Melissa O’Hara

Besides never really leaving school and rolling it into a teaching career – Melissa ‘flick flacked’ as a gymnastics coach, cleaned carpets to pay for Uni, devoted her time to overseas missions, bounced as a Children’s and Family Minister, shared Christ through beach missions, explored Southeast Asia and studied at Theological College. 

Melissa also thought she’d die while bungy jumping in NZ, and she was convinced Jesus returned in Year 12 during a dramatic Ballarat hailstorm. She’s dined with a fair dinkum king, prince and an orangutan (not all at the same time) and she ran for her life as a monkey chased her in the Himalayan Foothills and as aggressive stinging bees swarmed in Laos while hiking to stay with an Akha hill tribe. Melissa’s been known to ‘accidentally’ eat yellow snow while skiing, landed on her head while somersaulting and proud God improved her stuttering and confidence through reading the Bible aloud as a child. Today you might just bump into Melissa clifftop walking with her cousin, Missy Pickletoe or be knocked out (literally) as she is dumped while boogie boarding. 

At BalCC, Melissa works with both Primary and Secondary classes. She’s thrilled to Coordinate Primary Chapels, honoured to teach the Bible and share Christ through Christian Living and energised to combine this with empowering young people to enjoy a healthy and active life through Physical Education.

Melissa sees herself primarily as a learner who leads through teaching, and she’d rather be known by her adoptive identity than the things she’s achieved or qualifications she has. Melissa is a dearly loved daughter of the Creator of the Universe, and she will live eternally because her faith is in Jesus, who saves her by His grace.

Psalm 73:28 sums up Melissa’s passion. 

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all ‘His’ deeds.”