Manorisms: The Manor Lakes P-12 College Podcast Manor Lakes P-12 College

Primary school PE teacher Connor Thar was one of the hard-luck stories of this year’s VFL Grand Final when he was a late withdrawal from the Werribee team with injury. It was just the latest misfortune for the pocket rocket, who has suffered a few long-term injuries in recent years. At one point Connor even considered quitting football, but he has bounced back with admirable resilience to have a promising future at VFL level… A local Werribee boy who played his junior footy at Werribee Districts, Connor enjoyed a spectacularly successful stint with the Western Jets in the TAC Cup under-18 competition (now known as the Talent League), finishing runner-up in the league best-and-fairest, being selected in the TAC Cup Team of the Year, winning more of the ball than any other player in the competition, and easily winning Western Jets best-and-fairest award – a significant achievement in a team that boasted current AFL players including Port Adelaide star Zak Butters, GWS Giants player Xavier O’Halloran and Western Bulldog Buku Khamis. Despite his hot form, Connor appeared extremely unlucky not to be selected in the Vic Metro under-18 team, and he was later overlooked in the AFL Draft… Although he missed Werribee’s Grand Final this year, Connor had the surreal experience of hanging out with Collingwood star Jordan De Goey during the Magpies’ recent premiership celebrations… Manorisms is co-hosted by college co-captain Ruby Collins and college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.

Primary school teacher Dwight Farrer has lived in three countries on different continents, for at least nine years each time. He spent his first nine years in India, then almost two decades in Canada, and the past nine years here in Australia where he is now a permanent resident… Dwight is our Grade 3-6 maths learning specialist, and he’s passionate about maths, along with basketball (particularly his hometown NBA team, the Toronto Raptors) and travelling to various parts of the globe… He’s also very proud of the achievements of his family members – his younger brother Stefan is a recording artist in Canada formerly known as Troy The Enigma, and among his cousins are a Bollywood actress (Alisha Farrer) and a fashion model (Shanaya Peters), both of whom have fronted modelling campaigns for high-profile companies… Dwight has also met some famous people outside his own family, including basketball great Dirk Nowitski and current Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins…  This episode of Manorisms was hosted by college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. (His co-host, college co-captain Ruby Collins, was unavailable.) The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.

Chase Smith-Wood’s acting career is going according to script. At the tender age of just 14, Chase has already appeared in two film productions that have been screened internationally – award-winning short film Bad Beat; and eerie drama The Clearing, an eight-part Disney Plus series in which he appeared in scenes with Aussie stars such as Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce… In a stunning development, the Year 9 student recently signed with big-time agent Christopher Burbidge, who was the first American manager of Australia’s famous Hemsworth brothers. (He's also represented in the US by KMR Talent's Matt Fletcher, who has many young actors on his books.) Chase, too, dreams of making it in Hollywood… On Manorisms he displayed great maturity in his first-ever interview – hopefully the first of many in a long and distinguished acting career… And if acting doesn’t work out for this adventurous country boy, he already has a back-up plan that is far removed from the bright lights of Tinseltown... Manorisms is co-hosted by college co-captain Ruby Collins and college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.

Our vocational programs leader Kate Goodwin was 19 when she was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) – a development that finally provided an explanation for some of her behaviour since she was a young girl. The condition has continued to be a daily battle for Kate, both in her career and as a mother of three young kids. One of her aims is to create more awareness and understanding of adult ADHD, and she's certainly a passionate advocate for the cause... This episode of Manorisms was hosted by college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. (His co-host, college co-captain Ruby Collins, was unavailable.) The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.

Mark Stewart has been the gentle giant of our primary school since our college opened in 2009. Remarkably, the 50-year-old is still playing football. In fact, on Saturday he will reach an astonishing milestone when he plays his 600th game of open-age footy... The man-mountain ruckman is a local legend around the Geelong district where his long list of achievements include two league best and fairest medals (and runner-up on another occasion), and he has also enjoyed stints at both Geelong and SANFL club West Adelaide... In 1994-95 Mark played for Geelong’s reserves, and performed so well that he was told by a Cats assistant coach that if he'd been on the club's main playing list he would've played at AFL level – and this would’ve been no mean feat in a period where Geelong played off in successive grand finals... Mark shares the terrifying experience of sparring in a boxing ring with Cats superstar Gary Ablett senior, and how he inspired the legendary forward to wear gloves on the field... On top of all that, Mark has represented Australia in gridiron and netball... This popular, genial figure has even dabbled in stand-up comedy, and he gives us a sample of his skills at the end of our chat... He also recalls meeting his music idol, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder... Manorisms is co-hosted by college co-captain Ruby Collins and college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.

At 13, Brigitte Godfrey was offered a role in Aussie TV soap opera Neighbours. However, the Hoppers Crossing talent knocked back this opportunity of a lifetime because of the bullying she received at school. Brigitte's intended role, that of a character named Hannah Martin, ultimately went to Rebecca Ritters, who remained on Neighbours from 1992 to 1999 and later appeared in a 2005 reunion episode... Brigitte’s career aspirations didn’t end there, though. The great-granddaughter of a Victorian premier, she seamlessly transferred her acting skills to the classroom, teaching in places as varied as South Korea, Indonesia, the UK and outback Australia before taking a role in Supported Learning here at Manor Lakes P-12 College... Manorisms is co-hosted by college co-captain Ruby Collins and college writing mentor, author and former journalist Ben Collins. The show is produced by Jamie Canning. Cover art and music provided by Michael Poke.