In this edition of Where in the World are They?, Paul Galea Community Relations Manager chatted with three IGS alums who have followed very different paths. From filmmaking and education to paediatric nursing, Josh Hurkett (2004), Samantha Mitchell (2018) and Daniel Watson (2018) reflect on their journeys so far and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Josh Hurkett 2004
After leaving IGS in Year 12, and not having much idea what I wanted to do, I fell into a job at a small family business until the Global Financial Crisis hit. In 2007, after dipping my toe into the After Care scene at IGS, I went travelling and played cricket in the UK. While I was in London, I spent a lot of my time coaching, and between that experience and my time in After Care, I realised I wanted to get into teaching.
When I returned to Australia, I started a Bachelor of Primary Education at Macquarie Uni and worked in After Care and a variety of hospitality jobs. I also met my future wife, Emily, a fellow After Care worker and eventual IGS teacher.
After I finished my degree, I got straight into casual teaching which led to working as a classroom teacher across a few local public schools, working for private coaching companies and eventually, with help from ex-IGS guru, Brian Downton, getting a job as a PE teacher and sports coordinator in a primary school in Ryde.
Emily and I got married in July 2022, and at the end of that year, we made the move out of Sydney down to the Southern Highlands. I got a job at Oxley College near Bowral where I am the Head of Senior School Sport. We have two children, Milo and Adelaide. Funnily enough, David Wright was the founding principal of Oxley and the school shares plenty of similarities to IGS, including being co-ed, non-denominational and being a P-12 school on one campus. I work in the same PE department as big Dan Collins and still see old IGS mates like Luke, Brennan, Jesse, Sam, Tim and plenty more.
Samantha Mitchell 2018
After 15 years at IGS and graduating in 2018, I took some time before starting uni. I’d deferred an education degree and attempted to get some life experience in before uni. Just before starting, I transferred to a Bachelor of Nursing in 2020 (great timing!).
After completing all sorts of placements and facing all the fun of the pandemic, I graduated in 2023. I decided to specialise in paediatrics and was able to secure a spot at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick as a Registered Nurse. I’ve just about finished my first year of nursing, and I couldn’t ask for a better job!
I work on an infants ward where we care for babies coming from NICU. The hours are long and my sleep schedule has suffered irreversible damage, but I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything else. Kids are so resilient and so so silly, and yes, I have taught several babies how to high five. Making sure they have a somewhat positive experience while they’re unwell is so important, even if it means playing Taylor Swift at 2 am to calm them down!
To all the teachers who dealt with my chaos in high school, I am probably showing an ounce of the patience for these kids compared to what you all showed for me. I was pretty lucky to have you all!
Daniel Watson 2018
Immediately after IGS, I started my degree at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). During the three years of my degree, I prioritised producing other people’s short films so I could learn and make the mistakes I knew I was going to make but at less of a cost to myself.
Once I finished, I worked various odd jobs in the industry, such as production running and being an assistant editor on reality and scripted TV, all the while trying to get my own short films made.
In 2024, I made two short films, one for myself called Fancy a Cuppa? and The Culling for an organisation called Young Actor’s Assembly. I am now crowdfunding for my next short film called The Intervention about obesity and how it is weaponised in families.
