Glenelg Shire Who's Who
Public Profile
Michelle Baxter
welcome to Blessings by Design Art Studio
I'm the owner, founder, and lead teacher of Blessings by Design Art Studio , a creative space where children and families come to explore art, build confidence, and have fun making something they're proud of.
My background is in working with children. I have worked in special education for over 20 years ,and taught art classes for the past 15 years and in the last few years I worked as an Outside School Hours Care Coordinator, leading programs for children from preschool to Year 6. I loved every part of it — building relationships with families, designing engaging activities, and creating an environment where every child felt safe, valued, and excited to be there.
That experience shaped everything I bring to the studio today.
Blessings by Design
I'm not interested in being the biggest art studio — I'm focused on being the best for the families who walk through our door.
That means small class sizes, thoughtful lesson planning, quality materials, and genuine connection.
When you join a class with me, I'll know your child's name, their favourite colour, what they love to draw, and what makes them light up. I'll celebrate their wins and gently encourage them through the tricky bits. Art isn't just about the finished piece — it's about confidence, focus, problem-solving, and joy.
I'd love to welcome your family into our creative community.
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Distinguished and Famous people from Glenelg Shire
🤝 Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop lived and taught in Portland during the 1860s, before moving to Penola. Her experience included work in local schooling and establishing a private school, while family financial difficulties formed part of the background to those years. She left Portland in January 1866. The town’s heritage interpretation preserves this formative connection in the life of the educator who co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph. Portland belongs to the practical early story of teaching, earning a living and developing the educational commitments that later became her life’s work.
📚 Graeme Bucknall
Graeme Bucknall grew up on a farm in a bush community beside the lower Glenelg River and attended Drik Drik State School from 1916 to 1923. Forestry work preceded training for the Presbyterian ministry. His later career ranged from Victorian parishes to northern church leadership and pastoral patrols across remote station country. Historical research and writing followed alongside that work. The local childhood and school years matter because he later drew on his own understanding of isolation when visiting people far from towns. A rural beginning became useful preparation for a working life shaped by distance.
🌏 William Douglass Forsyth
William Douglass Forsyth was born at Casterton in 1909 and attended local schools before continuing his education at Ballarat. Teaching and historical research led towards international affairs and a diplomatic career. He helped develop the South Pacific Commission and became its first secretary-general, later representing Australia at the United Nations. His books ranged from convict administration to migration and Captain Cook’s landfalls. Casterton supplied the local beginnings of a life increasingly concerned with Australia’s relationships beyond its borders. The early teacher and historian remained visible in a diplomat whose work depended on research, argument and understanding how institutions might be built.
