The Pook Boys!

The Pook boys were outstanding athletes and their family  has a long association with the Old Virgilians Athletics club.  David attended the College from 1989-94 and Brian completed Year 7-10 being caught up in the restructure of Catholic Secondary Education in Hobart, before going on to Year 11 at GYC in 1996. Their father, Dr Mike Pook, was the weather man on ABC television for many years.

Both boys have had outstanding careers - David in medicine and Brian as an engineer.

David completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at UTas, before moving to Melbourne where he did his Physician Training at St Vincent’s Hospital. He continued his studies  at Melbourne University and gained a Doctor Of Medicine (Medical Oncology) in 2011.

He then served as Oncology Registrar with Peninsula Health and at the Austin Hospital.  From 2008-2010 he was A Clinical Research Fellow at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Since 2010, David has been associated with Cabrini Hospital in Malvern and with Monash University. 

At the latter, he is an Associate Professor, working with the Prostate Cancer Research Program in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology.

Brian also attended Utas where he gained a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 2001, and then completed a Diploma of Project Management through the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. 

Initially Brian worked in Tasmania with Zinifex for five years before moving to the mainland to work with Iluka Resources (5 years)  and then with Orica (4 years). He then moved to MMG Ltd for nearly four years, during which time he managed projects in Peru and Laos.  

In late 2019 Brian joined Tara Resources which had earlier acquired the Brskovo mining project in Montenegro, which has the potential to be one of the largest and lowest cost open pit zinc mines in Europe, producing zinc, lead and copper concentrates.  Brian holds the position of Senior Project Manager at this operation.