Alumni Profiles

Congratulations to Cathy Rogers OAM (Favaloro, Class of 1962) A passion for encouraging young musicians.

Cathy graduated from Korowa in 1962 and was one of five Favaloro sisters to attend the School! In 1963, Cathy was awarded an American Field Scholarship to spend a year in the USA and upon her return completed an Arts/ Social Work degree at the University of Melbourne. Cathy worked in Australia and the UK as a social worker across many fields. Her experience working with families led to her establishing a cross-cultural consultancy with her husband, Peter, in 1990, which they jointly ran until 2015 when the business was transferred to the staff. From an early age, Cathy had piano lessons and after her marriage, she became organist at her local church, subsequently taking lessons at St Paul’s Cathedral. There she gave several recitals and in time completed her A Mus A in organ. Throughout her adult life, Cathy has devoted herself to supporting talented young musicians. She regularly opens her home for musicians to stay and perform, many of whom would have otherwise struggled to maintain their careers. She has hosted regular fundraising events and volunteered countless hours to the Melbourne International Chamber Music competition, as board member, Director and subsequently Deputy Chair. Her work has helped enhance Australia’s cultural reputation and elevated chamber music internationally. Cathy’s passion for music extends beyond chamber music or indeed professional musicians – she regularly hosts community concerts, where children of varying abilities receive her enthusiastic support and the opportunity to play on a wonderful piano.

All Cathy’s roles in music have been voluntary. Her joy in helping young musicians is obvious. It is Cathy’s tireless work in this area over almost two decades that in 2020 earned her an OAM in the June Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to Chamber Music. The School motto has always been a guiding principle for Cathy, though she claims the reward (the palm), far outweighed the effort (the dust).

Andrea O’Connor (Class of 1985) The dynamic world of Biomedical Engineering and the difference it can make.

Andrea studied engineering at the University of Melbourne after completing Year 12 at Korowa in 1985, where she was Vice Captain of the School. She became a chemical engineer and worked in Australia, the US and Japan before returning to the University of Melbourne to do a PhD in engineering. In 1995, she was awarded a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship to undertake research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. On her return to Australia in 1997, Andrea was appointed lecturer in engineering at the University of Melbourne and has worked there since. She and her husband, Andrew, have two sons. She is now a Professor of Engineering, Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and leads the Tissue Engineering Group at the University of Melbourne. Her research uses engineering analysis and design to address challenges in human health. It is focussed on the design, synthesis and fabrication of biomaterials used in medical devices and implants, and in designing the next generation of antimicrobial nanomaterial to fight drug-resistant infection. Andrea led the engineering team on the world-first Neopec clinical trial of breast reconstruction for women after surgery for breast cancer. She has published 100 journal articles, is an inventor on a patent, and is frequently invited to speak on her work at international conferences.

Sage Lamont (Greenwood, Class of 2007) Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

Sage started modelling while at school and continued through university, where she gained a Bachelor of Law (Hons) and a Bachelor of Business. Her career took her to London, Paris and Milan, and upon completing her studies, she decided to apply her learnings to the industry she knew so much about. Upon returning to Australia in 2013, Sage was appointed to launch the Melbourne office of Wink Models, one of Australia’s leading talent agencies. In 2016, she was appointed Managing Director, growing the company to a multi-million-dollar revenue stream whilst improving diversity and inclusion within the industry. She was the driving force behind the first disabled models on an Australian runway. Sage has always had a great interest in natural health and in 2016 she co-founded, with her sister and brother-in-law, Golden Grind, a company promoting the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric. Their company now manufactures eight products and has partnerships in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and USA. Sage left Wink Models in 2019, but retains an interest as part owner. Sage recently took up a position at SBE Australia, which specialises in helping women build and scale global, sustainable businesses – a role to which she brings considerable experience and expertise!