Alumni Spotlight: Kirsten Blacker

My best memory from school was the North West Wagon train – the two week bus trip to the NW of WA (including several nights in Wittenoom!). I’ve never felt more like I belonged.
At the moment, I occasional work as a nurse and midwife, but my primary passion is teaching yoga to people with Parkinson’s disease. Still happily married to my husband of 30+ years, with adult children living out of home.

I was a swimmer at Servite, and I am currently training for the Busselton jetty swim in February. I took up running in my 40s (think Cliff Young shuffle…)
And yoga. Lots of yoga!

Life has taken me to many, many, places. I have had the privilege of travelling to all seven continents as a tourist, and working in a Tanzania as a nurse and midwife.
I trained as a nurse and midwife through the hospital based system in the 1980/1990s, then converted to a university degree a few years later. I’ve worked in public health for most of my career, with some sessional academic work through Curtin University supporting the next generation of midwives.

During the pandemic I upskilled to be a vaccination nurse and gave over 3000 covid jabs!

My husband’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease seven years ago was an enormous game changer, for us both personally and professionally. I undertook yoga teacher training and currently volunteer for Parkinson’s WA as a yoga teacher.

One of my first jobs as a teenager was working in a bookstore, and life has come full circle as I now spend a lot of time selling and promoting David’s book.

I’ve had the pleasure of organising 20, 30 and 40 year reunions for my class group, and still count my high school friends amongst my nearest and dearest.