Book launch – Melbourne | Dr Tim Kitchen's Journal (CTL

On Monday 2nd Sept 2024, Strathcona Grammar School very kindly hosted the Melbourne book launch for my new book.

I had the pleasure of working at Strathcona for 13 years followed by being a Strathcona parent for 6 years. It is a very special school and I was very pleased when they opened their doors for this Melbourne book launch event.

My wonderful daughter Talana Bonello (a teacher in her first year) hosted the evening and did a great job introducing an esteemed set of presenters.

We were honoured to have the Strathcona Principal Lora Beegan welcome everyone and shared a bit about the school. I was impressed with the research she discovered about my history at the school and the passion she has for encouraging creativity within the school community that she leads.

Brett Salakas beamed in from Sydney for this event. Among many hats he wears professionally, Brett is the founder of Mammoth Learning and my publisher. Following many years as a teacher in Sydney, Brett has been working with HP & Intel on the Reinvent the classroom project around Australia & New Zealand. Earlier this year, Brett was the sole Aussie listed in the top 100 educators by illustrious international District Administration Leadership Institute and more recently he was named by Educator Magazine amongst the Most Influential Educators in Australia for 2024!

Ross Phillips is the Associate Head of Research, Innovation and Professional Practice at St Michael’s Grammar. With over 30 years of experience as an educator, Ross began his career in the same year as me and at the same school, Kingswood College. We also taught together for many years at Strathcona where Ross was Dean of Studies, and also Talana’s VCE Physics teacher. In 2022, Ross received ‘The Educator’ most Influential Educators Award. He is currently doing his PhD in the sociology of education and is a recognised Textbook author and conference presenter, with expertise in teaching Science and Mathematics.

Michelle Dennis is the Head of Digital at Haileybury, the largest independent school in Australia. She was formerly Head of Digital Learning and Innovation at Strathcona, where she was also a student. Michelle is an Adobe Creative Educator Innovator, the highest level of Adobe Edu Community program that I lead for the APAC region. She is recognised as a prominent thought leader in Australian education and shared her thoughts about where Gen AI is and is heading as a factor in the education system in Australian schools.

Rev Tim Costello is one of Australia’s most respected community leaders and a sought after voice on social justice issues, leadership and ethics. But most significantly, in 1979 he married Merridie Kitchen and commenced a lifetime commitment to being my uncle and mentor in many aspects of life and faith.

Tim provided a number of references to the history & importance of education and the links to creativity. He also talked about God as the ultimate creator and the significance of all of us being made in the likeness of God and what that means in terms of how we creativity look after each other and our planet in a Gen AI world.

It was quite overwhelming hearing from all these amazing presenters sharing the value of my book and I really appreciated the time, energy and creativity they all displayed during this launch event.