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Ekaterina Escobar is a Sydney-based language educator and researcher, with more than ten years' experience of teaching English and Russian in a University and language centre environment. Ekaterina is a native speaker of Russian, who enjoys teaching all-level students from English and non-English speaking backgrounds.

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Christine (Tina) Faulk has an MA Communications and is the Varuna Writer-in-Residence 2025, the Winner of the Frances Christie History Prize 2025 and the Author of 'The Island of Singing Fish' (2014). Tina has taught structured writing courses at the Canberra Institute of Technology and is a member of the NSW Writers Crime and Contemporary Fiction writers Group.

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Charles Fellner is a retired IT professional from Sydney. After seeing various friends being scammed, he wanted to do something to fight back. Rather than creating yet another website on the topic he decided instead to do some thorough research and then conduct presentations and group discussions at various clubs such as Rotary and Lions on the subject of scam awareness. In these presentations his focus is on the more common scams. He explains what goes on behind these scams, the steps that one should take to avoid being scammed, and what one should do if they have been scammed. He also has a strong interest in the psychology of scamming and believes this is a very important and often neglected part of the puzzle. He talks with people almost every day about scamming every chance he gets.

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Robert has been a casual lecturer, tutor and post-doctoral fellow at UNSW. He has taught at the WEA since 1992 and has also lectured for CCE at Sydney University, the North-side Opera Study Group, and Opera Lunedi. He has written (and broadcast) for ABC FM, and also written for Musica Viva, and Symphony Australia. In 2013 he was a visiting Fellow at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies in Innsbruck. Among his published works are an edition of Gallus Dressler's Praecepta musicae poeticae (the University of Illinois Press, 2007), and Latin and Music in the Early Modern Era (Brill of Leiden, 2021). His edition of the complete Latin motets of Gallus Dressler was published by A-R Editions, Middleton, Wisconsin, in November 2023.

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Susannah Fullerton has been passionate about English Literature for as long as she can remember. She did a BA at the University of Auckland and a postgraduate degree in Victorian Fiction and Prose at the University of Edinburgh. She is President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, Patron of the Kipling Society of Australia, is a founding member of the Australian Brontë Association, and is Google Australia’s ‘Queen of the Classics’.

She has written several books about Jane Austen and also Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia. She leads literary tours to the UK, USA and Europe every year. Susannah is well known at WEA for her literary talks and also presents lectures at the State Library, Art Gallery of NSW and at schools and libraries.

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Rahmatul Furqan, MA, is a lecturer and researcher in Communication and Media Studies at Universitas Hasanuddin, Indonesia with a background in journalism and global media. A recipient of the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship, he completed his Master’s in Global Media and Communication at The University of Melbourne. His teaching and research focus on digital inclusion, disability representation, and inclusive media practices. With over a decade of experience in both academic and professional settings, Rahmatul brings a dynamic and inclusive approach to teaching, encouraging critical discussion and real-world application. His classes are known for their interactive and reflective style, blending theory with lived experience to make learning relevant, empowering, and engaging for all students.

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Michael Gal is Professor Emeritus at the School of Physics of the University of NSW. He has been involved in research and teaching at UNSW for over 30 years. Prior to the UNSW, he worked at various universities and research institutions in the US and in Europe.

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A passion for Italy and its culture took Roy on a life journey of exploration which started in Greece and led to her Italian citizenship. She studied Italian language and literature and obtained a master's degree in teaching Italian to foreigners from the University of Venice. She taught Italian to adults and children for several years in group and individual settings. She has attended specialisation courses in Italy and worked in a corporate environment in Rome and Athens. In her class, students are encouraged to participate in a fun and relaxing environment where mistakes are welcomed as friends.

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Matthew Gibbs - BEcon, GCertPubAff - has worked as a speaker, writer, adviser and teacher in the financial services, education and cultural industries for over 30 years. He was the General Manager of Media and Communications at the Australian Securities Exchange, serving six CEOs and four Chairs, and held similar roles at the Sydney Futures Exchange and at Axiss Australia, a public agency created to promote Australia as a financial services centre. He is a regular speaker, panellist and moderator for industry forums, training courses and cultural events. Matthew was the President of the Friends of the Nicholson Museum of Antiquities (now part of the Chau Chak Wing Museum) at the University of Sydney and presents programs on the enduring value of William Shakespeare, including touring NSW high schools with his theatre-in-education show A Bit of Bard. Matthew believes in the power of education to realise the poetic advice that it is never too late to seek a newer world.

Resume

Matthew Gibson. Tutor of WEA Sydney