Life Beyond Bennies
Rosemary Snowdon
Environmental Scientist
Rosemary graduated from Mount St Benedict in 1993. She completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney in 1996, majoring in Ecology and Environmental Geography. After a year working with Geographic Information Systems, Rosemary returned to the University of Sydney to undertake a Graduate Diploma of Environmental Science followed by a Master of Science (2001). Her research thesis is titled "The geochemistry of soils in the Iron Cove catchment". She has published her findings in The Australian Journal of Soil Research and Water, Air and Soil Pollution.
Rosemary has worked for both private and government agencies as a Water and Soil Scientist. She has also been involved in Environmental Planning and construction compliance for road and water infrastructure and residential and industrial developments. Rosemary is currently working part time for a private consultancy specialising in botanical conservation assessment and developing and implementing optimal conservation strategies. She works closely with community groups, fauna consultants, town planners, geologists, engineers, lawyers, land developers and mining companies in planning and implementing optimal conservation strategies as part of the sustainable development of sites.
Rosemary resides in Sydney with her husband Greg and three children, Sophia, Liam and Lilian.
Krystel Huxlin
Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Research
Dr Krystel Huxlin is the James V. Aquavella Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Research at the Flaum Eye Institute at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, with secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurobiology and Anatomy and Brain and Cognitive Sciences as well as the Center for Visual Science. She focuses her work on finding a better understanding of how the damaged adult visual system can repair itself.
The author of more than 50 scholarly articles and several book chapters, she has presented her research at seminars around the world and throughout the United States. She received the Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation in 2010 and has been included in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who’s Who of American Women for the past 10 years. The holder of four patents, she is the past president of the Rochester Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience and she was installed as James V. Aquavella Professor in 2015.
Dr Huxlin earned her bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in neuroscience at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Jaclyn Moriarty
Lawyer / Author
Jaclyn Moriarty is the author of best-selling novels for young adults and adults, including the internationally acclaimed Ashbury-Brookfield series. Her first novel, Feeling Sorry for Celia won the NSW Premier's Literary Award, and her books have been named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Librarians Association and translated into several languages. Her latest novel, A Corner of White is the first in the 'Colours of Madeleine' trilogy set partly in our world and partly in the Kingdom of Cello. It has been named a White Ravens selection by the International Youth Library and has been shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
Jaclyn grew up in Sydney, and studied Arts/Law at the University of Sydney before completing a Masters in Law at Yale, and a PhD in Law at Cambridge. She worked as a media and entertainment lawyer for four years before becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Sydney with her son, Charlie.
Mary Jerram
Former NSW State Coroner
Mary taught English and languages (French and German) at MSB in the 1970s whilst studying law. After another year at OLMC Chatswood, she became (1980-1987) first an Organizer, then Industrial/Legal Officer at the (then) Independent Teachers Association, now the IEU, and completed law studies.
In 1987 she worked as a solicitor, and Senior Advocate, for the Legal Aid Commission, and was appointed as a Magistrate of the Local Court in 1994. She spent some time as a specialist Children's Magistrate and almost three years as the Goulburn circuit Magistrate. On return from Goulburn, she was appointed a Deputy Chief Magistrate, until she took an early retirement at the end of 2001 to farm with her husband in New Zealand. In the five years they spent there, Mary retained a commission as an Acting Magistrate, returning for a fortnight or so five times a year to sit in Sydney.
They returned to Sydney in 2006 and Mary was appointed NSW State Coroner by the Attorney General in May 2007. She is currently serving a second appointment, and she and four other senior Coroners work from the Glebe Coroners Court, and sit on serious matters in country towns throughout NSW. During her terms, the Coroners Act has been reviewed, coronial training introduced for all magistrates, and relationships with police and various government departments have improved. Mary Jerram's particular interests are in police operations, suspicious deaths, and deaths in custody.
Julia Calixto
Journalist/Media
Class of 2005
Julia graduated with a Bachelor of Media at Macquarie University and has been working at SBS producing and reporting for SBS World News. She has completed a Masters of International Law, and taken part in a journalism fellowship at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. She has covered major stories including the Sydney Siege, and was deployed to Indonesia following a terror attack in early 2016. Her current focus is international news and science and technology stories.
Bec Burrowes
CEO & Founder
Class of 2011
World traveller, beach lover, perennial child at heart. This girl is a spontaneous singer and expressive seaside dancer, easily spotted by the trail of children that inevitably follows her everywhere she goes.
When she’s not holding up the reflector or serving chocolate behind the scenes on the Max Ailey photo shoots, you can usually find her planning a new adventure, exploring the outdoors or cuddling her unbearably cute ragdoll kitten, Archie.
Bec established Max Ailey out of a passion to do more within the cause of anti - human trafficking and eradicating modern day slavery.
In 2010, Bec began volunteering for Project Futures, a Sydney-based anti-human trafficking organisation. Through her involvement with Project Futures, Bec was given the opportunity to hold events and undertake several international marathon & cycling challenges, allowing her to step up and become the charity’s first international representative, leading the schools cycle groups through South East Asia. During this time, Bec met countless survivors of sex trafficking and got to know many of the girls personally. It was then that she truly fell in love with the people and the cause.
Max Ailey - The MXAY Movement is our next step in the journey of eradicating modern day slavery.
To support and read more about Bec’s non-profit business/cause http://www.maxailey.org/