Staff Profiles

Marcus Curnow, Executive Officer 

In 1996 Marcus first volunteered with Urban Seed when the introduction of Crown Casino adversely affected Cambodian families he was living with. Marcus has been a youth worker in a variety of contexts including Footscray where he has resided with Rachael and their three children for the last decade. Their experience of living close to ex-Urban Seed residents and connecting through a local Organic Food Co-op and shared meals inspired the emergence of the Seeds Covenant, an expression of local spirituality, community and service which has grown as a network in disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Victoria. He has degrees in Nursing and Theology and is an accredited Baptist Pastor who likes a good wedding. He believes that Bible study shouldn’t suck; that the true Spirit of cricket is not owned by the establishment, that good liturgy requires risk and that Cornwall (the home of his forebears) is not England!

Merridie Costello, Executive Officer

Merridie joined Urban Seed's Executive Team in 2009. For Merridie it is a return to Urban Seed after having edited our Journal during 2003-04. She is enjoying being back, and brings experience in writing, editing and project management. She lives in Elsternwick with young adult children and husband Tim when he's not travelling!


Chris Lacey, Executive Officer 

Having lived in as part of the residential community in 2001 Chris has continued to work in a variety of roles for Urban Seed including co-ordinating Urban Seed's Schools work, forming the Victorian Praxis Youth & Community Work Training Team and founding Edge, a youth community development project run throughout Victoria. He is passionate about connecting young people with the issues of the street and resourcing local people to engage the needs of their community. He is married to Katherine and they live in Footscray with their two sons.


Brent Lyons Lee, Executive Officer

Brent is married to Belinda and has recently become a dad to little Thomas. He lives in Geelong where he is the Minister at Norlane Baptist Church. He has a Diploma in Theology and an Honours degree in Social Science with a focus on International Development and Politics. Brent’s honours thesis explored the failed policy of Safe Injecting Facilities in Victoria. He is currently undertaking a Master of Divinity through MCD part-time. He lived in the Urban Seed Residential Community for two years in 2000/01. He is also specifically focussed on the issue of gambling, sitting on the Inter-Church Gambling Taskforce.


Gregg Morris, Edge & Praxis Co-ordinator

Born in Aotearoa (New Zealand) Gregg has heritage from two islands - Samoa in the Pacific and Ireland in the Atlantic. This means he feels at home in both warm & cold climates! He loves football (the round ball version) and supports the Wellington Phoenix even though he lives in Melbourne. Gregg and his wife Bronwyn were residents at Urban Seed from 1997 to 2000. In the years that followed, Gregg worked in both Melbourne and Auckland as a drug safety worker for young male clients, running a residential home for young women coming out of prostitution and with high school students with learning & behavioral needs. Gregg is part of the Praxis Network which is provides contextual training in youth and community work. In 2009 Gregg & Bronwyn moved back to Melbourne where Gregg is now managing Urban Seed's Edge program and establishing Praxis training in Victoria.

 

Tim Jeffries, Youth & Schools Co-ordinator

Tim joined the Youth and Schools Team in 2008 after having four different jobs in 2 years - he'd been working for churches, labouring for a landscape construction business and running a work for the dole project. Tim is married to Jay and lives in Preston where he is part of a community called Loam. He spends as much time as he can there working in his veggie garden, playing soccer with the local kids and sharing life with his neighbours. He is most of the way through a theology degree but can't imagine not studying at least something part time so will probably just start something else when he finishes. Tim has just become a dad to Tuscan.


Paul Toms, Resident

Paul is a man you may overlook in the street except for the unruly sideburns which have established themselves on the sides of his face. In 2002, after finishing his degree in visual arts at ANU, Paul moved to Melbourne and became a resident at Urban Seed. He enjoyed it so much he thought it might be a good idea to stay for 2003. When he eventually moved out he would find odd jobs to do around the place including running Pain in the Arts.Having proved his ability, he was given the joint task of looking after the residents,which he did until leaving for a year long adventure in 2008 (the details of which we are not able to go into here). Having held the title of Residential Co-ordinator since his return, Paul has returned to Central House as a resident this year with his wife Amber.


Sarah Scott Webb, Educator

Originally from New Zealand, Sarah is part of the Youth and Schools team at Urban Seed. Previously, Sarah worked as a secondary music teacher before moving into youth pastoring and youth work. She also worked for several years at World Vision New Zealand and is passionate about advocating on behalf of the disadvantaged and marginalised, both globally and locally. She has degrees in music, teaching and theology and is currently studying towards her Masters in International Relations (Human Rights Law). Sarah is married to Kieran and lives in the heart of St Kilda, where they enjoy hanging out at the beach, drinking coffee, and community gardening at Veg Out.

Blythe Toll, Creative Curriculum Co-ordinator

Blythe Toll joined Urban Seed in 2009.  As well running walks and seminars, she develops creative content for the Youth and Schools team. She is an artist, and enjoys creatively engaging faith, culture and art. She has lived and worked in Europe, where she was part of a small missional charity called ‘the bless network’ that serves small local churches and communities in Europe. She is married to Dave and lives in Preston.


Samara Pitt, Youth & Schools Co-ordinator 

Samara joined the Youth and Schools team in 2003 after three years teaching in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. She is also involved in a number of other vibrant communities including Gembrook Retreat, and the Indigenous Hospitality House in Wurundjeri country (North Carlton) where she lives and hosts Indigenous guests who are in town on hospital business. She finds life and energy in growing the connections between groups of people seeking to live well on this land.


Simon Moyle, Public Engagement Co-ordinator 

Simon loves to tell stories that inspire imagination and action. He has spoken to and run workshops for churches, schools, nonprofits and community groups.  His own embodied imaginings have seen him play frisbee with soldiers on a military base during war games, invite police and anti-globalisation protesters to sit down to a freegan meal together at the G20 meetings, and lead 120 young Christians on a march around the offices of the world’s 3rd largest weapons manufacturer. He is a Baptist minister and leader and founding member of inspiral, a small community in the inner north of Melbourne trying to find ways to live simply, lovingly and joyfully together. He is Public Engagement Coordinator at Urban Seed.  Simon is husband to Julie and Dad to three amazing kids. He thinks writing bios, particularly in the third person, is a bit strange.


Kate Allen, Communications & Fundraising Co-ordinator 

Kate was a resident in Central House during 2005 and now lives in Melbourne's north where she is is part of a Christian community called Loam. Life in this rather diverse neighbourhood is teaching her the value of shared meals and walks to the shops. Currently in her work for Urban Seed she speaks with various groups, including our funders, about all kinds of urban issues - including the issue of money in an unequal world. She has a Master of Social Science (International Development) from RMIT and a passion for exploring connections between the work for justice on the global and local levels.


Talitha Fraser, Executive Assistant & Administration Coordinator 

Talitha 'exported' herself in 2006 from Wellington NZ and hunted out work in the community sector in Melbourne. Feeling a bit homeless herself, she hung around the fringe at Urban Seed, and eventually was offered work in 2008. She trained in computer applications in 2001and has been employed in administration ever since. Talitha lives and works in the city. She loves being engaged with the community on her doorstep and being a part of the Urban Seed mob.


Luke Wilkinson, Norlane Community Development Co-ordinator 

Luke first found out about Urban Seed in 2000 during a City Walk ascpart of a school Religious Education program. He moved into Central House in 2005, then spent a few years working as the Credo Team Co-ordinator. Now living at 'Seedy Abbey' in Norlane, Geelong, he looks after community development work there. Luke is married to Kylie and they have a gorgeous daughter called Charlotte.


Ray Cording, Credo Cafe Co-ordinator 

Ray was drawn to the Urban Seed/Credo community in 2003 while studying Community Transformation at Tabor Bible College. Ray spent two of the following years as a resident at Central House. Though no longer a resident, Ray still values and views the Urban Seed/Credo community as her "mob". Ray's qualifications in Hospitality/Commercial Cookery help somewhat with the day to day running of Credo Cafe. She is hoping that her recently completed studies in Alcohol and Other Drug Work will prove helpful too. Ray very much enjoys working alongside Credo Team members and is quietly excited about what this team continually brings about in the lives of its members, individually and collectively. Ray currently lives in Spotswood with her eastern water dragons, blue tongue, chickens, fish, puppy and her eccentrically wonderful husband Ben!


Virginia Moebus-Nelson, Resident 

Virginia was attracted to Urban Seed as a resident in 2003, and lived in Central House for two years. After completing studies in welfare, she realised how much she didn’t know, and decided that hanging out with people in the Credo community might be a good way of learning! It was also an important way of further exploring the relationship between her discipleship journey and her work. The ‘non-professional’ ethos that Urban Seed generally, and residency in particular, takes on, has been an important foundation for her. Virginia is now back living at Central House with her legendary husband, Jeff.


Christopher Booth, Church Engagement Co-ordinator 

In 2004 Christop spent some time hanging out with some artists who were painting a mural in Baptist Place. They introduced him to the Credo community. He was an Urban Seed resident from 2006-2009 (and holds the record for the longest stint!) and now lives at the Indigenous Hospitality House in Carlton with his wife Mehrin. He has recently been doing a lot of drawing, photography, mixed media, animation and installation art, particularly for use in church spaces. Christop also shows church groups around his neighbourhood, sharing the story of Urban Seed and inviting them to think about what's going on in their own neighbourhoods. Christop has a blog.

Phil Yew, Credo Cricket Co-ordinator

Phil is a passionate man who finds a lot of life and love in the people he encounters on his journey. Motivated by the passion Christ had for people on the edge of our society, Phil left his job as a microbiologist in 2005 to live amongst those at the margins. He resides in the CAVE community in Ascot Vale and has an amazing wife who shares his passion. He has been described as a crazy chicken but also is a fantastic sportsman, (out of tune) musician, beach walker, creative thinker, road-blocking hippy, avid food eater, not-vegetarian who likes to laugh and dance a lot. He wants you to know that peace is possible and that to walk the hard but deep path is better than the easy and shallow.


Dave Fagg, Outdoor Edge Co-ordinator & Praxis Educator

Dave is married to Kylie with whom he has lived and worked among marginalised people since their late teens. They travelled to the USA and South Africa to learn about communities doing grassroots community development before moving to a housing commission area in Bendigo in 2005. Since then they have been involved with the local neighbourhood centre and Seeds Bendigo as well as becoming grandparents to Toby & Amity. Dave thinks aloud on his blog


Peter Mac, Educator

Peter Mac, affectionately known to his colleagues as the Power Mac, works with the Youth and Schools team running sessions with high school students on issues such as homelessness, addiction and community involvement. Pete says he's lost count of the amount years he's been around Credo, he's pretty much a part of the furniture. Pete has two teenage boys that keep him busy when he's not helping out in Credo, running school gigs or involved with his local church. If you're ever unsure whether Jesus loves you or not, Pete is the guy you need to speak with.


Evan Morgan, Educator

Evan is a born and bred Melburnian who loves spending time in the city. During a Diploma of Ministry at Tabor College, Evan was encouraged to participate in the Mission Exposure week with Urban Seed, and followed up with a two year stint busking on Swanston Street, meeting locals and participating in the rhythms of the street. He developed a love of learning about different subcultures in Melbourne, and has contributed to a few of these through music production, performance and event management. Evan loves that Urban Seed has a healthy cricket culture and, on another note, needs studio space in the north, preferably a room 5x5 metres, and will be very satisfied in life when he finds one.


Amber Gaskill Toms, Resident

Amber has been visiting Urban Seed on and off since 2002. She moved to Melbourne from Canberra in 2005. She has a Bachelor of Community Education, has worked on a range of community focussed programs and is currently studying horticulture. She is passionate about cooking, eating and sharing good food, gardening, reading and her extraordinary husband, Paul.



Rachel Birkett, Resident

Hi I am Rachel. I used to think that you had to be perfect to live in an intentional community. I have found out that isn't the case because they let me in! So yes I am a resident here, which is lovely because I get to hear peoples' stories and people listen to my stories also. Since you have taken the time to read about me, I would like to extend an invitation to you. Come into Credo Cafe and have lunch. We will eat, talk and listen to each others' stories. It will be beautiful. Don't stay a stranger. Or do. It's up to you.



Rachel Cowan, Norlane Resident & Edge Worker

Born and bred in South Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Rachel has officially been involved in youth work for the last three years but can't remember a time when she hasn't been hanging around young people.  Rachel recently completed her Diploma in Youth and Community Work with Praxis. While completing her Diploma she participated in Mission Exposure with Urban Seed. This experience sparked conversations which eventuated in her move across the ditch. Rachel is now a resident in Norlane, Geelong and is excited to be running Edge in Norlane High School as well as being a part of the Seeds community. Rachel enjoys dancing and relaxing on the beach with some fush and chups!



Lindy Croucher, Resident

Lindy has become an Urban Seed resident in 2010 after nine years of work with Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH) and six years before that of volunteer work with Prison Network Ministries. She is hoping for a year focused on reflection and learning - through theology studies, short courses, lots of 'gossiping' the gospels and engaging with the many varied projects and people who make up Urban Seed and Credo. Lindy loves to be part of building communities where people experiencing isolation can participate, grow and belong. She also loves sharing about God's heart for this and is available to speak to churches and small groups. Lindy is happy to be around so many people who love to cook, and has recently rediscovered a love for camping.