Where are they now?

Andreas Katsiroubas (2011)

I graduated from Carey in 2011 where I was House Captain of Dunshea. One of my favourite parts of school was the Performing Arts. I loved taking part in the musicals, plays and other music productions throughout my time at Carey. As well as being a performer, I was involved in hockey from Year 7. I thoroughly enjoyed getting out on the field two or three times a week to build up my skills, which led to having the opportunity to play in the First Boys Hockey Team in Year 12. My passion for the performing arts has always remained strong. I have performed with the Old Carey Performing Arts Club (OCPAC) since 2012 and been on the OCPAC Committee since 2015. In 2018, I became the President of OCPAC and I am very excited about the direction, possibilities and passion that surround the club. There are many projects in the pipeline and there is an incredible range of talent among our members. After graduating, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce at Swinburne University of Technology, majoring in marketing and public relations. While I was at university, I was both a hockey coach at Carey and worked for Lululemon. This experience is how I developed my love of health and wellness. I am now a corporate warrior, working in marketing. I was recently with Mars Australia, but I have just embarked on a new adventure with Swisse Wellness. I’m excited to be able to channel my passion for health into my work. It has been eight years since I graduated from Carey, but it feels as though I never

Tim Lenders (2005)

I started at Carey in Year 7. Something that has stood out to me about my time there was Carey’s efforts to open our eyes to the world around us and challenge us to care about changing it for the better. So many aspects of my experience – including civics and politics classes, Human Rights Week, St John Ambulance volunteering and many assembly speeches – played an individually interesting but cumulatively considerable role in shaping me as a young adult. I returned to Carey as a staff member in 2008 while I was studying at Monash. This was first in the eLearning team working on classroom trials of iPads, before I moved to the ICT Department. Carey was a kind employer – my managers supported me as both a university student and as an adult in the

early stages of my career. I particularly remember the eLearning team’s genuine interest in harnessing technology to transform classrooms and engage with students, rather than adopting new stuff merely for the sake of it. I enjoyed

left. The inclusion that Carey provides to OCGs fosters a strong connection to the place and I love being a part of such an awesome community.

interspersing office work with time in the classroom, and the chance to go back to Wabonga on a Year 9 camp. I left Carey in 2011 to pursue a career closer to my studies. I moved to Canberra where I met my partner, Anna, and worked in press and political roles at the Embassy of Israel during a reasonably tumultuous time. In 2015 we moved back to Melbourne, and I joined the public service. I am now a Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. My love for the outdoors that was nurtured at Carey continues today. I’m still an avid bushwalker and cyclist and I volunteer with Bush Search and Rescue. I occasionally go snow camping and caving, and I look forward to the day I can take my niece and nephew, Lucy and Charlie, on their own outdoor adventures.

Tue Nguyen (2002)

I came to Carey in 2001 as an international student from Vietnam. I chose to repeat Year 11 in Australia because I wanted to experience all the subjects and activities I did not have in my home country. I was particularly curious about subjects such as Philosophy and Psychology, as well as the co-curricular bands and musicals. Little did I know, this eclectic mix at Carey was the seed of my future life. I will never forget the Pippin Senior School Musical of 2002, where I was fortunate to be a cast member. Even now, I am still touched by Pippin’s realisation that, ‘I’m not a river or a giant bird that soars to the sea. And if I’m never tied to anything, I’ll never be free.’ To a free-spirited, aspirational international student far from home, that was one of the most valuable lessons I learnt at Carey. After school, I studied and became a software engineer. My youthful dreams and philosophical contemplation gave way to the daily concerns of bills and deadlines. However, the flexible mindset and self-confidence I developed from my Carey days continued to guide me in my search for happiness. That search came full circle in 2015 – the year I came back to Carey. I am currently a Maths and Computing teacher at Carey’s Middle and Senior School. Some of my teachers are still here, some have passed. Some old buildings still stand and some new ones have appeared, bearing the names of those I once knew. I realise that like Pippin, I am indeed blessed to have

Natalie Gray (1979)

Carey opened my eyes to a bigger world. I met all sorts of new people from different backgrounds, I was introduced to a wide curricular offering and co-curricular programs, and received invaluable guidance from the Carey Careers Advisor at the time, Ivan Poole. I went on to study Town Planning at the University of Melbourne. During my summer breaks in 1981 and 1982, I was the Chief Examination Supervisor for VCE at Carey. I really enjoyed being able to contribute to the school that had done so much for me. This experience enabled me to gain an understanding of Carey’s focus on developing students and assisting them in managing stressful times. For example, I remember one student who had two four-hour exams on one day. I was incredibly impressed with his resilience and determination and the support offered by Carey staff. My impression of the examinee is

consistent with many OCGs I have since met. At Carey, no student is left behind, and they are each supported to become confident people with exciting futures. I have also been able to give back to Carey in the form of mentoring and attendance at careers nights; embarked on a long journey, just to realise in the end, ‘It always was here. It never was there.’ I am tied to this place because it sets me free.

attending plays, sports events and fetes; contributions to the Archives and archival projects; and sharing my experience as an Inaugural Girl at the 2019 Founders Day event. As a town planner, my speciality is developing non-government education facilities. I was even able to help Carey’s Property Committee, in particular advising on the last development of the building on the corner of Wrixon Street and Barkers Road. We extended the rock wall and put in windows to the street to show that Carey is an integrated part of the Kew community. I am based in South Yarra where from my desk I can overlook the Botanic Gardens to the mountains surrounding the Melbourne basin, including Fawkner Park and Port Philip Bay. Nature is so important to me, and I have travelled extensively, preferring places with few people and wide landscapes, such as the poles and deserts.