Old Collegians President Report

Catherine Phillips (2009), our first Old Collegian AFLW player and now a St Kilda Midfielder joined Shona MacInnes (1976), a former country boarder, who now heads up the Development of Women’s Football at VAFA. Shona played baseball and netball at PLC and was in the First teams from Year 10. Shona explained that she had played netball her whole life, which meant joining her 7 teammates on a netball court out in the weather and no one ever watched them unless it was a grand final game. With 3 sons she became very involved in their football activities to become President of Kew FC. She learnt that when a man plays football, he has a whole club to support him; coaches, strappers, physios, a gym and clubhouse with a bar. These sporting clubs are tremendous networks for men, for their sport, their health and fitness, and their careers over their whole lives. As women we have a long way to catch up to provide the support of any sports club to each other.

Catherine explained as a female engineer, she was much more relatable at work in a male dominated profession, once she told her male peers she played footy. Footy is a universal language that everyone has seen on TV and everyone in Melbourne relates to on one level. The conversation was very rich with Fiona McKenzie (1979) Barrister/Designer of Superpod Homes chairing the discussion. Fiona thinks some take home messages are that; perhaps as women we could also learn from the discipline, dexterity and team

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PLC Women in football 2019 November Spring Luncheon

skills that men build up over many years of team sport, which at their boys’ schools was often compulsory. The discipline and perseverance of turning up to practice and playing with your team, to work together to support each other with a common goal, through the whole season. At PLC we have all learnt discipline and perseverance but perhaps we have not all had the experience of doing this in a team. Of course, the current educational experiences at PLC are constantly adapting and are team-based to prepare the current students for team based, workplaces. So, let us all support AFLW, our women in football and learn to talk footy, even if only so we can reach a wider cross-section of the local community.

It was a great honour to have past German student Helen Haysom (Miller 1978) on stage with me to introduce Pat Ritter OAM as our most recent Honorary Old Collegian. Pat taught German at PLC for over 20 years, including being the tour leader of German Exchange trips and Head of German. Many PLC students remember their German lessons with great affection. Pat still tutors and examines VCE German including the children of many Old Collegians. As Pat is a keen member of the Lampas Society, a table of Lampas past staff joined Pat to celebrate.