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Lux Mea | Winter 2024

It is always wonderful to see what our Alumni are up to in the years since they left school. Whether that be five years or 35 years, we hope our Alumni are an inspiration for our School community.

Jacqueline Albanis (née Young)

Class of 1992


It is a privilege to share how Ivanhoe Girls’ has shaped who I am today. I am married with three children. We live in a local historic farmhouse featured in an NGV Heidelberg Art School painting. 

Growing up in Eaglemont I was interested in the Heidelberg artists and inspired by the natural beauty of the local area. Some of my closest friends are still those from school.

I chose Nursing knowing I wanted to work with children and that it would be highly rewarding. A dramatic shift being passionate about Art and previously planning to undertake a course in Art/Design.

I completed a ‘Bachelor of Nursing’ (La Trobe University) and later Postgraduate studies in Paediatrics (Melbourne University). Most of my career has been at The Royal Children’s Hospital. My specialties are Respiratory Medicine and Community nursing. I spent many fulfilling years in ‘Complex Care’ training carers for children with chronic medical conditions in the community. My roles have varied in education and management, particularly enjoying ‘Paediatric Asthma Educator’ and ‘Clinical Nurse Consultant’ (Post-Acute Care) positions. I currently work as a Primary School Visiting Nurse. 

In the future I envisage myself working with indigenous children in remote Australia. Paediatric nursing is a wonderful profession and I hope I have inspired you to consider it. There are endless opportunities and great variety of work. 

Alongside my family, Ivanhoe Girls’ has been instrumental in influencing my character, instilling core values of self-belief, determination, resilience, and courage that has helped me achieve success.

Natalie Cattach

Class of 2000


During my time at Ivanhoe Girls’, many of my teachers would describe me as the ‘class clown’, so it was no surprise to many that my career would involve entertaining people, now audiences as a Senior Television Producer.

After graduating school in 2000, I studied Media and Communications at Melbourne University before getting my first job as a Production Assistant at a small TV company called Active TV, where I was fortunate enough to work on many live broadcasts including various music award shows and live sporting events.

I realised I had a passion for telling people’s stories and travelling the world and was very fortunate to combine the two by producing such shows as Australian Survivor, The Amazing Race and Travel Guides. 

I also lived and worked in London and China. As my friends know, I am also partial to a great meal, so working on shows like My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef ensure I always have lots of restaurant recommendations for the next night out!

As a Television Producer I can wear many hats from casting and interviewing contestants/ celebrities, to scouting shoot locations, directing camera crews, writing scripts, organising TV shoots and being part cheerleader, part psychologist and part problem-solver.It is a very fast paced industry and can often involves long hours, but I would not change it.

I still credit Ivanhoe Girls’ for encouraging me to pursue my passions in drama and media, which eventually lead to a fulfilling career. Above all, the School allowed me to believe in myself and to reach my full potential, even if I was told off for always talking during double maths!

Jordan Turner

Class of 2009


I graduated from RMIT University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations). After university, I worked in Government organisations including the Victorian Building Authority, Infrastructure Victoria, and Level Crossing Removal Project in communications, and eventually stakeholder engagement.

In 2019, I began working on the Metro Tunnel Project as a Senior Adviser, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement. Working in a delivery team on such a large project was new for me, and I have loved it. I was responsible for communications and engagement at four of the Metro Tunnel sites – Eastern and Western Portal (tunnel entrances), Arden Station and ANZAC Station.

To put it very simply, my role in the team is to manage relationships. I manage relationships between the Project and the stakeholders around it. This includes residents, councils, businesses, road users and commuters. Working at the ANZAC Station site, stakeholders also included Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne Grammar School and Royal Botanic Gardens.

I also managed and implemented the communications and engagement strategies for large sections of work, including all of the Tunnel Boring Machine tunnelling between the Town Hall Station, and Eastern Portal in South Yarra.

At times, the role can be challenging, as we manage and mitigate major construction impacts on a day-to-day basis. While there mare some difficulties, it has been a very rewarding experience working on such a large project, and I have been lucky enough to see some remarkable project milestones.

In addition to my work in stakeholder engagement, I volunteer my time as an Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation Ambassador. Being a cancer survivor myself, I am fortunate enough to be able to share my story and use my experience to act as an advocate and help raise awareness of the disease, as well as critically needed research funding.