2026 Class of 1996 Reunion News Booklet

Alumnae Photos We are delighted to share your reunion photos. (link)

Alumnae News Name Email

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Reunion Photos and Video We are delighted to share your reunion photos.

Photos Link to video shown at the reunion, thanks to Hannah Clement: Video

Reunion Speech Thank you to Kate Harrington for sharing the memories and stories of the Class of 1996.

Please enjoy reading her speech.

Speech

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Alumnae News Adelaide Worcester Adelaidew@email.com After MLC, I studied arts and music at the University of Melbourne. I completed my degrees with courses in politics and music - taught in Indonesian - at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. I am an Indonesian linguist, and speak Bislama; I have spent more than a decade living overseas.

I am married to Inoeg, an accomplished jazz musician, artist, facilitator and entrepreneur.

Our nonchalant, aura-farming sons, Seb (17) and Hugo (12), play jazz and soccer. We share our Canberra home with mini fox terriers, Evie (17) and Milo (2).

I had an 18-year career as a diplomat and senior administrator, including postings in highrisk environments overseas. As Consul, I supported many Australians during difficult times.

My former colleague Grant Dooley has written a book, ‘Bomb Season in Jakarta,’ which offers insights into that period and the work diplomats undertake.

Now a visual artist, I will complete a solo exhibition roadshow across three states in 2026. I am currently weaving human figures out of wire with the support of a grant for experimental sculpture. I am open to whatever comes next.

Ady Hunter adyhunter@gmail.com It took me a while, but five years ago, with two children under two and COVID in full swing, I finally worked out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

After a couple of decades working as a management consultant, I went back to university to study midwifery. Halfway through the degree, at the age of 45, I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. After surgery, chemo and a period of recovery, I graduated last year and now work as a midwife at Monash Health.

I live in Melbourne with my husband, Laurence, and our two daughters, Lucinda, who is 8, and Amelie, who is 6. Life is full of snacks, rosters, reminders, cartwheels and chaos - and I’m grateful to be here for all of it. I’m particularly grateful for the close friends who have been with me through it all - the greatest gift from my six years at MLC. It’s also been lovely to bump into MLC ’96ers everywhere from the supermarket (Claire) to book club (Em and Gene) and uni (Sar and Kate). I’m looking forward to catching up with many more at the reunion.

And a quick public service announcement: we’re now all old enough to do the free bowel screening test. Please do it!"

Alex Naunton lexienaunton@gmail.com Alex Otzen alexotzen@bigpond.com 3

I have retired from my fulltime career as a Machinery Engineer for ExxonMobil working with Esso Australia and now spend my time volunteering in the Calisthenics community. Through this I run East Gippsland Calisthenics in Sale, as well as adjudicate calisthenics nationally, and am a qualified Skills examiner within Victoria. I am two calisthenics committees, am a Life Member of Calisthenics Victoria and find great personal satisfaction from supporting this sport.

Alison Main (Howard) ahoward@huntingtower.vic.edu.au Since the last reunion, I have moved away from full-time teaching to working as a careers adviser at Huntingtower in Mount Waverley, which I love! Despite not currently teaching dayto-day, I still contribute to textbooks and other educational resources for VCE Health and Human Development.

I've been married to Simon for 13 years, and we have two children, Edward (almost 12) and Tess (almost 10), who keep us frantic, with most of our evenings and weekends spent freezing on the sidelines of footy or soccer!

Amy King (Henderson) amyhendo@gmail.com It was great to attend the recent 30 year reunion, so nice to see so many lovely ladies.

Thanks for hosting MLC collegian group Anita Sweeney (Scott) anitascott78@me.com Since leaving school with the dream of becoming an architect but not quite making the cut, I’ve worked as a cabinet and interior designer for many businesses including my own. After my divorce in 2018, the builder I was subcontracting for encouraged me to study building design. I’m now fully qualified and managing the design side of their design & build company specialising in inner north heritage extensions.

My marriage was not all bad, I walked away with 3 amazing boys born in 2013 and 2014 (twins).

They're quick-witted, keep me on my toes, and ensure life is never dull. Together we've enjoyed plenty of adventures, both overseas and exploring Australia in our caravan.

The past 30 years have taught me that life rarely unfolds as planned. Every setback, and unexpected side quest has helped build resilience, strength and confidence, and shaped the person I am today.

Anna Trahair trahaira@yahoo.com Seeing a few MLC girls on the train recently really took me back—their energy reminded me so much of the freedom and choices we were lucky enough to have at that age. These days, life is just as full, though in a different, delightful way. I’m living in Brunswick with my partner, Alex, and our two-year-old, Jeremy.

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Work-wise, I’ve spent much of the last decade leading the innovation hub for the DFAT Australian Volunteers Program across 26 countries. I’ve just returned to work from maternity leave. Outside work, I’ve been leaning into a slower pace: bush playgroup with Jeremy, family hikes, yoga, and dabbling with art and crafts. Hoping to restart some more adventurous travel soon.

Annabel Hart hart.annabel@gmail.com Anne Leung anne.yh.leung@gmail.com Though I cannot join you in person—as I am living overseas and celebrating my younger daughter’s primary school graduation in Hong Kong just a few days after the reunion—my heart is fully with you all in Melbourne today.

Looking back on our time at Methodist Ladies' College, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude for the incredible foundation we received.

Life has been good to me since our graduation. I became a qualified accountant and have been working in the hedge fund industry for over 15 years. On the family front, I am a proud mom to two wonderful daughters, with my eldest now in Year 7 and my youngest in Grade 6 (and about to graduate!).

About three and a half years ago, my sister asked whether she should send my Hong Kongborn niece to MLC for Year 9 or Year 10. Without a moment's hesitation, I told her it must be Year 9. I am so glad she took my advice! My niece joined MLC in Year 9 and got to experience Marshmead for herself, passing on our wonderful family tradition.

Coming from the fast-paced city life of Hong Kong, those eight weeks at the remote campus were completely eye-opening. It was a transformative, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We traded urban junk food and digital screens for letter-writing, daily chores, and learning to cook as an independent community.

My absolute favorite memory remains our ""camp within a camp."" I often tell my friends about those exhausting but exhilarating eight-hour hiking days, canoeing through beautiful waters, and singing around the campfire while roasting marshmallows on real tree branches.

And who could forget the unique Marshmead training—like intentionally keeping a mouse in each house? It completely cured my fear of weird animals!

Marshmead taught us resilience, capability, and deep connection. I love Marshmead, and I love MLC! Have a wonderful time reminiscing.

Anne Kay (Charalambous) annecharalambous@hotmail.com Life since school has been a fast-paced, incredibly rewarding adventure! Working as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedic for 22 years, working in a dynamic, demanding yet rewarding career and currently in my role as a Clinical Instructor, I get to mentor the next generation as the just begin this phase of their life.

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Outside of work, my passion for travel, adventure and fitness keeps me moving, whether I’m lifting weights or exploring the outdoors.

I am a proud parent to two beautiful children Ava is tackling Year 11 this year while proudly representing Victoria in Lacrosse. Meanwhile, Mitchell is in Year 8 and is taking after his mum with a love for mountain biking. Watching them grow into such driven, talented young people is my absolute proudest achievement.

Between shift work, family, and chasing the next outdoor adventure, there is rarely a quiet moment, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Arla Marlow (Clark) Email address not provided Asha Holmes asha@ashaholmespublicity.com.au Hello! I run my own business in Entertainment PR working across film, TV and comedy. I'm married with two kids (12 & 14 years old) who I genuinely like. We live in East Brunswick and I spend most of my time on various sport fields (with the kids), seeing shows for work and catching up with friends. I still see Yas Green, Kate Cunningham and Pip Hughes from school. I would love to spend more time in Italy, eating almost anything with pistachios and drinking Campari spritzes.

Astrid Blackburn (Gray) astridblackburn78@gmail.com Ava Vujovich ava_7@hotmail.com Barbara Hirst No email address provided Firstly, I cannot believe it has been 30 years since I have been at MLC as a mature age student study psychology in year 11 in 1996. It was a great year.

I cannot thank enough Maren Rawlings the MLC staff and the board accepting into MLC and also the girls in my year. These days am visiting my 102-year-old mother in a nursing home.

Belinda Conti belindajconti@gmail.com

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Bianca Lee biancalee8@hotmail.com 30 years post school life. I’m a geo spatial specialist (map data) at the Aust. Bureau of Statistics and have been there since a graduate in 2000. No, I haven’t been a geo spatial specialist all this time. Instead, I have been doing economic data analysis and survey analysis.

I’ve got 2 beautiful teenage boys. We love to ski, cycle, footy, eat and travel in our spare time.

Bronwen Jones bronwen_jones@hotmail.com Caroline Andrzejewski Email address not provided Cassia Beruldsen cassb43529@gmail.com Catherine Shaw (McInerney) cathyjmac@yahoo.com.au Cheryl O’Connor (Hale) chez3721@hotmail.com Wow 30 years since we finished school! I remember looking at those numbers and thinking that's such a long way away - boom we are here!

Life has had its fair share of ups and downs the last few years, but I am here to tell the story and am lucky to be still chasing my 2 boys about. Aged 5 and 10, soccer mum life is in full swing.

I've worked for Western Health the last 15 years and am enjoying the New Footscray Hospital - it's huge and I'm certainly getting my steps in. I love living in the vibrant community of the the Inner West - life is never dull!

Claire Evans (Dinakis) Stuandclaireevans@gmail.com Living in Camberwell with my husband Stuart and our 3 kids. Our eldest daughter is in Year 10 at MLC, and our youngest starts there next year. And we have a son who started year 7 this year.

I’ve been working at ANZ for almost 20 years and recently moved out of HR and into a role focused on internal investigations. Needed a change and am thoroughly enjoying it.

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Most weekends are spent at our kids’ sport - basketball, soccer and footy. Average of 6 games a weekend - I complain about it sometimes but secretly love it.

One of the best experiences recently was going Marshmead to visit my daughter last year. It was great seeing it again over 30 years later and brought back lots of memories.

We love travelling when we can. A highlight was Greece in 2024 with my family and my dad, including visiting the home he grew up in.

Claire Pratt clairejpratt78@gmail.com Dawn Bennetts (Senathi-Raja) d_senathi@hotmail.com Dee McNamara (Horman) deanna.mcnamara@gmail.com Dee Young youngdanielle15@gmail.com Ee-Lynn Cheng eelynncheng@hotmail.com Elizabeth Ní Síocháin Wade (Wade) livinglightlywithlove@gmail.com I landed in the Ballarat area on Wadawurrung Country 11 years ago, and have enjoyed raising my two delightful daughters out of town on a bush block, with the birds, kangaroos, echidnas and koalas, and then moving into the (relatively) quiet and friendly city of Ballarat, and being able to walk to school and ride bikes to the library and about town.

Aside from being now a single mum of my kids, I mostly focus my efforts on cultivating a culture of collective care, working for healing of people and planet, and working on ways to make shifts to bring our way of life within planetary boundaries, since we have been surpassing 7 of 9 of these since 2025. This has included a stint as a "professional" activist at Friends of the Earth, and working in the local Ballarat East Neighbourhood House, but mostly looks like "unprofessional" activism, and contributing to community in a variety of ways, including a focus on craft, and mending.

These days my activism is mostly focussed around degrowth system change - working for a post-growth paradigm shift, and skilling up for participatory decision making - with Degrowth Network Australia, and also connecting with Rising Tide and other groups and organisations working for change. I also run peer support groups for climate grief, eco-distress, polycrisis paralysis, world heartache, whatever else we call the feelings that arise when we look at the state of the world in this day and age... Feel free to get in touch!

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Elle Barugh ellebarugh@gmail.com Elly Soegiharto ellysgh@gmail.com So regret I missed the Class of 1996 reunion. Truly hope that can join the next one. What a great memories that MLC had given me especially being a Boarder that time. Wishing all of us and MLC continued success and many more great years ahead!

Elyse Haines (Feldman) elyse.haines@gmail.com I still live in Sydney, on the Northern Beaches, it’s been nearly 20 years. I have three gorgeous children - Scarlett and Felix (11) and Bella (6). I work as a People and Culture Manager for a Design & Construction company.

I try to regularly travel to Melbourne to see my family and spend my weekends at Manly beach, training for marathons, spending as much time as I can outdoors with friends, plus always driving my kids to sport.

Emily Porter eporter@vicbar.com.au I have been a barrister for 19 years, practising in planning and environmental law. I’ve been married to Pat Doyle for 20 years (a fellow barrister). We live in Glen Iris with our 15yo son Gus and our 14yo daughter Molly, and our two dogs Ronnie and Lola. I love yoga, travel, fiction, fashion and celebrity gossip.

Erika Kennedy (Dax) Erikakennedy78@gmail.com Life is full, I have two wonderful young adults, married, designed and built a house and embraced interesting career opportunities.

Eve Sainsbury eve.sainsbury1@gmail.com Felicity Fowler (Ambler) felicityjlfowler@gmail.com What a fantastic opportunity to connect with old classmates and boarders on what’s happened in the last 30 years! I feel blessed to have had such an amazing education and the reunion was only a reminder of this talking to such a grounded community of females that have done a lot and no doubt will continue to.

For me I have had a hugely rewarding 24 years in global institutional capital raising for real estate and infrastructure assets, and then decided to leave the industry two years ago to 9

build a house in the Macedon Ranges, run a successful peony farm and study a Master in Yoga Therapy, Meditation and Allied Health to launch a trauma informed practice early 2027.

Looking forward to the tree and career change and a very different purpose, and wonderfully blessed to have my very supportive husband and step son walking this journey with me.

Felicity Greenland Felicityg79@hotmail.com After leaving MLC, I studied Business-Public Relations, which lead to over 20 years working in Communications, Marketing, Partnerships, Events Management, Fundraising and Media Relations fields, mainly with-in community and not-for-profit sectors.

This included Guides Victoria, Environment Victoria and 15 years with 774 ABC Melbourne and Local Radio Victoria.

I loved my role at the ABC, the station was like family and being live radio, there was lots of variety, most of the time. I managed marketing-comms campaigns, events and partnerships to promote ABC Victoria’s metro and regional Radio stations, plus occasional national and multiplatform campaigns.

However, change was calling. After the ABC, I was contracted to work on mar-comms and media for a beautiful project, The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023. This provided the opportunity to travel to France, Belgium and London for the official start of the Relay and we were invited to Buckingham Palace and we met the King!

With a desire to have a change from writing Mar-Comms strategies and gain greater experience in events, recently I have focused on Risk and Event Safety Management.

Completing Work Health & Safety and Public Safety Officer certifications. I prepare and implement event safety, site management and delivery for concerts, community events and festivals.

Travel wise, not enough, but adventures have included stints working in Sydney and the UK, and travel across Europe, UK, New York, Quebec, and southeast Asia.

I still try to be energetic and enthusiastic in life and have fun experiences (and dance) when I can!

Felicity Hume flip_hume@hotmail.com I have been working in the Healthcare IT field for the past 20 years, after originally working in consulting. I have two children - an 18 year old daughter and 15 year son, and two dogs.

Fiona Adams (Crisp) frcrisp@gmail.com Fiona Baalham (Gange) feegange@gmail.com

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Gene-Siew Ngian gene-siew.ngian@mh.org.au Georgia Holben (Taft) georgiataft@gmail.com After living in New York for 10 years from 2011, working at Brand and Marketing agencies, I moved back to Melbourne in 2021 during the peak of Covid with my American husband and two American babies. Since we moved back, we have bought our first Australian home together in North Fitzroy and the girls are happily settled into school, one in grade 3 and one in prep. I've worked at Target as their senior manager, brand and marketing strategy for the past 4 years. My biggest achievement in the past few years other than my beautiful girls was competing in Hyrox and plan to run again this year to try to beat my PB. Georgie Pruden georgiepruden@hotmail.com Georgina Raudon (Somers) gmraudon@gmail.com It’s hard to believe it’s been so many years since leaving school in 1996. Like many people, I didn’t have a clear master plan, but things seemed to fall into place along the way. I went on to study at the University of Melbourne, including a fantastic stint at McGill University in Montreal—an amazing experience both academically and personally.

After finishing study, I moved into the world of work and built my career in marketing and business. Early on, I was lucky enough to spend three years on secondment in New Zealand, which was a real highlight—a great opportunity to combine work and travel while experiencing life somewhere new.

Outside of work, I’ve always made time for the things I enjoy most: family, travel, friends and sport. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to visit some incredible places, with highlights including Borneo, Norway and Turkey, and most recently a truly memorable family trip to central Australia.

These days I’m based in Melbourne, still enjoying the challenges of work while balancing everything else life brings. We have 2 teenage girls at school in Canterbury, busy with their sporting and music passions.

Looking back, I feel very lucky. I’m sorry to miss the reunion (netball finals/gymnastics competition), but I hope you all have a fantastic time - I’d love to reconnect with you all.

Gia Min Teo giamin.teo@gmail.com Gillian Baker gillianbaker79@gmail.com

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Greer McCracken greer_mccracken@yahoo.com.au Hannah Boehm hannah.boehm@bupa.com.au Hannah Clement hannah.clement@gmail.com After 30 years, life has taken me on a lovely (and occasionally chaotic!) journey. These days I’m settled in Northcote with my husband Ian, our daughter Rachael, and Harry, our lovable but definitely under-trained dog.

Work keeps me busy and for the last five plus years I’ve been an Executive General Manager at Development Victoria, where I have the privilege of leading the construction of some fantastic projects across Melbourne. Recent highlights include the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation and the Geelong Convention Centre. I enjoy the opportunity to work on projects that leave something meaningful behind for the communities they serve, and doing what I can along the way to attract and support more women into this great industry.

Outside of work, life is a mix of family, travel and an ongoing attempt to finish renovating our house (a “slow and steady” project that seems to have a life of its own). We try to squeeze in as many adventures as we can, most recently back to our old stomping ground of Abu Dhabi and the family in the UK. Despite numerous attempts I still can’t speak French, and piano lessons are on the back burner for a while.

When I can I love keeping in touch with the old school crew, albeit often irregular and often long-overdue catch-ups, which always feel like no time has passed at all.

Like everyone, there have been plenty of twists and turns along the way, but I feel incredibly lucky with where things have landed, surrounded by great people, doing work I care about, and still making time for a bit of fun. It will be wonderful to reconnect and hear your stories too.

Hannah Sherry (Kingshott) hannahsherry1305@gmail.com I work locally as GP and Behaviour Vet which I love. My husband Cam and I live in Mont Albert North and have a wonderfully busy life with two primary school aged boys, a dog and chickens. I look forward to anytime I can get out for a run, to my bookclub or outdoor adventures with the boys.

Jane Best best_jane@hotmail.com Jane Holroyd Email address not provided

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Jenny Chen jhcchen@hotmail.com Jessica Vidinopoulos jessicaambervid@gmail.com Joanna Kearton (Piper) No email address provided Can you believe it’s been 30 years since 1996?!

My news is my son now owns his own business and is married with a daughter (yes I am now a grandma!) and my two daughters are both ski instructors travelling the world.

My husband and I have just moved to Queensland and we are currently building our forever home to graduate into our new child-free life!

Sending you all much love and best wishes, Joanna Juliana Hesketh (Leslie) juleshesk@gmail.com After completing two years of an Arts degree at the University of Melbourne, I transferred to La Trobe University and graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2002. I began my career in trauma and orthopaedics at The Alfred Hospital before moving into intensive care.

In the late 2000s, a career opportunity took my husband and me to the United States. We lived in New York City for four years before returning briefly to Melbourne, then headed back to Washington DC, where I continued my nursing career in interventional cardiology — a field I love for its pace and constant evolution.

In 2025, after almost 15 years in the States, we made the move back to Melbourne with our two boys. It's been wonderful to be back on home soil. I've been thoroughly enjoying reconnecting with old friends and colleagues.

As I reflect on my time at MLC, especially through the lens of maturity and parenthood, I feel more grateful than ever to have been part of a school that nurtured a genuine sense of confidence, self-worth and opportunity. It's a foundation I find myself drawing on more than I expected.

Justine Kelso (Flack) maloolabaa@hotmail.com On my days off from my small business, I love cooking, growing my own vegetables and raising my chickens on my property, which I share with my husband and two boys.

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Karen Woo (Fok) hey@karenwoo.com.au It's wild to believe it’s been 30 years since we left school. Since then, my career has taken a few unexpected turns. I started out in the corporate world as a business analyst, working on large scale transformation projects, before eventually swapping strategy documents for cameras and creative briefs.

Today, I'm a photographer, content creator, and visual storyteller, working with brands across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and sport. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible brands including Hermes, Dior, Vogue Australia, Nikon, and Profoto. My work has taken me to some fascinating places and introduced me to inspiring people, proving that creativity can open doors you never knew existed.

Outside of work, you'll most likely find me on a golf course. What started as a casual hobby has turned into a full blown obsession. I'm now a proud ambassador for the Eastern Golf Club, and spend far too much time thinking about golf swings, fitness, and community.

Photography and golf have become my two great passions, and I've loved bringing them together through content creation, storytelling, and community building. One of my exciting projects for 2026 is launching a new golf podcast called SKYBALL, where another MLC alumna and I reconnect through a shared love of golf, and have playful and honest conversations shaped by our experiences in the game, culture and fashion.

Looking back, I'm grateful for the friendships, experiences, and opportunities that have shaped my journey so far, and I'm excited to see where the next chapter leads.

Always up for a round of golf, so if you ever fancy a game and a catch up, I’m only a tee time away.

Karin Maddison (Baigel) karin@ministryofchocolate.com.au I have run my own chocolate manufacturing business, The Ministry of Chocolate for 14 years, along with my husband, Drew. Our key focus is quality couverture and local ingredients. We have bee hives in the factory backyard. We use this honey in our honeycomb based products. My role is day to day operations and finances. My favourite thing is new product development, from coming up with flavours then the project management of packaging and artwork. We supply a range of wholesalers nationally including grocery, luxury hotels, florists, etc. We contract manufacture for a number of businesses under different brand banners, so it's very likely you’ve had our chocolate before, and may not be aware of it.

We have two teenage sons, Oscar and Hamish. Oscar is completing Year 12 and has commenced a school-based building apprenticeship. Hamish is in Year 10 and looking to get into the electrical trade.

We have two rescue dogs, Indi (staffy) and Milly (kelpie). Milly is reactive to other dogs, so my weekend hobby is to spend time with her in different training settings to help her be her best doggy self.

My husband and I are very active in the ADF veteran community, specifically Hawthorn RSL sub-branch, where Drew is the current President. We run a traditional RSL focussing on 14

welfare, social gatherings for veterans and their families while building a supportive community. Come join us at the Hawthorn cenotaph in St James’ Park for the ANZAC Day dawn service next year.

Kate Baker (Robertson) katelbaker13@gmail.com I currently live in the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW with my husband, Tom, and our six-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Albi. We relocated here 18 months ago and have embraced the sunshine and relaxed lifestyle.

Professionally, I spent 18 years with PwC Australia as an Executive Assistant before transitioning to Scyne Advisory following the sale of part of PwC's Government Practice.

During my time at Scyne, I worked as the CEO's Executive Assistant for two years before taking a period of long service leave last year. I now work remotely from home, supporting four Managing Directors within the Defence team based in Canberra.

Outside of work, I enjoy lawn bowls, beach walks, bike riding, fishing, gardening, golf, and yoga.

Kate Cannard (Rossiter) katecan73@gmail.com Kate Footner (Whyte) kate.whyte@gmail.com Kate Dobson dobsonkatemary@gmail.com Life has certainly taken a different path to what I expected. Since returning from 10 years in Singapore building a custom sportswear company, I have returned to my roots in Shepparton. I love my work as Pharmacist in Charge at the local private hospital. My children 15 and 18. They make me proud every day. I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life with renewed strength and peace. I am looking forward to seeing all your faces at the reunion.

Kate Hoath (Oppy) oppyhoath@ozemail.com.au Kate Huntington kate_huntington@hotmail.com I've been living in Hobart for most of the last 20 years with my Canadian husband and two daughters (now 12 and 15) with a three-year detour to the Big Island of Hawaii when the girls were small that remains one of the highlights of my life.

Professionally, I spent a decade in the Australian Government as a public servant and ministerial adviser during the Rudd and Gillard Governments, primarily working across Canberra and Darwin in Indigenous Affairs. I'm now a Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the 15

University of Tasmania responsible for student services and operations following a number of years leading communications and government relations through the complexity of the post-COVID period in higher education which has certainly kept me fully occupied.

Kate Kitchen katekitch@hotmail.com Kate McCracken ikatiemcc@gmail.com After graduating from MLC, I spent a couple of years overseas working in government and as a camp counsellor, before returning to Australia to complete a Bachelor of Education (Primary), specialising in Environmental Science and Information Technology. My passions for fostering curiosity, outdoor education, Science, Literacy and Information and Communication Technology have shaped a career that has taken me through classroom, specialist and leadership roles across several Australian states.

I completed a Master of Leadership and Management in Education and have worked within independent and state schools using a variety of frameworks, including the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Throughout my career, I have particularly enjoyed exploring creative and engaging approaches to learning, mentoring teachers and helping students develop confidence in their own thinking. Career highlights include becoming Deputy Director – Junior School and Head of Teaching and Learning – Junior School, as well as leading Science and Literacy programs.

Outside of work, life is wonderfully busy with my partner, a daughter of my own and two step sons. I still love being outdoors whenever I can and spend my free time mountain biking, hiking, skiing and generally doing anything adventurous that involves fresh air and nature.

Some things clearly haven’t changed since school days!

Kate Speirs (Reid) katiereidpt@gmail.com Kathryn James fauxvegan@hotmail.com Still married, working, parenting, reading, writing, playing bassoon in two community orchestras, fostering, being a soccer mum. Largely healthy and happy in our neurodiverse household, but feeling part of the sandwich generation with our daughter starting VCE and younger kid in Year 8, and a parent-in-law developing dementia.

After some bouncing around a few roles during Covid and spending three years consulting largely in disability inclusion, I’m enjoying working at the ABC in the International Development team as an inclusion advisor.

Highlights of the past few years include finishing my writing and editing degree (still working on that manuscript), cheering on younger kid Seb in their victorious appearance on Hard Quiz Kids last year, and travelling with the fam to Japan, Uluṟu and Tasmania. Planning to go back to Tassie to walk the Three Capes Track with the kids in December.

Current favourite activities include dancing to Eurovision songs with my kids, showing them videos of cats, and falling asleep on the couch rather than just going to bed.

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Katrina Brigham katrina.brigham@gmail.com I am a mum of three kids aged 4, 14 and 16, a full-time commercial lawyer, and a professional chauffeur to sport and music activities on the side. Our eldest lives in Queensland and plays competitive tennis, so there is always something on. At work I advise boards and leadership teams on governance, contracts, technology, compliance and risk. I also sit on the board of Kidsafe Victoria, a child safety charity. Outside of all that I love film, yoga, hiking, travel and getting outside whenever I can. I have great memories from MLC and really value the strong foundation it gave me.

Katrina Cheshire (Graham) No email address provided Married with three children, living in Melbourne, enjoying a fulfilling career and the wonderful journey of family life.

Kelly Cooch (Scoble) kscoble@hotmail.com Kira Maher (Tucker) kira.louise.maher@gmail.com Kristy Cross (Leigh) Email address not provided Kylie Brown kylie@welltribes.com.au Kym McCullough (Boyle) kjchinahome@gmail.com Hi everyone, can't believe 30 years has flown by. I am currently living in Mooroolbark in outer eastern Melbourne with my husband Jamie, 3 children (Charlotte 20, Emily 18 and Ethan 14), 2 dogs (Cookie and Luna) and 10 goldfish. I am a school librarian at 2 schools (primary and secondary). My family and I spent 10 years in Shanghai China and came back to Australia in December 2019. We enjoyed exploring lots of different parts of the world during that time. We now spend lots of our time at our local soccer club with the girls playing for the senior womens' team and Ethan U15s boys. Looking forward to catching up with many of you at the reunion and reading what everyone has been up to.

Leah Bloch blochleah@gmail.com I am married with three kids (14,12, and 10) who refuse to eat anything I cook (sorry Mrs Tully, you did your best). I live bayside and spend most of my time tidying up as I completely failed in raising them to help around the house.

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I am still an enthusiastic but completely uncoordinated player of sports – mostly with my children which I take as an opportunity to model humility given they outpaced me years ago.

Much to their chagrin, I have recently rediscovered the joys of singing: in the car, street, or really anywhere. I love being active, cycling, bushwalking, nature, and outdoors, which means I am highly suited to my job as a Victorian government lawyer.

My achievements of the 2020s include exceptional talent embarrassing my children, and FINALLY being vindicated after starting the tracksuit pants/hoodie trend in the 90s when everyone else was still wearing high-waisted jeans. I’m wondering whether my accidental inside-out wearing of my top all day yesterday will similarly be setting the fashion standards for the 2030s and beyond. #yousawitherefirst.

I absolutely loved catching up at the 30 year(!) reunion and was also so relieved to find I am not the only one who can’t remember anything. I feel so lucky to have attended school with so many fabulous fun women. You all still look not a day over 46! If you're thinking of connecting, please do and for those who didn’t make it, please come next time!

As I get older I am enjoying simple pleasures like time with friends and family (when not whingeing), music, nature, occasional theatre, chocolate, coffee, and elastic-waisted pants.

Leena Luu (Luu) leenaluu@hotmail.com Leesan McLeish leesanmcleish@gmail.com Lil Johnson (Hudson) lil@arklighting.com.au Lisa Reiner (Copeland) lisa.reiner@education.vic.gov.au Lisa Rothchild lisarothfield@gmail.com Lisa Minter lisamareeminter@gmail.com After many hiccups, I have landed in the Hospitality & Wine Industries.

Following on from Cert 2 in Hospitality at MLC in combination with VCE, I have a Cert IV in Hospitality MGT and a BSc in Viticulture and Oenology and WSET. I have spent many years working with my love of wine in all aspects!

Still waiting for my dream of retirement on a farm with some vines…

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Lisa Tucker (Sambell) lisa@tuckervincent.com.au Louisa McKenzie (Clarke) louisajesse@gmai.com Lucy Ridsdale undersevenskies@gmail.com Madeline Sibbing (Karanikolopoulos) madeline.karanikolopoulos@gmail.com Riding the whirlwind of parenthood, work and trying to keep my zest for life in amongst it all!

Mum of two, me and hubby enjoying our recent nature-filled move to Warrandyte. I work as a psychologist running a private practice and supervising postgrad students. In my spare time I've found a bit of myself again, going back to dance and shaking my groove thang a few times a week - it's my therapy LOL! Maree Kaan (West) mareekaan@gmail.com May Wong may.wong68@yahoo.com Mel Buckmaster (Hall) Email address not provided Mel Swan crazyhouseofmel@gmail.com

Melanie Thomas Mel.gunnamatta@gmail.com After registered to finally come to the MLC reunion during Covid which was cancelled, I'm disappointed to miss the reunion again living in another state - this time WA. I've been working in the climate change area for 20 years following the work opportunities around Australia. I joined the WA Government Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage Climate Policy team initiated in 2024. Outside of work I've been very involved in surf lifesaving for 25 years now as a lifesaving competition coach at North Cottesloe SLSC. I most recently commented at Aussies in Champion Lifesaver, ironwoman and longboard. I'm a Trainer, Assessor and Official in addition to patrolling Scarborough beach over the past season.

Melanie Steele (Kefford) melsteele5056@gmail.com

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Melisa Bagnato (Cafasso) Email address not provided Melissa Johnstone (Becroft) mbecroft@gmail.com It is hard to believe how much time has passed since our school days! My life has been full, with plenty of unexpected turns. After school, I worked as a biomedical scientist at WEHI while living in the west of Melbourne. From there, I moved to Scotland for two years, doing stem cell research at the University of Dundee and travelling Europe. In 2009, I relocated to Brisbane for warmer weather, working at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at UQ before completing my Master of Public Health. I then worked for an NGO specialising in rural and remote health, travelling throughout Queensland. Today, I am a manager at Queensland Health in the Office of the Deputy Director-General (System Policy and Planning Division), which I absolutely love - it’s been an incredibly diverse and rewarding career.

My current home life is based in Brisbane with my partner, Sam. I have wonderful 12-yearold twins, Aidan and Lucinda, who keep me busy as their personal driver, chef, and coordinator. Outside of work, I enjoy seeing friends, plays/gigs/sport, and travelling. Lately, my focus has shifted toward relaxing more (i.e., health and wellbeing) to ensure I have the energy for everything.

I am so grateful for the journey. MLC taught me we can be and do anything we want in life and for that, I am truly grateful. I really enjoyed catching up with everyone, hearing your stories, and reminiscing about our school years.

Merav Cooper (Wittner) meravwittner@gmail.com Michelle Field michellevfield515@gmail.com Merran Goss (Stewart) merrangoss@gmail.com Michelle Lee (Liu) michelleliu2@gmail.com Married with 2 children - Baden (aged 12) and Isla (aged 9). Isla attends MLC so it is lovely have come full circle and be back in the MLC community. I have had many life experiences since finishing at MLC with some highlights (in no particular order) - living in London for 7 years, opening my own fitness facility, and too many career changes and pivots to list here.

Really looking forward to hearing news of others from the class of 1996!

Michelle Wyatt mjwyatt66@yahoo.com.au Miranda Talbot (Turner) mirandatalbot@hotmail.com 20

After leaving school, I followed my creative passion and studied design at university, which led to a career doing something I genuinely enjoy every day.

After getting married, my husband & I lived in the UK for a few years. This was a wonderful experience, and I treasure this special time together, before starting our family. We eventually did return home to Melbourne with our first child. In the years that followed, family life continued to bring much bustling joy and with the birth of our second child hasn’t slowed up since.

These days, if I’m not working or juggling family activities, you’ll usually find me in the garden, on a tennis court, at a gallery or a paintbrush in hand. I love the outdoors, discovering new places and finding inspiration wherever I go.

Looking back, it’s amazing to see where life has taken us all since school days. I’m grateful for the friendships, experiences and opportunities along the way, and I’m looking forward to catching up to hear what life adventures others have experienced over the past 30 years.

Nadeeka Arambewela-Colley (Arambewela) nadeeka00@gmail.com Natalie Rodelsheimer (Arnott) nataliejrod@gmail.com Nicola Young msnfyoung@gmail.com Natalie Evans Natalieevans4444@gmail.com I’m a very proud mum to two wonderful kids — Annabel (12) and Harry (10) — who keep me grounded, challenged, laughing and constantly learning about what matters most.

I’m truly in awe of the journey that is life. I can thank life’s challenges for my spiritual path, fascination with the unseen and for connecting me to my self, meaning and purpose.

Professionally, life has taken some meaningful turns. After years of growth, study and soulsearching, I transitioned from a career in marketing to psychotherapy and counselling, completing a Master’s and now working as a therapist in private practice alongside work in addiction recovery. I feel incredibly grateful to have found work that feels deeply purposeful — supporting people through healing, helping them reconnect with themselves, and witnessing the courage it takes to change. I genuinely love what I do.

Like many people, life hasn’t unfolded in a perfectly straight line, but with time I think I’ve become clearer on what matters. These days, I value peace more than busyness, meaning over status, and authenticity over appearances. I’ve come to appreciate the importance of slowing down, being present, and building a life that aligns with my values.

What feels most important now are my children, deep, genuine connections — good conversations, kind people, laughter, family, and friendships that feel real. I feel increasingly drawn toward living a life that is peaceful, meaningful, love-filled and grounded, while still 21

growing, learning and trying to become a better human along the way.

Nicci Morpeth (Howatt) nicci.howatt@gmail.com Nicole Bishop (Butcher) nicole_butcher@hotmail.com I’m just back from a month in French-speaking Europe with my family – a dream come true to introduce my children to my exchange hosts and country.

A strong interest in foreign cultures and languages landed me in Switzerland for an exchange ‘gap year’ after Year 12. That experience showed me that languages were my ‘thing’, and over the past 30 years I’ve lived in several countries off the usual path and learnt their languages.

I built my career around this passion, practising public health in the Asia-Pacific region. But today I live in rural Vic and am practising none of those languages. Instead, I’m learning the hardest of them all – patience and love! I am mum to three young children, who I am honoured to have birthed over the past seven years since marrying eight years ago.

My husband and I homeschool the children in a bilingual household, off the grid, and hope our rural property becomes both a food bowl and a place where others can gather and belong.

These days, I work part-time for the University of Melbourne (from home) in a research role focused on community health and development projects in India (though I haven’t learnt much Hindi).

While I never imagined ending up in the Aussie bush, growing into ‘me’ has mattered more than striving to meet anyone else’s expectations. These days my life is more cleaning cloths and gumboots than tuk tuks and spicy foods, but I still love hearing where life has taken the 1996 alumnae. Our door is always open, so please do get in touch.

Penelope Cohen (Forsyth) penelope@coheninc.com Penny Cottle Penny@morrisgroup.com.au Rachel Pangestu (Tan) rachelpangestu@gmail.com Philippa Hughes Email address not provided

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Rebecca Smith rebecca@thatcomms.com Sarah Davies sarahdavies78@gmail.com Sally Labaš (Henderson) sallylabas@gmail.com Sally Summers gumnut32@hotmail.com After school, I completed a Bachelor of Forest Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne. Since then, I have worked and lived across Australia starting in softwoods in NSW and hardwoods in Tasmania before moving to Bright and working for 12 years in the Victorian ski resorts in sales, HR and aviation.

I have nannied for some amazing families throughout Europe and have also worked at Wilsons Promontory and Mount Buffalo. I have spent over 18 years in public land management and statewide emergency management; I’ve led small business and continue to volunteer across various aspects of the Australian community.

More recently I’ve developed a nation-wide real estate portfolio, and I am looking forward to a lot more travel in the coming years, along with furthering my influence in the emergency management and aviation sectors. I am very honoured to have received National recognition for my contributions to date, and my almost 10-year-old boys are my entire world. I’ve lived in rural Victoria since leaving school and I have loved the lifestyle and experiences this has given my boys and I. I am truly blessed to have some of the most amazing Victorians backing me professionally and have some thoroughly awesome, lifelong friends around the world.

Sarah Harris (Hunter) sarah.harris@shell.com Sophie Cornelius sophielc@iprimus.com.au Sarah Abraham (Learmonth) sarahlearmonth10@gmail.com Sarah Arifovic (Charman) sarah_a78@bigpond.com Sarah Danckert sarah.danckert@theage.com.au

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Sarah O'Brien (Cavell) sobrien@y7mail.com Selena Trewarne selena@trewarne.com.au I have recently moved to Rye on the Mornington Peninsula with my husband and 3 boys, eldest started high school this year, and a beautiful girl! a very active Hungarian Viszla who is 18 months old and loves the beach and bush walks. I have always worked in our family jewellery business which is located in the iconic Melbourne Block Arcade although this year I am working behind the scenes more on our website and social media. I have started playing Tennis again which I always had such great memories of playing at school so happy to be playing again and recently completed the coast trek walk for mental health which I would like to do every year now.

Sophie Pape sophmp@hotmail.com Shauna Wilson (Stewart) shauna@eignarook.com.au We live in Mount Eliza. I help with our family business and have four children — three still at home, with my eldest studying at ADFA in Canberra.

I still see MLC friends regularly and cherish those long-standing school friendships; we knew each other before life became full and complicated!

Skye Sinclair sinclairskye@hotmail.com Sophie Cornelius sophielc@iprimus.com.au I'm currently working with Ventia's Defence contract as a hospitality & catering supervisor for the Melbourne Metro sites, which includes historic Melbourne Defence bases such as Victoria Barracks Melbourne & Fisherman's Bend (former Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation factory). I've taken some time off from work this year for major surgery to remove a benign mass; my recovery from this is going well. I'm enjoying my time off at home with my 4 year old wire haired jack russell Benny.

Steph Archbold (White) archboldsteph@gmail.com 15-year-old me would probably not believe how heavily invested and passionate I have become about education. But my experience at school helped me realise the impact educational experiences and opportunities can have on an individual, particularly because we all tend to experience school in different ways.

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After Yr 12, I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Photography at RMIT, then travelled solo for nine months through England, including three months living in Scotland. It was there I took up rugby union and later represented Victoria on several occasions.

A somewhat keen rower at school, I spent Sundays coxing a masters women’s crew and later took a role as junior girls rowing coordinator and coach at Wesley College.

My teaching career began in secondary schools teaching Photography, Art, Media and Multimedia at Wesley College and Geelong Grammar School (Timbertop). Whilst on a career break to have children, I completed a Master’s in Special Education which led me to the role of casual academic and later as a learning designer at La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. From here I decided to return to teaching and held a senior leadership role in a local primary school before returning to La Trobe University as a full time academic. I coordinate the Bachelor of Education and Pathways degrees and teach primarily in inclusive education.

I met my husband in 2006 while volunteering at Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre which feels like only yesterday. We live near beautiful Castlemaine with our two daughters, Jet and Frankie, and our two dogs.

Tash King (Frost) tashkinghome@gmail.com Tina Funder (Lilley) tinafunder@gmail.com Tracey Loton (Mecklem) Email address not provided Virginia Murdoch fluff@alertbutnotalarmed.com

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Attendees Ady Hunter

Jane Holroyd

Alex Naunton

Jenny Chen

Alex Otzen

Jessica Vidinopoulos

Amy King (Henderson)

Joanna Kearton (Piper)

Anita Sweeney (Scott)

Juliana Hesketh (Leslie)

Anna Trahair

Justine Kelso (Flack)

Annabel Hart

Karin Maddison (Baigel)

Anne Kay (Charalambous)

Kate Dobson

Arla Marlow (Clark)

Kate Hoath (Oppy)

Asha Holmes

Kate Huntington

Astrid Blackburn (Gray)

Kate Kitchen

Ava Vujovich

Kate McCracken

Belinda Conti

Kate Speirs (Reid)

Bianca Lee

Kathryn James

Bronwen Jones

Katrina Brigham

Caroline Andrzejewski

Katrina Cheshire (Graham)

Claire Evans (Dinakis)

Kelly Cooch (Scoble)

Claire Pratt

Kira Maher (Tucker)

Dawn Bennetts (Senathi-Raja)

Kristy Cross (Leigh)

Dee McNamara (Horman)

Kylie Brown

Dee Young

Kym McCullough (Boyle)

Ee-Lynn Cheng

Leah Bloch

Emily Porter

Leena Luu (Luu)

Erika Kennedy (Dax)

Lil Johnson (Hudson)

Eve Sainsbury

Lisa Minter

Felicity Fowler (Ambler)

Lisa Tucker (Sambell)

Felicity Greenland

Louisa McKenzie (Clarke)

Felicity Hume

Lucy Ridsdale

Fiona Baalham (Gange)

Maree Kaan (West)

Gene-Siew Ngian

Mel Swan

Georgia Holben (Taft)

Melanie Steele (Kefford)

Georgie Pruden

Melissa Johnstone (Becroft)

Gillian Baker

Merav Cooper (Wittner)

Greer McCracken

Merran Goss (Stewart)

Hannah Boehm

Michelle Field

Hannah Clement

Michelle Lee (Liu)

Hannah Sherry (Kingshott)

Michelle Wyatt

Jane Best

Miranda Talbot (Turner) 26

Nadeeka Arambewela-Colley (Arambewela)

Sarah Danckert

Natalie Evans

Shauna Wilson (Stewart)

Nicci Morpeth (Howatt)

Skye Sinclair

Nicole Bishop (Butcher)

Steph Archbold (White)

Philippa Hughes

Tash King (Frost)

Sally Labaš (Henderson)

Tina Funder (Lilley)

Sally Summers

Tracey Loton (Mecklem)

Sarah Abraham (Learmonth)

Virginia Murdoch

Selena Trewarne

Sarah Arifovic (Charman)

Apologies Adelaide Worcester

Lisa Reiner (Copeland)

Alison Main (Howard)

Lisa Rothchild

Anne Leung

Madeline Sibbing (Karanikolopoulos)

Barbara Hirst

May Wong

Cassia Beruldsen

Mel Buckmaster (Hall)

Catherine Shaw (McInerney)

Melanie Thomas

Cheryl O’Connor (Hale)

Melisa Bagnato (Cafasso)

Elizabeth Ní Síocháin Wade (Wade)

Natalie Rodelsheimer (Arnott)

Elle Barugh

Nicola Young

Elly Soegiharto

Penelope Cohen (Forsyth)

Elyse Haines (Feldman) Fiona Adams (Crisp)

Penny Cottle

Georgina Raudon (Somers)

Rachel Pangestu (Tan)

Gia Min Teo

Rebecca Smith

Karen Woo (Fok)

Sarah Davies

Kate Baker (Robertson)

Sarah Harris (Hunter)

Kate Cannard (Rossiter)

Sophie Cornelius

Kate Footner (Whyte)

Sophie Pape

Leesan McLeish

Sarah O'Brien (Cavell)

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Stay Connected The MLC Alumnae Engagement team and the Old Collegians' Club work together to offer a diverse range of events and programs. These initiatives provide opportunities for Old Collegians to connect, reminisce, and form a lasting, supportive network that spans generations.

We truly value our connection with you and invite you to stay in touch. Please keep us informed of any changes to your contact details to ensure you continue receiving MLC and Old Collegians' Club news and invitations.

You can update your information by filling out this form.

You can update your details by completing this form.

Celebrating Old Collegians We also love sharing news of your births and marriages in The Star magazine. We are also honoured to share In Memory notices of alumnae who have passed away. To submit news for The Star please follow these links Births and Marriages

In Memory

Connect With Us @MLCOCC

alumnae@mlc.vic.edu.au

@mlc.occ

03 9208 4763

@MLC Old Collegians’ Club

www.mlc.vic.edu.au/our-community/alumnae

This booklet does not contain addresses or personal telephone numbers. This is because MLC respects the privacy of its community members and is bound by the National Privacy Principles under the Commonwealth Privacy Act. This booklet is to be used solely for the purpose of networking with other alumnae from MLC.

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