We met at UNE - Brydie Tancred and Alec Burton
Brydie Tancred and Alec Burton’s paths may never have crossed had it not been for Austin College at UNE.
The second-year beachgoer from Nelson Bay might never have been cutting the country boy fresher’s hair in her “bathroom salon” when a spark ignited.
“It was my side hustle back then and I remember Alec telling me he was from Cobar and how he was missing home. He even seemed like he was tearing up a little,” Brydie said. “I thought to myself he is the sweetest, kindest, most sensitive guy.”
Alec reckons it’s the best $10 he’s ever spent – because he walked away with the beginnings of a great friendship, which soon blossomed into a romance that now sees the couple excitedly preparing for the birth of their first child.
The pair say they have a lot to thank UNE for. Importantly, the teaching qualifications that have set them up professionally, but also the relationships (theirs included) that have sustained them throughout their early adult life.
“We both spent four years at UNE learning how to be who we are today,”
“We both spent four years at UNE learning how to be who we are today,” Brydie said. “Some of the most dramatic, memorable, emotional, educational experiences in our lives were on the Armidale campus. I left with a bunch of friends I still love today, a career I am still in and a boyfriend who is now my husband.”
Throughout their time at UNE Alec played rugby for the Blues (in three premiership-winning teams) and Brydie played netball for the club. They also competed in college games.
One year ahead of Alec, Brydie taught at Armidale City Public School while waiting for him to complete his degree, before the couple moved to the Central Coast to teach.
“We bought our first property in 2020, were engaged in 2021 and married in Fiji in 2023,” Brydie said. “Now we are building a house, with our baby due in early July.”
And they have shared every milestone with friends they made at Austin and UNE from all over Australia.
“I met my best mate and groomsman, who studied pharmacy at UNE, along with many good friends I still see today,” said Alec.
“I have had some great catch-ups with some of the girls I went to uni with – one in Tasmania, another in Queensland and quite a few in Sydney,” said Brydie. “Within two weeks of arriving, I had friends from all over Australia and we now have friends who are doctors, pharmacists, police officers, lawyers and teachers.
“Our lives would definitely not be as rich if we hadn’t met those people and got to know them. When you live on campus together during such an important time in your life, friends become like family.”
These days Brydie is teaching north of Gosford, having also completed a Masters in Special and Inclusive Education and swapping primary for high school teaching. Alec also has a special education focus, teaching in a high school within a youth justice centre.
Looking back, he said their college experiences were pivotal. “It’s a time when you form your identity, and to think Brydie and I might never have met,” Alec said, “I had applied to Robb College, but was unsuccessful. Even us getting into the same college was a stroke of luck.”
