The Beans Team!

---

 President

Julie has taught and written materials for students and teachers in U.K Australia, Canada USA.

Her leadership roles include Head of Education at the Australian Museum, Manager,  Academic Learning Centre, International College of Management Sydney and General Manager of the Peer Support Foundation. 

She founded Leading and Learning which developed projects for charities, businesses, and schools.  She loves reading, writing, singing, art  bushwalking  and travel. 

Her novel Nowt But Drippin’ was published in 2019. She is working on 'Sisters' an anthology of short stories.

Vice President & Secretary

Since I am a third year politics student at the University of Sydney, I spend most of my free time writing essays … and not much else. However, being a part of Spill the Beans has reawakened my passion for writing. 

My various leadership and teamwork experiences also ensure that l work well and efficiently with my fellow Spill the Beans team members.

Reading other people’s wonderful stories and seeing how each writer interprets our challenges in their own way never fails to bring me joy. I am always inspired by the creativity of our Beans team and challenge writers, and am excited for the year to come!

Treasurer

My working life led to such diverse experiences as teaching, teacher education, educational research and school administration in United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the United States.  

I love to sketch, cycle, bush walk, cook and play bass guitar.   Travel is my passion and I have visited over 30 countries.  

My creative writing journey has only just begun, which why I joined ‘Spill the Beans”!

Challenge Editor 

Journalism has taken Jane to many parts of the world where she’s reported on everything from courts and crime to shipping news and Paris fashions. She’s edited magazines and suburban newspapers and spent several years on the foreign desk of a metropolitan newspaper.

She loves reading, writing, music and walking, though exploring different parts of the world and visiting her far-flung family, is high on the list.

Challenge Editor 

joins us from the island of Ischia. 

  ‘I am an English teacher living in Italy.

I enjoy reading and have jumped headlong into the Beans writing group! I also adore painting and dabble whenever I 

have some free time.

I’m married to an Italian and have lived on the island of Ischia, where we have a fishmonger’s, for more than 35 years. We have two children, Amanda 31 and William 26.

I’m an outdoor lover at heart and enjoy tennis and swimming, but my passions are looking after my petting zoo of strays and, my garden.

I like to think of myself as a good teacher and a good friend 

to one and all.’

Challenge Editor 

Originally from Scotland, but lives in the south of Spain, where she works as an English teacher and examiner. She has always been interested in words and languages and has an MA Hons degree in Spanish from Edinburgh University. Claire studied Spanish, Latin American and French literature, poetry, theatre and cinema.  
She began writing poetry at school and won a Midlothian poetry competition, One of Claire's poems was featured on 'Lighten Up Online' and five of her poems were long-listed for the Erbacce Poetry Prize 2021.  

She is  a keen reader and writer and regularly takes poetry courses to learn more about the craft.  Her inspiration comes from nature, her surroundings, travels and life experiences.  

Find out more about Claire Thom's recently published collection of original Haiku "Ever Forward" It's beautifully illustrated by her dad watercolourist  Colin Thom.