A fond farewell from the Principal

Coming to the end of one’s career is definitely a time to pause for reflection. Since commencing at Penrhos College in August of 1979 as a teacher of Economics, I have been incredibly fortunate to have been afforded many opportunities for professional growth with roles as Head of Year, Head of Department, Head of Senior School and ultimately Principal, all at Penrhos. I didn’t need to leave Penrhos to seek out opportunities elsewhere.

I still remember Dr Vin Horner offering me the position and I also remember Colleen Costello telling me that I was employed because, being a graduate, I was cheap! Anyway, I proved to be a stayer and have many, many wonderful memories as a result.

The best memories all revolve around the people I have worked with over those years. Being at the College for such a long time, I have had the privilege of teaching girls whose daughters have since come through Penrhos! To be part of this generational change is really very special. Equally rewarding has been witnessing the journey of students beyond Penrhos in their career pathways and to see where they are now. Whether the girls were high achievers or

Meg Melville Principal

really struggled at school, to see them taking their place in the world as confident young women is incredibly rewarding. To hear from, see or read about where our Alumni are now, gives me enormous pleasure.

In moving from Head of Senior School to Principal, one of the greatest rewards was the opportunity to be involved with the Junior School community. My daily walks through Junior School, chats with the girls and visits to classrooms have afforded many enlightening and “laugh out loud” moments. Trying to explain to an 8-year-old that I have been at Penrhos for 40 years, translated to her telling her mum that she couldn’t remember whether I had been at Penrhos for 40 or 400 years!

Little girls do grow into big girls and it has been equally rewarding to witness this metamorphosis taking place. That journey can often be fraught with emotional highs and lows but again, seeing our 12s graduate as beautiful young women is an emotional experience each and every year.

I have worked with fabulous staff, too. Penrhos staff are professional and caring people; if they are not, they

“The best memories all revolve around the people

I have worked with over those years. Being at the College for such a long time, I have had the privilege of teaching girls whose daughters have since come through Penrhos. To be part of this generational change is really very special.”

generally realise they are not a good fit for Penrhos and move on. I have only had two bizarre encounters with staff, as Principal. One staff member shared with me that “I had robbed her of God” after I delivered a message at Chapel in the absence of our Chaplain. I could only apologise and explain that was not my intention. The other regaled me with all that was wrong with Penrhos and declared Penrhos to be “just a school on the wrong side of the river” which “no amount of blow-dried hair or Ferragamo shoes can change!” Fortunately, I do not take insults personally! Many of the staff I have worked with who have long since left Penrhos have remained dear friends and,3 for that, I am both grateful and fortunate.

I have enjoyed the friendship and support for the College of countless parents and friends of Penrhos, too. We would not have accomplished all that we have, without that support.

Forty years is a long time indeed; I have witnessed a great deal of change at Penrhos during that time, and in education more broadly.

Not only has the physical appearance of the College changed, with the evolution of our Masterplan, to become one of the most spectacular Colleges in WA — our grounds, buildings and facilities are magnificent — but so too has the prevailing culture at Penrhos. We now place transparency and honesty at the forefront of all that we do. This has meant that, as a College, we have had to confront the wrongdoings of the past — be that with regard to the historical sexual abuse of students, to an apology to Indigenous students for the unhappy time they spent at the College in decades past. Sadly, we can’t change what happened but, without due acknowledgement, we cannot move forward.

We now openly embrace diversity at the College and hope that, irrespective of gender identification, race and religion, all girls at Penrhos feel welcome, safe and a sense of belonging, being comfortable in their own skins and valued for who they are. We were the first school to introduce trousers and shorts as a choice for our students as part of the uniform, a choice that has been widely taken up.

Penrhos has proven to be innovative and adaptable in moving from the industrial model of learning to the digital age. This has required a paradigm shift in thinking and in pedagogy, and we have not been afraid to be challenged. COVID-19 certainly forced remote learning upon students and teachers in an unprecedented manner, and now we are focusing on how to capitalise on the opportunities that have presented as a result of this.

We have carved a reputation as a leading school in STEM in WA and we are very excited about the opening of our Science Innovation Centre, in 2021.

I once read that leadership is not about reflecting on past accomplishments but more about setting things up for the future. Whilst I have reflected on the past, I am very excited for the future of Penrhos too. We are all custodians in a time and place and can only hope that we leave that time and place having built upon what we inherited and strengthened it for the next phase of the journey. I have absolutely loved my time at Penrhos, the people and the place. No regrets; just a mind, heart, body and spirit bursting with the most wonderful memories. Thank you, Penrhos.

This edition of the Penrhosian celebrates Meg Melville’s extraordinary contribution to Penrhos College over four decades. Meg Melville, sixth Principal of the College, farewells the Penrhos community on 3 July 2020 and it is with mixed emotions that I write, on behalf of College Council and the broader Penrhos community, to acknowledge and thank Meg for her dedicated service and inspirational leadership over such an extended period of time.

Meg’s report (which features on page 4) tells a story not only of her own engagement with the College, but also of a School which has grown, evolved, adapted to changing times and never ceases to strive to ensure our girls are ready for the challenges of the future. It also tells a story of Meg’s deep commitment to Penrhos, its students, staff and mission, as well as to honesty and transparency.

While it is certainly the case that many people — not least of all staff, students and parents — have contributed in extraordinary and multiple ways to the past and current successes and achievements of the College, Meg’s leadership has been instrumental to so many of the physical and cultural attributes that

From the Chair of Council

Peta Sanderson (1987) Chair of Council

now shape the identity of Penrhos. Notable amongst these is the recognition of the College for long-term academic excellence and to STEM education. As our community would know, the new Science Innovation Centre will be opening in 2021. The development of this significant building and learning space has been championed by Meg and will allow the College to build on its already outstanding reputation for STEM education in future.

Meg’s leadership has also been instrumental to the extension and development of the Colwyn Centre (2012), the refurbishment of the Library and the Rixon Theatre (2015), and the building of the Creative Arts and Design Centre (2016). These facilities, along with the upcoming opening of the Science Innovation Centre in 2021, are central to the College’s identity and our ability to provide an excellent and safe learning environment for all our girls, regardless of their strengths and interests.

The wider College community, including alumni, were invited earlier this semester to recall and share their memories of Meg over her 40 years of service. I share here my own recollections, which form but a small component of a Memory Book which will be gifted

Welcome to interim Principal Rob Taylor

to Meg as she farewells the College at the end of this Term. Perhaps, in some way, my own memories will mirror those of others who have intersected with the College over the past decades.

“It is impossible to imagine my family’s intergenerational relationship with Penrhos College without Meg Melville being uppermost in mind. From Social Studies classes in the 1980s, when we couldn’t help but talk about Mrs Melville’s ‘perfect’ hair and fashion sense, to my own daughter’s journey at the College when she has only known the inspirational, steadfast and empathetic leadership of Mrs Melville as Principal. I am now greatly privileged, as Chair of Council, to walk alongside Meg in her service to Penrhos and the extraordinary women of tomorrow. Thank you for your legacy, Meg.”

The wider Meg Melville story is much greater than experiences recalled by just one person and it is the entirety of Meg’s extraordinary contribution and service to Penrhos over 40 years that we recognise at this time.

On behalf of the Penrhos College Community, I thank you here also for your legacy Meg. We sincerely wish you every happiness and success in the future. We are pleased to formally acknowledge Dean of Academic Administration, Rob Taylor, as our interim Principal for Semester 2.

Rob has been at the College for 20 years and has always been a great support to Meg Melville. His expansive knowledge and experience of Penrhos will no doubt prove to be invaluable, as we prepare for the arrival of our incoming Principal Kalea Haran in 2021.

“There will be many opportunities — and probably a few challenges — for the College over the next six months. Following on from the outstanding work of Meg Melville will no doubt be a challenge in itself!” said Rob.

“Progressing the important projects that form part of our Strategic Directions, especially the implementation of an educational management system, will occupy much of our time through Semester 2 — these projects will be of great long-term benefit to the College.”