Meet the Expedition Team
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NORTH POLE TEAM
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 | Emma B
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|  | I am a Psychologist and have worked with community and government agencies providing treatment for children, adolescents and adults for over 10 years. I specialize in adult individual and group treatment for depression, bipolar, anxiety, trauma, stress, anger and grief and have a special interest in women’s issues. I lead an active lifestyle outside of work and I love new and exciting adventures.
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| | | | | I was appointed CEO/Registrar for the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria in September 2004. During that time the Board has experienced many positive developments and an emphasis on the health and well being of practitioners. I have spent more than thirty years hiking throughout New Zealand and around the world. I enjoy an active outdoor pursuit lifestyle for relaxation and personal challenge.
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| |  | David C
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|  | Matt O
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| | My name is Matthew Owen and I am from Melbourne, Australia. I am a Travel Advisor for a global travel agency, helping others to realise their dreams. My favorite part of life is the joy I find in traveling and seeing new things. I have spent the last 8 years traveling and finding adventures all over the world. I love mountains and all the challenges, beauty and silence they can offer.
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| | | | | I’m a junior doctor from Melbourne recently returned from aid work in Cambodia, and looking forward to specialising in Psychiatry. The mind and its problems have always engaged me – intellectually as well as through the personal experience of an extended family speckled with Bipolar. I think the expedition is a wonderful chance to break the spell of ignorance and stigma that surrounds the condition and I’m very proud to be a part of it.
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| |  | Luke A
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|  | Ishani C
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| | My husband has Bipolar Disorder and when I met him his condition was undiagnosed. I have grown to respect his special abilities and help him maximize his potential during those times and support him through his depressive phase. In my professional life I am a business executive and this expedition is an extension of my need to constantly challnge myself and grow.
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| | | | | For more than 8 of the last 10 years, I didn't know that I was bipolar; I didn't even know that such a condition existed and feel passionately about raising awareness about the condition, I have always been a high achiever whether it was academics or business and I see this expedition to personally challenge myself physically, mentally and spiritually.
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| |  | Pranav N
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SOUTH POLE TEAM
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 | Beth L
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| | I believe mental illness can touch everyone’s lives; be it oneself, a partner, family or friends. Its impact on all of our lives can be significant, and yet for something that is relatively common, it is still shrouded somewhat in secrecy. I believe the Bipolar Expedition is a fantastic way to help get this health issue out into the open, acting as a catalyst for discussion and positive change.
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| | | | | I am an architect who enjoys travelling and finding new challenges. I was diagnosed with BiPolar in November 2007, and am in the process of understanding the condition. I have always dreamed of travelling to Antarctica and am amazed to have the chance to do so, while helping out the cause.
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| |  | Matt W
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|  | Jason H
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| | My name is Jason Hawley. I’m a 21 year old student studying mechanical engineering at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. I believe the expedition will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and allow me to push myself both mentally and physically, as well as give me the chance to give back to the community in a unique and interesting way.
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| | | | | In my work life I have always been drawn to positions that ‘nurture’ such as that of a teacher. My acceptance into the expedition to the South Pole is a culmination of events that have shaped my goals over the years. On a personal level, I can contribute to the raising of awareness and funds for bipolar disorder and raise the overall profile of mental health issues in Australia.
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| |  | Marilyn M
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|  | Craig W
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| | To take part in an expedition of this ilk is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a part of the world that is largely untouched by human intervention. To be a sufferer of bipolar this experience will show past and present sufferers as well as the public at large that bi polar people are not to be looked upon with pity but with admiration for their physical and mental stamina.
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| | | | | I have recently retired after a long career in journalism, media management and government media liaison. I have been a very active participant in a number of outdoor activities over many years including cross-country skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, bushwalking, sea kayaking, canoeing, and sailing.
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| |  | David C
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|  | Lisa D
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| | Through a close friendship, I experienced first-hand the difficulty accessing mental health care for the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. My vision is to raise community awareness of bipolar disorder and to recognise the help and support provided by carers, friends and family can be vitally important to someone dealing with mental health problems.
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| | | | | My name is Erik, I am a medical doctor, specialist in Forensic Psychiatry. I am a mountaineer with over twenty years of climbing and expedition experience in the mountains. As a clinician my interests and aspirations are not only geared toward the recognition and treatment of psychiatric disturbances, but also in assisting others to reach their full potential.
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| |  | Erik M
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