidity, get overly enthusiastic about minor details and try as much new food as possible.