Anne Rogers

Anne established Wings Away Travel 20 years ago in 1985, after a 12-year career with Ansett. Despite years of travelling, and countless trips all over the world, she loves re-visiting her favourite spots, but has a permanent New Year's resolution to discover at least one new destination each year. New York and Japan are big favourites. Cruising is a passion. South Africa was life-changing, and South America full of wonderful surprises. Anne is an Olympic standard shopper and loves a bargain, and she delights in passing on her favourite spots to like minded ladies (and the odd gent!).
 
Anne enjoys writing travel columns for a number of newsletters and magazines, and especially enjoys her regular travel spot on top-rating Radio 3AW in Melbourne.

Andrew Cross

As Wings Away Travel & Cruiseland expanded, the next logical step was to appoint a General Manager to manage the day to day running of the business allowing Managing Director and Proprietor Anne Rogers to concentrate on business development and marketing.

So we are absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew Cross to this position effective Monday 2 August 2010.  Andrew comes from a hospitality background and has been in the travel industry for over a decade, having sparked an interest in travel after spending time overseas.

Most recently Andrew was the Regional Operations Manager for the highly successful and award winning organisation: Globetrotter Corporate Travel.

In his spare time, Andrew likes reading and catching up with friends for long leisurely dinners. His favourite holiday destination "Would have to be continental Europe, for its diverse range of cultures being such a short distance from one another."

To quote Andrew: "I have been given an amazing opportunity to work in the field of leisure travel again, the area that sparked my passion for travel in the beginning. I very much look forward to working with the highly dedicated and knowledgeable Wings Away team."

Maree McClelland

Maree is another travel veteran having decided on a career in travel after a year in the United States as an exchange student. She was a long time employee - from junior to Manager, with the prestigious Wandana organisation, and during her years there developed a passion for Norfolk Island. Fast forward 30 years, and Maree has done more than 120 trips to her beloved Pacific Isle, and there is nothing she doesn't know about this gem of a destination. Maree also spent a number of years on the supply side of our industry managing a large wholesale company specialising in South Pacific destinations. During the course of her career, Maree has managed countless group tours to all corners of the world, and she is renowned as one of the finest Tour Managers in the business - we are indeed lucky to have her on our team. Maree's role with us includes concept and design of our very successful group tours programme - she is always on the look-out for an idea for a special interest tour! Maree has been with us for 9 years now.

Carole Fraser

Carole has spent a lifetime in travel, commencing with a junior position in Melbourne when she left school at 16. Since then she has spent several periods living and working overseas - in America, London, Switzerland, Greece, and India, and returning to Melbourne in between each to hone her skills as a travel consultant. Carole spent a number of years in shipping - back in the days when a working holiday overseas was very much the thing to do, and a long sea voyage was the way to get to London. She also spent eight years in Adventure Travel, selling and escorting tours to some of the world's most exotic and interesting spots. After a spell as a corporate travel consultant, and yet another period of living in London, Carole found her way to Wings Away, and is our most experienced traveller!! Carole loves to shop (don't we all?), and she especially enjoys a break in one of her favourite cities - New York perhaps, or Hong Kong.  We are delighted that Carole has been on the team now for four years.

All her travels led her to realise her desire was to work with people and in the retail sector of the travel industry. This is how she came to be a part of the Wings Away Travel team and she has been a valued member for four years now.

Jonathan Doneley

After numerous years working in the retail and banking industries, Jonathan has now combined his travel passion with a career in this field. Having discovered the pleasures and joys of cruising he still yearns the awakening of China and the great expanse of Arizona, New Mexico and the American Indian trails.
 
Jonathan's travels have taken him to the Pacific Islands, the American North East, Thailand, Bali and the major tourist centres of Europe. Most memorable place to visit was a spur of the moment decision to extend a stay in New York from a fortnight to 2 months in the mid 80s, and for the forced holiday - the beauty of Broome.
 
Where to next? Everywhere is inviting.

Elise Marrgatt

After back-packing around the USA, Elise returned to Australia determined that her career should be in the travel industry. An opportunity arose to join Wings Away Travel and Elise jumped at the chance to work at one of Melbourne’s most awarded agencies. Twelve years later, Elise is proud to say that, through work, she has travelled and cruised throughout Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vanuatu, Samoa, New Zealand, Alaska, USA, the Mediterranean and Russia. Amazingly enough when Elise joined Wings Away her idea of “holiday-hell” was a cruise. How the tide has turned.  Having now experienced 18 or so different cruise ships, Elise’s idea of “holiday-heaven” is an extensive cruise holiday to a destination such as South America, with plenty of days at sea, to truly relax and enjoy all that cruising has to offer.

Patricia D’Angelo

Patricia has been at Wings Away for nine years of her twenty years in travel.
After being on the “front line” of Travel Advising, Patricia now works in a support role to our full time advising staff. 
 
Her passion for travel commenced at 13 years of age after visiting Italy. The cultural experience, Italian style and exquisite food whetted her appetite for travelling overseas! (The Alitalia flight……..is another story!)
 
Working in the travel industry she gains much satisfaction from the advisory and organisational part of her work. Her favourite part of this process is handing over final documents to enthusiastic clients and ensuring they depart with the utmost confidence and a fully detailed itinerary. “We are so lucky to work in an industry where we are usually sending people away from their everyday routines and pressures, to escape to a resort haven or on an adventure, or anything else they desire!"

Elaine Williamson

Elaine Williamson spent 12 years in the travel industry with RACV Travel prior to joining Wings Away in 1995.

She has travelled throughout the world with visits to Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Fiji, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and New Zealand and European countries including UK, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and Turkey.  She has also experienced three trips to the USA.  Many of her travels have involved taking her two boys and therefore Elaine has an abundant knowledge of the challenges that sometimes go with family travels.

Elaine also has a passion for this wonderful country that we live in, Australia.  There are not too many places that she hasn't ventured to.  A major highlight was a wonderful 14 week experience from Melbourne to Darwin and down the West Coast through the Kimberley's of Western Australia and its wonderful coastline.  Another 9 weeks were also spent experiencing outback Queensland up to the Gulf Country and across to Cairns before heading down our picturesque East Coast.

Elaine loves working in the retail sector of the travel industry and enjoys the relationships that we form with our clients.  She currently works three days a week on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

Sue Wellington

Sue Wellington undertakes the very important role of Adviser Support.  Sue essentially works behind the scenes assisting our very busy retail travel advisers.    Sue is a "mid-life career changer", and after a long career in purchasing, and accounts in various industries - from mining to milk, it was only after her children became independent and she and her husband began to travel that she decided this was her real calling.   The travel bug has bitten and Sue's early passion is for the United States and Canada which she has visited three times.   New York is a favourite, as are the national parks, and after her first and only cruise (Alaska's Inside Passage), Sue declares "I want more"!! 

Moreen Herrod

Moreen is thrilled to be the newest member of the Wings Away team having come on board in May 2010.

Prior to joining the travel industry, Moreen was for many years an aerobics instructor/personal trainer - qualifications that would serve her well in the dynamic world of travel that she was about to join!

As part of a career change in 2002, Moreen completed a Diploma in Travel & Tourism.  Since then Moreen's experience has included managing a start-up agency after which she joined Club Tours and enjoyed escorting groups in South America, Europe, Vietnam and New Zealand as well as managing complex independent itineraries.

Having a love of people, other cultures and languages and travelled the world extensively, Moreen is keen to learn Spanish, French, Italian and Latin and is looking forward to discovering and sharing her next travel adventure.  Destination wish list:  Russia, the Baltics and Scandinavia and New York.