Sally Jenyns

At St Margaret’s 1980-1984

Chef, TV presenter, author, fisher and boater Sally Bain (nee Jenyns) has been fortunate to combine her great loves of fishing, cooking and travel throughout her career.

After graduating from St Margaret’s, Sally went on to complete a Diploma of Business in Hospitality Management. Upon finishing her studies in 1988, Sally began working as a chef on luxury charter vessels along the Queensland coastline. Her work took her to exotic ports around the globe, including the United States, the Mediterranean, the Bahamas and Brazil. In 1990, she crossed the Pacific Ocean, from Cairns to Mexico, spending five months in Tahiti enroute.

During eight years of shipboard life, Sally’s culinary expertise both delighted international travellers and led her to writing about her enviable lifestyle. In 1995 she released My Funky Fishing Book, a children’s how-to-fish manual which went on to sell over 25,000 copies.

Sally’s television career began in 1996 as the seafood specialist on Seven Queensland’s popular saltwater lifestyle program Brownie’s Coastwatch. Her first cookbook, Fishing and Feasting, sold 20,000 copies over that summer.

For six years Sally worked on all of Seven’s local program including Great South East and Queensland Weekender, while publishing another two cookbooks, The Coastwatch Cookbook and Easy Eats for Lazy Weekends, which continue to sell strongly.

Sally has been a presenter on the Seven Network’s Creek to Coast since its inception in 1999, and continues to catch and cook seafood for viewers in Queensland and nationally on 7TWO.

She has enjoyed 40 years of enduring friendships with a group of seven women made during her time at St Margaret’s.

Reflecting on her journey since leaving school Sally said: “I’m reminded of the quote – ‘luck is when opportunity meets preparation’. I’ve been offered some amazing opportunities but if I hadn’t had the know-how it wouldn’t have mattered how many doors opened to me. Apart from good family and solid friendships, I can see now how important good schooling was in developing the confidence to make the most of life’s opportunities, and for that, I'm very grateful for my years at St Margaret’s.”