Lynette Casey-Brereton BMus MIMT

(née Lynette Dudley)

Lynette Casey-Brereton was a student at Camberwell High School; she left to do her Matric at Power Coaching College* and was awarded a scholarship (by Sir Bernard Heinze) to the Melbourne University Conservatorium. She was an Ormond Exhibitioner (named after Sir Francis Ormond)

When she left Melbourne University Conservatorium, she taught music at Our Lady of Good Counsel primary school in Deepdene for some time, then took charge of music at Whitehorse Girls' Technical College in Box Hill. She then taught at MLC for many years and then became Director of Music at Killester College in Springvale. During her time at MLC, Lynette had also been a part-time lecturer at the Melba Conservatorium and was invited to take over the Directorship, following the retirement of Miss Joan Arnold. Lynette only recently retired from this position, which she held from 1987-1998. She was also a Professorial Associate at Victoria University, with the full title of Professor, from 1995-1998 - and was a member of the University's Academic Board.

Lynette has enjoyed a long career as a soprano soloist in Lieder recitals and oratorio and is Artistic Director of the Lieder Society of Victoria. She has taught singing at tertiary and secondary levels since 1963 and was formerly AMEB National Advisor on Singing and also AMEB Federal Practical Examiner. She is currently the Chair on the Victorian Specialist Advisory Panel for Singing.

Lynette frequently adjudicates in Victoria and interstate; Royal South Street, Sydney, Hobart, Warrnambool, Boroondara, Ringwood.

She was a member of the International Panel of Jurors, Melbourne International Choral festival, in 1992 and a jury member at (Mietta's) National Song Contest, 2000. Lynette is a member (vocal advisor) of the Boroondara Eisteddfod Committee.

*In those days, CHS only went up to Form 5 and students had to go either to MacRobertson Girls' High or Melbourne Boys' High to matriculate...in Lynette's case, it was more sensible for her to enrol at Power College to be able to complete her music subjects and be able to work, than to travel to MGH for only three matric subjects.

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Professor Robert Pascoe, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Victoria University, made this speech in the Academic Board Tribute to Lynette Casey-Brereton, in December 1998

Lynette Casey Brereton has had a distinguished career as a musician, teacher and administrator.

She was born in Vanuatu, the daughter of missionaries and grew up in Echuca and later on a tomato farm in the outer Melbourne suburb of Vermont. Educated at Mont Albert Central School and at Camberwell High, she was awarded a Melbourne University Conservatorium Scholarship in 1955 and graduated a Bachelor of Music with Honours in 1961. During her time at the Conservatorium, she was dux in her second and third years and an Ormond Exhibitioner.

In the years that followed, she built a successful career as a soloist and an a-capella singer, both in Australia and overseas. She gave many solo soprano performances in oratorio with leading State choirs and orchestras, broadcast as a soloist over the ABC with some of Australia's most renowned accompanists and had active involvement over many years with such diverse groups as the ABC Village Glee Club, the Cecilian Singers, the Astra Choral Society and the Melbourne Chorale. Lyn was also a lead singer in backing groups for a number of television shows and films and for Bruce Smeaton film scores. In 1977 and 1980, she toured a number of Asian countries with the National Boys Choir.

Her favourite music is that of Bach and Mozart.

She has five sons, many of whom are talented musically, including her eldest, Peter Casey, who conducts and directs the National Boys Choir and sang in the VSO.

After and extensive teaching career, both privately and at the Methodist Ladies College, Lyn joined the staff of the Melba Conservatorium in 1976 and was appointed Director in 1987.

Her achievements, from the point on, are well known to members of the board. In her twelve years as Director, she has transformed the Melba, both artistically and physically.

The Melba grew in size nine-fold, providing a wonderful opportunity for more young people, including those from Melbourne's western suburbs. Under her leadership, the Melba gained accreditation for its Dip. Music from the old VPSEC in 1991, and it was in this connection that she worked closely with Peter Brereton and became his partner in marriage. Peter was a graduate in English from Melbourne, always a bon vivant of the kind produced in Carlton, and helped in the creation of the State College of Victoria, working closely with Doug McDonell. He had retired from Hawthorn Institute in 1987 and was a widower when he met Lyn.

This was how Victoria University was given the additional bonus of Lyn's wonderful partner when it affiliated with the Melba in 1994.

In an academic sense, Lyn's crowning achievement, ably supported by the then Chairman, Alfred Ruskin, was this affiliation with Victoria University, which among other things led to the introduction of Melba's first Bachelor of Music degrees in 1997. We now have a friendship with the Melba Conservatorium for which we can thank this remarkable woman, and which will lead on to even greater achievements in the years to follow.

We should remember Lyn in the words of Mozart's soprano piece of 1775: Voi avete un cor fidele - You have a faithful heart.