It Runs In The Family

Kobi Devenish and Laura Kazmirowicz

What subjects did you enjoy at high school?

Well, that’s probably very easy to guess. I enjoyed my Phys. Ed. And in Lower School I liked all the options. I wasn't much for the English Lit or any of that, although I did have to study it. I hated Maths. didn't mind Biology. I also took German. That was hard.

What aspects of schooling at Carine helped you for life after high school? I think having to do all the subjects you weren't necessarily interested in; so, you actually had a wide base. I mean the good thing about it is that with my, career I've done so many different things that aren’t what I thought I’d do. So, the background in all the different areas actually helped me out in the long term.

Running with the boys.
How did you start?
Well, I actually started athletics when I was in year three or four. I had many other sports that I was doing - swimming and netball and gymnastics..... But then, when I was in Year Eleven or Twelve I was doing netball and athletics and I decided to go with the one with the boys. I also got more trips out in track and field than I did in netball. I guess I liked individual sports as opposed to team sports.

Do you come from a sporty family? Well, my sister - yes... yes, I am the sister of Lauren. Not the other way around, as she like’s to put it! Mum played her squash and Dad played his golf and claims to be the runner of the family. He tells the story of the race when he lived in NSW and getting prickles in his foot and having to stop to get them out and still getting up and winning the race.

Were your parents influential and supporting at high school?
Yes, I pretty much had the perfect parents, I suppose, although I probably wouldn't have admitted it back then. They were always there. It was a good balance - not too pushy, just pushy enough!

Great Moments

One of them would be the bronze medal at the World Championships. The same year I was in a very high-class meet in Monte Carlo, racing against most of the elite athletes. I wasn't even the Australian or state champion at that stage. I came in second, so I beat the World Champion, the Olympic Champion came in behind Cathy Freeman, the Commonwealth Champion at that stage. I was on the only white person out in lane eight and they were sort of having their own race in the inside lanes. I managed to stay out in front and they were a bit surprised, so that was quite ego-boosting for me.

Your Most Important Values

Honesty would have to be one of the main ones; I hate people who lie. If somebody has a problem I'd like them to come out and say it to your face, rather than "tell-somebody-else-talk" behind your back.

Philosophy on life...

I work to live, I don't live to work.

Keep your options open

Keep every option open. Don't narrow yourself down into one particular area. I think a lot of kids get a dream or something at an early age and just narrow it down and then concentrate on that one thing all the time. Most kids in high school don't realise what is actually out there and what's available to you. I didn't really understand what I wanted to study until I was in my second or third year of university. You know, you get the universities to come along and say, this is what's available to you but realistically there's so much more behind the scenes.

There's more to life than just study, you've got to get involved in other extra-curricular activities - not too many of course. But keep a couple that you're interested in, whether that be sport, or debating, or community service, whatever. Keep involved in that and enjoy life. It's so much better when you're young. And don't get stressed out in Year 12! Don't leave it all to the last minute - that was another good one!

Not the funniest home video

`Once when I was in Finland staying with a lady I was asked if I would like to have a Finnish sauna. I agreed and asked the other Australian male who was staying there if he would like to come. He said he'd rather not, and sort of smirked, which I thought was a bit strange. So I went with this lady and she started taking off all her clothes. I thought it was a bit strange but that it might be a custom and , followed suit. We went into the sauna and sat at either end, then she turned to me and pulled out these birch leaves and said, "Would you like to slap me. or shall I slap you ? " I looked at her and said "Excuse me?" and she said, "We have to slap each other to help the blood circulate and it's a much better feeling for you. "I replied,

"Oh, okay. Well, no thank you, I don't think I'm much into the slapping business. I think I'll just sit here and let the steam take effect." That was one of my funnier travelling experiences, and now I know why the guy smirked when I asked him to join us!