7 minute read
Alumni News
Fine wine, fine living
Jane Maroulis (1997)
Jane Maroulis and her husband, Daniel, are making headway with their successful and rapidly growing Hunter Valley wine label, Boydells. Jane’s hard work and commitment has led her to managing their vineyard and property, all while raising their four beautiful daughters. You can visit Jane and have a glass of wine (or two) at her new cellar door recently opened in Morpeth.
Jane shares more about her work, accomplishments and her aspirations for future HVGS students.
Tell us what you have been up to since leaving HVGS.
After finishing school, I spent some time overseas before completing a Bachelor of Psychology and Social Work at The University of Sydney. Shortly after, I fell in love with a farmer and moved to rural NSW. That is where our love story began! Whilst in rural NSW, I worked in child protection. In 2014 I began working at a support service called Kids Out West after recognising that rural children in Out of Home Care did not have the same support services as their city counterparts. I remain the Director of Kids Out West today, and it employs approximately 70 staff and has assisted countless vulnerable children in the child protection system. This is very challenging but extremely rewarding work which I am very passionate about.
My husband Daniel and I, along with our four daughters, moved back to the Hunter in late 2015.
It’s an idyllic place to raise our children, and it has been wonderful to be back in the Hunter, closer to family and old friends.
It has been a tremendous amount of work to start a label from scratch and to produce high-quality fruit in some challenging seasons, but we have loved every step of the way. In 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, we opened our restaurant and cellar door in Morpeth. What a roller coaster this has been. We are always learning and pivoting, but most of all, we have been welcomed and supported by the local community.
If you could go back in time, what experience from school would you do differently and from the learnings, what advice would you share with your girls or a current student?
If I could go back in time, I would take every opportunity that came my way. I am so impressed by all the co-curricular activities on offer to the students at HVGS.
“I would tell my girls, and current students to give everything a go, don’t be afraid of making a mistake. By trying all these different things, you get to meet a range of people, find hidden talents and passions and, equally but as necessary, find the things that you know you don’t want to pursue in life.”
Have you continued with interests and passions you had at school, and if so, how have you developed on them in your adult life?
Passions and interests evolve and develop with age and experience; however, it would be fair to say that I was a social person at school. So, in this respect, I have definitely continued this through Boydells and the ethos that it captures.
I think the experience of venturing out of the safety net of your local community, experiencing the world on a wider level, and all the different people you come across in the process, helps develop your interests as well as a sense of adventure, responsibility and respect for difference. ALUMNI
A dancer’s dream
Kate Ralph (2005)
Kate Ralph has been dancing and performing for over 15 years. She successfully runs her own dance studio and in 2019 her hard work and dedication was recognised with the Forbes Business Award for Excellence in Social Enterprise. In 2022, Kate will graduate from the Royal Academy of Dance in London.
Kate shares a little more about her passion for working hard and chasing one’s dreams.
When did you start ballet?
I started dancing when I was three years old and fell in love with ballet after seeing a poster of Darcy Bussell, a soloist in The Royal Ballet. I idolised her when I was younger. She is now the Royal Academy of Dance patron where I studied and, fingers crossed, will hand me my degree next year when I graduate in London!
What is your biggest achievement since leaving school, and where has it led you?
Since finishing at HVGS in 2005, having studied dance and completing the National Art School Intensive Program, I completed a double degree in Education and Fine Arts at The University of Newcastle (graduating in 2009). This led me to become a secondary visual arts teacher.
In 2019, I was a finalist in the Forbes Business Awards for Excellence in Social Enterprise, Startup Superstar and Young Entrepreneur. I won the Excellence in Social Enterprise award and was a finalist at the NSW Business Chambers Regional Business Awards in 2019.
In 2015, I studied in London as one of twelve international students accepted into the Royal Academy of Dance and undertook my Master in Education (Dance Teaching) Programme at the University of Bath. Hopefully, when things improve with COVID-19, I can go back over in 2022 to graduate. What’s your advice for people interested in pursuing a career in dance?
There are many different avenues in the dance world. My advice is to finish your high school education because injuries can happen, and you then need to change your path. If you have finished school you could consider moving into other similar areas such as physiotherapy or teaching, for example.
Creating a bright future
Toby Dawson (2005)
Toby Dawson has endured a lot. In 1999 he became a paraplegic just six weeks before starting high school, and in 2016 he was fortunate to have a lifesaving kidney transplant after being on dialysis.
Toby has a passion for helping others succeed and his resilience, courage, optimism and tenacity have led him to become a success in the world of aerial imagery.
You graduated in 2005, what have you been doing since leaving school?
I completed a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of Newcastle whilst working part-time. In 2011 I relocated to Sydney and joined IBM as a Graduate Account Manager working with clients, including Westpac and Qantas. I went on to manage the IBM Graduate Program, directly managing 50 university graduates.
In 2018 I joined Vocus Communications as an Enterprise Account Manager, and since April this year, I’ve been working as a Strategic Account Manager for an aerial imagery company, Nearmap.
How can aerial maps assist organisations to make better decisions? What’s your advice for those who are interested in pursuing a career in aerial imagery?
My advice for those who are interested in any career is to make sure they are passionate about their career choice. It’s very difficult to do a job long term if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Try and find something that makes you happy, and you won’t feel like it’s a job.
What trait did you learn at school that has helped you succeed, grow and develop?
Having real-world job experience is crucial to getting a professional job, not just a degree!
Two of our key values here at HVGS are Courage and Optimism, can you provide examples of how have you displayed these values throughout your career?
Sometimes you must take a risk and push yourself outside your comfort zone. Twice I have now done this, and it’s paid off for me professionally, personally and financially. Why do you feel it’s important to live these values?
It’s been very easy over the past two years to feel a lack of optimism.
As we become more digital, we’re able to work in jobs we haven’t seen in the past. I think it’s important to remain optimistic that there is a bright future for us all and the next 20 years is going to be such an exciting time to enter the workforce.
Read the full interview on our website ALUMNI
42 Norfolk Street Ashtonfield NSW 2323 PO Box 458 East Maitland NSW 2323 P: 02 4934 2444 E: communityrelations@hvgs.nsw.edu.au www.hvgs.nsw.edu.au
