Sarah Sivyer Class of 1998

Embracing global citizenship

“Getting good grades was important to me at school,” says 1998 graduate Sarah Sivyer, “but being a part of a broader community was equally, if not, more important. That is something that has stuck with me wherever I have lived and worked around the world.” Sarah has navigated through numerous unexpected paths in her remarkable career, seizing the opportunities that came her way which enabled her to explore the world and encounter extraordinary adventures.

Following her graduation from Newcastle Grammar School, Sarah went to the University of Sydney to study a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Commerce. Sarah then commenced her career in engineering consultancy in Melbourne before moving to London. In 2006 she returned to Australia to take up a role at BHP before deciding to pursue a Master's in Business Administration at Oxford University, after which she relocated to Switzerland to work for agriculture company, Syngenta.

After several years living overseas, Sarah again returned to Australia and contributed her expertise firstly to the World Bank before transitioning to Rabobank, where she initially specialised in Research and Advisory roles before advancing to lead Operational Excellence.

In 2016, it was time for Sarah to do what she has always wanted to do and return to her family farm in the Hunter Valley.

“Taking opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world has often been my reason for taking on new career opportunities. In the back of my mind, though, I always knew I wanted to return to the farm and run my own business.”

As the recipient of a Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2018, Sarah took all she learned about farming practices and business models around the world and applied them to the work she does on her 1500 acre property on the Allyn River, Eccleston, NSW. A mindset of continuous improvement has contributed to her desire to diversify and seek growth opportunities; in addition to farming beef cattle and pasture raised eggs, she recently launched an Agri-tourism business off the back of her egg business, Just Been Laid.

Some of Sarah’s favourite memories from NGS include her time in the Service and Adventure Training Unit (SATU) that involved bivouacs with friends, hiking mountains and a trip to New Zealand with the Newcastle Heritage Re-Enactment Unit.

“I loved the discipline of the SATU and the adventures we would have whether that be canyoning, trekking, canoeing or just sitting around the campfire telling stories. There really isn’t anything like sleeping in a hutchie under the stars after having trekked all day. I often see friends from Grammar when I’m in Newcastle and some of them own businesses that we supply eggs to or are involved with utilising our new facility for their corporate or business planning days. The friendships go back a long way and it’s very easy to reminisce about our time at Grammar.”

“For me, having the opportunities to study abroad, take up scholarships to travel and live and work overseas and across Australia are all a result of a holistic education.” Sarah’s advice to current students is to “keep adding to your toolkit and jump at opportunities to learn. Surround yourself with interesting people with diverse ways of thinking.”