Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 38

Staff in profile
Do you gain inspiration from seeing what
Year 12 boys achieve after leaving school?
Absolutely I do. Actually, it’s delight rather
than inspiration. I’ll bump into a young Old
Boy while out and about and it’s always a thrill
to hear about their travels, their studies and
their career steps. I’m invariably with one of
my own children at the time and I’m always
proudly and embarrassingly making sure that
my kids look and listen.
Interview:
DI MCNAMARA
Administrative Assistant, VCE Office
What was your work background before
coming to Scotch?
I was a Chartered Accountant with Ernst
& Young for more than 10 years before
Scotch; it was an ideal start to working life.
Not unlike the Scotch approach for the boys,
the environment was both fostering and well
ordered, and the recruitment was such that
you joined the firm in groups. So before I
knew it, I was part of a team of co-workers
among whom I’ve found many lifelong friends
and a husband!
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Great Scot Number 157 – September 2019
What are the challenges and enjoyable
moments of your job?
It’s ironic but the more I contemplated
this question, the more I realised that the
challenges and the enjoyable moments were
one and the same. The day of the General
Achievement Test and the three-week VCE
examination period are definitely the pressure
points of this job. There are many potential
mishaps to anticipate when over 400 boys
are required at the same place at the same
time. It’s a challenge to pre-empt and resolve
eleventh hour hitches but it’s also very
rewarding to do so.
What are some of the amusing or
memorable moments which have
occurred during your career at Scotch?
Late last year I overheard Drama teacher,
Ophelia Hopkins, lamenting that some of the
accents used during the casting for this year’s
Senior Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, were
suggestive of Irish or Indian roots rather than
Russian Yiddish ones. I immediately piped up
and offered my Mum as a fix.
‘Ophelia,’ I said, ‘my mother, Rita, has
as much of a “Jewish” accent as she has
chutzpah. She will come in and sort this out
for you!’ Days of accent instruction and pages
of cultural advice followed. Mum delighted in
the process, imploring various cast members
to ‘shrug your shoulders more’, ‘eat more!’,
‘drop the pleasantries – be more abrupt’, and
‘did I mention, you should eat more?’. I’m not
sure that the cast enjoyed Rita’s coaching, but
I know it’s been the highlight of Mum’s year
so far!
What is your favourite corner of the
School, and why?
The Commerce corner on the upper level
of the Quadrangle always draws me in. A VCE
Accounting class in session is my favourite
lesson to walk by. Overhearing the teaching
of all things financial is like music to my
ears, and I’ll take many long-cuts past these
classrooms just to hear a snippet.
What are your hobbies and interests,
away from school life?
Having lived through our family home
renovation over the last 18 months, I’m
fascinated with architecture at the moment; all
kinds, but the 1950s style is my favourite. And
I’m always interested in art and jazz; also the
1950s kind! For me, Dave Brubeck’s Take Five
never gets old.