Meet the collective
Pat Mackle
Pat's career reflects a lifelong commitment to wellness, business leadership, and community engagement. Pat developed an early interest in holistic health engaging in formal yoga study and teaching, including apprenticeships with Yoga Synergy and teacher training in the Iyengar tradition. Pat maintains a daily yoga practice in the Shadow Yoga style.
After a decade working in advertising and film production, in 1992 she founded Avant Card. Over 25 years it grew into a highly successful national print media company, operating offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, employing 30 staff, and achieving multi-million-dollar annual turnover. Pat oversaw all aspects of the business, including strategic planning, financial management, staff leadership, logistics coordination and client relationships.
Visiting Victoria’s southern coast over 2 decades, Pat developed a deep connection to the Otway’s, and in 2019 relocated to Apollo Bay. Pat has actively contributed to the local community through volunteer roles, including Secretary of the Apollo Bay Chamber of Commerce and Sponsorship Manager of the Apollo Bay Seafood Festival and the WinterWild Festival. In these roles, Pat has been responsible for sponsorship acquisition, stakeholder liaison, operational coordination, and event delivery.
Otway Ocean Flow represents the culmination of Pat’s professional and personal experience, combining four decades of business leadership, event coordination, risk management, and stakeholder engagement. With strong attention to detail and a collaborative approach, Pat is committed to delivering a high-quality event celebrating wellbeing, community, and highlighting the unique natural assets of the Otway region.
Melanie Aggenbach
Mel holds an Advanced Diploma in Myotherapy from Melbourne Institute of Massage Therapy and brings over two decades of clinical expertise to holistic wellness. With a special interest in lymphatic and fascial systems (informed by both professional mastery and transformative personal experience) she has cultivated a practice distinguished by clinical precision and profound empathy.
Her vision centres on democratizing integrative health: removing barriers of economics and identity to make therapeutic care universally accessible.
Mel’s philosophy is grounded in evidence-informed practice that honours the body's inherent healing intelligence, bridging ancient wisdom with contemporary therapeutic modalities.
Beyond individual practice, Mel’s particular passion is in building a collaborative wellness ecosystem in the Otway region. Through strategic partnerships with aligned health professionals and investors within the festival framework, her vision aspires to a regional network that elevates community health outcomes through integrated care pathways. This model of collective impact (where practitioners share knowledge, cross-refer and coordinate treatment) creates exponential value for clients while strengthening the local wellness economy. Her approach to community-centred healthcare offers both social impact and sustainable growth potential for the region's emerging wellness sector.
Jane McCann
Jane is the creator of The Middle Aged Goddess (@themiddleagedgoddess), an online community of more than 200,000 women focused on growth, vitality and possibility in midlife and beyond. Through her platform, Jane supports women to engage more fully with life, with a focus on mental and emotional wellbeing, creativity, community participation and enjoyment of everyday living Her work reframes midlife as a period of agency and renewal, encouraging confidence, clarity and active engagement.
Based in Apollo Bay, Jane is a writer, speaker and curator of purpose-led experiences, known for her direct, inclusive communication style and her ability to build trust and connection across diverse audiences.
Jane designs and hosts small-group travel and retreat experiences in Australia and internationally.
These experiences are structured to foster connection, reflection and personal development, while remaining accessible, grounded and inclusive.
Jane's work aligns strongly with regional wellbeing, sustainable tourism and community resilience outcomes. She promotes slower, place-connected experiences that support local economies, small businesses and community connection, particularly in coastal regions. Her focus on inclusive, nature-based wellbeing initiatives helps strengthen social cohesion, reduce isolation and position the region as a destination for meaningful cultural and wellness experiences.
As a committee member for the Otway Ocean Flow Festival 2027, Jane brings strong communication skills, community insight and a practical, collaborative approach to festival development and delivery.
Dr Kay Weltz
Kay is a marine scientist and community leader living and working in the Otways. Kay brings strong leadership experience across not-for-profit governance, project management, and community-led initiatives, with a proven ability to support inclusive, values-driven programs.
Kay currently manages conservation research programs at the Conservation Ecology Centre on Cape Otway, where she contributes to program design, grant writing, stakeholder engagement, and operational delivery of complex, place-based projects. She has held senior volunteer leadership roles including Chair of Apollo Bay Arts Incorporated and President of the Australian Marine Sciences Association (Tasmania), supporting governance, budgeting, and strategic planning in the not-for-profit sector.
Kay is also the founder of Sacred Tide Collective, a women-led initiative in the Otways focused on women’s wellbeing, empowerment, and leadership, bringing a strong understanding of inclusive programming and deep community connection.
Within Otway Ocean Flow, Kay supports leadership, funding and grant applications, program design, community engagement, and logistical coordination to help deliver a well-governed, inclusive, and connected festival.
Gabby Moore
Founder of Bespoke Mobile Yoga, Gabby creates unique yoga experiences in the most inspiring natural settings. After guiding rooftop sessions in Sri Lanka to leading yoga in traditional fales on remote islands in Tonga, Gabby began offering nature based yoga around Apollo Bay. She brings a rich blend of global experience and local knowledge to the festival.
Gabby began her wellness journey as an Aerobics Instructor, a path that soon expanded into extensive travel around the world. Along the way, she gained diverse professional experience, including working with Morgan Stanley as a PA to five international stockbrokers and facilitating conferences in London for women who have ventured into space.
Following her travels, Gabby completed a Bach of Arts/Bach of Teaching double degree, which led to working in schools across Australia and eventually into a Leadership role within Steiner Education.
Gabby holds qualifications with The Australasian Yoga Institute, Santosha Yoga Institute in Indonesia, alongside trainings from Coastal Yoga & Kitchen Medicine and advanced studies with Dr Lauren Tober - Yoga Psychology Institute.
Complimenting her yoga teaching at local venues, Gabby's love for nature and wellness also led her to co-found Surf Love Yoga Apollo Bay - a husband-and-wife collaboration offering personalised yoga and surf experiences designed to calm the mind, recalibrate the body and uplift the spirit.
Chris Rinkquest
Chris is the graphic designer behind Otway Ocean Flow Festival, leading all things creative across the brand, website and visual identity. With a Bachelor of Communication Design and over five years working in the design industry, Chris brings a thoughtful balance of strategy, curiosity and expressive design to the project.
Based on Victoria’s Surf Coast, he is also the founder and lead designer of Rapheek Design, a graphic design studio focused on crafting refined and purposeful visual solutions. Through close collaboration with clients, Chris translates ideas into clear and considered outcomes, creating work that feels both impactful and enduring.
When he’s not behind the screen, you’ll likely find Chris in the water chasing waves. A lifelong love of surfing and the ocean continues to influence his creative perspective and connection to the coastal landscapes that inspire so much of his work.
Our sincere appreciation & gratitude to Libby Riches & Paul Kingston, whose vision & support were essential to the Festival’s inception.