Archive - Role Models, Northcott Society
Role Models
The Northcott Society
Sydney, 1998-2004
Selected Archive Credit
Role Models was a biannual fundraising event developed in collaboration with The Northcott Society to raise funds and awareness for young people with disabilities. Running from 1998 to 2004, the event brought together women from across public life, business, arts, sport, science, media, and community leadership, placing lived achievement and authenticity at the centre of a highly visible public celebration.
The concept emerged following an early planning meeting with Jacqueline Booth and Erica Aronsten at The Northcott Society’s Parramatta head office, where the foundation of the event was shaped around a simple but powerful idea, that leadership and influence are best understood through real lives, not idealised images.
Role Models, Northcott Society, Sydney, 2004. Group portrait from the final event
Across four editions in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004, Role Models was staged at prominent Sydney venues including the Sydney Wentworth Hotel and No. 1 Martin Place, now the Fullerton Hotel. Fashion sponsorship over the years was supported by Chatswood Chase, David Jones, and Queen Victoria Building fashion houses.
The inaugural Role Models event in 1998 featured a cross-section of Australian women whose influence spanned arts, media, law, defence, business, and public service. Participants included opera singer Emma Matthews, journalist and writer Bettina Arndt, Australian Ballet dancer Vicki Attard, Royal Australian Navy commander Vicki McConachie, senior law enforcement leader Christine Nixon OAM, jurist The Hon Mahla Pearlman AO, entrepreneur Sue Ismail of NADS, and Quentin Bryce, appearing prior to her later appointment as Governor-General and Dame of the Order of Australia.
In its first two editions, the event featured solo participants. From 2002 onward, the format evolved to paired participants, built around the idea of the “role models role model”. Many participants chose to appear alongside a mother, partner, daughter, business partner, or close collaborator, allowing the event to reflect how influence, resilience, and achievement are often shared rather than solitary.
Role Models, Northcott Society 2004, Frank Magazine
Ray Mather served as Parade Coordinator across all four events. His role involved working one-on-one with each participant in advance of the event, supporting garment selection, music choice, and personal confidence in preparation for the runway and interview parade. Given the professional commitments of the participants, this focused and respectful approach proved essential, resulting in relaxed, confident presentations on the night.
The events were hosted by Melissa Doyle and David Koch throughout the series. Collectively, the Role Models events raised close to $100,000 for The Northcott Society and, in its inaugural year, received the Parramatta Business Award for Best Fundraising Event.
Among many memorable moments was a fitting visit with aviation pioneer Nancy Bird Walton, who ultimately chose to wear a hand-made silk sari gown created from fabric gifted to her by a Maharaja in India, following a landing of her bi-plane on his field. The garment, rich with personal history, perfectly embodied the spirit of the event.
The donated artwork, drawn from Raymond Mather’s first exhibition series (2000), was prominently displayed at the venue entrance and credited on the official Silent Auction card
Role Models stands as an example of community-driven cultural leadership, where fashion, movement, storytelling, and philanthropy intersected to honour achievement without spectacle. For Ray Mather, the project reflects a broader practice of creating spaces where people are seen, supported, and celebrated on their own terms.
This project forms part of a wider body of event direction, choreography, and community-based creative work developed prior to ART1.
View other related works and historical material in the Archive.