After 30 years of service in and outside the classroom, English and Literature teacher Sharon Mulready is looking toward her next chapter. Announcing her decision to retire at the end of 2024, Sharon said her time at Melbourne Grammar School has included many moments of “everyday magic”.
“I have been privileged to teach boys who have inspired me every day,” Sharon told the Senior School community. “Boys who were thoughtful, funny and brilliant. Boys who were trying so earnestly to do their best. Boys who were kind and selfless. When I think of the discourse in the media about ‘the younger generations’, I think of these boys, most of whom are now men; they are people that I trust and celebrate.”
Teaching with focus and passion
Sharon came to Melbourne Grammar in late 1995, to teach classics. With an 11-month-old child at home, she says focus and the support of her colleagues were crucial in those early years. “I had to make sure I got things done in every spare minute while I was at School,” she says. “That approach has helped me throughout my career. The support of my wonderful colleagues has also been a constant source of strength.”
As a teacher, Sharon has made a lasting impact not only on individual students, but on the curriculum as a whole with subjects such as her ‘Heroes and Monsters’ unit on classical mythology being a popular Year 9/10 elective since 1996.
Outside the classroom, she has inspired many more students through her role as a Ross House Tutor, a leader of School and House debating, and through oversight of the annual Sir Kingsley Norris Oratory Competition. All this alongside the substantial commitment of the Quad Play, which Sharon directed for 14 years.
Sharing what it means to be human
“What I have always wanted is for students to understand what it is to be human and to be able to empathise with other human beings who are different to you,” Sharon says. “Today, many students are spending a lot of time in isolation and coming across ideas online. What I want them to understand through the engagement of ideas inside and outside the classroom is: This is what it means to be a human in society today, and people have had essentially similar experiences in different cultures, at different times.”
“Sharon has been somewhat of a trailblazer,” Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School Ben Hanisch told staff and students. “She has been very much at the vanguard of a change that has made the School a better place.”
“I’m proud to have been part of this School, and to have worked to help students with what I had to offer,” Sharon adds. “I’ve never thought of working anywhere else.”
About the image
The image at the top of this story shows a moment at the 2010 Quad Play rehearsal of Hamlet, directed by Sharon Mulready.
Included, from left, are Nigel Langley (OM 2009), Sharon Mulready, and Dr Mark Williams (OM 1976)
Nigel Langley was the Assistant Director of Hamlet in 2010. As a Year 12 student at the School, he was awarded the Barry Humphries Prize for Liberal Arts in 2009. A regular performer in School productions, Nigel spent several years as a professional actor in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand before joining the School as an English teacher in 2023.
Mark Williams’s qualifications include a law degree and a D.Phil. in English Language and Literature focusing on 17th century dramaturgy from the University of Oxford. He was a regular performer in School productions during his time as a student, and served as an Old Melburnian volunteer supporting Quad Plays for over 40 years after graduation.
