Meet the Committee

Josie – President
 I started Paganism as a daggy nineties witch back in the day, spending a while as an awkward, solitary teen reading everything I could – without much discernment. From there I became involved with Norse Paganism and the Ballarat Asatru Garth for some years before attending my first Wiccan ritual in the mid-2000s and feeling as though I had come home.
Now an Alexandrian Wiccan, I consider serving my community to be a big part of my path: as well as my work in the PCV, I help organise the Mount Franklin Pagan Gathering at Beltane each year. I’m also a member of Oak, Smash & Thorn Morris, which is simultaneously one of the silliest and most fun things I’ve ever tried to do.
When I’m not out Pagan-ing it up, I’m a writer of assorted things, a gardener and a geek. Sometimes I go bushwalking, roadtripping or country market hopping. I live in the countryside with my partner, our dog and our chooks.

Shaz – Vice President
I’m a proud member of ADF (Ár nDraíocht Féin) and formed Silver Birch Grove in 2007 and have held open to the public rituals for the High Days ever since.
I started out many years before that as a solitary new age kind of Celtic Pagan doing very simple rituals in my own backyard to writing liturgy for larger groups at our Nemeton in Rushall Park. The study program of ADF helped me to better focus on my chosen path and to be part of a larger group of Druids.
I am also very interested in the Ogham tree alphabet and have managed to maintain most of the trees and plants mentioned in my suburban yard.
I have 4 children and 4 grandchildren and I am an unashamed Whovian and Trekkie that will cosplay at the drop of a hat.
I joined the PCV Committee to see if we could find a sense of community in Melbourne as group. I like to think we are well on the way.

Fran – Secretary
Franceyne Pyre is a naturalist Pagan, animal rights activist, non-profit professional and motorcycle rider. Her practice is solitary, eclectic and non-theistic. Her practices and beliefs are based on experiences and evidence, her magic is the manipulation of the world through her own intent and she works to improving her world for all life. She also enjoys ritual and celebrating the Neopagan Wheel of the Year.
Raised in the rainforests of the Yarra Ranges Franceyne is most at home with her head in the clouds amongst the majestic Mountain Ash or with her head in a helmet riding the twisting roads of the mountain. Franceyne is a science fiction/fantasy book worm and loves snuggling up in her reading nook with her two rescued dogs and a glass of rum.

Ryan – Treasurer
Ryan McLeod is an Alexandrian witch based in Victoria, Australia.
He is passionate about helping grow his local Pagan community: in February of 2012 he Co-founded the Queer Pagan Men Australia group on Facebook. This is a social group for queer men to come together and explore their unique spiritual experiences.
In 2014 Ryan also co-founded the Pagan Collective of Victoria, the State’s only not for profit Pagan community organisation, to help connect Australia’s diverse Pagan scene. Ryan is an organiser of The Mount Franklin Pagan Gathering, an annual Beltane celebration held in Central Victoria which has become the longest running event of its kind in the world.
Ryan also runs Australian-focused online discussion forum Witches of OZ, a local Pagan Pub Moot and in his free time makes and sells incense under the brand Incendium.

Sarah – Community Liason
I’m one of the original PCV committee members and I haven’t managed to weasel out of it yet.
My path is probably best described as solitary, eclectic, nature-based Neo-Paganism, influenced heavily by folkloric and traditional witchcraft, animism, and chaos magick. Whatever it is that I do, I’ve been doing it for about 30 years, though it has evolved as I’ve grown and learned.
I live in the Dandenong Ranges, and run the Monthly Hills Pagan Coffee Meets, which started in Jan 2015 and are still going strong. I’m also a member of Oak Smash and Thorn – Pagan Border Morris.
I’m a massive bookworm with an impractically large collection of things in glass bottles, stuff I will probably use for charms one day, and bits of wood I just rather like the look of. They compete for space with the books and I just sandwich myself in around them all. I share all this with a partner, cats, horses, snakes, and frogs, who have their own hobbies.
Likes: Long walks pretty much wherever, hanging out with animals, avoiding responding to text messages.
Dislikes: Responding to text messages, raw pineapple, and writing autobiographical introductions.

Elkie
I’m new to the PCV but I’ve been a druid a long time. I live in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges and there began The Melbourne Grove of OBOD. I’m still actively involved in the Grove and in OBOD, and, for the past six years, other druid groups as well. I’m a Celebrant and I love nothing more than to share significant life events with others.

Dorian
I joined the PCV by crashing through a wall like the cool-aid guy-there was screaming and bricks flying everywhere, it was a mess.
I’ve been practicing animism, necromancy, chaos magic and nature-based paganism since I was a youngster. I’m the founder of the Sovereigns of The Golden Path, an emerging queer magical tradition, and I’m also involved in Melbourne’s Reclaiming witchcraft community.
I’m passionate about post-apocalyptic fiction, cyberpunk, monsters, robots, mythology, comics, horror and other general nerdery. The love of my life is the sea, which I enjoy bobbing around in like a cork because I’m not a very strong swimmer.
When not playing videogames I enjoy writing, art, crafting magical tools, costuming, and dressing like a Mad-Max 2 extra.

Dean
I’ve been practicing Ásatrú (Norse paganism) for around 15 years. Over the past six years, I increasingly got involved in attending an increasing number of public Pagan events and groups, especially through ADF (Ár nDraíocht Féin) Druidry. When someone suggested I should join the PCV, I had no reservations – it was just the next natural step. My practice revolves around devotional polytheism, reconstructionism, and animism. When I’m not studying in the darkest corners of a library, I’m usually out wandering along the waterways and haunting the hills of the Dandenongs.

Seumas
I practice a non-denominational Celtic paganism. As I live in the Yarra Ranges, I am surrounded and influenced by all the flora and fauna up here. In particular, a platonic love-affair with my rescue pony and domesticated feral cat.
I attended the first PCV meeting out of curiosity, as I was ready after decades of mostly solitary, to participate in community. Somehow, and still not sure, ended up becoming quite involved and eventually ended up on the committee.
I’m just glad they didn’t check my resume.

Ang

Keegan

We’d like to acknowledge the many contributions of past committee members (in no particular order):
Alex (Eclectic), Buck (Unnamed Path), Al (Reclaiming), Fiona (Reclaiming), River (Reclaiming), Carrie (Reclaiming), Nickole (Reclaiming), Belinda (Eclectic), Mark (Eclectic), Cosette (Georgian Wicca), Luca (Wildwood), Mei (OBOD), Ben (Eclectic), Lisa (Reclaiming), Cam (Eclectic), Ceilidh (Eclectic), Amanda (Eclectic)