TJ
Sonia Jones
Tracey Fidone
Casey (nee Anderson) Murphy
Chris Hocking
Athena Salalidis
Poul Nielsen
Annette Dal Sasso
Heather Testro
Nadine Jones
Christine Balch
Henry Antanaitis
Meet the team
Our staff are our most valuable asset. The length of stay of an employee is a reflection of their satisfaction with Hawthorn Travel & Cruise. We are also proud that some staff have used Hawthorn Travel & Cruise as a stepping stone to build a career for themselves. Past staff who have left the industry have frequently booked through us. Our skill base sets are of a very high standard, so don’t be surprised if we pool our knowledge to create the best outcome for you.
Trevor Jones
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Trevor commenced his travel career in 1973 where he has worked he worked for Ansett Airlines before moving on to the wholesale and retail areas. He opened the office for a large Italian travel wholesale company – CIT in Melbourne – before opening Hawthorn Travel & Cruise in 1984.
The knowledge, accumulated since joining the travel industry as a 19 year old, allows Trevor to create experiences within an itinerary that are lifelong memories with Hawthorn Travel clients.
Trevor has represented the American Express, Victorian & Tasmanian franchise offices for ten consecutive years. During that time, he was appointed to a Worldwide Advisory Board for American Express in New York from 1994 -1998. His reputation with his industry peers was recognised when Trevor was inducted into the American Express “Hall of Fame” for services to the franchise network. In 2005, Trevor was elected to the Travelscene Board and subsequently continued on to the Travelscene Franchise Council.
In 2008, with two other colleagues, Trevor founded the “Magellan Travel Group” with the intention of bringing a much greater degree of integrity back to the travel industry. The incredible success of this group was based on the same principles that Trevor applies to Hawthorn Travel.
In recent times Trevor trains travel agents on more complex itineraries and also gives his time as a mentor to the industry.
His most recent venture is a true to life blog/website of travel stories and other very interesting topics. See www.yourboardingcardmrjones.com
Sonia Jones
Co-Founder & Director
Sonia’s passion is for France and its close neighbours. Having lived in France, Sonia speaks French fluently and knows the country intimately. Sonia has sought out those special places to go, stay and experience what is so good about France. Her recent campaign to bring luxury boutique barging to Australians has been highly successful. Along with her husband Trevor, she started Hawthorn Travel & Cruise in 1984. She now also owns & operates France Vacations & Barge Vacations.
Tracey Fidone
As manager of Hawthorn Travel & Cruise, Tracey also heads up our ‘Corporate’ division. She is an outstanding technician with airfares and knows how to extract the best options for your travel $. She is an outstanding Administrator and has been part of the backbone of Hawthorn Travel & Cruise for over 20 years.
Casey (nee Anderson) Murphy
Casey is a very talented lady with a knowledge of travel far beyond her years. She leaves no stone unturned looking for a better way of achieving the desired outcome. From sleeping on a cliff face in South America to luxurious cabin on a boutique barge in Europe, Casey is a well-travelled, friendly country girl with a first class personality.
Chris Hocking
Chris comes with an attention to detail that repeatedly keeps bringing our clients back to him year after year. An outstanding travel planner and a whiz on IT, Chris has seen the industry go through huge changes since starting with us in 1998 and has developed a fascination for online technology and developing software for our use.
Athena Salalidis
Whilst Athena is a highly acclaimed Cruise Master, her skills go far beyond cruising. Her care for her customers is exceptional. She commenced with Hawthorn Travel & Cruise in 2008 and brings her Greek flair and has a wonderful philosophy to life which is so admired.
Heather Testro
A most sought after consultant, who is also a highly coveted Cruise Master. Heather commenced her travel career in 1979 and her client’s benefit from the vast amount of knowledge she has acquired. Her skills go far beyond cruising as is evident by the well-travelled repeat clientele that love to challenge her with exotic destinations.
Poul Nielsen
A ‘Great Dane’, Poul’s Danish heritage is put to good use as he runs our ‘Scandinavian Vacations’ program. His knowledge of all things Nordic is second to none. Poul also specialises in Russia & the Baltic States. Poul lived and managed the Thomas Cook office in Wellington, New Zealand for 11 years so he is naturally very handy for ‘Kiwi’ bookings as well.
Nadine Jones
One of the most extensive travellers within the office, with a special love for Africa, where she sponsors a family in Zambia. Her knowledge of faraway places has helped our clients enormously. That knowledge and her contacts make for great experiences. She has lived in Sweden and France, has travelled to some remote locations, more recently Sudan, stayed in some stunning properties and is always on the lookout for suppliers who turn a great trip to a Wow trip.
Annette Dal Sasso
Annette formally owned the highly successful Blackburn Travel but sold the business to focus on her young family. She joined Hawthorn Travel in 2009 on a part-time basis to continue her love and passion for travel. She is a highly skilled and motivated person as her clients would testify to.
Christine Balch
By nature Christine is vibrant, outgoing and communicative. She has travelled extensively, has lived in her native beloved Philippines and romantic France. She lists as her favourite experiences: Climbing Machu Picchu in Peru, gazing at stars in Jordan, game viewing on the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania and swimming with black tipped sharks in Tahiti. In contrast to all this excitement Christine seeks wellness, healing, traditional medicine and culinary experiences.
Henry Antanaitis
If Henry is not servicing his clients then he is highly-likely to be advising the Lithuanian government, as he sits on a highly prestigious board in its capital Vilnius. With his background as Airport Manager in Melbourne he comes with a wealth of understanding of how the travel industry works. A more humble person you could not meet.
