WEA Sydney

Sajal Roy

Resume

Dr Sajal Roy is an established academic and dedicated researcher in human services management, with expertise spanning community services, politics and society, social work, sociology, gender and development studies, project management, entrepreneurship and innovation, leadership and management, globalisation and value chain management, as well as business and management in context. He holds a PhD from Western Sydney University and an MPhil from the University of Bergen, Norway. His academic career includes impactful roles at leading institutions such as UNSW, ACU, PIA, and UTS, where he has contributed significantly to initiatives in social impact, financial wellbeing, community development, and climate change resilience. As a proactive educator, he is highly regarded for his work in curriculum development and student mentorship, consistently promoting multicultural perspectives and student-centred approaches to teaching and learning in the community education sector. With an extensive publication record, a dynamic teaching style, and leadership in professional development, Dr Roy is committed to advancing knowledge in community services—particularly in relation to politics and society, gender relations, disaster recovery, diversity and inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His work firmly establishes him as a productive scholar in community-based teaching and research, and in recognition of his expertise and contributions, the Australian Government awarded him the Global Talent visa in 2022.

Royal Australian Historical Society

Resume

The Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS), Australia's oldest historical organisation founded in Sydney in 1901, promotes the study of Australian history. The Society organises events, produces publications and provides research advice and support to its membership network of individuals and local historical societies, with a particular focus on New South Wales local and community history.

Diletta Rusca

Resume

Born and raised in Piacenza, a town right on the border between Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia, Diletta (AKA Dilly) is a certified Italian teacher with extensive teaching experience both in Europe and Australia. She holds a BA in Chinese and English studies and an Advanced Diploma in TESOL. She has gained experience in teaching adults, teenagers (especially for high school assessments) and children from 8 years of age onwards. 

Both her face to face and online classes are incredibly dynamic and practical and have the purpose to make every student communicative straight away. She has a very friendly yet professional approach that helps students feel comfortable asking questions and participating with enthusiasm. Every class she teaches focuses on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation and aims both at revising what has been done previously and adding new "bits and pieces" that will contribute to make each student a more confident Italian speaker.

Most of her students literally started from scratch and now speak rather fluently. She is also a very imaginative person who enjoys presenting cultural events such as movie nights in collaboration with various Italian institutes in Sydney to promote and support Italian art and creativity.

Kerry Sanders

Resume

Dr Kerry Sanders gained her PhD in Philosophy at the University of Sydney. Her specialist areas are: Aesthetics, Phenomenology, Postmodernism and Political Philosophy. She has formerly taught at the University of Sydney in the theory department of Sydney College of the Arts. Kerry has published academic papers on The phenomenology of art; Contemporary Romanticism in art; Postmodernism and political theory. Kerry has also had two poetry books published.

Jan Scherpenhuizen

Resume

Doctor Jan (Johannes) Scherpenhuizen is an author/illustrator, editor, graphic novelist and academic. He studied literature, the history or ideas and religion at Deakin University as an undergraduate and wrote his honours year thesis on key figures in Modern German philosophy. He assessed fiction and non-fiction manuscripts for 15 years and acted as a writing mentor and literary agent while also working in freelance illustration. In 2015 he commenced a Doctor of Arts at the University of Sydney where he began to teach in 2019.

He taught a variety of courses for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, specialising in critical thinking, persuasive writing and media and communications. Jan is interested in critical thinking as applied to all major disciplines. He reads widely as an antidote to the limitations of specialisation. He is particularly interested in how ideas are negotiated in the digital age and the role of influencers and the public intellectual. His main goal is not so much as to hand over information in any particular sphere as to equip students with the ability to source good information themselves and critique ideas wherever they may encounter them.

Rebecca Scott

Resume

In 1991 Rebecca graduated as an opera singer from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Diploma in Operatic Arts (DOA). She worked and lived in London and Europe for 13 years as a professional opera singer performing 35 operatic roles, oratorios, concert work and BBC documentaries. She also recorded two CD's in London’s elite Wigmore Hall. Rebecca returned to Australia in 2005 and completed her Masters of Arts in Music Therapy at Sydney’s UTS graduating in 2011 (MAMT).

She was invited to sing with the International Festival Chorus in Beijing as a guest soloist in Elgar’s ‘The Music Makers’, in 2009, ‘Messiah’ in 2010 and ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ in 2013. She has very recently taken part in several pilot studies in Speech Research at the Western Sydney University under the direction of the Professor in Psycholinguistics which explores the differences in tongue movement between singing and speech. Rebecca combines her work as a Registered Music Therapist (RMT), running a private singing studio and tutoring singing with the Open Academy at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Sign Language - Class 1

Resume

Sign Language - Class 1. Tutor of WEA Sydney

Sign Language - Class 2

Resume

Sign Language - Class 2. Tutor of WEA Sydney

Almis Simans

Resume

Almis is an avid traveller who has walked many of the traditional European trails. Making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain inspired Almis to write Santiago – Walking the Pilgrim Path in 1999. Since then, he has published nine other books about travel, history and folklore. His book, Macquarie’s Kingdom, explores Sydney’s colonial heritage and tells the story of Lachlan Macquarie’s 12-year rule in NSW, as well as being a guide book for Sydney locals. His e-book “Camino Journeys” is a fully illustrated guide to the two most popular sections of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. His courses are interactive and designed to give participants the practical information, inspiration and motivation to begin their own personal journeys.

Beatrice Siragusa

Resume

Beatrice holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Interlinguistic Communication and a Master's Degree in Specialized Translation and Conference Interpreting (with a focus on Italian, French and English). She was born and raised in Rome where she attended both Italian and French high school, earning her high school diploma from the French institute in Rome. She is bilingual in Italian and French. After finishing high school, Beatrice began delivering French lessons. Following her Bachelor's degree she started collaborating with a language school in Trieste, consistently teaching both French and Italian. Over the years, she has taught private and group lessons in French and Italian. Her teaching approach is dynamic and interactive, focusing on grammar, speaking, and addressing the specific needs of students. Her multicultural experience has taught her to teach with an open mind to people of all ages, levels and diverse cultural backgrounds.