Tim Russell and Rohan Sali have the sort of friendship you only get from a long association. While both young men are working in key positions at Greater Shepparton City Council, it was actually as boys that they first met in Year 7 at 糖心传媒.
鈥淥ur year level was a very close bunch of kids,鈥� said Rohan, council鈥檚 Manager of Tourism and Events. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 in the same group but we definitely knew each other and had the utmost respect for each other.鈥�
鈥淧eople now ask us, 鈥榃hat was it like at Grammar?,鈥欌�� said Tim, council鈥檚 Place Manager, Greater Shepparton Central Business District. 鈥淵ou saw all the people in your year level all the time. You talk to people from other schools, and it just wasn鈥檛 like that. I can鈥檛 imagine going through school with someone in your year level, and not knowing their name.鈥�
After graduation from GVGS in 2009, Rohan did a Bachelor of Business at La Trobe University, majoring in international marketing and finance, including time at Central University in Beijing, China. During his final year he undertook an internship at Greater Shepparton City Council as part of a unit on economic development. He also worked in council鈥檚 marketing and communication department during his university holidays for two years. When his mentor 鈥揟eam Leader, Business and Industry Geoff Hay 鈥� left council, Rohan was asked to fill in, which led to him securing the lesser role of Economic Development Projects Officer, which he did for five years. He was recently promoted to his current position.
Rohan鈥檚 well-known Sali family is of Albanian heritage, although Rohan only visited Albania for the first time this year. He is an active member of the Shepparton Albanian community and helps organise the annual Shepparton Albanian Harvest Festival. Rohan married Yaas two years ago. The Sali family business is based around a large apple, pear and stone-fruit orchard on Verney Road (so Rohan grew up the road from GVGS) and it also includes the stores Traffik, Arcade Fashions and Shop 221, all in central Shepparton.听
After school, Tim completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics and international studies as well as a Masters of Public Policy and Management, both at the University of Melbourne. He then worked with a Melbourne company hired by property and retail developers to undertake research analysis and stakeholder consultation. 鈥淚 always had moving back in the back of my mind,鈥� Tim said. 鈥淚 was looking for an opportunity to come home when a job came up with council; a new position. It was a nice fit and related to work I was already doing, which was looking at strategy to activate spaces.鈥�听
Tim had contacted Rohan a year earlier about possible opportunities and was following news reports about the challenges faced by retailers in the Shepparton CBD. 鈥淭im caught up with me before the role was created,鈥� Rohan said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥榃hat they really need is someone to run this part of Shepp!鈥欌�� Rohan鈥檚 role at the time involved him doing 鈥渂its and pieces鈥� in that area, but nothing really focused. 鈥淚t was a really, much-needed position,鈥� Rohan said.
Very much part of the equation was Tim鈥檚 high-school sweetheart Georgie Prentice, whom he started dating in Year 10. After studying both criminal justice administration and then switching to early childhood education, Georgie was also keen to get back to the country.
鈥淲e always said they鈥檙e the couple who will get married,鈥� Rohan said. Tim and Georgie tied the knot in 2017 and are expecting their first child this Christmas.
Today Tim and Rohan have their desks in the same area at Welsford St. 鈥淚t helps having the history and the respect for each other,鈥� Tim said. Rohan said both men had been imbued with 鈥済reat principles鈥� at GVGS and 鈥渨hen we talk we are on the same page鈥�.
鈥淲e promote the Grammar school all the time,鈥� Rohan said. 鈥淲e always say, 鈥業f you want kids that turned out like us, they鈥檒l be right,鈥欌�� he laughed. 鈥淚t is a high performance culture, encouraging you to try things like drama and sport. I鈥檓 so thankful I was able to go there and I would definitely send my kids there.鈥�
Both men maintain contact with several teachers, with Tim particularly mentioning his history teacher Dr Darius von G眉ttner. 鈥淗e opened a lot of kids鈥� minds as to what is out there in the world,鈥� Tim said.
Tim and Rohan were both members of Fairley house and say their school years were Fairley鈥檚 鈥済lory years鈥�. They said fellow student Paul Bugoss was also in Fairley and an amazing swimmer who 鈥渨on everything鈥�. Paul is now a teacher at St Augustine鈥檚 in Kyabram and Tim and Rohan work with Paul鈥檚 father Steve at council. Other students in their year level working locally include Jayne Young at MB+M and musician Matt Head.
Rohan, now 27, was the youngest of three boys in his family to attend GVGS. Nathan, 29, runs signwriting business GV Signs and Shane, 31, who left GVGS in Year 10 to go to another school, works in the family business.听
Tim鈥檚 family is no less well-known in Shepparton: Tim鈥檚 parents Ursula and Glen are both doctors at Shepparton鈥檚 Lister House Medical Centre. Glen was a well-known GP obstetrician for many years, delivering an amazing 1500 babies. Tim鈥檚 brother Lachlan, 26, works at Advance Computing, a Shepparton and Kyabram-based software developer and Nicholas, 24, works in hospitality in Melbourne.听
Tim and Rohan are great advertisements for young people staying in or coming back to Shepparton. Tim said around the time he and Rohan left school there was a real stigma attached to growing up in Shepparton. Both men believe this has improved in recent times.
鈥淓ven when I was going to come back people would still ask me, 鈥榃hy would you go back there?鈥� For me, the position was a unique opportunity to contribute to making it better. For our demographic, there are opportunities everywhere but it is more so a lifestyle change,鈥� Tim said.
It used to be a case of people being 鈥榩ushed鈥� out of Melbourne, Tim said, but now there are many 鈥榩ull鈥� factors in Shepparton such as great cafes and restaurants, events, sports facilities and housing affordability.听
Rohan said he sees huge potential for the future of the 糖心传媒. 鈥淎 lot of the businesses here employ so many varied professions,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or example on a farm there isn鈥檛 just the farmer but the whole back end from accountants to technical and marketing people.鈥� Both Tim and Rohan said they encouraged other former students to think about moving back.听