William Lyall

“This School lifted my expectations. It taught me that you can be more than what you are and you can do more than you think you can do”

Our Yarra Old Grammarians find success in many different avenues. After twenty five years in the industry, William Lyall is a familiar face to many homeowners and homebuyers in the Eastern suburbs, as the owner of Carter Real Estate.

William has fond memories of his School days and says the School’s motto and values have had a lasting impact; a unique and celebrated Yarra spirit that continues well past your last days at Yarra.

The tuck shop was a favourite place – William recalls that the apple pies were a hit. And he singles out the positive influence of his Middle School master, Norman Maggs.

“He was in charge of the rugby team and his philosophy was to give everything your best and to never be afraid of failing because you learn from failure. The journey we make and our mistakes along the way make us who we are today”.

William left School at the end of Year 12 with no clear career path and followed his father into real estate, while studying business property and evaluation at RMIT University. He has no regrets about his choice of career.

“I love what I do, particularly the auctions. That’s the most exciting part and at each auction I always remember that what I do will have a significant influence on two families – it can make a big difference to their lives”.

Success to William means enjoying what you do each day and being surrounded by family and friends. He maintains a close group of mates from his School days who look out for each other.

“Those friendships are critically important and the connection I feel to them and to this School is still strong”.

Hearing William’s reflection on his School years, shows us how Yarra really does give our students the confidence to achieve.