Abby joined the Clarendon community in 2022 as part of the School Support Services team. She works across many areas of the school, including Risk and Compliance, supporting our students, families and staff in school offices, managing our parent volunteer registration process, organising first aid training for staff and much more.
While Abby has had many wonderful career experiences, including working for Mr Men, England Football and Ferrero while living in London, she has also had a decorated career in netball at an elite level.
During the recent Melbourne Vixens visit to Clarendon, we were delighted to see her reunite with her former club teammate, Sharelle McMahon, who is also a member of the Clarendon community. Inspired by the visit and the impact it had on our students, we thought it was the perfect time to share the story of our very own netballer, Abby Sargent.
Abby began playing netball at seven years of age, starting in a junior club before progressing to district netball. Soon after, she was representing her region locally and at Victorian state level. She later received a two-year scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport and was selected to represent Australia in the U21 team in 1998.
When she moved to England in 2001 with dual citizenship, she was playing socially when she was invited to trial for the England Netball Team, the Roses. After successfully trying out, she competed at the World Championships in Jamaica and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and Melbourne, where the team won bronze.
After the Commonwealth Games, Abby travelled through Europe and Asia with her husband before moving back to Melbourne in 2006. Upon her return, she played in the National League for Melbourne Phoenix and later for the Melbourne Vixens in their inaugural 2008 season while working for Gilbert Netball as their Netball Brand Manager.
We are thrilled to have Abby as part of our Clarendon community, bringing her wealth of experience and knowledge in operational and support roles, along with her passion for giving everything a go and living out our value of effort. Abby is also a current parent and remains involved in netball, coaching at the Redan Football Netball Club.
She encourages our students to take every opportunity that arises and to have fun. “Practice makes better,” she says.
Thank you, Abby, for the spirit and energy you bring to your team and for the way you support our community.