Community

sky stuff’, he recalled. ‘We needed to change so much of the campus so quickly that none of us believed that it could be achieved in our lifetimes. It was a hugely daunting prospect.’

The first priority was to rebuild the Junior School whose facilities were seriously outdated and not fit for service. Opened in 2005, the new Junior School, through the vision and support of the Principal at the time, Mrs Elizabeth Ward, was ahead of its time and was achieved significantly faster than envisaged.

This project began in what Andrew’s words was ‘a snowball effect – a growing of momentum like a snowball careering down a mountain slope as each key milestone in that original masterplan was achieved sooner, in more substance and for greater impact on the community and the lives of the girls.’ That original plan was in fact achieved in 15 years, with one of the last pieces being the new Sports, Fitness and Aquatic Centre, now under construction.

New President of the PLC Foundation

The PLC Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Diana Bevington as the new President of the group, following the retirement of Dr Andrew McDonald.

Diana has been an integral part of the Foundation Board of Management for over a decade and has recently served as Vice President and Chair of the Programs and Projects Committee. Her leadership and strategic thinking have played a significant role in supporting the engagement of the PLC community and the work of the Foundation.

Foundation President Retires

Dr Andrew McDonald, who served as President of the PLC Foundation for 15 years and a Member of College Council for 23 years, retired from both roles at the end of 2022.

Andrew’s PLC journey started as many do, as a new parent to the College when his two daughters began in the Junior School. It was during this time that he was selected to be a Group B representative on the College Council.

During this time the College Council was chaired by Lindsay Ruddle and comprised two sub-committees. Andrew joined the Property and Planning Committee. In reflecting on his time at PLC, Andrew recalled that:

‘In those early years, the College campus was in dire need of transformation and change. I vividly recall an inspection tour of the entire school campus that had us face the daunting prospect of needing to replace or expand most of the existing infrastructure.’

A College masterplan was created by the P&P Committee to address what was needed and look to how it could be achieved. However, it was all ‘pie in the

As he reflected on his time, one of Andrew’s proudest achievements was being a founding member of the Council group that led the vision for the revitalisation of the College campus. He was also the last remaining member of that original group at his retirement.

Uniquely as well, as President of the PLC Foundation – his other great passion – his role was both to ‘raise the money and then carefully use it to support the College’s masterplan’.

Andrew's wife, Barbara Brodbeck, is an Old Collegian who graduated from PLC in 1970, and their two daughters also graduated from PLC.

Andrew’s retirement marks the end of an era as the longest-serving President of the Foundation and one of the longestserving members of the College Council in recent times. His dedication and vision will be greatly missed and the significant contributions he has made to the work and life of the College will continue to be felt for years to come.

The College and Foundation wish Andrew and his family all the very best for the future and look forward to welcoming them to the many College and Foundation events and activities held each year.

Diana's personal connections to PLC are strong, with her daughter serving as School Captain in 2013. Diana has long been an active member of the College community, assisting in every aspect of College life.

As the Foundation embarks on this new chapter, we look forward to Diana's vision and leadership in helping drive the Foundation's mission of supporting the education of girls at PLC.

We wish her all the best in her future endeavours in this new role.

Lauren

On 19 September 2022, former staff member of the PLC Maintenance Team, Lauren Camilleri-McIntosh, sadly passed away at 39 years old, only one year after her cancer diagnosis.

Lauren’s passion for learning and knowledge about gardening, nature and science, the outdoors, travel, animals and cooking, aligned with the work ethos of PLC and her role in the outdoors team.

Lauren married Alex McIntosh in 2016, who descends from a family in Euroa, Victoria who are connected to Old Collegian Katherine Crosbie (Markham 2005). PLC was a special connection to discover that Lauren and Katherine shared in common.

Lauren was a graceful, caring and intelligent soul who will be greatly missed, and whose service to the College is acknowledged with gratitude.

Thank you to our Members

The PLC Foundation’s mission is to support the development of major new facilities at the College and provide students with exceptional educational resources. We are delighted to welcome the following individuals to our community and extend our sincere gratitude to our existing members for their outstanding support.

Members

Mr Haijian Chen and Ms Lisa Zhu

Mr Fraymond Lew and Mrs Jancy Lew

Mr Dean Stanford and Ms Se Se Zhang

Mr Daoyuan Zhang and Ms Dan Xuan

Mr Sugiarto Tjandraliem and Mrs Agnes Paliauhoetomo

Mr Xiang Li and Dr Penny Wong

Mrs Ailsa Wilson (Watson, 1958) and Mr Andrew Wilson

Mr Matthew Duke

Associate Fellows

Reverend Graham Lyman

PLC was saddened to hear of the passing of Reverend Graham Lyman, a former member of the PLC Council, on 28 January 2023. Graham was a member of the Council's Property and Planning Committee and was highly involved in the College's building projects during his time on Council. We send our condolences to his family and friends.

$3,000

$6,000

For more information or to apply for membership, please contact the Development Office at development@plc.vic.edu.au or scan the QR code to visit our Donation Hub online.

Volunteering at Ivy League Academy

Over the past two years, I have been volunteering at Ivy League Academy (ILA), a school located in Thika, Kenya, which was founded by William Ndung’u in 2018. William started the school in a truly selfless act of kindness, funding the school out of his own pocket, with the motivation to provide the poorest children of Kenya with a quality education at no cost.

When I started volunteering with William at the end of 2021, I delivered virtual lessons for primary school students, covering a range of subjects, from English grammar to multiplication and division. More recently, I had the idea to run a School Supplies Drive, which involved the collection of school supply donations at PLC and neighbouring community centres.

Behind this activity lies passion, meaning and purpose. I have been able to forge connections with brilliant people across the globe, push myself outside my comfort zone and, most importantly, reignite a propensity to help others less fortunate.

The IB CAS program has been an essential part of this volunteer journey, as it has encouraged me to reflect on my progress and think about the directions I might like to take for future volunteer work, making my experience only more meaningful. I urge all of you to fuel your passion through volunteering!

For more information and ways to help ILA, scan the ILA QR code below. To start your volunteering journey today, I also recommend browsing the other sites below.

Claudia, Year 12

Heather Barnes

1944 - 2022

Heather Barnes, who joined the PLC staff in 1984 as a part-time teacher in the Home Economics Department, was influenced in her love of cooking by growing up on a farm in Shepparton. She enjoyed imparting her knowledge of food and exhibiting skills in food preparation to her students, who responded enthusiastically.

Heather’s part-time employment varied according to the needs of the school, and she was always ready to adapt to extra commitments, such as with Lost Property where responsibility was her key message to the students.

Heather made a significant contribution to Human Studies and was responsible for organising visits to kindergartens and child-minding centres for all Year 9 students. Through this process, she built up a relationship with the management of these facilities, paving the way for the next group of Year 9 students.

Through the Human Studies program, Heather took on the mammoth task of ensuring all Year 9 students completed a St John’s Certificate in First Aid. This involved up-skilling the Human Studies teachers every three years! The course was then offered to all staff, who were encouraged to participate. This was especially important when it became mandatory for all teaching staff to be involved in the school camping program. Much of the organisation and testing was done outside school hours. While this often caused angst for Heather, she took it in her stride.

Heather was also a passionate member of the Human Relations program and often utilised her own children to trial resources.

Heather was a kind, caring and compassionate staff member who took time to listen to others. Many staff members were recipients of a casserole or home-baked biscuits when the need was there.

Heather retired in 2010. Sadly, she passed away in her sleep on 21

December 2022. Just three weeks earlier, she had joined a group of retired PLC staff for breakfast where they reminisced on all they valued in their years at PLC.

Provided by Dorothy Carey