Kevin Newton:
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 Australian Special Forces survival and primitive skills.
Zachary Nast:
Zac 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 bowyer & hunter who never misses the opportunity to get amongst it, whether teaching, hiking, bowhunting or bush crafting. From an early age Zac has been in the great Australian outdoors often honing his archery skills including crafting his own bows, arrows and strings. Zac has a real enthusiasm for every facet of archery both primitive and modern. Zac has always had a passion for old world skills which has manifested itself in his current work as a blacksmith and craftsman making anything that piques his interest whether it be knives, bows, axes and Roman fire steels. 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 industry here in Australia, providing students with an Industry standard of Instruction on all A.S.I forging courses. Besides traditional survival skills Zac is also prepared to share his old world skills such as teaching Bow Making, Primitive Forging, including knife and axe making.
Mick Stokes:
Mick joined the A.S.I team in 2016, after spending time working with a Queensland Survival Course company – Mick not only built, but also lived in a primitive lean to survival shelter for more than 4 months, just to see if it could be done. Mick’s survival interests also extends to his extraordinary craftwork of woodcarving and spoon carving, and all things timber. Recently, Mick was interviewed and recorded by ABC reporter Sarah Whyte, for Triple J radio.
Maddie Aliprandi:
Maddie 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 and Joh bring enthusiasm and teaching to a new level in the industry, recognising womens needs in a traditionaly male dominated teaching field.
Tom Foley:
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 bachelor of 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 only just begun his journey in preserving the first skills of humanity, now planning his next trip to live 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.
