Barry Novy, HK 2017
Barry met the Kroks on their first visit to Melbourne in 2002, hosted by the Harvard Club of Victoria. The international Melbourne MBA Alumni groups often work together, so the invitees for their dinner performance also included Kellogg (of which Barry was Chair), Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, Dartmouth, Columbia, London Business and Insead.
Barry loves music so his firm booked about a quarter of the tables for the dinner performance–which was very successful.
The following year, 2003, was the time of the Asian SARS epidemic. The Kroks had to forego several of their customary Asian stops and instead fly directly from Japan to Australia, spending a longer time there than the prior year and hoping for more revenue to fund their world tour. HCV sent a note to its members to try to billet the Kroks for about 10 days – because of Barry’s involvement the prior year, he was contacted.
Barry had had joined The Australian Club a few months before and approached the Club Committee about the Kroks’ situation. They agreed to host the boys for 10 days if they sang for their supper–a performance in the main dining room–which seats 200 people. The Committee was initially concerned they couldn’t fill the room but then had to mend fences when they found there were over 230 registered guests and no place for them all.
The performance was a huge success. There was nothing like it before in Melbourne, and thus begat the romance between The Australian Club, the Kroks and Barry.
Australia Club hosts K03 for 10 days in Melbourne
The Kroks have consistently visited Melbourne since, staying at the Australia Club, and performed for several charities, but most particularly for The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), with which Barry is also affiliated, as well as at other places like the Athenaeum Club, Melbourne-Boston Sister Cities Organization, Hamer Hall, etc. Many of the guests at these events have seen the Kroks over a decade. He also takes the Kroks on outings such as a wine tour of the Yarra Valley, an Aussie football or rugby game, concerts, music festivals, etc.
In 2017, Barry was inducted by the Kroks and became an Honorary Krok. Ted Blamey and Zeke Solomon, long term supporters of the Kroks in Sydney, were also inducted that same summer.
In Barry’s own words in 2017: I’ve never tired of hosting them or hearing them sing and will usually attend most or all their performances. Prior to my coming to Melbourne and my now long affiliation with RCH, I worked for four very happy years with the Chicago Symphony. I lost the Symphony when my family and I moved to Melbourne in 1975. In 1986 I started with the Hospital; in 2003 I got my Symphony back in the form of 12 beautifully mannered and talented travelling minstrels. 15 happy years so far, hopefully a few more…
K17 Sings Barry into the Kroks with their Traditional Song, “Johnny O’Connor”
Biography:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-novy/
Estate Agent and Principal Consultant to Teska & Carson Pty Ltd, born in the United States and studied at the University of Chicago (BA Science) and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business (MBA).
Barry lectured in accountancy at the University of Illinois (Champaign) and Monash University (Melbourne), and practiced for five years as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co.
Barry served for six years as the State Government appointed Agent’s Representative on the Estate Agents Council (2009-2015), as a Board member of YMCA Victoria (2004-2006) and as a founding member of the Grattan Institute. He has continued his role as an accounting and real estate educator over many years for the Real Estate Institute of Victoria and Institute of Chartered Accountants, and currently chairs the Kellogg (Melbourne) alumni group.
Barry has served as a Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital (2001-2008), Chairman of the RCH Foundation (2000-2008) and Centre for Hormone Research Development Board (1996-2000); in addition Barry currently chairs the RCH Children’s Bioethics Centre Development Board.
Barry was cited Victorian Father of the Year in 2002 and awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours Awards in 2011.