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YAG members

Kelsey — Kelsey Haigh (she/her) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the nature and environment. Its my favourite place to clear my head and focus after I've had a bad day. My passions include my environment, my beautiful dogs, Mazey and Lola, my friends, music (specifically making my Spotify playlists look amazing and organised!), and trying to build networks and communities. My biggest achievement is my central tour with my high school. We spent two weeks driving from Melbourne to Darwin. This was a huge achievement because I pushed my physical limits on a hike through Kings Canyon and made memories I would never forget. My weirdest party trick is being able to rap super bass by Nicki Minaj.

Cat — Cat Kanicky (she/they) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the natural environment! My passions include my two cats and every dog I have ever seen. I believe in making every decision with kindness and empathy. My party track is I can make any bone in my body crack!

Jessy — Jessy While (she/they) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the beautiful walking trails and wildlife.My passions are focused around mental health, homelessness, LGBTQIA+ community, destigmatising AID's/HIV and AOD. My greatest achievement so far is my Diploma of Community Services, which has sparked my passion to continue my education and get my Masters in Social Work. My one and only party trick is licking my elbow, which I am incredibly proud of.

Raz — Razz I have lots of qualification across a range of different industries, including media, fashion, business. I always enjoy taking on new challenges and upgrading my skills. I have a huge passion for youth work, supporting people to achieve goals big and small. My aim is to run a community centre that will provide a safe and inclusive environment for people of all walks of life and fostering teenagers who need just a bit of understanding.

Em Peel (she/they) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the natural diversity of such a large and varying area. My passions include advocating for LGBTQIA+ people, tabletop RPG's like Dungeons and Dragons, and theatre. My biggest achievement to this day, is coming to terms with my personal, sexual and gender identity, and taking the first steps to truly love who I am. My party trick is that I can talk for hours on almost any subject given half the chance.

Amy — Amy Wahrenberger My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the beautiful environment and the people. I am extremely passionate about mental health, the LGBTIQ+ community, music, politics, history, and law. I play the guitar and sing and I am currently learning the drums, and my greatest achievement so far is my Certificate III in Music Performance.

Matt — Matt Kearsley (he/him) My favourite part of the Yarra ranges is all the nature that you can find. My passions are reading, anime, games and my family. My biggest achievement is my getting my Diploma in Early Childhood education. My weirdest party trick is freaking people out with how flexible my arms are.

Joel — Joel Makk (he/him) My favourite thing about the Yara Ranges is that I'm a part of it! Kidding, my favourite thing is its diverse landscape and the strong presence of nature within its urban areas. My passions include educating myself, mixed martial arts, reading, watching anime and reading manga. My biggest achievement is yet to be achieved but my proudest party trick is being a good listener.

Ari — Ari Smith (she/her) While I love the wonderful, rich, natural landscape of the Yarra Ranges, my favourite thing about the Shire is their efforts towards climate action. I feel proud that I live and work in a council area which is implementing solutions to safeguard the future of our planet. I am passionate about history, but particularly material, cultural, and social histories. I like to see the conservation and preservation of important artefacts, sites, and stories of different cultures and time periods around the globe. I'm studying to be a curator, so I hope to put this passion into practice! I am passionate about art and design, listening to good tunes, writing bad poetry, and singing in the shower. My greatest achievement is my awesome (and plentiful!) collection of vintage typewriters and cameras. Though I don’t often attend parties, my best trick is toasting the perfect marshmallow.

Bee — Bee Elderhurst (they/them) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the variety in nature. I find the native trees to be calming, especially when the wind blows through them. My passions include reading, hiking, hunting and fishing. My biggest achievement is buying and owning my first suit. I don't often attend parties because I have anxiety, however I can dance a mean Nutbush!

Mitchell — Mitchell Edwards (he/him) To me the Yarra Ranges is a beautiful pocket of the world, where I feel most at home and in peace. I love getting amongst nature and taking the time out of my day to take in all the beautiful views and sounds. My passions include, art, outdoor activities and education, playing video games, Dungeons and Dragons, listening to audio books, and creating healthy positive physical and mental health. My biggest achievement is getting my Diploma in Community Service, and being proud of the person I am and what I have done do far My party trick is being able to do the dance to Rasputin in Just Dance (the game) perfectly and multiple times without getting tired.

Elise — Elise Riley (she/her) One of my favourite things about the Yarra Ranges is the way urban meets nature. In places such as Mount Evelyn, the trees and land are just as much a part of the town as the shops and homes. Another favourite of mine is the wildlife, my friends and I love to simply drive around looking at all the wonderful animals the area has to offer, it's so simple yet brings us so much joy. My greatest achievement is easily becoming a member of the YAG, I've always had a passion for my community. Being an advocate for positive change and joining YAG has been the perfect place for me to do that.

Fin — Fin Upham (he/him) My favourite thing about the Yarra Ranges is the nature, it's so lovely to live in. I'm passionate about politics - seeing the insights of our Government and what can be done to lobby for positive change. I'm interested in technology, and where that will take us into the future. I got my first-aid certificate, which I'm pretty proud of. My best party trick is that I seem to have endless facts about trains and the politics of our public transport network... I have to take the train a lot for school!

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