March 2008 Bulletin Board

Angie Bussell

Angie Bussell is finding that looking after Pia Violet is so easy that she’s returned from maternity leave for two days a week. The team are delighted to have her back and she will be sharing the Host and Logistics Officer’s job with Amanda Chellew, the new full-time incumbent.

Amanda Chellew Speaking of Amanda Chellew – we have high hopes for her. Since the departure of Ian Bell, the newsletter has struggled to hit the high notes that the fleshing out of Ian’s life gave us. We’re hoping that Amanda will fill that void.

Amanda is a local (West Australian) who was educated in Perth where her parents still live. To say she has a rich and varied life-to-date would be an understatement. A swimming champ while she was growing up, Amanda became qualified in the areas of health and fitness and worked for four years as a personal trainer. She travelled for three years and worked in Brisbane and at Airlie Beach in Queensland. The time spent with a cruise boat operator gave her perks like helicopter rides and scuba diving opportunities. Never a dull moment.

She and her partner returned to WA to live in Margaret River where they are building their own place at Gracetown. She worked in cellar door sales at Vasse Felix before taking on more responsibility in her current job as Host and Logistics Officer. By the way, because it’s that time of the year, we note that Amanda has done the Rottnest Channel Swim. Maybe there’ll be a winery team entering next year, although Josh Bahen may not be a starter. He has done it so many times he’s just about lost count.

The vintage lads We welcome two new staff members to our team for vintage: both hail from the wilds of the Eastern States. Jacob Stein, from Mudgee in NSW, is a winemaking graduate of Charles Sturt University at Wagga and Duncan Lloyd, a final year winemaking student from Adelaide University. Here’s an amusing twist. It turns out, Duncan and Keith share some things in common – both are McLaren Vale boys who completed their schooling at McLaren Vale Primary and then Westminster School in Adelaide, although they did this some 30 years apart! Hard to believe.