Where Are They Now? – Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown: Class of 2001

Currently lives: Newcastle, where she is a Director with SHAC architecture firm.

Elizabeth Brown finds herself back in the School grounds quite often these days.

A director with architecture firm SHAC, she is one of the lead architects for the Park Campus redevelopment, designing the distinctive new building that will transform the Junior School (see page 10).

“It’s been such a pleasure to return to Newcastle Grammar School in this way,” she said. “I’m enjoying being able to use the skills I’ve learnt and what I do to help the School.”

Elizabeth chose to move schools to attend NGS for Year 11 and 12, because she felt it would help her focus on achieving her best in the HSC.

She lived in Port Stephens, so joined former NGS teacher Mr Gerry Prietto every day to catch the 6.30am commuter bus to Stockton, then the ferry to Newcastle, before walking up the hill to school.

Elizabeth said architecture was one of several careers she was considering when she finished school, and she initially gained entry to a sports medicine degree.

However, during a gap year in which she travelled through Europe and worked at an English boarding school, she decided that architecture was the career she wanted to pursue. She changed her university preferences and returned to study her degree at the University of Newcastle. After completing her undergraduate degree, Elizabeth began working with local architecture firm Schreiber Hamilton and remained with the firm as she completed her Masters degree. When the company later became SHAC, she was offered the opportunity to become one of the co-owner/directors. “It was an amazing opportunity” she said. “I was only 31 at the time.”

Elizabeth now works mainly on school developments, covering the area from north of the Harbour Bridge up to the Queensland border. She credits her two years at Newcastle Grammar School with her career success.

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t changed schools,” she said. “It gave me the discipline, organisation and structure that I needed, and I made some great friends.”