Lucy Loney (Ogilvie) (Class of 1988)
Posted on April 15, 2026
Tell us about the path you took after school.
After a brief stint in a Masters of Education (after an Arts degree at The University of Melbourne), I took a turn and moved into information technology. I worked with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in their Melbourne office. EDS was a huge global IT firm with over two hundred thousand employees. There, I learned formal project-, change- and problem-management systems and processes. I was utterly bewitched by the possibility that order could be created from chaos through process. Ultimately, though, my eye was on something a little smaller.
In 1996 I co-founded a music recording business in Melbourne called Eskimo Productions. These were halcyon days recording bands, playing cello in a working quartet and on many of the albums recorded at our studio. In 1997 I played cello on a track on Melbourne indie band The Lucksmiths’ album A Good Kind of Nervous and in 1999 Grinspoon recorded the vocals for their album Easy at our studio. In 2007 my string trio played on an electronic crossover track, “All I See Is All I Am“, featured on Triple J Unearthed.
Early on I played in an electronic crossover duo that toured Perth. We played live on RTR, which went really well, then had a gig at a venue in town. It was a horror show. I was playing the cello and singing harmonies, but I was super nervous. The in house audio dude hadn’t really done a great job of mic-ing and doing the feedback for my sound. So I couldn’t hear myself, which made it very difficult to play in tune (there are no frets on a cello, it’s hugely based on hearing). This made me more nervous, which made me sing softer… which made the audio dude crank up the sound even more. There were just long bits of silence… then huge bangs of unintelligible sound. I remember the audience looking… confused. I was seated at the front of the stage, my band mate towards the back with a rack of electronics. It was hot, and there was an open window next to him. I could have sworn he was moving closer and closer to the window and I really thought he was going to jump out. We laughed so hard for hours after that gig.
A very different highlight was playing a very successful gig (phew) with The Lucksmiths at Fitzroy’s legendary Punters Club in Brunswick Street. What a night. What a live music venue! It closed in 2002, but 22 years later it has reopened! A huge win for live music.
Eskimo Productions became my life for well over a decade producing highly creative projects across all media formats. We were right at the forefront of DVD production, and then later online videos (yes that’s right, there was a time when there were no online videos!). Compression rates and render times were my life. We produced hundreds of DVD releases of “cult classics” including some award-winning “motion” menus (animated user interfaces for the DVD menus) for films like Bad Boy Bubby and Tommy. After an all-nighter to complete the hand-illustrated, fully animated pinball machine main menu for Tommy – it was a thing of beauty! – we found a typo in the menu and the weary team kept going all the next day to fix, render and output updated menus under intense time pressure.
Where are you now?
In 2009 I moved home to Hobart, ready for a different adventure, and met my now husband Richard. We met on Spring Beach, literally! We have three children – Alice, Walter and Audrey, all at Friends’ – and live in a beautiful home that my architect husband designed and built. I now work at the school as the development manager, working with the alumni community and overseeing the giving programs. It’s a beautiful role that uses all my tech, comms and engagement skills and is very creative. I am very grateful that I work in a not-for-profit organisation that has a good purpose and explicit values.
I started on the Primary campus looking after the children with their ‘very important problems’. I loved helping them. I worked with Mary-Margaret Gibson and my kids were still very little. It was hard getting to work every day. One day it was too hard… when I arrived I burst into tears. Mary-Marg, who was the Head of the primary school, put me in her office, got me a cup of tea, shut the door and then sat at my desk and answered my phone for the next hour. She was then super supportive of me getting the role I have now. What a gem. She’s on my list – the special people along my career journey. In case you’re reading – Derick Haupt, Drew Stansbury and Ben Searle – you are also on that list.
I also sing in community choirs, I recently took up netball again (after a 30 year break!) and our entire family adores our two Tenterfield Terriers, Pip and Poppy. Pip is such a gentleman and Poppy is completely mischievous, and they are both complete snugglers. We laugh a lot in our family. Oh, and music, lots and lots of music – playing, composing, listening, concerts – all genres.
Do you have a fond memory of your time at Friends’?
I loved lining up for assembly outside the Wells classrooms in the primary school. Each class walked into the Frank Wells Hall in a special order, and we ended up gathered in concentric circles by year level. I loved that. The organisation, and the circles… I was also lucky enough that my mum, Frances Underwood, worked at the school; her beautiful piano playing as we entered assembly and gatherings is something I will always remember. Another lifelong memory is Sheila Given. What a completely wonderful educator, mentor and trusted friend she was for “small” me.
Did your schooling at Friends’ influence your life or work choices?
Yes. I was always looking to collaborate, to seek other perspectives, to consult, to find consensus… Whilst at Eskimo Productions I had rather a quirky, idiosyncratic client with whom I worked on retainer for a long period to run his operations. He once said to me, a little frustrated… “Lucy, it’s not a democracy, it’s a small business!!” Learning to balance consensus with practical outcomes was an extremely useful life lesson.
Do you have any advice for our current students?
I think I got a little stuck at school. I was pretty shy so I kept to myself notwithstanding regular offers of friendship I just wasn’t confident enough to accept. Sport and music were joyful outlets. Ultimately I found my balance, my people, my life. So if that’s you, use your intellect, make some changes, ask for help, accept an offer of friendship, and find your way through. It’s worth it.
