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From the President of our Ex-Students’ Association
GREETINGS TO ALL ALUMNAE! 2021 HAS BEEN MY FIRST YEAR AS PRESIDENT OF THE LORETO NORMANHURST EX-STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION.
For those I am yet to meet, I left Normanhurst in 1989 as Sam Ward. I currently have a daughter, Franziska, in Year 9 at Normanhurst and in my work life I am an academic in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University.
This has been a pivotal year in the history of the Association. For one, 2021 signalled the Association’s move into the digital space with the birth of the Normo Network, which facilitates digital connectedness and fosters Loreto spirit.
The Association’s philanthropic activity focused on the Alumnae Year Group Challenge initiated by the Class of 2021 in support of the Bursary (Welfare) Fund. Upon learning of the Year Group Challenge, the Committee decided to show support by matching the first $1,000 raised by any year group with $1,000 from the Association. 27 Year Groups raised $1,000 or more, and as a result the ExStudents Association contributed $27,000 in matched funding. My sincere thanks to the entire alumnae community for their generosity to bursaries, capital works and other fundraising activities. 2021 has seen an outstanding increase in alumnae contributions to fundraising, with alumnae contributing 35% of total funds raised at Loreto Normanhurst.
The Director of Philanthropy and Community Engagement, Liane Giuliano, and her staff continue to strengthen engagement with all sectors of the community. My sincere thanks go to Liane and the Community Engagement Team for their continuous support and for the range of wonderful events that they organise for alumnae.
I also acknowledge Marina Ugonotti’s leadership of the whole community in 2021. Marina has displayed the type of compassionate, steady and masterful leadership that will inspire the next generation of Loreto women to do great things.
In the few windows of time where gatherings were allowed, some lovely events were held in conjunction with the School. These included the Loreto Lunch & Lyrics celebration for Golden Jubilarians, the Music Festival and the Alumnae and Current Parent Morning Tea which was a special moment of connection with my own daughter that I will cherish.
Normanhurst and Kirribilli alumnae gathered for the highly anticipated annual Theatre Party, where we enjoyed the exceptional musical Come from Away and raised more than $3000 for Mary Ward International Australia. Thanks to Patsy Shannon and Ruth Tighe for their organisation of this event.
Other events, such as the Year 12 Ex-Students’ Morning Tea, were transformed online due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Women of Influence Evening was held as a virtual and in-person hybrid event, attended by more than 330 guests and raising $5025 for the Bursary.
We concluded an eventful year with our Annual General Meeting. Hayley Mein (’00) was elected Secretary of the Committee and Penny Graham (’84) was elected as a Committee member. I Iook forward to working with them both in 2022. Cathy Gray (most recently Secretary of the Committee) and Sue Bensley retired this year, and I offer them my deepest gratitude for their many years of work on behalf of the Association.
At the AGM, members voted to support the proposal that the Ex-Students’ Association encourage its members towards personal and communal reflection on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. I hope that this formal encouragement catalyses even greater consideration of how the Association, in our numbers and our Loreto Spirit, can continue towards reconciliation with First Nations peoples.
I look forward to continuing success for the Association and a return to joyful gatherings of alumnae in 2022. SAM WEGNER (WARD, ‘89)
EX-STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
