The Ruyton Reporter - Spring 2016

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18 the ruyton reporter
News
News of Former Students & Staff
Lauren Sibree (’14) is finding her feet in the dynamic and challenging world of music.
In December last year Lauren recorded a series of vocal tracks for Sonja Horbelt,
(Co-ordinator of Contemporary Music Studies at Ruyton), one of which featured on
Sonja’s debut album, Follow. The contemporary jazz soul album, launched in April,
is now available on iTunes (Follow, Kennedy Snow). For Lauren, who is now studying
classical voice at the Conservatorium of Music, the opportunity to be involved with
a contemporary music project is an important diversifying excursion from her studies.
At just 19 she feels humbled to be featured on a commercial album. Further, Lauren
recognises Sonja, and also Bob Sedergeen (Ruyton music teacher and fellow artist
on Sonja’s album), as being instrumental in her decision to study music: ‘To have the
true and unconditional friendship of Sonja and Bob means more to me than any musical
endeavour could. That said, with every day, no matter the highs and lows that
respectively enliven and discourage me, I remember I am blessed to be studying what
I love. I am so excited to navigate the coming years with two Ruyton staff members,
and friends, by my side.’
After finishing at Ruyton, Patricia (Tricia) Serpell
(Terrill ’76) went on to study Medicine at Melbourne
University and then trained as a Plastic and
Reconstructive surgeon, both in Victoria, Tasmania
and the UK, completing her fellowship in 1992.
Tricia has been working in the South Eastern suburbs
of Melbourne since then, becoming Head of the
Plastic Surgery Unit at Frankston Hospital, Peninsula
Health in 1995. She has developed the Plastics Unit
from a small unit with two consultants to a large
service with 11 consultants, three registrars, three
residents and medical students.
At Ruyton she was known for her love of craft, being top female student at the
Royal Show and this has carried forward in her career, where she continues to love
the artistic challenge of reconstructing various areas of the body after excising skin
cancers or traumatic injuries. Plastic surgery is a challenging and demanding career,
but is always interesting and very variable, treating a wide range of conditions
including skin cancers, hand disorders, wounds and cosmetic procedures, such as
breast reductions and abdominoplasties (tummy tucks). Along with this she has
introduced CoolSculpting (freezing away those fatty bulges that we all hate) to her
practice. Over her career she has been involved with multiple research projects and
published in international journals. She also presents regularly at local and national
meetings, especially on wound healing and dressings.
She is married to Jonathan Serpell, Professor of General Surgery at the Alfred and they
have two sons, James and William, who are both studying at Monash University.
In April Tricia attended her 30-year reunion at the School. It was a fantastic evening,
bringing back many past memories, whilst catching up with everyone’s news.
In this year of the Olympics in Rio, it is also timely to reflect on old Ruytonians
who not only competed in previous Olympics, but also were involved in an
administrative capacity.
There are many Old Ruytonians who have links with
the Olympic Games. Sue White (’64) worked at the
Summer Olympic Games in Germany in 1972, which
was the scene of the first recognised terrorist attack
at such an event. Sue also worked at three Winter
Olympic Games in Austria, France and the USA and
ski-raced for Australia in the University FIS races
around Europe. Sue graduated fromMonash with a
BA (Hons) in languages and worked in Europe as an
interpreter and translator in Germany (Munich),
France (Grenoble) and Italy (Perugia). Always a
keen-skiier, Sue also skied in three Warren Miller
movies. Sue moved to the USA and lived in Aspen,
Colorado and Sun Valley, Idaho, where she founded a
private school, now the Junior School of the
Community School, whose students, like Ruyton’s,
excel in University placements. While in the US Sue
gained a MA (Psychology), a Certified Financial
Planning Certificate, and founded a hedge fund. Sue is now retired and divides her
time between Mooloolaba in Queensland and Sun Valley, Idaho.
Premier’s VCE Award
Ms Linda Douglas, Principal, was thrilled
to be present when Sophie Kleiman (’15)
received a Premier’s VCE Award in
recognition of her academic achievements
in VCE Literature 2015. It is a significant
honour to be recognised as a top achiever
in the VCE. Individual Graded Assessment
scores are used to determine the order of
merit and identify the best students.
Students must have a study score of 46
or above to be eligible for the award. We
congratulate Sophie on her achievement
and look forward to following her progress.
Former Ruyton French teacher and Dean of LOTE
(1998-2003)Michelle Wright has been devoting
herself to another passion of hers – writing. Michelle
is now a multi-award winning Victorian author. Her
short stories and flash fiction have won awards,
including the Age and Alan Marshall Short Story
prizes. Michelle’s writing has been published in many
Australian and international anthologies and journals.
Her short story collection, Fine, was shortlisted for the
2015 Victorian Premier’s Award for an Unpublished
Manuscript and was published in July this year by
Allen and Unwin. Details of the collection can be
Her debut novel will be published by Allen and Unwin
in 2017.
We were delighted whenChantal Mitvalsky (’01) was able to join us for the official
opening of the Margaret McRae Centre (Ruyton Reporter Autumn 2016.) Chantal is a
vocalist and composer and celebrated the launch of Skycha’s debut album, Owe
Someone, in April at the Shadow Electric. The band is a neo-soul electro-jazz ensemble.
‘When composing for this record, I wanted to draw on all of the music that I love to listen
to and create a sound that isn’t easily identifiable by a clear-cut genre. I’m interested in
exploring jazz and how that mixes with neo-soul music, r&b, and elements of electronics
and hip hop that belongs to now but pays tribute to things past, present and future.’