The Under-35 Club: Meet the young politicians, athletes, artists and change-makers running the South West

They might be the future of the region, but the South West’s young guns are already leading the way in activism, art, sport, music and local government. They’re the leaders of tomorrow but the stars of today, and journalist Jackson Barrett has taken a look at 25 young people from the South West making waves in their field — the Under-35 Club. Bella Burgemeister, 16 (activist) Bella Burgemeister is a fearless and unflappable young leader and the face of the climate change battle in the South West. The 16-year-old activist, lobbyist and climate sustainability champion is already having an impact — leading the team of youngsters who won a landmark court ruling against Federal Environment Minister Susan Ley. The Federal Court had ruled Ms Ley had a duty of care for the future of young Australians, but after the decision was overturned by way of appeal, Bella says the “extremely frustrating” blow won’t break her spirit. “Obviously, it is super disappointing to see Australian Government putting profits before young people’s futures,” she said. “It is good to see the other places where we have made a difference and we are stepping up. “Young people are taking charge and finding other ways to make change.” The former Bunbury Youth Mayor wrote her first book at just 10 years old, has been featured on the UNICEF and is a part of the Valuing Children Initiative — but her work is far from finished. Maxwell Jetta, 28 (football coach) He is the brains and the inspiration behind arguably the greatest football team the South West has ever seen, leading South Bunbury’s women’s side to three consecutive premierships. It is his passion for football and for teaching others that makes coaching the perfect fit for Max Jetta, and it is for the same reasons that the best footballers in the South West Football League keep coming back to play under him. “When it comes down to it I love footy — I get to meet new people, make new friends and help people get the same passion for footy that I have,” he said. “I just try and make it a real family-orientated thing and hopefully the girls are playing footy for the same reason I was — to come out, it’s good fitness, but also meeting new people. “That’s what makes me hang around.” Jetta made a splash earlier this season, coaching a South West representative team to landmark wins over Swan Districts and East Fremantle in the pre-season. He said he would jump at any opportunity to coach at the next level. “If I do get asked to do something else I would take my chances,” Jetta said. “Like I say to the girls, if you get a chance, have a crack at it, there is no point sitting watching and thinking ‘I should have done that’.” Peppa Lane (musician) Spacey Jane’s rise from indie band to the summit of the Australian music scene has been meteoric. The four-piece from Perth, with Margaret River local Lane on bass, have gone from playing pub gigs across the State to selling out major venues in Australia and abroad. Back-to-back top three finishes in Triple J’s Hottest 100 — Australia’s premier new music countdown — following their debut album Sunshine, established their place as one of the country’s leading performers. Lane joined the band in 2019, while still studying bass at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. The group’s track Lots of Nothing finished third in this year’s Hottest 100, after their hit tune Booster Seat finished runner-up the year before, but Lunchtime, the other single released in anticipation of their album due later this year, finished 12th and their take on The Beatles’ classic Here Comes the Sun also made the list. Their second album, Here Comes Everybody, is set for release on June 10. Jaysen Miguel, 31 (Bunbury City Mayor) Arguably Bunbury’s most influential people is its most impressive young leader, who after remarkably becoming Bunbury’s mayor at just 30, says he wants to bring “passion and energy” to the role. Jaysen Miguel was first elected to council at the tender age of 22, having tried his hand in Perth but surprisingly, says being in local government was never his ambition. “Being in governance wasn’t my dream, it was just one of those things that came about from being involved,” he said. “I went to Perth, like everyone does, but didn’t like living there . . . I appreciated all of Bunbury and the South West, it is my forever place, and I just love it. In just eight years he went from an extremely young councillor who admits he was “well in over my head” to the City’s deputy mayor. “I was proud to be nominated for deputy mayor and to do that for four years and then last year I was looking at where this journey might take me and I decided to run for mayor,” Mr Miguel said. “Compared to other mayors around the place I don’t have the same huge lifetime worth of experience, but I bring a slightly different look at how we are doing things.” Jayden Goodwin, 20 (cricketer) Bunbury cricket’s son-of-a-gun has already broken into the State’s Sheffield Shield team, which would go on to break a 23-year drought and win the famous competition this summer — but a little more than a year ago, he wasn’t even playing. Before he’d even looked like making his debut for the State his father Murray played for, Goodwin made the brave decision to step away from the sport and instead fulfill another part of his life. That meant he spent more than a year in a Mormon mission, his mind purely set on helping others, and only the rare net session to keep his eye in. Coronavirus restrictions meant he travelled WA, rather than his father’s native Zimbabwe, but Goodwin still described the experience as “one of the biggest years of my life”. “I needed to do it for my personal belief and to share what I believed in and it helped me to grow up, experience the world outside of cricket and it helped me become hopefully a better person,” he said. “It is already paying dividends, it has helped me understand who I am — I am part of a team and if you are a better bloke it doesn’t matter how you perform, everyone will still love you. “The things I learnt while I was away are definitely going to apply to that.” Sebastian Schiano, 24 (Capel Deputy Shire President) Having been elected to council at just 18 — still a WA record — Sebastian Schiano formed part of the youngest local government leadership team the State has ever seen, elected Capel deputy Shire president in what he called “one of the best achievements” of his life. And while the 24-year-old says he “couldn’t imagine coming this far in local government”, that isn’t where his political involvement ends — he is also the digital adviser for State Opposition Leader Mia Davies, where he works alongside “some of Australia’s most prominent political figures”. “The first thing I noticed probably when I was 14 or 15 is that you have a community where 30 per cent of your population are under 25,” he said. “Before I came on to council, there was no one under 30 and now we are looking at a situation where our Shire president is only 26. “Young people may not pay tax or rates, but they are the ones accessing services like libraries and sporting precincts.” Jye Amiss, 18 (football) He’s the Busso boy who produced a stunning draft season to become the region’s highest AFL draft pick since Anthony Morabito. Now Jye Amiss could hold the key to the Fremantle Dockers’ future — but he says his fascinating family life has put him in good stead to deal with whatever comes next. Amiss grew up with three older brothers of his own, but when they all left the family home in came six children with very different backgrounds. Living with foster children would soon teach the apprehensive “little tacker” empathy, respect and leadership — traits that helped him land his dream job. “Living with the six foster children made me a much better person, and having them travel through the house, particularly in my last year of footy, was pretty special,” he said. “They have been a massive influence on me — getting to know new people, new cultures and new backgrounds. Many consider the key forward to be one of the final pieces in Fremantle’s patient and exhaustive list rebuild, and is the latest in the club’s search to replace legendary former captain Matthew Pavlich. “Draft night was such a surreal feeling . . . to go in the top 10 was such a surprise for me,” Amiss said. “The next though was how much Mum and the family had done for me and there is that feeling of joy and happiness for them as well as me.” Rory Binnie, 31 (business) You might have driven past Cuprum Distillery in the heart of Bunbury hundreds of times and not known it was there, but the finest gin experts in the world sure do. Just a little over a year since its products hit bars and shelves, Cuprum, and co-owner Rory Binnie are already raking in global awards. The booming business operating out of a refurbished shed has already been recognised two years in a row at the World Gin Awards, with its West Coast Signature Gin winning a silver medal and the Barrel-aged Truffle Gin bringing home a bronze. “To be recognised with other distilleries in such a short amount of time, a lot of the big distilleries have been going for years and years and we launched our bottle sales 14 months ago . . . it is just awesome. “If you look at the winners, there is Scotland, China and then Bunbury. Stuff like that is rewarding for us,” Mr Binnie said. What he once described as a “pipe dream” for the business began over shared drinks at the pub with Mr Binnie’s father, Stuart and friend Mike Honeybell. “We’d sit around the pub and chat about a million different ideas, but this was one we just kept coming back to,” he said. “I found a passion for it and I haven’t looked back since.” Brendan Walsh, 18 (academic) The Manjimup school leaver who blitzed a massive field to record the best ATAR score in the South West says balance is the key to success at high school. Brendan Walsh — the Manjimup Senior High School graduate who a remarkable 99.85 — said he still doesn’t know where his academic talents will take him next, but knows how he will approach whatever his next step may be. “It is important to maintain the balance. You don’t want to spend all your time doing school work.” The 18-year-old, who is still based in Manjimup while completing his gap year, said hard work and dedication was “ingrained into me at a young age” and that he realised from “about Year 10” that he could achieve something special at school. “It was a lot of hard work, I was very focused on the academic achievements along the way — even in primary school”. “I realised I had the capability to achieve quite well.” Marlion Pickett, 30 (football) The remarkable tale of Manjimup-raised Marlion Pickett won’t be forgotten by the AFL world any time soon. The former prisoner turned WAFL stalwart with South Fremantle, became the first player selected in the competition’s inaugural mid-season draft to debut for their club — and he did it on grand final day. He became the first player to do so in the AFL era during Richmond’s 2019 demolition of the GWS Giants. He then did it all again in just his 20th game when the Tigers beat Geelong in Brisbane to win their third premiership in four years. Pickett looked to be on shaky ground when a torrid injury run saw the club fall from grace and miss the finals last season, but the winger averages 18 disposals a game through the first month of the 2022 season and appears to have cemented his spot in Damien Hardwick’s best 22. “We got in trouble, got into fighting, and got charged with grievous bodily harm,” he told ABC’s Australian Story in 2020. “I was partying, taking drugs and ended up getting into crime.” Pickett, now 30, has two kids and looks to have plenty more years of solid football ahead of him. “Now it is just about focusing on my kids, my partner, and doing the best I can for them,” he told the program. Sofia Watt, 16 (singer) Australia’s next pop princess could be from the South West. The Dunsborough girl with the “big diva voice” didn’t quite make it to the end of The Voice, one of the country’s leading reality shows, but her career has taken off since. The 2021 contestant, who worked with global megastar Rita Ora is now lighting up events across the region and the State. “I definitely want to continue my musical journey, keep doing gigs, keep releasing music, even after high school, so I’m really, really excited to see how and where my music takes me,” she said after her time on the show. She also continues to put the power of her music to good use — singing at her own school in support of campaigns against domestic violence, headlining the overwhelmingly successful fundraising event Raising the Vibe and Bunbury’s Pridefest. She also headlined the AFL’s Perth-based grand final breakfast and performed at Seven West Media’s Upfront. Courtney Eaton, 26 (actor) Courtney Eaton is an actress, model and star of one of the world’s biggest and most popular movie franchises. Her first major role was in Fury Road — the 2015 instalment of the Mad Max series — before featuring in the Gods of Egypt action film and taking a lead role in the fantasy comedy Status Update. But Eaton said it took just five episodes to know that her new project Yellowjackets, described by critics as “gruesome, gripping and blackly comic”, was something special. “What drew me to the project was that we don’t see women portrayed so realistically often, especially young women,” Eaton said. “Teenage girls can be brutal and high school can be intense, then you add that to the journey of this group and how PTSD and trauma affect them and what they go through out there in the wilderness and what they bring individually to that situation.” The actor, who moved to California to pursue her career at just 18, is now working alongside American actress Reese Witherspoon. Nina Kennedy, 25 (athlete) One of the best Australian track and field hopes in years, Busselton’s Nina Kennedy now has a Commonwealth Games on the horizon, and one on home soil to look forward to. But first, the pole-vaulter is on the brink of a fresh Olympic cycle and a chance to improve on her injury-riddled Tokyo campaign. The 25-year-old finished 12th in the event, battling a quad strain in the lead-up to the rescheduled games, but said locking in her spot for the impending meet in Birmingham was “encouraging”. “I definitely struggled coming off the Olympics, getting back into training and getting back to that longer run, so I was a bit hesitant to compete but as soon as I got out there it felt like second nature again. “I haven’t had the best preparation, but I think becoming older, a more mature athlete, you forget you’ve done a lot of work. I’ve been doing this for years now, so I think the experience kicked in on Friday and I just jumped really high.” Jakeb Waddell, 26 (editor) “No two days are ever the same.” That’s the life of Seven West Media South West group editor Jakeb Waddell, who, at just 26, is setting the agenda in the region with loud and proud front pages and his team of “motivated” young journalists. A reporter at the Broome Advertiser in the State’s north, Waddell became deputy editor of the media giant’s nothern papers, before shifting south in the first half of last year. “There really is such a diverse range of issues and opportunities down here which makes it an area that is like no other and for the media it is very exciting,” he said. “One of the challenges is the fact that each town and each area is so different. “The key to media, and I think that’s where this company does such a good job, is becoming part of the community and really understanding the people there, what makes it tick and showing them that we do care and what that leads to is well informed journalists who are at the heart of their towns.” During his tenure, this newspaper has exposed a local anti-vaccine alliance, revealed a bizarre string of racist Facebook posts by a Harvey council candidate and shared exclusive footage of sordid end-of-year stunts by a group of Bunbury school leavers, while covering local issues including court, crime, council and sport. Dana East, 19 (football) A rising star nominee and already one of the league’s best tacklers — it has been quite the start for Manjimup’s AFLW young gun Dana East. The daughter of East Perth legend Heath East, the former basketballer only made the switch to football about three years ago. She shot through the ranks at Donnybrook in the South West Football League, where she won a best and fairest, before heading to Swan Districts, through State programs and to the Dockers. East played all but one game for the Dockers as they reached another AFLW preliminary final, losing to eventual premiers Adelaide. She said honing her craft in a midfield which also includes two of “the best players in the comp” has been an invaluable learning experience. “It has been amazing, I am always idolising all the older players, they always have different skills that I’d love to have. “But especially seeing Hayley Miller and Ebony step up this year has been very impressive. “Hopefully I can learn off all of them over the next few years as well.” Alexis McDonald, 20 (app developer) An overwhelming desire to help others has led Alexis McDonald to a life she could not have imagined only a few years ago. The 20-year-old, who said he high school days saw her “bullied growing up”. was adamant she didn’t want to see others going through the same thing, so took it upon herself to develop a platform where people experiencing the same hardships can connect. “Later in high school I realised I wasn’t the only person going through it,” Ms McDonald said. “I wanted to create a safe space online.” That spark would soon become HerHelp, a self-help platform for young women, designed to “encourage, support and empower girls through daily challenges”, which launched in 2019. “I had no idea how to make an app, so I jumped on YouTube,” Ms Mcdonald said. “Within months I had girls messaging me saying they wouldn’t be here without the platform.” Her new-found passion for technology took her to Curtin University, where she studies a Bachelor of Communications, all while working with developers on the latest update for her app, which is set for release in about a month. Tahlia Bennell, 23 (artist) The incredible art of Tahlia Bennell showcases the South West region on the world stage. The Balardong Wardandi woman, who is the daughter of local artist Troy Bennell, picked up a paint brush for the first time at just six years old — a remarkable skill that would take her to the United States and make her the region’s leading Aboriginal artist. Bennell, who also showcases her art in schools across the region, says using her creativity to promote education is one of her top priorities. “Education is the biggest thing for me,” she said. “Each piece of art always has a story behind it and it’s important to share those with others.” Bennell said her grandmother inspires so much of her work, and she hopes to use stories passed down through the years to continue to teach. “My grandmother was a part of the Stolen Generation, so I want to educate people about that and keep my culture strong through my work,” she said. “Our grandparents won’t be here forever so we have to help build our own stories.” Doug Kitchen, 26 (Capel Shire president) Capel’s youngest ever Shire president is “in love and committed” to the community he has lived in his entire life. Doug Kitchen was elected to the role during his second term on council, and in doing so, followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Jack, who served the same community for more than 40 years, including three as Shire president. But the passionate and determined young leader says he is “doing it my own way”. “My grandfather was on council, he started in 1959 and finished up in 2001, and did a stint as Shire president,” Cr Kitchen said. “It is pretty special to be able to continue those sorts of things. “I have lived in the Shire of Capel my entire life — it is where I have grown up, lived with my family and then started my own family. “We have got our urban area in Dalyellup where a lot of our youth are located, but we still have our rural charm in Boyanup, Capel and that sort of thing and we have coastal localities. “It just makes our place in the region really special.” Caitlin Lomax, 30 (digital developer and producer) Bunbury’s Caitlin Lomax is leading the way in one of the world’s fastest growing industries. The founder of, Intr Studio, is adamant she is only just getting started in the gaming world though, with “heaps more exciting stuff” on the way. But she has come at the industry from a fascinating and unusual direction — giving up a life as a high-end fashion model to open her own studio in Bunbury. Now she has a new game in the works, Guild of Guardians, a multiplayer fantasy action game, which has 200,000 players on the waiting list, despite not being set for release until later this year. She was also recently the tech producer on the VR series Lustration, based on the graphic novel by Ryan Griffen, which premiered in March. Lomax said while working with teams across the globe can be a strain, the passion she has for her craft is what keeps her going. “I just really love what I’m doing,” Lomax said. Briana Fiore, 23 (journalist) Briana Fiore fell into journalism in her hometown of Harvey. It is a place where her family’s history runs deep and her connection to the town and its people make her acutely aware of what matters and which stories need to be told. Now a Walkley Award-winning journalist covering her first Federal election campaign, it is the same passion and drive that keeps Fiore motivated to “give people a voice”. “It was just people that I cared about and a community that I cared about and being able to give them a voice,” she said. “Then moving up to The West, you get a bigger scope and you get to fight for more people. “If it wasn’t for journalism, people wouldn’t know what was going inside their courtrooms, what was going on inside the council, or the great work the cops are doing to keep the community safe.” During her stint with the Harvey-Waroona Reporter, Fiore lifted the lid on the terrible working conditions at Bunbury Regional Hospital, sparking an ongoing WorkSafe investigation, and now spends her days at Parliament House and “keeping those in power to account”. Alex Saffy, 16 (swimmer) The ‘Bunbury bullet’ is a fair nickname to have to carry around, but swimming young gun Alex Saffy looks more than up to it. At just 15, Saffy came agonisingly close to being named in Australia’s Paralympic swimming team, one of the most dominant sporting teams in the country. But Saffy will still be a teenager when the next games come around in Paris, and it’s a future that Australian swimming circles are extremely excited about. The Bunbury Catholic College student had provisionally qualified for the Paralympics in the 100m butterfly, but didn’t make the final team. He lives with myoclonic dystonia, which affects his co-ordination and posture, which has significant impacts on daily life, as well as sport. “I slouch at my desk, I can struggle to get to my class because I get tired and it affects my recovery, so it is harder to recover than for other people,” Saffy said. Saffy was also awarded a Wally Foreman Foundation scholarship in December. Macey Fimmano, 20 (model) One of the few regional finalists in the prestigious Miss Universe Australia WA heats, Harvey’s Macey Fimmano is already doing her town proud. The mining machine operator and model, who is one of just 35 contestants in the running for the title, says some of her competitors don’t even know where her hometown is. But she is making an impact anyway, creating a platform advocating for mental health, body positivity and building awareness around the LGBTQ+ community. She also boasts an Instagram following of more than 12,000. “When you look at it it seems more focused on exterior beauty, but it’s not,” she said. “All the women I have met are doing something like environmental science or psychology, they are all chasing something, and they’re not just a beautiful exterior. “I have just come from a different background and different environment, theirs (other competitors) is more based around study, whereas my work is very male dominated.” Mahlia Bell, 8 (Aboriginal leader) Mahlia Bell is our best example that anyone who has something to say, can have a voice. The eight-year-old is already one of the South West’s strongest advocates for the Aboriginal community and is considered a leader in the space. She was the face of this year’s South West Multicultural Festival, which included a 2.5m mural of her being painted in the heart of Bunbury. But not only that, she provided the inspiration for the event’s theme — Goolambidi — the Noongar word for youth. The emerging artist has also worked on community-based projects including a youth engagement art installation in Greenbushes. Felicity Palmateer, 29 (surfer) For someone still so young, ‘Flick’ Palmateer has achieved an unbelievably diverse range of things. A pro-surfer, model, reality TV star and philanthropist, the Margaret River girl has gone from conquering some of the biggest breaks known to man, to starring in her own film. After travelling the world surfing, her return to Margaret River saw her raise thousands of dollars as the face of the world-record breaking charity event Boards Up For Cancer, for cancer support charity Solaris. In 2015, not far from the town she now lives in, Palmateer rode what is considered to be the biggest ever wave ridden by a female Australian surfer at Cowaramup’s Cow Bombie break. As a contested on the 2021 TV series Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn, she made it through 47 days of competition before being voted out and finishing third. Mikayla Love, 25 (Busselton City councillor) Busselton is home to one of the youngest councillors in the State, and one of its most passionate, who aims to close the bridge between the City’s youth and its decision-makers. At 24, Mikayla Love was elected to council for the first time, flanked by her proud family. I never thought in a million years I’d make it this far because of my experience compared to others, I didn’t even allow myself to hope in the lead-up,” Cr Love said. “I can’t wait to learn, get started, get out there for the community and especially the youth. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote and to vote for me, I will do my best to uphold the community’s wishes and get their concerns out there and heard.” The passionate environmentalist said what matters to the young people of her city will continue to be her top priority. “I’ve noticed in myself and my peers, we’re really passionate about issues and younger teenagers are clued on what’s happening in their local community more and more — the issue is there is a gap in how to make change with that passion,” Cr Love said. “I know how to communicate with this generation effectively and present their views to council in a manner that can be heard and understood, which I think is going to benefit everyone concerned.”