Old Boys 

Epping Boys- Where are they now?

Name: Levi Broughton-Rose

What year did you graduate from Epping Boys? 

1998. One thing I find pretty cool is that my son Duke will be starting Year 7 at EBHS in 2027. My dad also attended Epping so Duke will be third generation Epping boy.

Most memorable moment from Epping Boys. 

1997 Canada Rugby Tour- we did a training session on the lower slopes of Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Resort. Distinctly remember lineout practice in the snow and people stopping as they skied past to take photos and ask who we were and what the heck we were doing.

Your favourite subject in school, and why? 

Physical education - I’ve always loved getting outside and exercising. I fondly remember running lap after lap of the hill next to the footy field competing against your mates with ex-army PE teacher Mr Bennett watching over us. Or even better was the run/swim/run we would do to Dence Park pool and back.

What did you do straight after school? 

Mum and dad were adamant I needed a degree, but I had no idea what I wanted to do long term, so I wasn’t that fussed on what I studied. I heard UTS had an Arts course in Tourism that was run out of their now defunct Lindfield campus overlooking the Lane Cove National Park. It ticked a lot of boxes in that it was >70% females, only three years, and I had the option of adding some fitness to my day by riding my bike along the newly opened M2 motorway from home in Cheltenham. 

What career have you pursued? 

As evidence that it doesn’t matter what you study, I now work in the medical device sector as a clinical support specialist with Cook Medical. It’s a family-owned US company with our Australian head office in Brisbane. This gives me the flexibility of working from home in North Epping. My focus area is the aorta which is the largest artery in the body. I work mainly with Vascular and Cardiac Surgeons planning and attending their operations to implant covered stent grafts, treating aneurysms and dissections. I’m in the operating theatre to help implant/deploy the stent grafts correctly and troubleshoot any challenges. Our most technical stent grafts are custom designs, handmade in Brisbane that have fenestration holes which need to be deployed to line up with critical vessels that can’t be covered. This is done with fluoroscopy which is like a live x-ray, so we must wear lead aprons and special eyewear due to the radiation flying around the theatre. I’ve been doing it for 14 years now so although it sounds stressful it’s all second nature to me. 

Advice to current students at Epping Boys?

Although academics is important, it’s not everything. Do your best to embrace the other opportunities that EBHS presents you as well. Whether it be sport, music, drama, design and tech, language studies, try them all. It’s only once you finish school that you realise the cost involved for any of those freely offered endeavours whilst you were there. Leaving school as a well-rounded individual with a circle of friends is more important than specialising in one facet of education. And most importantly, be there for your mates and don’t be afraid to ask them for help when you need it.

Special thanks to Thomas B in year 10 for this edition of ‘Where are they now?’

We’re on the lookout for Old Boys to feature in ‘Where are they now?’ Contact Aida Ghorayeb at aida.ghorayeb@det.nsw.edu.au for more information.