Kevin Newton: is the owner-operator of Australian Survival Instructors and is a highly experienced outdoor survival instructor, bow hunter, bushcraftsman, flint knapper, potter, primitive skills researcher, Instructor & weapons re-creator.. He has over 30 years of International outdoor experience including 2 years living in the Italian Alps learning trapping, hunting and foraging in the early 90’s. His passion for flint knapping and primitive survival skills, including re-creating the weapons, clothing and gear that Oetzi the Iceman was found with, has made him Australia’s premiere survival and primitive survival skills instructor. Kevin has featured on Australian national television, Japanese television, in news interviews, ABC radio, Triple J ‘Hack’ and also an episode of channel 7 ‘Sydney Weekender’ and was featured on Channel 7 TV series “Get Clever”, aired on Discovery Aus, NZ & Asia. In February 2019 Kevin filmed a U.S television episode of “Conan without Borders”, with world famous Talk Show host, Conan O’Brien, and was featured on the Italian TV network ‘Marco Polo’ with host Iona Sermoneta, March 2019 as well as ABC Radio Nationwide with Ron Quinn. In August 2019 Kevin collaborated with ‘The Bush Tucker Man’ Les Hiddins on a video project together. Kevin has also taught privately, Australian Special Forces survival and primitive skills.
Zachary Nast: is Australian Survival Instructor’s very competent and extremely skilled instructor for all courses and topics, who has been a part of the team since 2012. He is an avid bowhunter and trout fisherman. Zac has always had a passion for old world skills which has manifested itself in him writing our course syllabus for both Bow making and Blacksmithing. Always prepared to learn from master craftsman and broaden his horizons Zac has travelled to Sweden to observe and learn Swedish blacksmithing techniques with Gransfors Bruk, and now works in the Blacksmithing and Engineering industry, providing students with a professional standard of Instruction on all A.S.I forging courses.
Maddie Aliprandi: came to A.S.I as a returning student, and never left. She fitted in so well she now instructs. Maddie is a keen Bowhunter, Spear fisher, and ex professional Mountain Guide in New Zealand, and now Cert 3 trained, here in Australia. Maddie brings enthusiasm and teaching to a new level in the industry, recognising womens needs in a traditionaly male dominated teaching field. Maddies passions include Bush Foods & Medicines, Basketry & Weaving, Traditional Tanning methods, and exploring the bush.
Tom Foley: is a young, enthusiastic Earth skills instructor and practitioner, teaching at Australian Survival Instructors school since 2017. Specialising in indigenous skills and Experimental Archaeology, Tom’s mission is to learn dying skills and preserve the ancient ways of indigenous peoples from around the world, passing them on to the next generation. Currently studying a Masters of Experimental Archaeology , focusing on the skills that have proved fundamental in the evolution and construction of humanity as we know it, such as running, flintknapping, hunting, friction fire, tanning and much more. Having already travelled to Israel, the UK and Rarotonga to learn methods of living off the land and Experimental Archaeology, Tom has begun his journey in preserving the first skills of humanity, by living, hunting, trapping and learning new skills with the Hadza Bushmen of Tanzania. With extensive experience in the production and recreation of artefacts, Tom has produced working replicas of stone age tools spanning from his home in Australia all the way to the frigid shores of the Arctic.
Fosca Newton: TAA40104 Cert. IV, PBTeach
As an accomplished postgraduate teacher, Fosca received recognition for her exceptional work with both adults and children. She holds a valid WWC number and takes great pride in her teaching abilities. Foraging is her passion! Her knowledge in that skill has been passed down through countless generations over thousands of years in Europe. She has had the privilege of living among meadows, mountain gorges, and forests with her parents and grandparents, who truly understood the power of natural medicine. They taught her to approach plants with respect, recognise their healing properties, gather them in the right amounts, and prepare them with care. Through this incredible life journey, she has formed a deep connection with European herbs and plants and discovered their incredible powers. Along the way, she has acquired extensive knowledge in Phytoalimurgy, Biology, and Mycology, as well as the traditions and recipes associated. She is well-versed in the properties and uses of medicinal herbs, as well as the art of harvesting, drying, and storing them, preparing infusions, herbal teas, and decoctions. She also uses materials such as pine needles, to teach basketry to students. Additionally, her fluency in English, French, Spanish, and Italian allows her to facilitate European media inquiries and bridge cultural gaps.
