Alumnae News 

Janet Joyce (Winter 1951)

60th Wedding Anniversary

On October 17 2019 Janet  and Adrian Joyce celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary.  Janet matriculated from Burke Road in 1951. They were married at Newman College on the morning of Saturday 17 October 1959 and then celebrated with a wedding lunch at Nine Darling Street. Janet, Adrian and family Karen (1978) Joseph, Lizzie (1984) and Patrick celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary with a family lunch at Donovans. 

Janet still catches up a couple of times a year with her former classmates from Burke Road.

Joan Ryan (Hartnett 1946)

Happy 90th Birthday!

Anne McDonald (1973) kindly shared some photos and news of one of our oldest alumnae, Joan Ryan (Hartnett 1946 ). She writes:

I have known Joan all my life. She introduced me to Sacré Cœur when my parents were looking for a school that would be able to take me as a boarder on short notice if required.

On 27 July this year I joined Joan and her family to celebrate her 90th birthday. Joan and her sisters, Patricia Benyan (Hartnett 1953) dec. and Maureen Brew (Hartnett 1955) all attended Sacré Cœur from primary school, and I think their brothers Tim and Leo were in the Kindergarten. Joan was an active member of the Alumnae Association after leaving school, including a period as President.

She had been living in Merimbula for 30 years, returning to Melbourne in 2017 to be close to her only son, Anthony, following the death of her husband Max.

She is now living in an aged care facility in Ivanhoe. 

Rebecca Poulter (2004)

Thank you to Hannah Bolt (2004) who shared the news of fellow alum, Rebecca Poulter's work as

the Stage Manager working on Hilary Bell’s Splinter. 

Griffin Theatre Company interviewed Rebecca about her work on the show as part of their Stage Manager Spotlight series.

Read of her fascinating  journey from Sac to the Stage HERE

Kate Burley (Dollman 1989) and Bec Dollman (Dwyer 1994)

Sisters-in-law and alumnae, Kate Burley and Bec Dollman travelled to Europe mid year and included a trip to Sacré Cœur .

Mandy Newman (1984)

I loved all the opportunities presented to sing, act, present, express and create in the eleven years I attended Sacré Cœur from 1972-1982. When I left high school, after completing an Arts degree in Sociology, with the strong social justice ethos nurtured at school, I thought I should do something socially useful. I worked as an Education Officer for the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW.  It was a very worthy job but having been bitten by the performance bug, I yearned to sing and write fiction for children and adults.

I was part of the first web team for The Australian Financial Review and then I worked as a freelance writer and journalist, publishing a non-fiction title with Allen and Unwin in 2004. After completing a Masters in Creative Writing and a high school English teaching degree, with my passion for equity still alight, with a business partner we started a small educational publishing company devoted to helping young people become better writers. 

I never stopped writing fiction and last year I thought, I’ve got to finish one of these novels and get published. So I put aside all my fears (of which there were many) and finally finished one. I’ve had interest from big publishers, but it all takes too long, so published Love Song myself! We have had beautiful launches in Sydney and in Melbourne and are in talks with distributors. 

At the Melbourne launch, from only a few Facebook posts, many Sac girls from my year attended including Sophie Nicoll, Kay Bryan, Nicola Duggan, Susie Smythe, Sue Hall, Gabrielle O’Brien, Rosie Mullaly, Geraldine McDonald, Neise Burke and Annie Crusi. This showed me the strength of the powerful, supportive bond forged in the beautiful, strong walls of Burke Road all those decades ago. 

Purchase copies of Mandy's book HERE or HERE 

Read more of her writing on her WEBSITE

Karan Hayman (1977)

We are proud to celebrate the career of alumna artist Karan Hayman who recently held an exhibition of her work at Fletcher's Art Gallery in South Yarra.

She said of her work:

I find a quiet solace in the landscape in which I live. It soothes me and the silent, calm scenery of shapes and colours lead me.  I love to paint those stories.

Her art practice focuses mainly on drawing, painting and printmaking and she  lives and works on a small farm near Kyneton in Central Victoria.

Karan studied Fine Art at RMIT and went on to found and establish Roar Studios, one of Melbourne’s first artist –run gallery and studio spaces, which opened in 1982 while she was still at  Art School. She completed Post Graduate studies at RMIT in 1992.

Karan has held several solo and  group exhibitions in Australia and Tokyo. Her work is held in the collections of the Australian National Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Bank, New Parliament House, Myer Collection, Gadens Sydney, Sangi Collection Tokyo and numerous private collections in Australia, Europe, Japan and USA.

CLICK HERE to download her latest catalogue

Cristina Russo (2006)

CLICK HEREto see a trailer of the concert

Helen McCormack (Davey 1963) and Helen Barry (1969) recently went to hear Cristina sing at Tempo Rubato, a live classical music venue in Brunswick. The program was entitled Songs of Love and Loss and drew on diverse classical and contemporary sources - diverse indeed when one considers that the program's breadth ranged from Scarletti to Nick Cave! It was a moving evening of song, so beautifully delivered by Cristina's splendid soprano voice. This is their reflection of the night:

In the decade since her graduation from 

Sacré Cœur, Cristina has already amassed an impressive CV of engagements and achievements. These include two undergraduate degrees from the University of Melbourne in Arts and Music and subsequently, a Masters in Music. She was awarded a Fellowship to study in Italy and has performed roles with the Victorian opera and Glyndebourne Opera. Cristina is a frequent collaborator with the early music ensemble La Compania.  While initially trained in opera, Cristina's interests have included performing new stage, film and concert  works.

As we reflect on the incredibly rich and diverse range of her professional interests and achievements, let us also remember Cristina as we first knew her as a Child of the Sacred Heart, especially when she led us in the Carols service which fills St Patrick's Cathedral each year. An everlasting memory is her leading the choir as the soloist singing O Holy Night in both English and French.

The Carols service, anticipating the birth of the Christ Child is always such a fitting way to conclude the academic year for this historic school which proudly bears the name of His Sacred Heart. It remains a reminder of the spirituality, ethos and tradition of a school community that was the setting for Cristina's youthful formation. It is also a reminder of a tradition in which we rejoice as we see Cristina as an accomplished artist, who through her music and voice, gives back so generously to the world.

Helen McCormack (Davey 1963) and Helen Barry (1969)

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Please don't forget to send us your updates and any events you would like to promote by contacting Melinda Adams