Camphora, Issue 16, Summer 2022

From the Principal

A night to remember: The PLC Sydney Tattoo

Curriculum Reform – English K-2

Spotlight on Learning Enrichment

Young change makers bend the future

Cambridge A Levels launch

A day spent with Dr Esther Lightfoot Meek

Festival Of Literature

SEED attends the SMH Sustainability Summit

Year 8 D&T students bring escape rooms to life

2021 STEM Captain represents Australia at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize

The historical fiction conundrum

Drama students immersed in theatrical holiday workshops

Recognising students’ achievements on the world stage

Young readers become shadow judges

In Profile: Abbey Wilson, Sherry Zou, Kimiko Cooper

Stories from the Archives

Snapshot: PLC Sydney Tennis EX-STUDENTS’ NEWS

President’s message

2021/2022 Ex-Students’ Committee

Get to know the Ex-Students’ Committee

Alumni News

Tertiary News

Ex-Student Profile: Esther McKay

Ex-Students’ “Sister Act”

Whit’s Cup of Courage

PLC Sydney acknowledges the Wangal people, of the Dharug dialect, on whose land the College resides, and pays respect to Elders both past and present. Camphora incorporates the Ex-Students’ News , the magazine of PLC Sydney’s Ex-Students’ Union.

I invite you to look at the cover of this edition of Camphora. What does it mean? It is a stunning photo of one of the dance items from the 2022 Tattoo.

On that evening we heard from our wonderful pipes and drums, and watched as our Year 12 leaders handed over their roles to younger girls. This is a key aspect of PLC Sydney: girls leading girls. I was so very proud, as principal, to both see and hear the girls perform, and to watch as they passed over their responsibilities.

We then moved to the AKT where we heard our bands. All the audience listened to the younger and older groups of girls. They were very impressed by the younger girls, and they noted the significant growth in ability and performance over time. This part of the evening demonstrated the commitment we have to growing young women. I love how transparent music is in displaying this growth.

Thirdly, we listened to James Morrison as he played alongside our bands and dancers. I was impressed that there was no point where the stage was not filled with colour, music or dance.

The picture on the cover signals the joy and skill of our students. They give so much to us. They are vibrant and they give freely of their talents. This is true of so many girls. As the year draws to a close we see countless girls walking across the stages of our school. We celebrate with them. We celebrate with every girl who has done her best.

Please enjoy this edition.

COVER

The spectacular Tattoo returned to PLC Sydney in 2022. See pages 2-3 for more information. Photo courtesy of Des Chu.

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr Paul Burgis, Mr Phil Harper, Ms Carolyn Lain, Mrs Elizabeth Lechlein, Mrs Sarah Marvell, Mrs Sonia Weston, Ms Catherine Phoon, Mrs Rebecca Nichols, Ms Lisa Tabuteau, Mrs Pamela Nutt, Mrs Cassandra Morphew, Dr Suzana Sukovic, Dr Maria Luisa Gutierrez, Chloe Le Map, Natalie Epstein, Ms Jo Herrmann, Miss Renee Noble, Syricia Rowston, Rafaela Lee, Julia Cummins, Ms Claire Elliot, Ms Joanna Golotta-Maxwell, Rachel Lao, Phoebe Adam, Ms Senzeni Ndhlovu,

Mr Scott Gregory, Abbey Wilson, Sherry Zou, Kimiko Cooper, Ms Debby Cramer, Steve Randjelovic, Lia Koulias, Shiori Takeda.

Ex-Students' News: Mia Joseph, Marina Clark, Lesley Meldrum, Helen Humphries, Debby Cramer, Elizabeth Gregory, Ann McDonald, Belinda Harden, Rebecca Nichols, Philippa Zingales. Thank you to all the ex students and their families who contributed.

Dr Paul Burgis Principal

EDITOR Mrs Nicole Paull

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: THE PLC SYDNEY TATTOO

It's been two years coming and finally arrived on Saturday 5 November. The PLC Sydney Tattoo featuring special guest James Morrison was a thrilling night full of amazing music, energy, spectacular dancing and costumes, and colour. It was a night to remember.

The evening began on Drummond Field with the Pipes and Drums entertaining the largest Tattoo audience ever with their field display. Rachel Austin, recently named as the NSW Juvenile Pipe Drum champion, led the Senior Pipes and Drums onto the field demonstrating their hard work during the year. The Pipe Band marched around Drummond Field in precise formation whilst playing a number of traditional pipe melodies. Their performance also featured solo drum corps items and a lovely ceremony where devoted Year 12 students handed over the reins of their specific roles to new emerging pipers.

The large audience then marched with the Pipe Band through the gardens and a guard of honour into the AKT where the wonderful Junior Concert Band and Mr Watters were already

playing on stage as the crowd entered. The audience and Junior Concert Band were officially welcomed by the host of the night, the 2023 Music Captain Natalie Iacullo, who captivated the audience with her engaging MC manner. The Junior Concert Band was a perfect start to the festivities in the theatre and demonstrated the depth of talent in the PLC bands. The Senior Concert Band entered the stage to the sounds of the lone piper, Marina Ruan, performing on the Juliet Balcony high above the audience. The Concert Band performed their challenging repertoire including selections from West Side Story and “Never Gonna Give You Up” with finesse. It's certainly an amazing feat to be even attempting repertoire such as this.

The first half ended with an exhilarating performance by Wind Ensemble. They brought back memories to

many of the audience by performing Muppets Treasure Island including tunes such as “Shiver Me Timbers'' and “Land Ho”. This was followed by the final piece for the half which was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Not only was the stage filled with raw musical power, but coordinated with thrilling roller coaster footage at the same time where the twists and turns of the rollercoaster reflected the twists and turns of the music.

Natalie Iacullo, took MCing to a new level, wandering through and interviewing members of the audience. She introduced the second half as being completely devoted to jazz which it definitely was, however, it also demonstrated how all Performing Arts disciplines can be integrated as one to capture excitement and pizazz. The Stage Band opened the half,

once again demonstrating the depth of talent and how safe and exciting the future of bands and jazz here at PLC Sydney is. They expertly performed jazz standards such as Blue Bossa and Red Clay not realising that the king of Australian Jazz was watching secretly from the wings.

Congratulations to Alan Watters who has trained these younger ensembles so well. Following their performance, the crowd cheered as James Morrison entered the stage opening Big Band's first piece with a solo trumpet fanfare. The stage was awash with energy and action throughout the rest of the night. The Senior Dance Troupe joined the Big Band for their performance of “Bugle Call Rag” where at times James Morrison was performing with the Big Band or performing as a soloist, or the dance troupe all dressed in gold were swinging away in what stage was left. This piece was followed by a gangster style piece called "Hey Pachuco" once again featuring solos by James Morrison and Aurelia Bergin on the drums as well as the older of the Senior Dance Troupes performing other variants of swing dancing.

The crowd was then treated and captivated by the incredible James Morrison Quartet. There are no words that can describe this performance except that it is and was just "next level" and it was such a special treat to have world-class artists grace the AKT stage. The Big Band then played “Rockin Robin”, featuring Simone Perry on vocals. They were joined by the Junior Dance Troupe with their Rockabilly choreograph and eye catching pink polka dot costumes.

The stage was filled to capacity for the final set which involved Big Band, James Morrison and his quartet, Antonella Khodr-Chah and Ruby Molnar on vocals, and all dance troupes performing an arrangement of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. The final, and traditional tattoo ending, of a solo piper, was followed by “Amazing Grace”. James Morrison and Antonella brought tears to the eyes with the calm and tranquil opening to “Amazing Grace” and were then joined by Big Band and finally the entire Pipes and Drums Corps. This, and the whole night, ended with an endless standing ovation. The night was a truly enjoyable experience for everyone involved whether you were a performer or an audience member.

Mr Phil Harper Director of Performing Arts Coordinator of Bands

They expertly performed jazz standards such as Blue Bossa and Red Clay not realising that the king of Australian Jazz was watching secretly from the wings.

CURRICULUM REFORM –

ENGLISH K-2

The first comprehensive reform of the NSW school curriculum in three decades has begun. New South Wales is at the forefront of revitalising all curricula, equipping students to continue contributing to Australian society in the 21st century, and the English and Mathematics K–2 syllabuses are the first to be implemented.

They are essential in establishing foundations for future learning success, particularly the development of oral language, reading, writing, mathematical knowledge and skills.

Whilst the Junior School staff have participated in professional learning to familiarise themselves with the new curriculum to be implemented in 2023 and 2024, Kindergarten teachers commenced the journey to plan collaboratively and administer the new K-2 English curriculum this year. As part of the NESA TENS (Teacher Expert Network) Friends, PLC Sydney teachers were given the task of providing direct

feedback to NESA through user testing. To facilitate this effectively, Kindergarten teachers also embarked on their own study, reflecting on current practice and interrogating the evidence and research that underpin the new K-2 English syllabus.

“Our role (as teachers) is not to simply implement curriculum reform but to leverage it in the service of the purpose of education.” Dr Santiago Rincon-Gallardo (Education Consultant, Chief Research Officer at Michael Fullan Enterprises)

The new curriculum focuses on laying deep foundational literacy skills, with new outcomes and content

informed by irrefutable evidence. Skills are identified that are required by all students to develop competence in oral language, reading and writing and content is structured and sequenced to highlight the connections across these areas. So how does this translate to the classroom?

A bespoke program for Kindergarten was developed by the teaching team, focusing on the foundational skills: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, and the conceptual understanding of oral communication, (vocabulary) and reading comprehension, creating written texts and understanding and responding to literature.

Each class participated in daily structured lessons incorporating: 1. Oral communication development through high-quality interactions between students and teachers, modelling language structures as well as explicit teaching of vocabulary. Oral language skills form the “bedrock” of all reading and writing.

2. A phonological awareness program (“Heggerty” where students learn and practise manipulating words by recognising and blending sounds).

3. A Systematic Synthetic Phonics program (a method of teaching where words are broken up into the smallest units of sound (phonemes)) and opportunities are provided for reading practice such as paired readings of decodable texts to develop accuracy and fluency.

4. Comprehension, directly targeted through instruction. The understanding of text derives from combining the foundational skills of phonemic proficiency and decoding fluency, vocabulary, understanding of language structures, and background knowledge.

The body of scientific research into reading acquisition strongly reinforces the importance of decoding. In practice, the girls in Kindergarten this year have mastered the alphabetic principlethey understand that spoken language is made up of phonemes and these phonemes are represented by graphemes (spelling choices). It has been incredibly exciting helping them develop fluency and automaticity

as they discover they can read independently. By the end of the year, many girls were able to read with fluency and expression, and could decode multisyllabic words containing digraphs (a combination of two letters representing one sound) and less common spellings.

The teaching of writing starts at the word level. Kindergarten focused on learning why some spelling choices are used. There was great joy in hearing the girls explain back to the teachers:

“The /j/ sound in ‘edge’ has to use the ‘ge’ spelling because no English word ends in ‘j’.”

And:

“The word ‘cliff’ has to have the ‘ff’ digraph because it is a single syllable word with a short vowel in the middle”.

These quotes from our Kindergarten girls display not only a genuine understanding of the rules around English spelling but our high expectations of their ability to achieve success. This confidence will set the girls up for a lifetime of decoding and encoding - the essence of effective reading and writing.

From words, students moved to sentence level using accurate punctuation. The explicit teaching of grammar and syntax in writing ensures the foundational elements of writing are a solid platform from which to build in later years. The girls have explored different sentence structures and can confidently write simple, compound and complex sentences to help them articulate their growing understanding of the world. Expanding vocabulary through the development of background knowledge and explicit word instruction has given them tools to express themselves with precision and clarity.

The rich language environment and rigorous program implemented in Kindergarten this year have opened a window into the exciting journey that PLC Sydney now finds itself on in the Junior School. Next year, the Stage 1 English and Mathematics syllabus will be rolled out. Stage 1 will utilise the “InitiaLit” program, designed by Macquarie University to target essential key skills required for continuing literacy development during the second and third years of schooling.

At PLC Sydney, we are invigorated by the new curricula and look forward to further collaboration to deliver educational experiences that ensure dynamic and exceptional learning outcomes for our girls.

Ms Carolyn Lain Junior School EALD Teacher and English Coordinator

Mrs Elizabeth Lechlein, Mrs Sarah Marvell and Mrs Sonia Weston Kindergarten Teachers

“Our role (as teachers) is not to simply implement curriculum reform but to leverage it in the service of the purpose of education.”

Dr Santiago Rincon-Gallardo (Education Consultant, Chief Research Officer at Michael Fullan Enterprises)

SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING ENRICHMENT

We value all students as individuals and recognise the diversity of our girls. The goal of Learning Enrichment at PLC Sydney is to create a learning environment in which students with a wide range of learning challenges can progress at their own rate, experience success, reach their potential and feel a real sense of belonging in our school community.

on specific targets and goals set by each teacher who is liaising with a multidisciplinary team. This may include a psychologist, speech and language therapist and occupational therapist.

This belief is at the core of our approach in making provision to best meet the individual needs and aspirations of each student and to maximise their unique potential.

We have a team of teachers across K-12 who are committed to providing personalised learning to students who have a neurodiverse background. We work with students who present with ADHD, autism, a Specific Learning Difficulty or perhaps require some targeted support at particular stages of their schooling.

At PLC Sydney, our systems are designed to identify any issues early so that intervention can be targeted towards those who are at risk of not reaching their potential. We have a multi-tiered system of support that ensures all students are given an opportunity to grow and develop as a learner. Every girl presents with a unique learning profile and history. The first step is learning more about each girl and understanding them through warm relationships, open communication with families, comprehensive assessments and data analysis. Our response is then carefully calibrated, ranging from differentiated support within a classroom through team teaching or small group instruction within or outside of the classroom. Some of our students have an individualised plan that focuses

In collaboration with all staff, we work together to develop teaching approaches and support structures that nurture and develop the academic, social and emotional aspects of each student's learning. This is facilitated by, consultations with students, parents and teachers to make adjustments that remove barriers to learning so that all students are able to access the curriculum on a similar basis to their peers. This might include providing a reader or writer for an assessment task, using assistive technology to access the curriculum, supporting teachers to plan lessons using the principles of universal design for learning and suggesting alternative ways for content to be delivered. We know that the student’s needs are best met when there is a steady flow of communication with our colleagues and support teams regarding what strategies and approaches are effective.

Learning Enrichment lessons might include focusing on literacy and/or numeracy goals that are set to target gaps in a student’s learning, we use evidenced based techniques and programs. The explicit teaching of executive functioning skills to address organisational, procrastination and time management issues, breaking down tasks and providing additional scaffolding to unpack prescribed texts are all in a day's work for the Learning Enrichment team.

Each morning we usually have a 1:1 check in with a student, this might include setting up a student’s diary for the day and assisting them with organisation and prioritising of tasks.

During the day, we are often in the classroom supporting students and working alongside specialist teachers or teaching our own small class with a tailored program focusing on the fundamental skills of literacy or numeracy. Students in the Learning Enrichment classes (called Vivid) work on developing skills in the area of reading comprehension, expressive writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

After school you will find us in the Star Cafe which is open for all students who seek further assistance with their learning across the curriculum. For example, a student may need a large assignment to be broken down into small achievable steps or perhaps require some support to get started on a task. During the lead up to exams we plan a study skills session with workshops on note taking, summarising and exam preparation. Some of our students who attend the Star Cafe are regulars whilst others might pop in once a week.

We value each girl as a unique individual, working with their families and support team to ensure that our programs meet their abilities and needs. The Learning Enrichment team is committed to providing opportunities for all students to learn effectively and experience the rewards of achievement in the face of challenge. We feel so privileged to be able to work alongside the girls and support them on their journey, it is a very rewarding experience.

Ms Catherine Phoon Director of Learning Enrichment

YOUNG CHANGE MAKERS BEND THE FUTURE

Twenty Year 8 students joined forces with hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs to transform ideas into innovative solutions. This year’s theme was “Planet X” where students were tasked with the goal of pitching an idea that reduces or reverses a negative environmental impact on the planet.

Students commenced the day gaining an understanding of the changing future of work and key skills necessary to prepare them for the many roles and careers they may undertake. The importance of problem-solving, communication, adaptive mindset and creativity was emphasised throughout the day as students embarked on “The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey”. Design-thinking processes allowed the students to empathise with their product or service’s user, ideate innovative solutions and generate prototypes. The day culminated with each team presenting a 60 second pitch to judges.

Congratulations to Sophie Jamal and Lumbini Catalano, whose team’s solution to the issues associated with deforestation and land-clearing, “Enviro-Go” reached the semi-finals. Ziqi Yang’s team, “Anti-Carbon Tree”, were awarded first prize on the day for their unique response to combating carbon pollution in the atmosphere.

IMAGES 1. Year 10 students prototyping design solutions 2. Social enterprise pitches at Young Change Agents workshop 3. Students empathise with their product users at the Young Change Agents holiday workshop Main image: Big Ideas Challenge – Western Sydney University

PLC Sydney’s Women in Enterprise program seeks to provide students opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial skills. In addition to the Future Anything Challenge, students in Years 7-11 also participated in a two day “hackathon style” workshop, facilitated by Young Change Agents to to identify problems within their communities then ideate, validate, prototype and pitch. Six social enterprise ideas were pitched to a panel of judges. It is also with much excitement that we prepare for the inaugural Entrepreneurial and Innovation Tour to Israel in 2023, which is open to students in Years 9-12, to visit some of the most innovative start-up companies in the world!

Mrs Rebecca Nichols Head of Business, Economics & Entrepreneurship

enterprising | \ ‘en-t r-|prīziŋ , ‘en-t |prī- \ adj. en·ter·pris·ing marked by an independent energetic spirit and by readiness to act

PLC Sydney students harnessed their enterprising spirit participating in the Future Anything –Big Ideas Challenge at Western Sydney University.

CAMBRIDGE A LEVELS LAUNCH

In the first week of Term 4 we hosted high profile members of our new extended education team at Cambridge in the UK.

Kathleen Llyod-Parker Cambridge Senior Country Manager, Kevin Ebenezer Head of Global Recognitions, and Alicia Foo Cambridge Regional Manager, all from Cambridge International Education Examinations (CAIE) spent the week visiting our school, catching up with Dr Burgis, meeting staff, and presenting to teachers and parents.

This was to mark the official launch of our alternative pathway into the future for our students. We will, and always will, value the curriculum provided by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), however, we are adding to the options for the young women we teach and care for.

In 2024, as well as the many Cambridge IGCSE courses we run for Years 9 and 10, we will be offering AS and A Level Courses alongside NESA curriculums for Years 11 and 12.

We also met, alongside our Cambridge colleagues, the stake holders involved

in setting up this new pathway which included a representative from the Universities Admission Centre (UAC).

CAIE, and even the school itself with its state of the art buildings and beautiful grounds – in spite of the renovations.

Australian universities, like the rest of the world, have accepted three A Levels for entry from international students for many years.

All parties are very positive and supportive of including Cambridge A Levels as part of domestic student applications to universities. In fact, Australian universities, like the rest of the world, have accepted three A Levels for entry from international students for many years.

It is a very exciting time for us. The 13 IGCSE courses and one AS Course which we currently run are very popular electives and are producing good results for the students who choose them. Our visitors were very impressed with the standard of the students, the organisation of the school offering the hybrid model of NESA and

We look forward to continuing to watch this relationship grow so that PLC Sydney will be the first school in Australia to run these universally highly valued and well-respected Cambridge Courses.

Ms Lisa Tabuteau Director of Cambridge International Courses, English Teacher

L to R: Dr Paul Burgis, Kathleen Lloyd-Parker Cambridge Senior Country Manager, Kevin Ebenezer Head of Global Recognitions, Alicia Foo Cambridge Regional Manager, Tony Stojkovski and Lisa Tabuteau at the official launch of the Cambridge AS and A Level Courses at PLC Sydney.

A DAY SPENT WITH DR ESTHER LIGHTFOOT MEEK

15 August

Dr Meek is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy from Geneva College in Western Pennsylvania. Her teaching career at this esteemed College, and her association with such forwardthinking institutions as the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge both give evidence to the importance of a search for knowledge that transforms the ways that we exist in the world.

Dr Meek has a deep and challenging view that presents knowing, and being known, ultimately as a profoundly spiritual journey. It is deep because it distinguishes between knowledge as a mere set of facts to be memorised, even assented to, and knowing, an experience that connects with ideas and experiences in a personal way that shapes an individual’s being, seeing, understanding, and relating to others and to God.

Dr Meek acknowledged “the exciting moments in the adventure of knowing” – from the journey of the Magi to our own challenges and pathways. She argued for the importance of this kind of knowing. It challenges us, discomforts us, shapes us and leads us further; it is the essence of our being. Dr Meek’s asserted that we are all philosophers: it is, in fact, our birthright. In a series of addresses, to both staff and students, Dr Meek asked her listeners to see themselves on a journey of knowing rather than on one of merely gathering knowledge. This was a challenging concept to groups of people engaged in the teaching and learning processes.

The afternoon’s program included Dr Meek’s visit to Mrs Morphew’s Year 10 Christian Studies class. It was an interactive session built around the question of what it means to really know something. Her analogy of her own experience of learning to ride a bicycle, that she had presented earlier in the day to larger groups, resonated with students. In asking them to identify

a skill they now had that they’d needed to learn, she encouraged them to remember what it felt like when they first attempted it. One student, clearly now a proficient swimmer, recalled the feeling that initially, it felt more like drowning. Dr Meek’s response (“What does it feel like now? Can you identify an “aha!” moment when your learning experience moved from incompetence to confidence?) allowed students to see that “knowledge” of the necessary facts was a different matter from an experience of “knowing”,

and that the movement from one to the other was clearly discernable.

Following this, Dr Meek discussed with the students the role of an authoritative guide in helping individuals to move from struggling to being competent. In this way, she argued for the complex and holistic nature of knowing and the process of integration essential to this.

Certainly, Dr Meek asked her listeners to think in a new direction about matters each of them had encountered, and in doing so elevated the concept of “knowing” to a level that integrated physical, intellectual, social and spiritual learning.

Mrs

Pamela Nutt Juvenilia Coordinator, English Department

Mrs

Cassandra Morphew Director of Chaplaincy and Christian Studies

On Monday

we were privileged to engage with Dr Esther Lightfoot Meek in a series of addresses and conversations. Dr Meek’s key interest is epistemology – the study not of what we know, but of the nature of knowing itself and how this shapes us as individuals and communities.

Dr Meek has a deep and challenging view that presents knowing, and being known, ultimately as a profoundly spiritual journey.

Dr Esther Lightfoot Meek (centre) with Mrs Pamela Nutt and Dr Burigs. We were privileged to have Dr Meek as our guest speaker for the 2022 Pamela Nutt Address.

FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE

PLC Sydney’s second Festival of Literature was a celebration of reading, literary research, writing and creativity. The inaugural festival was online last year, and it was exciting to present this event face‑to‑face on 8 November this year.

The evening featured a panel discussion with writers Wai Chim, the author of The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and Freedom Swimmer, and Dr Sarah Ayoub, journalist, researcher and fiction writer. The guest speakers talked about their journeys as authors and shared their insights into the importance of storytelling. When Dr Ayoub mapped her path – from a young person confronted as a woman by her culture, and a Lebanese confronted by the society, to an academic and established author – she singled out libraries and stories as her shelter and source of hope. “Your story can change someone’s world” was her message to students. A lively conversation between the guest speakers and the audience was facilitated by Dr Dave Drayton who leads the College writing group.

The second part of the evening was devoted to our rising literary stars. All students’ work presented at the festival was created outside class, with the exception of Imogen Sabey’s Extension 2 English 2022 personal essay.

In the section called “Research and Creativity” we heard how students investigated a topic of their interest to prepare a book for publication (Juvenilia Press) or to develop a creative response to their research topic. In the “Word, Image, Sound” segment, we heard stories, poems, an alternative ending of Jane Eyre, and saw digital stories, covering a broad topical and emotional range. The final performance by Euna Oh combined her story about basking and a music piece played by the author. The festival was skillfully facilitated by Billie Ronis, Humanities Captain, who was our MC for the evening.

Dr Suzana Sukovic with guest speakers Wai Chim and Dr Sarah Ayoub, and students at the 2022 Festival of Literature.

A highlight of the evening was the student work presented at the festival. Euna Oh’s performance combined her story about basking and a music piece.

Most of the student work presented at the festival was developed as part of their participation in one or more of the Franklings co-curricular groups. The name "Franklings" is a combination of the words “Franklin” (surname of a famous Australian writer, Miles Franklin, who achieved literary fame as a teenager) and the “Inklings” (an informal group of writers who gathered in Oxford, England in the 1930s and 40s. Tolkien and C.S.Lewis were some of its famous literati). Franklings (PLC Sydney students) are our young writers with roots in a great tradition who are developing their own literary voice. Franklings has three groups: Writing led

by Dr Dave Drayton, Classics led by Dr Suzana Sukovic, and Project facilitated by both. All the Franklings groups were well represented at the festival.

OUR PRESENTERS

Wai Chim is the Chinese-American-Australian author of a number of titles for children and young adults, including The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and Freedom Swimmer. She also works as a web developer and was a contestant on Australian Survivor

Dr Sarah Ayoub is a journalist, author and academic. She has written for a wide range of publications and recently completed a PhD examining the intersections of interventionist ethnic Australian YA literature. She is the author of Hate is such a Strong Word, The Yearbook Committee, and The Cult of Romance

For the Franklings, and all other readers and writers among our students, the festival was a unique opportunity to perform their work in front of an audience developing a sense of a

Communication with a live audience is an experience, which the students will value on any professional path. Finally, as Wai Chim pointed out, storytelling is a universal skill wherever you go.

Dr Suzana Sukovic

Director of Research and Library Services

literary community. Chim and Ayoub are firm believers that a community of writers has a unique ability to support and nurture each other.

“Your story can change someone’s world”

Dr Dave Drayton, who leads PLC Sydney’s writing group, facilitated the discussion with the guest speakers and audience.

SEED ATTENDS THE SMH SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT

Lilian Stock (Year 12), Chloe Le Map (Year 11), Natalie Epstein (Year 10) and Rosie Harris (Year 8) were part of only a small handful of the people that were left standing when Liam Ward from Woolworths’ Sustainability Group said at the podium: “Please stand up. Now, sit down if you will NOT be working in 2050.”

The PLC Sydney girls were some of the few that did not sit down and Mr Ward continued: “It is pretty obvious that most of us here will not be on the workforce by the year when we need to reach our zero emissions goals. It is these people (PLC girls and a few others) that will have to deal with the consequences of our actions and omissions. We have a lot to do and we better get it right!”

This was a powerful message to start his speech at the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) Sustainability Summit in September. It really highlighted how it is the future generations, namely the students in our care right now, who will deal with our failure or success at putting a break on global warming.

The SMH Sustainability Summit was a unique opportunity to get an insight into the sustainability strategies of corporate Australia. Held at the Sofitel in Darling Harbour on 20 September, it provided the PLC Sydney SEED students with a close appreciation of the efforts that large corporations and the government are making towards reaching emissions reduction targets. It was encouraging, informative, challenging and inspiring. Corporations

such as Woolworths, Lendlease, Boeing, Telstra, Qantas and NAB were present on the day and explained how they are implementing structural reforms to their day-to-day operations to address the challenges of climate change. The government was represented by Matt Kean, NSW treasurer and Minister for Energy, the ‘Teals’ independent members of parliament, and Delia Rickard, Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

A common theme across a few presentations was that the future of renewable energies lies on the storage and transmission of energy. The technology for renewable energy has been developed and is constantly being perfected, but the challenge currently lies in appropriate storage and transmission. Matt Kean, Ian Leamonth (CEO of Clean Energy

The technology for renewable energy has been developed and is constantly being perfected, but the challenge currently lies in appropriate storage and transmission.

Finance Corporation) and James Hay from Energy Corporation NSW were clear in communicating that the NSW government is investing large amounts of funds in storage and transmission of renewable energy. Priority is being given to projects like the Waratah Super Battery (WSB) project (www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/ projects/waratah-super-battery) and the Hunter Transmission Project (www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/hccrez#next-steps), as well as the development of Renewable Energy Zones in NSW. The WSB will be the biggest battery installation in the Southern Hemisphere designed to provide standby energy in the event of transmission emergencies to the network.

Another focus area was the decarbonisation of the aviation industry. Boeing plans to use allelectric ‘air taxis’ for domestic travel, hydrogen fuel cell powered aircrafts and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or combined technologies in most of their aircrafts. Long haul travel is still a challenge for aviation and there is no zero-emission solution in the foreseeable future. Qantas will develop a SAF industry in Australia in the near future (Andrew Parker, Qantas Chief Sustainability Officer) with feedstocks from agriculture (sugar cane) and the food industry (cooking oils).

This summit provided the students with a golden opportunity to interact with the various key players that are driving the political and structural changes needed to achieve Australia’s international commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It was, in many aspects, an eye-opener to understand the complexity of the massive change that is required by societies to stop entrenched practices that negatively affect the environment. PLC Sydney was the only school in attendance, thanks to the efforts of Natalie Epstein in securing seats. Consequently, the girls drew plenty of attention and interest from various summit participants. I was proud to see them engage with confidence, interest and maturity. These girls made our school shine!

Dr Maria Luisa Gutierrez Science Teacher and Scientist in Residence

At the end of Term 3, four SEED members and Dr Gutierrez had the privilege of attending the Sydney Morning Herald Sustainability Summit. This was a fantastic day consisting of speeches, interviews, panel discussions and opportunities to meet people with key sustainability roles.

The topics of discussion included the importance of sustainability targets and using them effectively, combatting greenwashing, setting ambitious sustainability targets in corporate Australia. We heard from many speakers in both government and corporate roles including the NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy, the ‘Teal’ Independants and the CEO of Circular NSW.

We were able to learn a lot from the speakers about where Australia is and should be heading in terms of climate action and sustainability. We met many people who have key roles in transforming Australia into a more sustainable country who gave us great advice about sustainability and our own lives and for the SEED group. This also led us to discover more job opportunities in sustainability than we could have ever imagined!

The highlight of the event was speaking to the Teal Independents Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink, and Dr Sophie Scamps. Overall it was a fantastic and inspiring experience and we hope to attend similar events in the future and even host our own sustainability summit at PLC Sydney next year.

Chloe Le Map, Year 11 Natalie Epstein, Year 10

YEAR 8 D&T STUDENTS BRING ESCAPE ROOMS TO LIFE

Before the Escape Artists event, my opinion on coding was:

14.3% I really didn’t like it 25% I kind of didn’t like it 32.1% I thought it was fine 21.4% I liked it a bit 7.1% I liked it a lot

The project was launched with a fabulous 3-day intensive coding course presented by PLC Sydney Cambridge Computer Science expert Renee Noble, through her company ConnectEDcode.

Students learnt coding skills that were then brought to life in a creative escape room immersive experience. Students built ten prototype escape rooms, each with a unique theme. Teams worked to architect the idea behind their escape room utilising the technology at hand to create a captivating experience. Each team chose specific interactive technologies to learn how to code through a mini-lecture series with specialist tutors. With this knowledge, groups could combine the technologies available in novel ways, integrating this with their group's themed decorations.

All groups had their creative design skills on display, ensuring the rooms were visually stimulating and technologically sound. This was a great opportunity for students to learn about data and how to use computers to represent data to create secret messages and codes. Innovative application of newly developed skills helped bring the escape room experiences to life in less than two days.

With their innovative vision and confidence levels in the application technologies at a new high, girls began working collaboratively in their Design and Technology lessons to create unique escape rooms using Google SketchUp inspired by the television show The Amazing Race. Girls have been challenged by interactive puzzle-solving activities. Teams then developed a logo and a website to launch their own company. To further inspire their ideas, students attended a lecture with actual Escape Room designers from the company Next Level Escape. To launch the new companies, digital business cards will be laser cut and attached to a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag. This is a short-range protocol of communication between devices. A tag can be read by physically touching it with an NFCsupported phone or device. It has been wonderful to see our students embrace these innovative and varied digital technologies experiences, giving them every opportunity to explore and reach their individual capabilities.

Ms Jo Herrmann, Head of Technological and Applied Studies

Miss Renee Noble, Cambridge Computing Science Teacher

After the Escape Artists event, my opinion on coding was:

10.7% I really don’t like it 7.1% I kind of don’t like it 28.6% It’s fine 39.3% I like it a bit 14.3% I like it a lot

As part of our Design and Technology project, this term we have learnt the skills in coding, talked to escape room designers and made our own escape rooms. We couldn't have done this without the help of ConnectEDcode, Next Level Escape designers, and our Design and Technology teachers. We had an incursion with ConnectEDcode where uni students helped us make our very own escape rooms as a class. Throughout this experience, we learnt the skills of perseverance, the importance of working in a team and the significance of being specific when coding. We are very grateful for the experience and everything that it has taught us and are sure that we will use these skills in future tasks.

Syricia Rowston and Rafaela Lee, Year 8

An exciting new digital technologies project has been developed this year, engaging our enthusiastic Year 8 Design and Technology students. In Term 4, the challenge was set to work collaboratively to design, create and promote an exciting new Escape Room company.

2021 STEM CAPTAIN REPRESENTS AUSTRALIA AT THE STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE

2021 STEM Captain, Julia Cummins, was announced the winner of the the Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize in April, an annual water science competition for high school students.

Students create solutions for water challenges and Julia’s awardwinning project was the major component of her HSC subject Science Extension.

The winner of the Australian competition is invited to participate in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. This prestigious international award is awarded each World Water Week in Sweden. Julia has shared her experience of attending and presenting at this important event.

water issues being dealt with all over the world, and an honour to present my research Why Silver Might Not Be Gold in Water, where I found a safe concentration at which nanosilver can be present in our waterways using bioindicator organisms.

By bringing together creative and ambitious students from all over the world, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize encourages an interest in water and sustainability to help tackle the problems that the water industry is facing. An international competition held in Sweden, I travelled to Stockholm in August 2022 to represent Australia in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, alongside finalists from 36 other countries as a part of the global World Water Week conference.

High school students presented innovative solutions to water issues, highlighting the importance of water in our society and its multitude of threats, particularly in relation to climate change, salinity, ocean acidification, and extreme flooding. It was fascinating to hear about the

The conference was a wonderful opportunity to connect with students from all over the world and meet professionals and experts from the water industry who gave insight into our projects and encouraged further avenues of experimentation. It was also an incredible privilege to meet HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the patron of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, who talked with us about our projects.

Aside from the conference, we were invited to present our research at the StockH2Olm exhibition that took place two days prior to World Water Week. During this time, we were able to engage with members of the public and discuss our research, as well as learn more about the water obstacles relevant to the residents in Stockholm. There were also numerous other social and educational activities organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute team, who arranged the Prize.

We visited the impressive headquarters of Xylem Inc., the global sponsor of the competition, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology

(at which I was told I was the only Australian on campus!) and enjoyed a guided tour of the Skansen open-air museum and Gamla Stan (Old Town), including the Storkyrkan Cathedral and the Royal Palace.

Reflecting on my experiences, the true highlight of the competition was meeting so many young people from all over the world with similar interests, and I have made lifelong friends I will continue to stay in touch with. Each and every project was unique and showcased the passion and dedication of each finalist to solving water challenges, inspiring and motivating me to further my interest in research and consider the essential role water has in our world.

Participating in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize was an extraordinary opportunity, and it is one that I would encourage every student to consider pursuing in the future.

Julia Cummins (2021)

THE HISTORICAL FICTION CONUNDRUM

Ms Claire Elliot, Teacher Librarian at PLC Sydney’s Junior School, recently had her research article Historical Fiction Authentication: An Action Research Project published in a professional journal and has kindly given permission for an edited extract to appear in Camphora.

Background

As a part of the Experienced Teacher accreditation process for the Association for Independent Schools New South Wales (AISNSW) there is the option for an Inquiry Pathway. This involves conducting an inquiry in the classroom that focuses on an area of interest. At the time I was studying a subject that addressed the question of where the ‘truth’ lies in historical fiction. Criticism for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was also being debated in the media. It was then rather fortuitous that while conducting research the article Authentication Projects for Historical Fiction: Do You Believe It? by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese was in the results list. These elements formed the basis of my accreditation inquiry: What is the effect of using a guided inquiry process on Year 5 students' ability to authenticate historical picture books?

The Historical Fiction Conundrum: Should it be used in teaching history?

The concept of truth in historical fiction has a long history in academic circles but reached the mainstream through Kate Grenville and a demarcation

dispute between history-fiction. Grenville commented that events in her novel, The Secret River, were based on recorded events that she had altered to suit her narrative. This was misinterpreted by historians that Grenville was claiming to write history. A dispute erupted about where the ‘truth’ may lie within historical fiction texts. This debate has also played out with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas where a UK study found that the use of the novel played into the misconception that ordinary Germans were unaware of the Holocaust at the time and resulted in students sympathising with the Nazis.

McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) present a number of arguments for and against the use of historical fiction. On the one hand it is argued that historical fiction allows children to enter into the conflicts, suffering and joy of those who lived before us and can be more entertaining than history. They also argue it enables children to ‘feel’ what it may have been like in the past. Groce & Groce (2005) also identified similar arguments, however, also highlight the benefits of historical fiction in terms of meaningful integration between social studies

and language arts. They argue that with increasing curriculum demands, using historical fiction in teaching history can prove a timesaver.

Counter arguments from McTighe, Thornton and Wiese (2013) centred on concerns about the quality of the historical fiction used and the risk that it could be misleading. With the additional concern that an author may bring in ‘writerly presentism’ where contemporary beliefs and values are incorporated in the text. Groce & Groce (2005) caution against the use of historical fiction in isolation, therefore there is the need to consider the authentication process as a means of critiquing the historical accuracy of the narrative.

The argument therefore isn’t that historical fiction should not be used in the teaching of history but when using it educators need to be aware of possible misconceptions or myths the text may be perpetuating. With this in mind, it was hoped that through the authentication of an historical fiction picture book the students would have the opportunity to think critically about the accuracy of historical fiction while also developing research skills.

Planning the InquiryTheoretical Framework

The articles by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) and Groce & Groce (2005) formed the basis of the authentication process and the planning of the inquiry program. McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013) providing a framework and sequence for implementation of authentication. Additionally it made explicit mention to research, libraries and critical thinking. Groce & Groce (2005) outline the process of historical fiction authentication and its relevance to language arts and the development of critical thinking, research skills and historical understanding.

The article defined the genre, provided a rationale for the inclusion of historical fiction in curriculum instruction, and identified categories for authentication. These categories include investigating; the authors’ viewpoint, if the time period presented has been subject to romanticisation, the date of publication, character/ group stereotypes presented, notable omissions and the use of anachronistic details. The article concludes with a discussion on classroom application and a possible assessment rubric.

A sequence of lessons were planned using these articles as a foundation. Initial lessons in the process focussed on reading the text and identifying how the author had presented the setting, main historical events and the characters. It was important for the students to be familiar with the book Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson so that in subsequent lessons they would be able to make a comparison between the author's representation of the Eureka Rebellion and what was learnt through historical research.

A key aspect of the McTigue, Thornton & Weise (2013) article was the significance of locating textual information which could be verified using informational sources..

The students worked in pairs to identify textual elements to address the setting, character and plot. During this stage of the inquiry, the teacher librarian would direct students to particular pages and model the process or use questioning to assist students in further developing their ideas.

The initial aim was to use the students' questions to drive their research so that it was student-driven, as advocated for by McTigue, Thornton & Wiese (2013), however; upon reviewing the students' questions and the number of remaining lessons available the decision was made to use teacherdirected questions. It was felt that there would need to be explicit

Identifying Setting, Plot and Character in the Text

The inquiry began with a reading of the text with the teacher librarian conducted a teacher think aloud to model identifying textual and visual elements and also questioning. The first double page spread in the book shows Molly and her father walking through the bush with some other people while carrying all their belongings. The teacher think aloud for this involved identifying textual elements of setting; ‘I can see that everyone is walking to the goldfields and there are no wagons or cars. It looks very remote. I can’t see any houses. I wonder if this is how everyone journeyed to the goldfields. I wonder how long it took to get to the goldfields. I wonder why there are no wagons or cars.’ The class then discussed the text and which elements students thought were history and which were fictional. This lesson was followed by a lesson whereby students recorded their understanding of the text.

teaching on developing sound research questions and that unfortunately there was not the time within the inquiry to do this effectively.

Prior to undertaking the authentication process with Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields (Wilson 2020) students had completed a similar task with Ned Kelly and the Green Sash (2014) by Mark Greenwood. During this process students developed their own questions. This was a valuable learning experience as students learnt that some questions can’t be answered. One question that students generated that was not answerable was; “Why didn’t Ned Kelly sell the sash with the gold fringe if he needed money?”. This hurdle provided the opportunity for rich and meaningful discussions on combining what we were able to find out and then formulating our own conclusions. The decision to use teacher generated questions ensured that the questions would be answerable.

each research lesson the teacher librarian conducted a mini-research skills session to address particular research skills and/or deficits that had been noted in previous research lessons, for example, identifying the keyword in a research question, identifying relevant results in World Book and Britannica, using subject headings and ctrl +f to locate the relevant section, and the importance of using their own words to summarise the information. The authentication process allowed for guided inquiry to be embedded into the research process. At this stage in the inquiry, students had also begun to learn about the gold rush and Eureka Rebellion in class and it was wonderful to see them making connections between the work that they were undertaking in library and that of the classroom.

Each lesson concluded with a general discussion where students could share any information they learnt, where that information was located and how this compared to the text. These discussions reinforced research skills such as identifying information sources but also modelled what would be required in upcoming lessons when students would be comparing their information with the text. The opportunity to solidify their understanding was particularly beneficial for some students who may not have located the same information. Learning that Peter Lalor lost an arm and that a murder precipitated the Eureka Rebellion caused quite a stir!

The argument therefore isn’t that historical fiction should not be used in the teaching of history but when using it educators need to be aware of possible misconceptions or myths the text may be perpetuating.

Analysis: Organising and Assessing

The final lessons of the inquiry and authentication process involved the students comparing and contrasting the text with the factual information they had located. Students were able to use their research notes, class discussions and their class learning experiences to complete the comparison. Groce & Groce (2005) identified a number of areas to consider when authenticating texts, including romanticised accounts, author background, publication date, stereotyping, omissions or expansions and anachronistic details. For the purpose of the inquiry the teaching focussed on omissions or inconsistencies of particular historical details. Table 1 highlights some of the inconsistencies and accuracies that students noted within the book.

Assessing: Reflection (Successes and Areas for Growth)

Overall it was felt that the authentication process was a great way to engage the students in developing their research skills. Conducting the research over three sessions meant

TABLE 1

• Only tents were shown but people on the goldfields had homes that ranged from a piece of cloth over a stick to mud and bark huts

• There was no mention of the death of James Scobie at the Eureka Hotel

• There was no mention of the Eureka Hotel fire that precipitated the Rebellion

• There was some mention of the licence hunts but not a lot

• Research showed that the Chinese miners worked in groups of 30-100 but the main character Chen was working alone. The illustrations showed the Chinese miners working in small groups of pairs

• The water at the goldfields was highly polluted but in the illustrations it looked really clean

Works Cited

that previous lessons could be used to gather formative assessment data and mini-lessons could be developed to address any difficulties.

Developing student-driven research questions, and explicit instruction in note-taking and summarising information, were identified as research skills requiring further development. Unfortunately during the inquiry it was not possible to address these two rather large research skills and as such will be the focus of future teaching and learning in the library.

So in response to the inquiry question; What is the effect of using a guided inquiry process on Year 5 students' ability to authenticate historical picture books? The use of a guided inquiry process had a positive impact on students' ability to authenticate historical picture books. All students were able to identify at least one element that did not align with their research. Many students went beyond this and there were a number who were able to provide a detailed analysis of the text.

Ms Claire Elliot Teacher Librarian, Junior School

• Some miners wore hessian sacks to protect their clothing but that was not shown in the illustration

• The Eureka Rebellion only lasted 20 minutes but it seems to last through the evening and into the morning in the book

• The government sent 300 troops to the goldfields to destroy the stockade

• It omitted the detail that Peter Lalor went into hiding and lost his arm in the Eureka Rebellion

• Students identified the following aspects as consistent with their research findings

• People had to walk to the goldfields. They found out this was because horses were expensive and not many could afford them.

Greenwood, M 2014, Ned Kelly and the Green Sash, Walker Books, Australia.

Groce, E & Groce, R 2005 ‘Authenticating Historical Fiction: Rationale and Process’, Education Research and Perspectives, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 99-119, DOI:10.2276/0311-25433.32.1.3580

McTigue, E, Thornton, E & Wiese, P 2013, ‘Authentication Projects for Historical Fiction: Do you believe it?’ The Reading Teacher, vol. 66, no.6, pp. 495-505, DOI:10.1002/TRTR.1132

• The illustrations of mining equipment were consistent and matched photos and sketches

• The creation of their own flag and oath

• Peter Lalor was their leader

• That the Chinese miners were not treated the same as other miners and were disliked

• Finding gold was difficult and was traded in for money or resources

• The authorities were not kind to the miners and treated them harshly

• Building the Stockade

• The licensing fees were one of the major issues upsetting the miners

• Locations and dates in the book matched research findings

Sherwood, H 2022, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas ‘may fuel dangerous Holocaust fallacies’, The Guardian, 27 Jan, viewed 11 July 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/27/the-boy-inthe-striped-pyjamas-fuels-dangerous-holocaust-fallacies

Wilson, M 2020, Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields, Lothian Children’s Books, Sydney.

Students identified the following inconsistencies or omissions from Eureka! A Story of the Goldfields by Mark Wilson

DRAMA STUDENTS IMMERSED IN THEATRICAL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS

The Drama Department ran a three day immersion in the September/October holidays in Sydney. This immersion has been created as a way of re‑engaging with the Arts community after Covid 19 related closures.

Students attended three workshops:

• Group devising, ATYP

• Physical theatre, Chopt Logic

• Creating and character and Costume Design, Belvoir St Theatre

They also had the privilege of seeing three great productions:

• A Raisin in the Sun, Sydney Theatre Company

• Photograph 51, The Ensemble Theatre

• Moulin Rouge, The Capitol Theatre

Our students threw themselves into every workshop and developed their confidence and willingness to take creative risks. They will take these experiences into their senior studies. Below are some reflections:

“I really enjoyed this year's Drama immersion, it was super engaging and really fun. I also got to meet some really cool people, as well as stepping outside of my comfort zone, which surprisingly was a really good feeling.” - Maia, Year 10

“To say the immersion was a oncein-a-lifetime experience would not be sufficient. Not only did I pick up skills that will become essential for my HSC,

but I've grown to love and cherish the art of performance more than ever.”Kimmy, Year 11

“A Raisin In The Sun was a brilliant show, all about family, grief and injustice. It was one of those shows that stick with you, I still can’t stop thinking about it.”Matilda, Year 11

“Our workshop with Chris from ATYP on the first day was a great start to the immersion as we were pushed out of our comfort zone in making physically improvised theatre as a collective. It was so interesting to try and make theatre from absolutely nothing and see what we could find in it to develop into a potential GP piece.” - Alex, Year 11

“A Raisin In the Sun is an incredible play about a black family's experience of racial prejudice in Chicago in the 1950s. The detailed, realistic set along with the raw, breathtaking acting made this an experience I will never forget.”Christina, Year 11

“The devising and physical theatre workshop with Chopt Logic gave me a new perspective on how to approach an individual or group performance task, exploring different ways of establishing your character in the setting among space, other people, and objects. Through the devising activity my group was able to create a visually engaging piece of theatre using what we had learned from the workshop.” - Charlotte, Year 10

Ms Joanna Golotta-Maxwell Head of Drama

RECOGNISING STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENTS ON THE WORLD STAGE

Sydney Australian Representative Blazer, the highest level of co curricular achievement.

In 2022 we celebrate the incredible achievements of the following students:

Grace Gaukrodger

– Sport Artistic Swimming

In March this year, Grace was selected in the Artistic Swimming National Youth Squad. Over the following months, Grace trained hard and competed at the National Championships, where she won one gold and three silver medals. This earned her a position in the Youth Australian National Team to compete at the FINA Youth World Championships held in North Carolina, USA in August. Grace was also named as the team captain which was an incredible honour. At the Worlds, she came 13th in her solo event and the team finished in 9th place.

Grace achieved the highest score of the Australian team in solo and is a deserved recipient of the PLC Sydney Australian Representative Blazer.

Antonella Khodr-Chah – Performing Arts Music

In May of 2022, Antonella Khodr-Chah received news that she had been pre-selected to compete in the World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA). Held in Anaheim, Los Angeles in July, WCOPA is an international competition for actors, dancers, models, instrumentalists and vocalists. In addition to providing a competitive platform, it affords participants the opportunity to learn and work with industry professionals.

Antonella competed in preliminary competition rounds in five vocal categories – Broadway, Contemporary, Open, Pop and R&B/Soul/Jazz. Of approximately 300 vocalists, she was one of 50 singers (from the 16 years and over category) to perform in the semifinals. From here, Antonella became one of three vocalists to progress to the Grand Finals. Her time in the competition culminated in her being awarded WCOPA’s Senior Vocalist of the World for 2022

Antonella’s vocal skills were endorsed by receiving additional awards, including Gold in the Vocal categories of Contemporary, Pop, R&B/Soul/Jazz. She was also the division winner in the aforementioned categories and Broadway.

Sarah Clifton-Bligh – Sport Athletics

After a lot of hard work and dedication to the sport of Athletics over the years, Sarah has had an incredibly busy schedule in 2022, representing Australia three times in the space of three months! Sarah was selected in the National Wheelchair Track Team that went to Switzerland to race in the Swiss National Championships and competed in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix Meet. Following this, Sarah competed with the Australian Athletics Team at the Oceania Championships, in Mackay.

The most exciting news of all was when Sarah was selected in the Australian Team to compete in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this month. Sarah placed 5th in a competitive field and set a Commonwealth Games record for her T33 classification in the process.

Each year the College recognises students for their achievements on the world stage by awarding the PLC

Emma Olson-Keating – Sport Triathlon

After impressive results at the Oceania Junior Championships and National Relay Championships in April, Emma was selected for the Australian Junior (U/20) team to compete in the 2022 World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships in Montreal in June. Emma was in incredible shape, leading into this event. Soon after completing the swim leg and transitioning to the cycle leg, Emma realised that her bike was having issues, her rear derailleur broke which meant that the remaining 14km(s) had to be completed riding in a high (tough) gear. As one would expect, Emma battled on like most champions do. She attempted to complete the run leg on what were very sore and tired legs before retiring to the medical tent. Emma continued on with the Australian team for a European trip where she did more training and racing, placing an impressive 6th overall at the European Junior Cup.

Upon returning to Australia on her second day back in the country she was crowned the 18 years NSW State Champion at the Cross Country championships.

Rachel Lao – Oratory Public Speaking

Rachel successfully auditioned for PLC Sydney’s Australian Individual Debating and Public Speaking Competition team in 2021. Her consistently high standard across four speaking disciplines and an overall rank of 8th in Australia earned Rachel selection to the Australian team to attend the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships which was hosted online by Canada. Once again, Rachel exceeded expectations at the World event, receiving a nomination to the finals in After Dinner Speaking.

Her eventual rank was 10th in this speaking discipline, with Rachel’s overall world position calculated as an honourable 64th place overall from 115 competitors.

Eujiny

Cho – Oratory Public Speaking

Eujiny is a student who performs consistently well, excelling particularly in debating endeavours. At the Australian Individual Debating and Public Speaking Competition in 2021, she performed to a consistently high standard across four speaking disciplines which earned her selection to the Australian team, achieving a rank of 3rd overall in Australia.

At the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships, Eujiny achieved 41st place overall from 115 competitors, being the seventh Australian to cross the line. In individual events, Eujiny ranked 28th in Interpretive Reading, 36th in Debate, 43rd in Persuasive Speaking and 54th in Impromptu Speaking.

Olivia Stavrakis – Oratory Public Speaking

Olivia is a student who excels at high levels across multiple disciplines. As a member of the PLC Sydney team for the Australian Individual Debating and Public Speaking Competition in 2021, Olivia performed to a consistently high standard across four speaking disciplines which earned her selection to the Australian team, achieving an overall rank of 4th in Australia. At the international event, World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships, Olivia distinguished herself, placing second overall in the World in two individual events – Interpretive Reading and Persuasive Speaking.

This makes her the only Year 11 student in PLC Sydney’s history to qualify and rank in two individual World events. She also improved her overall Australian ranking, being the first Australian to cross the line, finishing 11th in the world among 115 competitors.

Phoebe Adam – Academic Science

In 2021 Phoebe came up with a brilliant research topic for her Year 10 Student Research Project, based on why her parents avoided handling supermarket receipts. Phoebe’s internet investigations revealed that receipts hold a toxic chemical called BPA which has been linked to cancers, Alzheimers and diabetes. Phoebe set out to determine whether BPA is present in Australian supermarket receipts and to quantitatively investigate the transfer of BPA from receipts to skin using pig skin as a model. Seeking guidance from the PLC Scientists-in-Residence and reaching out to Professor Emma Johnston, the Dean of Science at UNSW, provided Phoebe with the knowledge, skill and access to research grade equipment. Phoebe produced an outstanding piece of work that was awarded first place in the Years 9 to 10 Chemistry Category of the NSW Science Teachers Association Young Scientist Awards. Phoebe was selected in the Australian team to present and defend her research at the virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2022 in the USA.

(Yoo Jin)

Jasmine Saha – Academic Science

In 2021 Jasmine came up with an impressive topic for her Year 8 Student Research Project titled, “Stop The Charge - pH neutralisation for button battery injury”, which sought to determine which food should be consumed to minimise the injuries associated with swallowing a button battery. A button battery can cause severe internal burns and even death if swallowed by a child.

Jasmine carried out an excellent investigation measuring the pH and burns on esophagus tissue taken from pigs. Her results showed that consuming strawberry jam significantly reduces injury. Of course, the best course of action is to ring an ambulance! Jasmine achieved three prizes in the 2021 NSW Science Teachers Association Young Scientist Awards. This is extraordinary. She was awarded first place in the Years 7 to 8 Scientific Investigations in Biology category, first place in the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Prize for Chemistry Research and was announced as the winner of the Rowe Scientific Science Communication Award. Jasmin was named the 2022 Broadcom MASTERS International delegate, representing Australia at this prestigious competition.

Maia

– Sport Aerobic Gymnastics

Maia has been an integral part of the PLC Sydney Sports Aerobics program since taking up the sport late in 2017. Having represented NSW at two National Championships, in 2022 Maia was selected to represent Australia as a Junior at the International Czech Aerobic Open.

Maia placed in the top half of the field at her first international competition. Maia was one of two in her age group, who then qualified for the World Championships in Portugal in July. However, due to a Gymnastics Australia decision, only one of the two qualifiers competed, which left Maia as a reserve for this competition.

Alessandra Sydun-West – Sport Snowsports (Biathlon)

In 2022 Alessandra competed in her first international youth tour events in Biathlon skiing. Starting in Val di Femme, Italy and then heading to Obertilliach, Austria, Alessandra competed in the U17s category of the Alpen tour series.

As a result of Alessandra’s achievements, she was selected into the Australian Biathlon Development Team and was then selected to compete at the Youth Junior World Championships. The youth world Championships were held in Soldiers Hollow Utah, USA and was an amazing experience for Alessandra. Biathlon is a sport of two disciplines, cross country skiing and rifle target shooting, and is highly competitive, especially amongst European countries. Alessandra now has her sights set on the 2024 Youth Olympic Games to be held in Gangwon, South Korea.

Charlotte Wilson – Sport Snowsports (Moguls)

Charlotte Wilson has been representing PLC Sydney in Snow Sports at a National level since she first enrolled in 2020. Her main discipline is moguls, which is a form of freestyle skiing where she races down the mountain at speed on a steep, heavily moguled/bumped course, performing technical turns and aerial maneuvers.

2022 has been an exceptionally successful year for Charlotte. She started the year training and competing in North America, competing at the international NorAm competition in Canada. Winning her moguls events at the NSW State Interschool Championships and then second place at the Australian Interschool Championships. The highlight of the year though was the announcement that Charlotte had been selected for the NSWIS Moguls Team and the Australian Moguls Team.

As a member of the Australian team, competing at the internationally recognised Australian National Open Championships, Charlotte shone bright with her performances and was named the best female Australian skier in both the Junior (U20) and Open categories.

Dragicevic

YOUNG READERS BECOME SHADOW JUDGES

Throughout Term 3, we had a number of students participate in the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shadow Judging. This is a new initiative from the CBCA and involved the students becoming judges for the Younger Readers Shortlisted Books.

Students needed to commit to reading all six titles in the category and to then complete a creative submission to be uploaded onto the Shadow Judging site.

The students met once a week to discuss the books and to share their thoughts and opinions on the quality of the books and possible creative responses they could submit. This was also the opportunity to exchange their books for new ones. The group's commitment to reading the books was impressive as there were only about eight weeks to read all six titles.

After reading the books the students needed to collaborate to come up with their creative submissions. For the Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel the girls voted to make toffee as this was an important aspect of the story and key in determining who committed the crime of stealing the Saffron Diamond. The girls also created a model dragon with feeding instructions for Dragon Skin as in the book Pip found an unwell dragon she needed to nurse back to health.

The group also created a boarding pass for Huda and Me as Akeal and Huda flew by themselves to Lebanon to find their parents to rescue their siblings from cruel Aunt Amal. We also had

two creative submissions for Exit Through the Giftshop, one was a safety video about how to deal with online bullying and the other submission was a continuation of the story written in a similar format.

consider criteria such as literary merit, cohesiveness, quality, appeal and originality. The winning book according to the PLC Sydney Shadow Judges was Exit Through the Giftshop. The CBCA Shadow Judges winning book was Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief and the CBCA Judges choice was A Glasshouse of Stars As you can see the appeal of a book is subjective.

We would like to congratulate all the students who participated in the shadow judging and for their commitment in reading the books and developing creative responses. The girls reported it was an enjoyable yet challenging experience. They found it challenging to read all the books in the time frame and to think of interesting creative responses but by far the hardest part was picking their favourite book. The more enjoyable aspects were meeting new people, eating the toffee and getting to read the shortlisted books before everyone else.

The Shadow Judges also needed to submit their vote for which book they felt was the best. They needed to

Ms Claire Elliot Teacher Librarian, Junior School

They needed to consider criteria such as literary merit, cohesiveness, quality, appeal and originality.

TOUR TO TASSIE

In the holidays, the PLC Sydney Wind Ensemble and PLC Big Band toured the amazing state of Tasmania, travelling to Hobart and Launceston. Being our first band tour since 2018 all of us were both excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity.

We performed in a range of unique settings – indoors and outdoors, through rainy days or sunny mornings. Each of these challenged us to modify our playing accordingly whilst still maintaining the musicality that we had all worked so hard to perfect.

On the first day after landing in Hobart, we ran straight from the airport to perform at the Salamanca Markets. We were greeted with such a supportive and enthusiastic crowd who gathered around and began to dance to our groovy tunes. Afterwards, we were able to explore the markets and eat some of Tasmania’s iconic fudge. Not to mention the souvenirs we picked up along the way. What a wonderful way to start our tour!

It only got better from there. On the second day we played at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) where we had to be a bit more subtle in our playing to fit the calm and darkened atmosphere. In the evening, we explored Mount Wellington and battled in an intense snowball fight (let’s just say Mr Watters and Mr Harper had a good time with that).

On the third day, we had the opportunity to work with a prominent conductor, Simon Reade, at the University of Tasmania. We workshopped “Muppet: Treasure Island”,

After performing at the Riverbend Park in Launceston, staff and students had the opportunity to visit the beautiful canyon of Cataract Gorge.

The Big Band ready to perform at the Launceston Country Fair.

one of our most challenging pieces and gained insightful advice from Mr Reade. It was also a great experience watching a professional university band play and tour the facility – many of us were inspired by the impressive architecture and resources. Who knows, you might see some of us studying composition at the UTAS! In the afternoon we visited the Port Arthur Historic Site, where we were placed into the lives of many different Tasmanian convicts as well as paid our respects in the memorial.

Day four consisted of a long drive from Hobart to Launceston where we entertained ourselves with games and singing. Throughout the trip we stopped at lookouts and small country towns in the Tamar Valley (yes, that's the yoghurt place :). These included the small picturesque town of Richmond and its delicious bakery as well as the Grindelwald Swedish village, a Swiss themed resort where some of the girls got to try mini golfing and paddle boarding. After a long drive we sleepily arrived at Launceston, a lively and colourful city where we would spend the next two days exploring and performing. That night our teachers organised a music trivia which was both entertaining and complicated, it reminded many of us to work on our music theory.

Our first performance in Launceston was at the Riverbend Park, the weather was cold and rainy and our audience consisted mainly of small children. Nevertheless we played our best and it turned out to be our best performance yet. Afterwards we were

final day

and the weather was rainy however this did not stop the band from performing our absolute best. With party hats and smiles the band danced and blared out “Muppet Treasure Island”, it was a great ending to an already amazing tour.

biggest

yet, performing in the Launceston Country Fair. This gave many of us city girls the chance to see what life in the country was like.

able to appreciate the park's attractions including its towering slides and swings. Even Mr Harper and Mr Watters joined in on the fun by trying out the park’s tallest metal slide. Afterwards we visited the beautiful canyon of Cataract Gorge where we walked across a suspended bridge and marvelled at the views. After dinner we performed in a talent show quest with girls dancing, acting and of course making music.

On our final day we had our biggest performance yet, performing in the Launceston Country Fair. This gave many of us city girls the chance to see what life in the country was like as well as go on lots of fair rides and pat all the baby cows. Unfortunately like our last performance the crowd was small

The performance on our last day was cancelled due to the weather, instead we spent the time writing in our journals to remember our time in Tasmania. We also wrote inspiring notes in other journals to compliment and praise other band members as well as solidify our new found friendships.

It was a bittersweet plane ride back. For many of us this was our first and last school tour and it would not have been made so special without Ms White, Miss Er, Mr Richard (the money man), Ms Balkizas and especially Mr Harper and Mr Watters. We really thank you for this fantastic tour –it will stay in our hearts forever.

Lao and Phoebe Adam, Year 11

Rachel

The Wind Ensemble at MONA.

On our

we had our

performance

60 SECONDS WITH ...

MS SENZENI NDHLOVU

Social Science Teacher Assistant to the Head of Year 7

Have you always been a teacher or have you had other careers before teaching?

I have been teaching for around 14 years now. Prior to teaching I had a brief career in fashion as a stylist at Topshop’s flagship store in London.

What led you to a career in education?

When my son started school I was amazed at how quickly he learned how to sound out words and read. I saw first-hand the incredible impact that teachers have and it inspired me so much. I started my teacher training later that year.

What has been your greatest challenge in the classroom?

My greatest challenge was probably during my first year of teaching in a comprehensive state school in the UK. Classroom management was really tough and I had 17 classes that year!

What do you enjoy most about being involved in education?

You can’t beat the energy of a classroom full of students that genuinely want to learn. I also really value the relationships I build with my students and the random life lessons I deliver here and there. And the holidays are a welcome bonus!

What do you find most rewarding about teaching?

I find it rewarding to watch students develop their knowledge and know that I had a part to play in that. Seeing the ‘aha moment’ in real-time is priceless. It’s also very rewarding to see students grow and flourish into remarkable young women. It’s extra special when they come back to visit and share all their successes.

Do you have a most memorable career point to date?

Probably when I joined Mr Bold and his Year 12 Geography class on the Great Barrier Reef trip a few years ago. Snorkelling with green sea turtles on the outer reef was an incredible experience and I learned so much. It was also very entertaining to watch the girls making fun of Mr Bold for four days straight!

Who has been your greatest influence?

Definitely, my mum, or Gogo as she is affectionately known. She has faced so many challenges, but she has the most inspiring approach to life. She was my very first teacher and I’m still learning from her to this day.

What is your motto in life?

Carpe Diem, or YOLO for our younger readers!

Do you have any interests/hobbies?

I love fitness, especially pilates and I have recently gotten into running. I would love to run the City 2 Surf. Ask me how my training is going if you see me around campus!

You can’t beat the energy of a classroom full of students that genuinely want to learn.

MR SCOTT GREGORY

Year 3 Teacher

Where did you start teaching?

I’m a recent addition to the teaching profession, so I actually started my teaching career here at PLC Sydney just a few years ago, unless you include the countless hours with my girls while I was a stay at home dad of course!

Have you always been a teacher or have you had other careers before teaching?

No, I haven’t always been a teacher. I spent a long time working in Accounting and Banking, mainly in roles with a bit of a technology flavour to them. I was one of those kids that didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school, so I went in the direction that my HSC marks led me. It wasn’t until I started my teaching degree that I knew I’d found what I was really meant to be doing.

What led you to a career in education?

During my time as a stay at home dad, I was a regular volunteer at my daughters’ schools, doing all of the usual parent stuff, like ice block days and athletics carnivals, but I also spent a lot of time in the classroom, helping with reading, art and PE. I always loved working with the kids, so I decided it was time to get in and start my Masters of Teaching!

What has been your greatest challenge in the classroom?

There’s been quite a few, but the greatest challenge is probably the one that took us all out of the classroom! A global pandemic during your first few years of teaching is a real baptism of fire! It was such a tough time for the girls and I think as a teacher you can’t help but worry about your students. Trying to help support and guide them from a distance throughout that time was definitely tricky.

What do you enjoy most about being involved in education?

I absolutely love the impact that you can have on your students’ lives. Primary school is such a formative time for our girls, and to be one of the people that gets to help them discover

Primary school is such a formative time for our girls, and to be one of the people that gets to help them discover the world and how they fit into it is a real privilege.

the world and how they fit into it is a real privilege. Not many jobs offer the sheer joy involved in being a primary school teacher either. There’s always so much laughter and excitement in the classroom that you can’t help but feel energised by it.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching?

Watching the girls grow during your time with them is so wonderful and it’s extremely rewarding to think that you’ve played even a small part in that. The girls are completely different people by the end of the school year and one of my favourite times of the year is looking back over our time together and seeing just how much they’ve changed.

Do you have a most memorable career point to date?

It’s all been memorable! I’ve been able to teach at a fantastic school with like-minded teachers who have been incredibly supportive of my development. My classes have been full of lovely girls who are always so excited about learning and I’ve had enthusiastic parent groups who have been extremely encouraging of their girls and keen to work together to see them succeed.

Who has been your greatest influence?

I’d have to say my Dad has probably had the biggest influence on me in terms of my approach to life. He was a tireless worker, who always made time for everybody and I’d like to think I’ve inherited a little bit of that.

What is your motto in life?

As clichéd as it is, I think that finding the things that you love doing is really important and if you haven’t, you shouldn’t be afraid to do something about it!

Do you have any interests/hobbies?

I love basketball and spend a lot of my time around the game. I’m a big Golden State Warriors fan, so I watch most of their games. I'm one of the coaches for my daughter’s rep team and I still play a couple of times a week (not particularly well – bad knees). I’ve always listened to a lot of music and there aren't many times when I don’t have something playing. I like a lot of pop culture as well, and so many of the recent movies and tv shows, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stranger Things and Game of Thrones all feel like they were practically made for me!

IN PROFILE

ABBEY WILSON

Year 10

SNOWBOARD CROSS

How old were you when you started snow sports?

I started skiing at a young age and at around 7 years old I learnt how to snowboard. I started getting into racing and specifically Snowboard Cross at 12 years old.

How did you get involved?

I have always lived in the snow so doing snowsports was a normal thing every kid did in my hometown of Jindabyne. I started racing in small events such as Interschools at 8 years old and found my love to race snowboard cross there. Basically from that first race, I knew that was my sport.

Are you a member of a squad/team and where do you train?

I train in Perisher with the Perisher Winter Sports Club and I was there for the majority of Term 3. I also travel from November to February to train in Europe for the Northern Hemisphere winter.

What are some of the challenges you face with juggling school work and competing/training?

The biggest challenge is just trying to stay on top of all my work when I’m at training or away at competitions. The hardest thing for me is that our competitions are very different to other sports and run for the majority of the day, meaning I don’t get much school work done. Trying to juggle school and sport, especially when I’m far away from school, is definitely a challenge.

What do you like to do when you are not competing or doing school work?

I like to workout, spend time with my friends and family and have cuddles with my dog Albert.

What do you think has been your biggest sporting achievement so far?

My biggest sporting achievements so far have been winning two big snowboard cross races with one being in the Czech Republic in January 2022 and one being at Mt Hotham in late August this year.

What is your greatest sporting ambition?

My biggest ambition would be to make the Australian team and compete in the Olympics, however, in the near future I would like to compete at the Junior World Championships early next year and go to the Youth Olympic Games in 2024.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Pretty much anyone who has helped me continue snowboarding, such as members on the Australian team, but I am also really inspired by my older sister Charlotte, as she has come so far in her own snowsports and encourages me to push myself and work hard every day on and off snow.

SHERRY ZOU

Year 6

GOLF

How old were you when you started playing golf?

When I started golf, it was just after my seventh birthday.

How did you get involved?

A friend of mine had been one of the best players in his age division, and introduced me to golf. I managed to enjoy four hours straight of putting, and began group lessons a week later.

Are you a member of a squad/team and where do you train?

I am a member of Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Beverley Park Golf Club and Bexley Golf Club. I am selected in the NSW Team and currently I train every week at Milperra.

What are some of the challenges you face with juggling school work and competing/training?

Sometimes playing golf and doing

KIMIKO COOPER

TENNIS

school work results in working a little later into the night, and it may mean that I have to miss some school days for tournaments. However, I enjoy completing the work to my best, so I don't mind too much.

What do you like to do when you are not competing or doing school work?

I have many other co-curriculars, mainly music, such as piano. I usually practise my instruments during my spare time, and I thoroughly enjoy reading.

What do you think has been your biggest sporting achievement so far?

My biggest achievement so far is playing a two over at Bonnie Doon, my home course. It was challenging, but I certainly enjoyed that game. I also played well at the State tournament where I represented CIS and came runner up, being accepted into the State team.

What is your greatest sporting ambition?

I wish to use golf as a way to be accepted into a good university such as Stanford, and if possible, compete in LPGA tournaments representing Australia.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

In words, Cate Campbell has been a great inspiration, and although she is not a golfer, her wise words of focusing on the journey and enjoying it has been inspiring me.

How old were you when you started playing tennis?

Five years old.

How did you get involved?

I started playing multi sports at 3 years old and one of the activities involved tennis. I really enjoyed it so my parents started putting me in tennis hotshots which got me started.

Are you a member of a squad/team and where do you train?

Tennis Australia National Acadamy, Sydney Olympic Park.

What are some of the challenges you face with juggling school work and competing/training?

It is difficult to manage the work load when I am overseas especially when I'm in a country with a different time zone, like when I was in Europe or the US. Understanding and knowing how to do the work can also be a struggle as I don't personally have a teacher to help me.

What do you like to do when you are not competing or doing school work?

Watch movies or TV shows on Netflix.

What do you think has been your biggest sporting achievement so far?

Winning nationals and representing Australia in Europe while also winning a title in Europe and being a finalist in a second tournament.

What is your greatest sporting ambition?

To win the Australian Open.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Professional tennis player Emma Radacanu.

STORIES FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE SCULPTURE IN THE AMPHITHEATRE –“WOMEN IN SCIENCE”

Have you ever wondered how the sculpture in the amphitheatre came to be? The thought of having a sculpture on the PLC campus was new in 1997. The idea evolved when the Science block was redeveloped to become the Freda Whitlam School of Science.

The sculpture would be a tangible link between the Arts and the Sciences. It was funded by the PLC Sydney Foundation.

Early in 1997 PLC students and their families were invited to contribute ideas for the work. The terms and conditions of “PLC’s first ever sculpture sensation”, called for ideas that would “guide and inspire the sculptor”. Proposals were to align with one of two themes: exploring the relationships between the sciences and the visual arts, or exploring the visual representation of a significant scientist and their work. Proposals were to include at least one A4 sketch, a short explanation of the proposal, a title for the sculpture, and, if desired, a model of the sculpture.

Proposals were submitted to the Art Department by 31 July 1997.

Following two rounds of a judging process, three proposals were chosen for the sculptor, Clara Hali, to prepare a brief. The successful proposals were from Helen Scarlett, Year 11; Catherine Lyon, Year 10; and Caitlin Blaxland, Year 5.

On 1 November 1997 Clara Hali finalised her proposal for the sculpture. This is how she explained her intention:

I have developed this sculpture using my own idea together with that of the students and to fit the brief of science in art.

A nude female figure (Cathy Lyon’s submission) is holding a large circle (reflecting the arc of the light bulb in Helen Scarlett’s submission). Within the circle is the spiral (Caitlin Blaxland’s submission) of the double helix which represents the molecular structure of DNA. This format of the spiral is only representative of the double helix and not a precise copy of the image as I needed to adapt it to the aesthetics of the sculpture.

The female figure has a strong upward thrust as she holds the circle which reflects the strength of women in the field of science. This circle reflects the shape of the head (intellect) and the shape of the amphitheatre.

She would be sitting on a raised box type shape which reflects the shape [of] the surrounding buildings. On a plate on the box names of female scientists could be etched.

The plinth would be made in sandstone which would be secured [to] the ground with stainless steel pins and cement. The sculpture would be secured to the plinth with a threaded stainless steel rod.

Catherine Lyon, whose idea of a nude female figure was adapted by the sculptor, recalled in 2022, “My mother, Kay Lyon, was actually the one who encouraged our entrance into the sculpture competition. She’s a visual artist herself, and she thought it would

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

be a good project for us to work on and submit an entry together. The entry we decided on was inspired by Alberto Giacometti’s works in bronze – who we are both fans of”.

Caitlin Blaxland (married name Borham) and her father, Sid Williams, collaborated on her proposal. The spiral of the double helix in the finished sculpture is taken from this proposal. In 2022 Caitlin’s father Sid said that, “DNA is a superb symbol of the miracle of life, which does link it to reverence and respect for women – particularly for their roles as child bearers and mothers. These roles have been referenced and adored in art and in many religions over the course of human history and prehistory”.

The three contributors – Helen Scarlett, Catherine Lyon and Caitlin Blaxland – visited Clara Hali’s studio to view the process of creating the bronze sculpture. Catherine recalls that “Once the process started with Clara it was fascinating seeing how each of the elements were developed, created and the various stages of production. Clara was very generous with her time and in sharing this process with three students; and the day we spent at the [National Art School] Foundry when it was being cast was a true highlight”.

Clara Hali is a figurative sculptor based in the Blue Mountains. She works primarily in bronze casting, often using the “lostwax” method of casting. Her works are held by Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, and in private collections in Australia and overseas. As well as exhibiting, Hali has taught and lectured for many years in the Sydney area. In 2012 she was on the curatorial panel of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi. She is the creator of the “Dreams that embrace us” sculpture, commissioned in 2006, near the McKeith Performing Arts Centre.

The sculpture, named “Women in Science”, was installed in early 1998 and was seen at the official opening of the Freda Whitlam School of Science on 6 February 1998.

images, taken by the sculptor, show some of the steps in the creation process:

Sources: PLC Sydney Archives is fortunate to hold drawings and

work as well as the original submissions made by the students. Students

the PLC Sydney Archives tile in the Portal, Topic 12.

These

Start of wax modelling Mother mould complete Final wax mould with marquette

Patina added, then waxed

images made by Clara Hali during the creation of the

and staff may peruse these by going to

Helen Scarlett’s proposal drawing

Catherine Lyon’s proposal drawing Caitlin Blaxland’s proposal drawing

One of sculptor Clara Hali’s drawings for “Women in Science”

Ms Debby Cramer, Archivist Clara Hali installing “Women in Science”, 1998

SNAPSHOT: PLC SYDNEY TENNIS

PLC Sydney tennis is a dynamic, growing and personalised program that caters for over 250 girls from Pre Kindergarten to Year 12. Head Tennis Coach, Justin Astri and myself are proud to see the department growing and girls showing passion when undertaking tennis training and representing PLC Sydney.

We have more than 100 girls representing PLC Sydney on a yearly basis during the IGSA and IPSHA competitions. Many of the girls play tournaments externally, trying to improve their Universal Tennis Rank (UTR) – these tournaments are local, state, national and international events.

The following three girls have all competed in international events and are some of the best players in Australia for their year group:

Kimiko Cooper

Lia Koulias

Shiori Takeda

We hope to see these girls continue to strive to greater heights in tennis and encourage others to look towards higher tennis levels.

Steve Randjelovic Director of Tennis

At the start of Term 3, I was given the opportunity to play in my first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament which was located in Fiji. The school allowed me to take the first few weeks off school to play in this tournament. I made it to the quarterfinals in my first singles match and made the semi-finals in both my singles and doubles match the following week.

Without PLC Sydney’s support, I would not have been able to experience

such an amazing opportunity in which I was then able to play my first UTR Pro Tennis event where I played against semi-professional tennis players.

I also had the privilege of having Head Tennis Coach, Justin Astri watch all of my matches. I was supported and given so much advice which boosted my confidence greatly. This event was recorded and gave me time to reflect and rewatch my matches in order to understand what I needed to improvise to become an even stronger player.

During the school holidays, I flew to New Zealand to play another J3 ITF Tournament and I made it to the semi-finals. Justin was there at this tournament to support me by constantly giving me tips before my matches, which I am very grateful for.

I have earned enough points this term to enter the main draw match for most ITF tournaments and be invited into Tennis Australia day squads and also into nationals.

Shiori Takeda, Year 10

This semester I have competed in a several events and tournaments.

In early Term 3 I competed in the NSW Winter Open, an event open to all ages. After battling some tough opponents, with the support of Justin, one of our PLC Sydney coaches, I won both the singles and doubles event, a great result.

This year I competed in several trials (including IGSA and PSSA) and was selected to represent NSW at the Pizzey Cup team event in Perth. In late August, I attended this event and after a long but exciting week NSW placed 2nd overall.

I also recently competed in the Parramatta City Open in Doubles, which I won.

I also recently received an invitation to the 14 and under Masters Event which will be held in Melbourne in December and is an invitation only event for the top 16 girls in the country.

Currently I compete in a high level weekly competition, Premier League.

Lia Koulias, Year 8

Kimiko Cooper,

Shiori Takeda (left) and Lia Koulias have both competed in international tennis events.

EX-STUDENTS’ NEWS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

but instead the memories we have and friendships we formed through involving ourselves in the many opportunities offered to us at the College. I encourage our ex-student community to return to the College next year and join in the many celebrations of our school’s significant milestone, especially if it has been some time since you have walked through the green gates.

The Ex-Students have had a packed calendar during the second half of this year. We not only host activities for ex-students, but we also ensure our current students feel the warmth of their future ex-student community.

Our wonderful school is celebrating its 135-year milestone next year; a significant achievement, yet not a surprising one considering the calibre of the leaders and staff who ensure PLC Sydney remains one of the leading girls’ schools in our country.

I was a PLC Sydney student for thirteen years, and I have remained involved in the College through my involvement in the Ex-Students for about ten years. Of my 30 years, I have dedicated 23 or so to my much-loved old school. This is a significant period of time in my life!

However, in the extensive history of the College, it certainly seems like a drop in the ocean.

I believe my strong love for my old school was aided by the very fact I spent so many years here but I have noticed through my involvement on the Ex Students’ Committee that our fondness for our old school is not necessarily defined by the number of years we were students here

Amongst the many farewell celebrations for the outgoing Class of 2022, the Ex Students hosted our annual lunch for the girls. This year we decided to offer something new and engaged OzHarvest and its food truck to serve our hard-working and hungry Year 12 students, and give them an opportunity to enjoy a different kind of lunch in the sunshine. The Ex Students also hosted the Welcome to the Common Room morning tea for the Class of 2023. Again, we wanted to offer our girls something different and served a different take on the humble Australian lamington. The empty trays of lamingtons indicated how much the girls enjoyed them! We were also very pleased that the annual Careers Night could proceed this year and, just like previous years, the Ex Student “Career Conversations Cafe” was a success. We are grateful to the ex students who volunteered their time to share insights about their various industries, and I look forward to receiving more interest next year from other ex-students. Giving back and knowledge sharing is fundamental to the success and support of our ex student community.

The Croydon Circle Annual Luncheon on 18 October was a tremendous success. More than seventy ex students, who have the longest connection to our College, joined us for a luncheon filled with laughter and the sharing of memories. It was the first lunch I have attended as President and I now see why there is such enthusiasm to attend each year; the reunion of many of our ex-students who are over the age of 75, many of whom make a long journey to Croydon for this lunch, is a beautiful sight to behold. I hope that I will also have the opportunity to enjoy many of these lunches with my Class of 2009 when it is our time to join the Croydon Circle.

My heartfelt gratitude to the Ex Students Committee, and particularly to Philippa Zingales, Director of Alumni & Community Relations, for their dedication and support this yearand for stepping in when the juggle between my newborn and toddler and my commitments as President was sometimes a little large. I also wish to thank, on behalf of the ex student community, Dr Burgis and the College for your ongoing involvement of the Ex Students in many activities throughout the school calendar.

This year has been incredibly busy and I look forward to slowing down and relaxing at the end of the year with my husband and two beautiful children.

(Ilias,

On behalf of the Ex‑Students, I wish the PLC Sydney community a blessed and joyful Christmas.

Mia Joseph

2009) Ex-Students’ President

2021/2022 EX-STUDENTS’ COMMITTEE

Founded in 1905 as the Ex-Students’ Union, the Ex-Students’ Union was established by a dedicated group of alumnae to raise funds for the building of the Marden Library in honour of our first Principal, Dr John Marden.

Today, the Ex-Students’ Committee is a volunteer group with ex-students representing most decades of the College’s history. The Committee provides advice, counsel and financial support, working closely with the College to create new opportunities to re-engage ex-students with the school, classmates, and the extended PLC Sydney community.

Please contact esupresident@plc.nsw.edu.au for more information.

INTERSTATE CONTACTS

Adelaide

Patricia Becket (Lamrock, 1959) patsybeckett70@gmail.com

Brisbane Petrina Hawkins (Campbell, 1970) trinahawkins@me.com

Canberra

Suzanne Clubb (1957) (02) 6238 1531 suzanneclubb@bigpond.com

Gold Coast

Jeni Bone (Payne, 1987) (07) 5526 0092 jeni@edit-it.com.au

Melbourne

Leonie Gillett (Cresswell, 1961) (03) 9848 5058 Leonian2@bigpond.com

New England/Northern District Helen Loveday (Kinross, 1961) 0428 210 584

Sunshine Coast

Jane O’Hare (Provan, 1970) 0448 003 895 jane.ohare@bzzzom

Western Australia Kay Ralph (Teasdall, 1970) 0438 932 690 termimesh@westnet.com.au

Riverina

Catherine Cruikshank (Bassingthwaite, 1986) 0428 276 353

If you would like to volunteer to coordinate a reunion or be the key contact for PLC Sydney ex-students in your area, please contact the Ex Students’ Office on 02 9704 5635 or exstudents@plc.nsw.edu.au for more details.

COMMITTEE AND OFFICER BEARERS 2022

Patron: Gwendoline Bosler (Stuart, 1949)

President: Mia Joseph (Illias, 2009)

Vice President: Edwina Hobson (2015)

Secretary: Elizabeth Gregory (Cornish, 1961)

Treasurer: Johanne Stapelfeldt (1978)

Committee Members: Marina Clark (Lvoff, 1978)

Sara Keli (Thorp, 2001) Hannah Kesby (2009)

Lesley Meldrum (Morgan, 1955) Robyn McBride (Hailey, 1976)

Ann McDonald (1965)

Director of Alumni & Community Relations & Committee Member: Philippa Zingales (Harris, 1998)

(L to R) Philippa Zingales, Catherine Marvell, Johanne Stapelfeldt, Rae Gower, Mia Joseph, Marina Clark, Elizabeth Gregory, Ann McDonald, Sara Keli, Lesley Meldrum. Absent: Megan Carrillo, Robyn McBride, Hannah Kesby.

GET TO KNOW THE EX-STUDENTS’ COMMITTEE

teacher (1967) and then became my brother’s Kindergarten teacher at Trinity in (1968).

2. What have you gone on to do since school?

JOHANNE STAPELFELDT (1978)

1. When did you start at PLC Sydney and what did you enjoy most about your time at the College?

I started at Branxton in January 1965 in Kindergarten leaving in November 1978. Miss Moorehouse was my teacher, was also my sister Kathryn’s kindergarten

I started to become a teacher but alas it wasn’t for me which was a shock, as that was all I ever wanted to be. After a few years off I did a business certificate at Metropolitan Business College and from there I worked for various companies and industries doing bookkeeping/girl Friday roles. While working full-time I went to TAFE at night part-time to obtain an Accounting & HR degree. I have now been the Administration Manager at Massey Park Golf Club for the last 17 years.

3. Why have you become involved in the Ex-Students’ Committee?

I didn’t actively seek out to join the Ex-Students’ Committee; my friend Marina Clark (Lvoff, 1978) asked me to come along to a couple of meetings

ALUMNI NEWS

WEDDINGS

30.04.22

Stephanie Kapetanellis (2013) married her childhood sweetheart, Gianpietro Ottavio on the 30 April 2022 at St Patricks of Nulkaba, Cessnock –followed by a reception at Redleaf Estate, Wollombi.

Stephanie and Gianpietro met on the train commute to school in Year 7 and have been together ever since, attending the PLC Sydney and Newington College Year 10 and Year 12 formals together.

and as they say in the movies, the rest is history. I’m happy to give my time back to the school that gave me a great start in life. While the school’s ethos has remained the same, it definitely has grown and can now offer the girls that attend so many more opportunities to start the next chapter in their life.

4. What are some of your favourite memories from school?

My years at Branxton bring back many happy memories - the Wendy house & the Fairy garden. One of the best things to have come from my time at PLC is the friendships I made, while some have only been rekindled in the last 10 years, one of my closest friends I met in 1967. If I can offer the girls some advice, it would be to enjoy their time at PLC Sydney and take every opportunity offered to them.

WEDDINGS CONTINUED

22.05.22

Rebecca Gibbs (2005) married Gary Jarvie on 22 May 2022 in Cala Cadella, Ibiza. The bride’s oldest friend Rebecca Scott (2005), who lives in Berlin, also attended the wedding.

24.09.22

Bronte Maher (2011) married Alexander Ware at Lindesay House, Darling Point on 24 September. The bride’s sister Phoebe Maher (2015) and friend Natalie Lim (2011) were in the bridal party and Jessie Wiles (Tugwell 2011) officiated the ceremony.

22.10.22

Olivia Poulos (2013) married Matthew Corkhill at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manuka with the reception at the National Portrait Gallery on 22 October in Parkes, Australian Capital Territory. Her sister Christiane Poulos (2007) was her maid of honour. Olivia continues to live in Canberra and work for the Australian Public Service and looks forward her next steps in her married life with Matthew.

27.08.22

Kassandra Kashian (2012) married William Thackray at Enzo Weddings, Hunter Valley, NSW. A true PLC Sydney bridal party with the Maid of Honour was Ruby Kerr (2012) and bridesmaids Elise Harrison (2012) and Jessey Blake (2012 School Captain).

BIRTHS

26.09.22

Claire Tamine (Coorey, 2013) and her husband Thomas welcomed baby Eden Rose Tamine.

DEATHS

Since the last edition of Camphora Magazine, we have been advised of the passing of the following ex-students and valued members of our community.

13.03.22

Barbara Goss (1938)

21.06.2022

Noëlle Morrow (Howell‑Price, 1947) Noelle was born on Christmas Day in 1929.

2.08.22

Anne Royters (McBurney, 1978) Anne attended PLC Sydney from Reception till Year 12 and she is part of a very long line of PLC girls. Spanning four generations, the PLC Sydney women in her family

include her grandmother Agnes Maxwell (McRobert) who attended in the 1900s, her mother Yvonne McBurney (Craig, 1943), her sister Sue Funnell (McBurney, 1968) and her niece Nina Funnell (2001). In 2019 on Christmas Eve, Anne was diagnosed with Stage 4B Ovarian Cancer. Following her diagnosis, she lived every moment with love and determination – looking at the best in each day, even on tough days.

26.08.22

Dorothy Fletcher (Roberts, 1950) Dorothy attended the College from 1947 through to 1950 and was a Boarder. She was an active member of the Canberra ex students community. Her daughter, Judith Kelly (Fletcher, 1980) also attended the College.

2022 Jade Creswell (1997)

VALE – WINSOME MENZIES

(WOOD, 1947)

Winsome began life at PLC Sydney in 1942 and left in 1947. Yet those six years remained with her for life as did the many friendships that were forged during those years.

Winsome Wood became a school prefect and Harper House Captain in 1946. It is obvious that Winsome threw herself wholeheartedly into all that PLC had to offer. She earned a bronze medallion and also the senior prize for ballroom dancing and senior prize for work and games.

Winsome represented school teams in tennis, cricket, hockey and netball and when the college returned to Croydon after the war for Winsome’s final two years of schooling she enjoyed using the school pool for both swimming and life saving.

Winsome also enjoyed acting and produced several plays for Harper House and upon leaving school joined the ex-students drama group.

Winsome married Graham Menzies and had four children – twin daughters, Carol and Gaie, and two sons, David and Douglas. They were all closely involved

with the Frenchs Forest Baptist church and were in fact founding members of the congregation. Winsome joined the Ladies Fellowship in those early church days and eventually became President. Winsome was a prime mover in a special Church committee formed to set up the senior citizens program called Forest Friends. Ultimately, Winsome became the co-ordinator and under her leadership Forest Friends grew from thirty-seven seniors into a group numbering in excess of 120. Activities ranged from chess to art to Biblical studies and much more.

Under her leadership, Forest Friends received two major awards. In 1987 the Manly Warringah Federation of Senior Citizens awarded Forest Friends, The Frank McAskill Trophy for the improvement of the quality of life for Senior Citizens in the Manly Warringah Area.

A second award, the Premier’s Community Award to Forest Friends, was made during NSW Senior Citizens Week in 1991, in recognition of the organisation’s outstanding service to the community and New South Wales.

Winsome with Marina Clark (Lvoff, 1978)

Winsome accompanied Graham on a fact finding mission to investigate hospital and health practical and administrative issues in America, UK and Europe that might benefit their work here in Australia.

Winsome did her share of the investigations. She described herself as Graham’s amanuensis and ‘charmer’ in situations where they were not expected and where their Australian experience and procedures were well ahead of those in similar foreign institutions.

After the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami Winsome became a strong advocate in encouraging the humanitarian effort in Sri Lanka through Network Heaven. Winsome commenced making thousands of library bags, dresses for little girls, hankies, marble bags and any special request put before her.

She promoted the work through her bridge clubs, family and friends and also organised an annual concert put on by ‘Loosely Woven’ – a local group. She was tireless in speaking to anyone and everyone about assisting children with their education in Sri Lanka. As a result, a small scholarship scheme was started to help the many tsunami affected women and children.

During the first period of lockdown the ex-students became involved in correspondence with students currently in the Junior School and Winsome

shared some of her recollections of her time at PLC Sydney during the war years with a girl in Year 5. She talked about the students knitting socks, scarves and balaclavas to send to the Australian soldiers at the front. Winsome knitted these on the train to and from school.

Two periods each week were devoted to making cotton balls. Battens of wool were prised apart by the girls and then sent onto the Red Cross.

There was an air raid shelter underneath one of the school buildings which could accommodate all 200 students so long as they were standing up. Winsome’s said that luckily they only had to do this in drills as the area wasn’t spacious enough for them to sit down had there been a genuine air raid.

In the school archives today there is a helmet and gas mask worn by Winsome’s father, who was an air raid warden in Epping, donated by Winsome and also a mending kit which belonged to her husband Graham who had served in the RAAF for two years. Winsome noted that it didn’t appear to have been used very much!

Winsome was very determined that there be a record of the time that the RAAF occupied PLC Sydney’s buildings particularly as the invention of RADAR began there. She was interviewed by a member of the PLC staff in 2017 and her account of this time “Strive to the Utmost,

A Historical Account of the Occupation of Presbyterian Ladies College Croydon” is also in the school archives. The archivist noted “This account which also contains recollections of PLC students at the time is perhaps the most comprehensive body of information our Archives holds on the school during WW2.“

Winsome regularly came to PLC’s Card Day, Jersey Day and The Croydon Circle. She never came empty handed to any event – there was always a beautiful posy from her garden for the organisers.

In Winsome’s own words: I’m indebted to PLC for encouraging all students to participate in leadership, for the Christian background it has given all pupils. At school we always participated in voluntary work, we were taught to think of others at all times. I endeavoured to think of the school motto – to be reverently wise but my motto is “ I’d rather wear out than rust out!”

Winsome will be sorely missed by her family and friends but also by the wide PLC community. She was the epitome of a true PLC girl or at least what we strive to be – gracious, kind, charitable, involved in her community and she will long be remembered by those of us who had the immense privilege and pleasure of knowing her. In the words of the School Hymn she made the world a better place and life a worthier thing.

Written by Marina Clark (Lvoff, 1978) with information supplied by Debby Cramer the School Archivist and John Thompson (Frenchs Forest Baptist Church)

“At school we always participated in voluntary work, we were taught to think of others at all times. I endeavoured to think of the school motto –to be reverently wise but my motto is “I’d rather wear out than rust out!”

1947 Senior A Netball team. Winsome is in the back row, on the right.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Well done to Tina Tziallas (1996) and her team at Tziallas Architects, who received the NSW Institute of Architects, 2022 NSW Country Division Award for Residential Architecture –Houses (Alterations and Additions) for My Malua and received a Commendation for Residential Architecture –Houses (New) for Osborne House.

Congratulations to Leila Bunguric (2014) who was admitted as a Lawyer earlier this year. Special mention to our Chairman of the Foundation, Mr Marty Perry who moved Leila into practice, and his wife, Grace Perry, who has been an incredible support to Leila during her time at their firm BCP Lawyers. Both Mr and Mrs Perry nurtured and gave guidance to Leila during her first job in the legal profession at BCP Lawyers. Leila began work at BCP Lawyers shortly after finishing her degree as a Graduate at law and is now a Junior Solicitor at their firm.

In Leila’s own words: “Today I reflected on the parts of my life which have led to this achievement. My schooling at PLC has gifted me with many lessons, some of which have applied directly to working life as a young lawyer. These lessons include finding pride

rather than discomfort in a lack of knowledge. These lessons include being willing to accept your mistakes, and as Chief Justice Bell noted today, doing your best not to make that mistake twice. And finally, these lessons include being honest and

TERTIARY NEWS

Congatulations to Jade Schroers (2004), Shankari Arunathy (2005) and Jennifer Lim (2005) who were conferred as Fellows to the Royal Australian College of Physicians earlier this year. Well done to Sonia Clark (1998) who has won the AGSM @ UNSW Business School 2022 Pitch Perfect competition. Watch Sonia’s pitch at https://vimeo.com/ showcase/9906257/video/758971370.

If you’d like to share updates about your tertiary studies with the College, including graduation or publication news, please contact exstudents@plc.nsw.edu.au

always maintaining my integrity, particularly when delivering advice that a client may not wish to hear. My knowledge as a lawyer is in its very foundational stages; there is much to learn and this scares, humbles and inspires me.”

Leila with Mr Marty Perry

EX-STUDENT PROFILE: ESTHER MCKAY

When Esther McKay graduated from PLC Sydney, she planned to study law. When she didn’t get the marks for law, she found herself working as a ‘Girl Friday’ at the local newspaper. While she was initially drawn to journalism and writing, she instead decided to choose a career adjacent to law and enter the police force.

“I did some research and found a forensic medicine course at Sydney Uni,” she explains. “After that I was really informed and felt I had the expertise to do the job. But the workload was huge. We were working on call and what we were actually seeing was absolutely horrific.”

After three years in the role, Esther was having bouts of uncontrolled crying and felt like her life was falling apart. She wasn’t provided with the psychological support she needed and this laid the foundations for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that she was diagnosed after the birth of her second child.

She has helped hundreds and hundreds of police officers through crisis intervention and other initiatives. She has worked with the Quest for Life foundation to design a trauma program and with NSW Police Legacy on their BACKUP for Life program. She is also a mental health consultant for the Police Federation of Australia.

Despite the challenges she has faced, Esther has no regrets. She also credits her strong work ethic and community mindset to her years at PLC Sydney.

“PLC Sydney set me up really well to believe in myself to be able to achieve anything that I wanted to,” she says.

“I was still interested in law,” she recalls, “And that was why I joined the police force. I thought I could explore the opportunities in prosecuting or get to know more about the law.”

Esther first applied to the police force at the age of 19 but had to wait 18 months to get to the academy thanks to a 25% quota on females joining the force.

Frontline policing wasn’t for Esther but she was drawn to scientific investigation, or what is now called forensics. She knew this was what she wanted to do and after two years of applying for roles, she secured a permanent position.

Over the years she worked in scientific investigation, Esther faced many challenges. She had a male superior who didn’t believe women should be in these types of roles. There was no training, except for on the job training and the equipment was inadequate, with ill fitting gloves and overalls for women.

After leaving the police force, Esther went on to write two books. The first was about her story.

“I wrote the first book because I felt like what had happened to me was a story that needed to be told and learned from so it didn’t happen again,” she says. “Concerns about the stress levels and workloads fell on deaf ears. The book started as a yarn about police but it ended up being a really serious story about a young woman who embarked upon a horrific role with no support.”

Esther then went on the speaking circuit to advocate for change. She also started the Police Post Trauma Support Group to give other police officers the support they needed.

“I was getting emails from so many people from so many walks of life about their struggles, grateful that someone was now talking about it.”

For the past 17 years, Esther has run the Police Post Trauma Support Group as the Founder and President.

“They gave me a lot of confidence to go into male dominated roles. I didn’t think it was going to be any sort of impediment that I was female and I think that really got me through. We always did a lot of community activities at school, like the pet show and volunteer work. This has helped to shape my future, running a charity for 17 years.

“The girls I went to school with were really friendly and funny. We still talk on WhatsApp every day and our friendship is based on positivity and laughter. A lot of people never find happiness but I was really happy at school.”

You can learn more about Esther and her work at www.esthermckay.com

Sara Keli (Thorpe, 2001)

“PLC Sydney set me up really well to believe in myself to be able to achieve anything that I wanted to,”

CROYDON CIRCLE

The Croydon Circle recognises those ex students with the longest connection to our College history and traditions. An ex‑student is considered a member of The Croydon Circle upon her 75th Birthday. In October, we held our first Croydon Circle annual lunch in almost 3 years – welcoming back almost 70 ex‑students for lunch, entertainment and tours.

Marion Willis (Vickery, 1957)

Sandra Chapple (Williamson, 1956), Nan Stevenson (Craddock, 1956), Linda Cook (Bell, 1956)

Rae Gower (Hoore, 1949) and Elizabeth Gregory (Cornish, 1961)

Caroline Lyons (Schiess, 1956)

Angela Campbell (Daly, 1960)

Back: Diane Craddock (1954), Eleanor Powell (Watts, 1954), Beverley Northey (Goodsir, 1954), Margaret Middleton (Esplin, 1954), Rosemary Walker (1954). Front: Judith Teulon (Goonan, 1954), Marion Marriott (Norton, 1954), Ronne Webb (past staff), Lesley Meldrum (Morgan, 1955).

Anne Felici (Brodie, 1962)

Margaret Dobbin (Iliffe, 1956) with friends

PLC SYDNEY CAMPHORA

This year our guests ranged from the Class of 1949, through to the Class of 1964 and almost every year between. It was especially lovely to welcome the Class of 1956 to celebrate their 66‑year reunion after missing this milestone due to the pandemic.

Ex students enjoyed lunch and entertainment from the Stage Band and speech performances from Year 7 students Tyler Soh and Olivia Harper, and then a tour of the College.

Angela Campbell (Daly, 1960), Margaret Bergomi (Brodie, 1960), Kaye Browne (Haynes, 1960) and Lynne King (Dunbar, 1960) continued next page 

A special thanks to our 2023 School Captain, Vice Captains, Senior Prefect and Boarders Captain who led the event.

EX-STUDENTS’ “SISTER ACT”

What does being in a choir teach you?

You learn to listen – to the person next to you, to all the people standing with you and to yourself. You learn to adapt and change – your sound, posture, and expression. And you learn to be brave – to trust yourself, your teachers and your fellow choristers, to take a leap and SING! These are truly the best life (and choir) skills you can have!

This year, after a long delay due to Covid-19, we proposed starting up an ex-students choir for the first time in many years.

We received a strong response from the ex-students community, and in the end, the choir included 30 graduates from the 1970s right through to 2021, women who have travelled from Canberra and Newcastle to return to school and sing together.

After a few rehearsals – led by the amazing Mrs Allen and Miss G – over wonky notes, repetition and a shared love for music – a choir was born.

After several weeks of rehearsals after hours and on Saturday afternoons, this group of women of different ages and life experiences who didn’t really know each other and had not sung together before became a choir!

The choir was a true reflection of our amazing ex-student community –

women of different ages and life experiences who didn’t really know each other coming together. And it’s a true example of how once you are a PLC choir girl, you are always a PLC choir girl. We look forward to next year’s rehearsals!

Vanessa Arndell (Munro, 1956), Margaret Mitchell (Davies, 1956) and Caroline Lyons (Schiess, 1956)

Nell Moody (Williams, 1951) with granddaughter Georgia Moody ( 2012)

PLC SYDNEY GIRLS REMEMBER QUEEN ELIZABETH II

view of the Queen’s ship in the port. On the day in question, Nancy recalls that “being short, I was in the front row,” giving her a great view of the Queen driving past.

Michele Vuaran (Whitaker, 1968) was also front row with many of her Branxton friends.

“I was there in 1954,” says Michele. “Waving the flag as Her Majesty’s car passed by... I can never dismiss the solemnity and privilege at being there, representing PLC Croydon.”

While still two years away from becoming a PLC girl, Margaret Bergomi (Brodie, 1960) was also at Concord Park with her family that day. She witnessed visits from many royals over the years including the Queen Mother and Princess Alexandra.

“I do also remember when Princess Margaret got married and we were allowed to watch a television broadcast of the wedding at school,” she shares.

The recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II saw many of our more senior ex students take pause to recall a day they got very close to the Queen. It was on Her Majesty’s 1954 visit to Australia that PLC Sydney girls excitedly waved as she, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, drove past Concord Park.

The cohort from PLC Sydney was among the 150,000 children who gathered at four different locations to see the Queen and the Duke. The ladies all recall that it was an uncomfortably hot day.

“We all came to school that day with a little flower posey,” recalls Shirley Evans (Day, 1954). “The idea was to place them in front of the barriers so the Queen would see them as she drove along in her car. Because it was such a hot day, they were looking very wilted!”

“It was very exciting,” adds Caroline Lyons (Shiess, 1956). “It was a very long, hot day, mind you.

But we had a really good view. We were all there in our Panama hats from memory, which was good because that was a bit of sun protection.”

“A memorable day,” shares Diane Robertson (Pittman, 1961). “So hot but so exciting. A day very vivid in my memory.”

“There we were in our woolen uniforms and black stockings,” adds Marilyn Philip (Goodsir, 1956).

“It was very hot but we just loved it. We all thought it was wonderful.”

Nancy Badewitz (Caldwell, 1956) was staying in Vaucluse and had a beautiful

Hilary Wall (Preston, 1961) had only started at PLC Sydney as a boarder that week when she joined the school on the visit to Concord Park. She also has another special memory of being “with my family at Taronga Zoo to watch the Queen’s arrival into Sydney Harbour.

It was 20 years after the Queen’s 1954 visit that Adele Ho (Davison, 1975) had the chance to shake hands with Her Majesty.

“I was a Queen’s Guide and they gathered the Queen’s Guides who were on Norfolk Island to be presented to the Queen as part of her tour,” she says. “I remember shaking her hand.

She was an amazing woman, very delightful. She had a chat with everybody.”

If you have a memory or photo from a historic event that occurred at PLC Sydney, we would love to hear about it. Please contact exstudents@plc.nsw.edu.au to share your stories.

Sara

Keli (Thorpe, 2001)

WHIT’S CUP OF COURAGE

The annual hockey game played in honour of ex‑student Whitney Lane and affectionately known as ‘Whit’s Cup of Courage’, took place in June between 12 courageous past students and the cream of PLC Sydney’s current up and coming hockey talent.

Each girl that graces the field does so in recognition of Whitney’s determination, resilience and spirit, and to foster a shared passion and pure enjoyment for the game of Hockey.

Rex and Robin Lane, Whitney’s parents, were there to cheer the game on and present the trophy to the winning team. Congratulations to the ex-students who won the 2022 Cup of Courage.

ABOUT WHITNEY

Whitney attended PLC Sydney until 2010 and was an integral member of the PLC Sydney hockey family.

Whitney was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia in 2004 when she was 11 years old, and in 2010 developed Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare disease of the bone marrow. The fatiguing symptoms of Whitney’s condition didn’t stop

her from actively collecting over 20,000 signatures in a petition, requesting that the Federal Government include Soliris®, the drug required for the treatment of PNH, on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

At just 19 years of age, Whitney successfully lobbied the Government and showed Australians, suffering from rare and life-threatening illnesses, that it is possible to access the same lifesaving treatments as those with more common conditions. She underwent a bone marrow transplant on 18 April 2012. However, due to complications with the process, Whitney sadly passed away on 5 May 2012.

Whether you knew Whitney or not, the lasting impression she made in her short life was nothing less than incredible.

Belinda Harden Head of Sport

2022 Whits Cup Ex-Students line up

Emma Millington (2014)

Anaïs Alonso (2015)

Ellie Eagle (2013)

Ellie Winstanley (2010)

Laura Wiggins (2012)

Tegan Neowhouse (2019)

Courtney Pendlebury (Owens) (2010)

Katia Nastasi (2020)

Milena De Silva (2014) Kendall Lane (2017) Lucy Gilfedder (2014)

Dyone Bettega (2015)

COMMON ROOM TRADITION

Kicking off Year 12 for the Class of 2023 at the Common Room Handover

Year 12 is filled with traditions. It’s a time of both looking ahead to what comes after school, but also looking back at all the years of high school, and for some girls, their time in the Junior School or Evandale. The biggest “perk” of being in Year 12 is the much loved Common Room – a dedicated space for study and year group connection. Once the outgoing Year 12 has completed their HSC exams, the countdown begins for Year 11 and the question is raised “when will we get to enjoy the Common Room?”

The date and time of the handover is a closely guarded secret, and the Ex Students love to bring more excitement to the event with a “surprise” for each incoming year group. This year, the Ex Students’ provided a custom made treat from Tokyo Lamingtons and

the annual cutting of the ribbon was led by 2023 Captain Olivia Stavrakis, before the Class of 2023 took their first steps into the Common Room and officially commenced their final year

WOMEN IN ENTERPRISE BREAKFAST

as PLC Sydney girls. Special thanks to the Ex-Students’ Committee for ensuring this much loved tradition continues to live and grow in the lives of our students.

Throughout Term 3, Business Studies classes developed business plans, considering factors such as developing unique selling points, market research, sourcing finance, marketing plans and operations. Two groups presented their business plans to breakfast guests; Colombo Street, a Sri-Lankan food truck (Aurelia McCarthy, Victoria Mortensen, Seanna Beverley-Smith, Madeleine Cozens, Jasmine Talbot) and VirMode (Donna Vithoulka, Myah Mourched, Maria Drivas, Simone Perry), a fashion styling and e-commerce app.

Students were able to network with women across different industries over breakfast, and were also privileged to hear from ex-student Rebecca Jarvie Gibbs (2005), founder of Example Agency

(www.example.com.au). Rebecca reflected on her own career development and the importance of developing networks and relationships with humility and understanding to thrive in a chosen profession. The morning concluded with a Q&A panel featuring Rebecca, who was joined by PLC Sydney parent, CEO and marketing consultant, Trish Barry, and young entrepreneur Molly Cameron (@mollys_kitchen_sydney).

The panel discussed their own journey including successes and challenges and how these lessons had shaped their decision-making and leadership skills.

Mrs Rebecca Nichols Head of Business, Economics & Entrepreneurship

The 6th Annual Women in Enterprise Breakfast was held in November, showcasing the work of the Year 11 Business Studies cohort.

Deputy Principal Mrs Chiba, School Captain Olivia with Mrs Linda Eades, Head of Year.

Rebecca Jarvie-Gibbs (2005)

REUNIONS: CLASS OF 1961

On Saturday 5 November, the “plc61ers” finally had their postponed reunion, 61 years after leaving school. We were slightly down on numbers compared with other years, but 34 of us were able to meet for lunch and chatter in the restaurant at the Harbourview Hotel, North Sydney.

As you can imagine the four hours we had booked, passed extremely quickly. We were joined for the day by our very special guest, Miss Audrey Keown, who produced The Merchant of Venice as the school play for our year in 1960. It was the equivalent of the annual school play for Year 11 which came into being several years later, and many will remember it as a highlight of the school calendar.

Owing to the fact that people came from near and far, some people stayed for two nights, some for one night and some just came for the reunion but this lent itself to many separate, smaller gatherings as well as the major event. The venue has spectacular views of the harbour, which we all appreciated and enjoyed, as the dining room was ours. The general buffet was good, and the staff were efficient, kind and helpful, which all contributed to a happy and successful day.

REUNIONS: CLASS OF 1957

As a year group, we have always enjoyed catching up with each other regardless of the actual class we were in and whether we were a boarder or a day girl. As women who are maturing, we have decided we would now like to catch up with each other slightly more frequently than every five years so we will have to start planning the next get-together so as many as possible can attend.

Elizabeth Gregory (Cornish, 1961)

Class of 1957 celebrates their 65 Year Reunion

On Saturday, 19 November, we welcomed back 14 ex-students from the Class of 1957 to celebrate their 65 Year Reunion.

This group of good friends (some of whom started at the preschool Branxton and attended school together until graduation) caught up and enjoyed a three-course lunch in College Hall.

Attending was the 1957 School Captain Wendy Gray (Rabone) and 1957 Dux Jill Thorpe (Stevens). Special thanks to Margot Machliss (Woodward) for being the key reunion contact for her friends and classmates.

Class of 1961 with Miss Audrey Keown OAM.

SAVE THE DATE

Gather your friends and come back to school for Jersey Day on Saturday 11 March 2023.

Enjoy afternoon tea, tours and lots of school nostalgia as we return to the College for an afternoon. Jersey Day is our back-to-school event for all ex students and past teachers.

A special invitation to the Classes of 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003, 2013 and 2018 to celebrate your decade reunions on this day too! Reunion details and ticket pricing will be announced in early 2023.

In 2023 we look forward to welcoming the following year’s groups back to school to celebrate their decade and 5-year reunions: 1953 – 70 Year Reunion 1963 – 60 Year Reunion 1973 – 50 Year Reunion 1983 – 40 Year Reunion

1993 – 30 Year Reunion 2003 – 20 Year Reunion 2013 – 10 Year Reunion 2018 – 5 Year Reunion

Reunions are held on our annual back to school event – Jersey Day –held in March. If you would like to be an ambassador for your year group and assist the College with planning your reunion, please contact The Ex‑Students’ Office.

1 Meta Street Croydon NSW 2132

Phone (+612) 9704 5666 Fax (+612) 9744 0519 enquiries@plc.nsw.edu.au www.plc.nsw.edu.au

All material appearing in Camphora is copyright. Reproduction is not permitted unless otherwise authorised. MP;PR3231;-2022-12