ROSEMARY CAMERON
Rosemary Cameron has had a diverse and fascinating career spanning positions in arts management, events management and, more recently, as CEO and Director of both the Brisbane and Melbourne Writers’ Festivals.
Literature, culture and language have been the overarching ties between some of Rosemary’s career highlights including stints in France, Norway and London, where she worked with the English National Opera and later the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden as well as Sydney with the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust and later Melbourne for the Writers’ Festival.
Currently holding the position of principal of the Fig Tree Cultural Tacticians in Melbourne, Rosemary also acts as judge on the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards for Fiction and for Poetry, assesses grants for Arts QLD, directed a poetry festival in Newcastle and is treasurer of the Australian Crime Writers Association.
ROSEMARY CAMERON
1974 Company Principal
While Rosemary has gone on to achieve professional success in her chosen field, it is the legacy of friendship she holds dearest.
“I have the most marvellous group of friends from St Aidan’s. There are about 12 of us who are very, very close,” she says.
“I’d put my life on the line for these women. They have looked after me through thick and thin and they have never faltered. We all went to university and then travelled overseas together. We went out with each other’s brothers, became godparents to each other’s children and now we are attending those children’s weddings. The first one of our group became a grandmother recently. And although we live all over the place we have regular get-togethers and our conversations continue without pause. Those women are by far the most important legacy of my time at St Aidan’s.”
MIHIRI UDABAGE
Mihiri Udabage began her career with the goal of making a difference in the world. Graduating from the University of Sydney as an occupational therapist and working in mental health for five years, the St Aidan’s Old Girl went on to business administration before a career change, starting her own e-commerce business in Fair Trade, eco and global gifts.
The Fair Trade business knowledge led her to write on the topic for various publications, ultimately resulting in a career as a freelance writer, specialising in the not-for-profit sector.
“I am finally undertaking a Masters in Communication to catch up my qualifications with my work experience,” she says.
As well as ongoing roles with children’s social development site happychild.com.au and Westpac Bank, Mihiri volunteers her time as writer ambassador coordinator for Room to Read Australia, a foundation aimed at providing reading and literacy education to children in developing Asia and Africa.
She says her outlook on social responsibility has developed over time, but her time at St Aidan’s planted the seed of community-mindedness.
“St Aidan’s taught me I am capable of applying myself to any number of pursuits. I left St Aidan’s knowing I could form and
MIHIRI UDABAGE
1990
Freelance Writer and Communications Professional
maintain solid relationships, that I loved to learn, and that community was important to me. These are the foundations of who I am today - not only in my career, but also as a wife, parent, daughter, sister and friend.
“More than a single memory, when I think about St Aidan’s I am flooded with memories - mostly of the girls just being themselves: Michelle Doake dazzling under the stage lights, Helen Gravendyk’s warm smile and infectious laughter, Sarah Johnson’s quick wit, Lucy Strickland’s cheeky sense of humour. I know we graduated St Aidan’s with knowledge and skills, but what I am left with most is an imprint of the spirit of all the girls.
“To the students of today I would say what I will share with my daughter who starts high school next year: knowledge is power, keep learning – about the world around you, about people around you, about yourself. Your emotional intelligence will serve you better than your test scores (but you still need to study). Common sense is not that common – make sure you practise that. That, and gratitude. Find time to include someone or something new in your life every day - it makes your life bigger. Be present for people. Stay off Instagram - your voice matters most. You can do this!”
Hailing from Melbourne but spending Years 7 to 10 at St Aidan’s, Lauren Jones returned to Melbourne to finish her schooling but has since enjoyed a career in show business that has taken her to Hollywood and launched her own business venture.
Although she didn’t attend university, Lauren made her way professionally though hard work and opportunity, touring with Kylie Minogue before moving to London to work as an assistant for the band Girls Aloud then landing a job with director Hamish Hamilton. Lauren then moved to LA after meeting blogger Perez Hilton with whom she worked as Director of Branded Content across his numerous websites.
In 2012, Lauren launched her own venture, Jones Social PR, a public relations and digital marketing agency headquartered in Los Angeles.
LAUREN JONES
2002
Business Owner
A believer in life’s possibilities, Lauren said it was the nurturing environment of St Aidan’s that gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams.
“I was not the math or science student,” she says.
“I absolutely loved the creative aspects of school and all the extra-curricular activities that St Aidan’s offered.
“I was always encouraged to try everything. I attribute St Aidan’s to giving me the confidence to just ‘have a go’ even when I knew that I wasn’t the best or when I doubted myself.
“I loved St Aidan’s. I just loved the School.”
1963 (Amies)
Helen Gregory
Historian and Author
Helen enrolled in Medicine after graduating from St Aidan’s with the Old Girls Prize in 1963 and receiving a Commonwealth scholarship to attend university.
The History of Western Civilisation, a compulsory first year subject proved to be a twist of fate that saw the now historian set on a career path that has continued to challenge and fulfill her for almost 40 years.
Completing her Honours degree in History, Helen went on to work with the University of Queensland in research and teaching and was one of the first in Queensland to act as a private practice historian, before being appointed Adjunct Professor in 1998. With the Environmental Protection Agency she has worked to conserve Queensland’s Indigenous cultural heritage, and the heritage of later settlement, which led her to establish her current consultancy business, Cultural Heritage Strategies. Helen has published several commissioned Queensland histories, and curated exhibitions such as the popular Queensland Museum exhibition, Women of the West.
HELEN GREGORY
1963 (Amies)
Historian and Author
Helen has published several books including the best seller The Brisbane River Story (1996), and has received many accolades for her work, notably the National Trust of Queensland Silver Award in 2012 for her work on the conservation of Nindooinbah Homestead in Beaudesert.
Although Helen’s path was different from the one she envisaged at school, she believes St Aidan’s prepared her well for her future.
“We learnt the paramount value of integrity in all things, that our own efforts are what matters most and to understand people with disabilities. My friends have often commented that this background has meant that we have never been uncomfortable around people of difference. Quite recently, I wrote histories of the Endeavour Foundation and Montrose Access.”
Helen was a second-generation Old Girl after her mother, who was Bronte House Captain in 1934. Her three sons and her brother are also Old Boys, and she herself still remembers many of her teachers by name and with fondness, as well as the brown gloves she would wear to and from school.
DR KATHERINE (KAY) ANDERSON
Analyst, ASIOONA
Katherine’s path has taken her to work, variously as a secretary and a diplomat, in England, New Zealand, Vietnam, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Poland, Sweden, the Federated States of Micronesia and, of course, Australia.
She has been tear-gassed in Noumea, has seen a sea of rifles aimed at her from what had seemed to be empty hills on the China-Vietnam border, has climbed through the first hole made in the Berlin Wall, and has stood in Wenceslas Square in Prague during the Velvet Revolution.
But, she says, she will never forget the stability provided by her three years at St Aidan’s. When she started Year 8 in 1969, Katherine had already attended schools in Tasmania, Queensland and Papua New Guinea. She says it was the longest period she had spent at any school, and St Aidan’s was a haven offering nurture and support.
“I loved that the school had a place in history and that it had played such a big role in educating women,” she says. “I particularly adored the Sisters and their attitude.”
After a career as a secretary in the private sector both in Australia and overseas, Katherine started work with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) in 1983 as a Secretary. She then served on four
DR KATHERINE (KAY) ANDERSON
1973 Analyst, ASIOONA
long-term postings: Hanoi, Nairobi, Noumea and Warsaw; the latter two as Secretary to the Head of Mission. She also undertook a range of short-term missions.
As a reflection of how the Sisters nurtured and encouraged the girls at St Aidan’s, Katherine’s career sights were aimed higher. Juggling overseas postings, she completed her Higher School Certificate by correspondence and at 35 took unpaid leave and studied for a degree. In 1993 Katherine graduated with First Class Honours in Politics and Women’s Studies from Griffith University. She returned to DFAT in 1994 and six months later was posted to the Federated States of Micronesia as Third Secretary.
After resigning from DFAT, Katherine took up a PhD scholarship in International Relations at the Australian National University in Canberra in 1999. This time she juggled a marriage and a baby. From 2003, she worked for two years as a Research Analyst at the Australian Institute of Criminology and had her doctorate conferred in 2004.
Since 2005, Katherine has been an analyst, in a job she loves, at the Office of National Assessments (ONA) in the Australian Government.
RHONDA DAVIDSON-IRWIN
A solid grounding in musical education gave Rhonda Davidson-Irwin the start she needed for a career that has seen her perform, teach and share her love of music across the world.
“I never felt that being a girl or a woman would stop me from doing anything in my career or my personal life and this was constantly reinforced at St Aidan’s at a time when sexual prejudice was quite rife,” says Rhonda, whose daughter Paris is now in Year 10 at St Aidan’s.
Following St Aidan’s, Rhonda graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music majoring in flute, piano and education, going on to complete a Masters with distinction at the University of Western Australia. She is also about to embark on a Doctorate through publication.
A varied career path has seen this passionate musician positioned as a leader in music education and early childhood television in Australia. She has been a musical director, composer, early childhood consultant, live musician and producer for various television networks, writing more than 2,000 songs for children’s television, seeing her music televised five days a week for the past 15 years.
RHONDA DAVIDSON-IRWIN
1977
Flautist, Music Educator and Business Owner
Owner of the Viva La Musica company, Rhonda trains P&O Cruise staff on entertaining children; provides music for large scale events such as the Great Australian Outback Spectacular; and also has an illustrious performance career including playing for the Queen of England, Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali and a variety of celebrities. Rhonda has released 50 CDs, including an album that “went gold.”
“At St Aidan’s I had an amazing experience with a teacher who really went out of her way to assist me in my career,” she says.
“Her name was Sister Anne and she was very musical. She knew that I was a very musical student and at that stage when I entered in Year 7 at the School, Music could not be taken as a board subject. She went to university to increase her qualifications so that she would be able to teach Music as a board subject in Years 10 and 11. This was an extraordinary act of kindness and dedication and I became one of the first students to take Music as a subject at St Aidan’s. You would be hard pressed to find another school where a teacher went to that level for her students.”
She’s travelled the world and currently makes her home in London working as a consultant with global professional services firm PwC. The middle of three sisters who all attended St Aidan’s from Years 1 to 12, Hayley Morphet could never have imagined her work would take her to New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, Kuwait, USA, UK, Belgium, Poland and Czech Republic.
“I knew I enjoyed music and maths but didn’t know where that would lead me in terms of a career,” says Hayley.
“After completing two degrees (a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Statistics and Bachelor of Commerce in Finance, both from the University of Queensland), I went on to seek.com.au and typed in “graduate, maths, finance” and a job in management consulting with Booz Allen Hamilton came up and sounded like a very interesting opportunity. Accepting the job is something I have no regrets about.”
HAYLEY MORPHET
2000
Accountant
“I’ve ended up finding a niche working in aviation consulting and have travelled all over the world with my job.”
The travel bug bit Hayley during a two-month student exchange to France at the end of Year 10.
“I had dreamed of returning there to study for a year after I finished school, so when the opportunity arose part-way through my degree to spend a year in Paris, I didn’t hesitate.”
Hayley says her St Aidan’s schooling provided her with the confidence to do whatever she wanted in life.
“As well as providing a sound academic grounding, St Aidan’s gave me the opportunity to participate in such a wide range of activities (sport, the arts, debating) in an unintimidating environment, which has given me the confidence to try anything.”
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