Goodbye From Year 12

Marilyn Parsons - 1953 - 2020 Marilyn Parsons commenced at Ignatius Park College in 1995. Her care and compassion for her students and the staff over these 25 years was immeasurable.

Her generous heart touched so many people, always taking time to listen and be present for all. Marilyn always walked alongside others in need. Marilyn’s contribution to the school community was vast. She was a fierce advocate for social justice, and student protection (to name a few). Her legacy as the first school counsellor here at the College will live on. She will be missed and never forgotten. Dannielle Charge | School Counsellor

“Marilyn was a person that we were fortunate to have met. Her patience,empathy and that laugh were attributes that made Marilyn special. During a time of grief when we lost an Uncle and brother she was always willing to listen and support that we cherish and we are sure she has many secrets the boys shared.” Mary Cram | Parent My most enduring memory of Marilyn is of a person who made sure that no one, staff or student, slipped through the cracks. Everyone was known and valued. There were many occasions where Marilyn would see me to make sure that someone was being looked after and often it involved a situation that no one else knew about or had checked on. She had an uncanny ability to see people in their reality with all their troubles and concerns and a genuine commitment to make sure that they were cared for. That is what I will remember most about Marilyn. John Doolan | Deputy Principal - Pastoral

Mrs Parsons as a Guidance Counsellor managed to be there for me when I needed support the most. This was purely based around the fact that she didn’t worry about necessarily saving lives in the whole physical matter, however just taking the time out of her own day to make sure someone such as myself felt okay. Such acts like this were something Mrs Parsons would portray to everyone she was around. One of the many ways she had helped myself out was she offered assistance and guidance and most the time just listened to me rant/ vent about whatever was on my mind. From my experience with her, I can say from first-hand that just by her little actions by listening to me talk, I became less stressed and more relieved. At the end of the day I believe throughout her battle with cancer she never once was unmotivated. The moral of Mrs Parsons' legacy is that she found it no challenge to let someone know you care about them and their mental wellbeing. Mrs Parsons portrayed this perfectly by her sweet and caring manner and the many characteristics she so gracefully upheld. Keane Stone | Year 11 Baillie

Apart from her instrumental role as a College counsellor, Marilyn played an integral role in the development of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander programs. Marilyn worked with a number of staff members and parents to ensure these programs were part of the strategic direction and the everyday at IPC. Marilyn worked on ensuring that multicultural students had a voice in our community and were provided with opportunities to demonstrate these in various programs including the old ASSPA committee, ATSIAP, Harmony Days, Reconciliation and NAIDOC weeks and accessing multiple guest speakers and members of the community in to IPC to speak and share experiences with our boys. In the early 2000s, these programs were then acknowledged and celebrated at an end of year event that would become the Iggy Park Deadlys, one of the most important occasions on the IPC calendar. Marilyn was one of the most proactive ambassadors and trailblazers of reconciliation in our College and it was fitting that at the end of 2019, she attended a Reconciliation Action Plan Committee meeting and is listed on our Reconciliation Action Plan as a contributing community member. As part of our Reconciliation Journey at IPC, an action we have identified is to establish an award who recognises both a student and a staff member that have demonstrated a strong sense of reconciliation in our community. It makes sense that this award is to be named after Marilyn for the tireless efforts she contributed to this area of IPC. The inaugural award will be presented at the 2021 Deadlys. Andrew Kirkpatrick | Program Leader - Indigenous and Multicultural