Jim Corbett

"Yarra was a field of dreams in terms of what it offered me.”

When Jim Corbett arrived at Yarra in Year 11, he quickly found his place and a sense of his future direction. He also found enduring friendships and a chance to experience things he’d never tried before.

“I’d never played Aussie Rules before – I was a soccer player – but I played my first game in the Firsts at Yarra and my first kick was a goal!” says Jim.

“When I came to Yarra, I found my place and I found friends – the school was perfect for me. I found lifelong friends and I was exposed to opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have been exposed to and they shaped my early decisions after school. There wasn’t a bad moment during my two years there.”

Jim says that when he joined the school he wasn’t ‘academically strong’, but the support of teachers ensured he found subjects that interested him with Economics, Australian History and Accounting being particular favourites.

“There was a focus on being the best you can be and I applied myself more at Yarra because that was the culture – kids applied themselves with help from their teachers.

“I also remember the school emphasising that we give back to the community and I’d never thought of how I could do that before. We were encouraged to help people who were less fortunate and that’s a big part of my work now with local governments around the planning, design and operation of aquatic leisure centres. My focus is on ensuring access and equity to these facilities so all sectors of the community can enjoy health, fitness and social connection.”

For the past 23 years, Jim and his family have been based on Phillip Island and from here, he runs his consultancy. He’s been able to work while helping to raise his children, something he greatly appreciates.

“It has given me a great deal of joy to be connected to my children in that way and to be able to drop them off at school and pick them up,” he says.

“I think we get caught up in success, particularly the financial components, but I’ve been conscious of knowing what floats my boat and I’ve fashioned a life that suits the person I am, rather than a version of what I think I should be.”

“Reflecting on what is making you happy, or not happy, knowing what path you want to go down, and being comfortable enough to reflect on yourself, warts and all, is important. I think it’s better for us if we do what we want to do as if nobody else will know about it, rather than doing something and feeling we have to show people what we are doing.”