Camphora Issue 14, Summer 2021 by PLC Sydney

ISSUE 14 SUMMER 2021

WELCOME TO THE COMMON ROOM!

A PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTIONS ON COVID-19 OLYMPIC GAMES FOR SCIENCE THINKERS

CONTENTS

ISSUE 14 SUMMER 2021

From the Principal

PLC Sydney: Timeline of a pandemic

Run for your intellectual life

Looking Beyond Online Art Competition

Thank you to our generous PLC Sydney community

Lego Masterchef

Stories from the Archives: Very much love from Lenis

Wattle Warriors and Data DeTECHtives

A Principal’s reflections on Covid-19

Expedition to the eclipse

International Mathematical Modelling Challenge

Performing Arts creativity thrives during Covid-19 restrictions

Working with the Juvenilia Press: Students edit and publish the juvenile writing of Felicia Hemans

EX-STUDENTS’ NEWS 40

President’s message

2021/2022 Ex Students’ Committee

A new pin for Ex-Students

Get to know the Ex-Students’ Committee

Business spotlight:

Alumni announcements

Welcome to the Common Room

Olympic Games for Science thinkers

Celebrating 100 years

Embracing the challenge of engineered systems

Interview with Whitney Luxford

How does the violin saw its tooth?

Challenging yet fun: Online Science in the Junior School

Boarders’ gain job-ready skills at school

Sarah sets her sights on Paris

Ventilation testing of classrooms provides a ‘real life’ opportunity for student learning

Class of 1977 Virtual Reunion

Class of 1971 Boarders Reunite

Ex-Student Spotlight: Allison Bellinger

Interning with the Ex-Students: Yifan (Joey) Liu

Ex-Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Ryu

Reflections on Lockdown

60 seconds with… Mrs Alison Lloyd

The Croydon Circle – Save the date

60 seconds with… Mr Gavin Sinclair

Save the date

SEED: Building a sustainable future

Providing an enriching environment at PLC Sydney Preschools

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

How far into the past does our imagination reach? When we speak of our students attaining twenty-first-century skills, it often appears that our imagination reaches back to the 1950s, or perhaps to Victorian or Edwardian times when PLC Sydney was established. We think of bank buildings that are architecturally designed to create an image of permanence and of church steeples that tower above the street. Thinkers in those days wanted to communicate that human progress was secure and that our institutions were built to last. In comparison, our new world is supposed to be nimble, reliant upon a less secure understanding of everything, ranging from philosophy to business.

The end of the book is exceptionally helpful because it describes what is known as the Elizabethan period in England, the time of Copernicus and Newton, and Shakespeare. It was a time of what the philosopher Charles Taylor calls ‘cross-pressures’. Art and Science, literature and religious faith were vying for the attention of people, seeking them to inform them as to what the future will be like. I think Taylor’s phrase is very helpful for us today. Rather than seeing our task as a progressive one, to move from the old to the new, Taylor encourages us to recognise the multitudinous sets of ideas that exist and to seek to help young people to navigate them. What is helpful about Taylor is that he does not automatically think that the old is better (or worse) than the new. He accepts that something that seems grand will probably have unforeseen consequences, and something that seems troublesome might offer great opportunities.

What led our forebears to seek to create a sense of security in their existence?

In introducing you to this latest edition of Camphora I wish to go back to the era before the period that promised certainty. What was life like in the 1600s and 1700s? What led our forebears to seek to create a sense of security in their existence? I have been reading The Travels of Reverend Olafur Egilsson. It is the account of an Icelandic family being taken into slavery on a pirate ship and being sold into slavery in Morocco.

approach to the world is closer to our own. We seek wisdom. We seek to assist our students to build wisdom. This is hard for a sixteen-year-old or an eight-year-old. But the goal is a good one. I hope you enjoy reading our students’ wonderful contributions to the world.

Dr Paul Burgis Principal

As you read this edition of Camphora, I ask you to note that the Taylor

OUR MAGAZINE TEAM EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Mrs Nicole Paull

Dr Paul Burgis, Dr Suzana Sukovic, Ms Jo Knight, Ms Alison Lloyd, Ms Jo Herrmann, Mrs Helen Kardiasmenos, Marina Ruan, Mrs Fiona Hendriks, Eshwari Surendran, Michelle Hong, Jennifer Su, Amy Feng, Jenny Liu, Madeline Chang, Anastasia Prokhorov, Tessa Pavlis, Isabelle Ho Shon, Sasha Prokhorov, Julia Fang, Lydia Kim, Mr Philip Harper, Mrs Pamela Nutt, Mrs Jo McGrouther, Annabelle Qui, Stella Lin, Angela Liu, Stephanie Chew, Mrs Annie Martin, Ms Pauline Turner, Bronte Runciman, Ms Nadine Runciman,

COVER Welcome to the Common Room! Term 4 saw students return to campus and Year 12, 2022 were able to move into the space officially known as the Deidre Coleman Year 12 Studies Centre.

Ms Lynne Emanuel, Sarah Clifton-Bligh, Lilian Stock, Mr Gavin Sinclair, Mrs Mary-Ann Rizzo, Ms Debby Cramer, Mr John Da Cruz, Mr Malcolm Heap. Ex-Students' News: Philippa Zingales, Ann McDonald, Lesley Meldrum, Helen Humphreys, Mia Joseph, Elizabeth Gregory. Thank you to all the ex-students and their families who contributed.

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.

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

RUN FOR YOUR INTELLECTUAL LIFE Project-based learning has been, once again, a particularly rewarding aspect of our work at the Senior Library. This year we started two new co-curricular activities, the Classics Book Club and Classical Literature Enrichment.

A group of MRC researchers: Carolyn W, Freya P, Emma Z, Anastasia M, Zara H-J, Stephanie C, Kate B. PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

The latter was offered in collaboration with the Countess of Jersey Society. Students who signed up for this enrichment option explored classical literature, and wrote an essay or a fictional piece based on their reading. Students worked with Ms Trainor, Dr Stafford and me during the year developing their understanding of our literary heritage, and their writing skills. The final projects included an essay on female characters in the nineteenth century literature, a creative exploration of women’s identity based on novels by Australian women writers, and an appropriation of Cinderella inspired by Virginia Woolf’s writing. The school community had an opportunity to hear more about students’ work in our inaugural Festival of Literature on 11 November—another exciting collaboration between the library and Countess of Jersey Society. Students at PLC Sydney also had an opportunity to explore their interests and develop research skills during the lockdown. Girls from Year 7 to 10 who signed up for the MRC Research Project Elective studied their chosen topic one day a week in Term 3. From crime mysteries, technology in soccer, and gender inequality, to the Declaration of Independence and writing a song in the style of the musical Hamilton—students embraced a chance to follow their own interests. As a Year 7 student who grappled with hard questions about the mind explained, it was also a chance to watch cute monkeys on video (Do animals have a mind?). In both projects, women and women’s issues were a popular research topic. From the resourcefulness of a crime victim who managed to outwit her captor and later become a crime inspector, to the misguided power of women in the works of Balzac and Austin, students investigated a fascinating range of issues related to women’s status and identity. As a student noted, it is all about growing free minds. Dr Suzana Sukovic Director of Research and Library Services

Classical Literature Enrichment ‘As Josie said herself at the beginning of the book Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, “I'll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself...I'll run to be emancipated.” Though I wasn’t running in the literal sense through my classic literature journey, this project has given me challenges and rewards through writing and reading that have, in a way, freed me.

‘On the recommendation of Dr Sukovic, I joined the PLC Sydney CLassics Book Club this year. Introduced by my mum to the world of classical literature from a young age, I thought it would be intellectually stimulating to be part of a forum where I can indulge in discussions about literature. I was not disappointed! I have benefited much more from the mentorship of Dr Sukovic. Dr Sukovic introduced me to other classical authors that were very diverse and controversial for their times and, through their narratives, I gained a different perspective in relation to the life of women at the time.’ Stephanie C, Year 8

‘This year in Classics Book Club, we explored new ways of engaging with reading, learned about different time periods and discussed the many areas of literature. I found our conversations Getting to explore different books very insightful, and at times we deviated and reflecting on the different from the text to ponder over more circumstances surrounding women philosophical questions regarding and their treatment in society has purpose and meaning. Furthermore, been such a wonderful experience. we were also given the chance to more deeply explore an interest of our own and produce an “I was so grateful to be informative, persuasive or fictional piece to showcase our inspired and mentored by research. Classics Book Club is not just a space to talk about such amazing teachers words. It is where we come to around me who motivated share and interact within our me when I felt like giving up.” own literary worlds.’ Carolyn W, Year 9 I’ve found that with each piece of information I extract from the books, I learn something new. Even when I read the same book three times, I still found new things every time to reflect on and think about. Getting to apply all this knowledge into a creative piece was also a marvellous experience. The journey of starting, from gathering my research to making a plan, to writing my story was quite challenging, but I was so grateful to be inspired and mentored by such amazing teachers around me who motivated me when I felt like giving up. In the end, I was able to produce an insightful piece of writing that not only taught the readers, but myself as well on how privileged I am to live in a society where women and girls are able to explore their full potentials and receive an education, allowing us to flourish and grow into who we can truly become. This was a valuable experience that I was very fortunate to be able to explore by unlocking my own potential, with the support of my teachers and friends.’ Emma Z, Year 8

MRC Research Project Elective ‘I enjoyed the research project because it allowed me to combine my interests into one topic and research it. I learnt a lot about my chosen topic and it was really fun as we had a lot of choice as to our final idea, as well as the type of output we made.’ Zarah H-J, Year 9 ‘I found it quite interesting and liked how we had freedom in choosing out projects.’ Anneliese T, Year 10 ‘It was really enjoyable to take time to explore an interest that wasn't school related and do research on a topic I could pick for myself.’ Christina C, Year 10 ‘It reminded me that humans have searched for the greatest mystery, looking beyond our world, and it's been inside our skulls this whole time… also this project gave me an excuse to watch cute monkey videos!’ Anastasia M, Year 7

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

LOOKING BEYOND ONLINE ART COMPETITION Art is the highest form of hope —Gerhardt Richter With so much time spent on screens during the extended period of online learning in Term 3, students of PLC Sydney were encouraged to go outdoors and get creative. An invitation to produce a work of art in any style or medium was given to our budding artists across the College, as an opportunity to use art as a vehicle to communicate a sense of hope amidst challenging times. The online Art Competition titled Looking Beyond aimed to encourage the school community to look up and out, both physically and conceptually as we all tried to look towards the future with a sense of positivity beyond our four walls during lockdown. We (Ms Knight and Mrs Lloyd) provided inspirational resources demonstrating a range of artistic approaches in representing nature in ways which enable the viewer to be

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transported into a space of respite with the help of the artmaking techniques of perspective, light and by working directly from the subject. As a part of the competition, students were asked to create an en plein air artwork with the viewpoint of looking up, including the sky (at day or night), communicating a feeling of hope, joy and positivity, as well as demonstrating an employment of colour and an imaginative approach to subject matter.

An impressive number of entries revealed a diverse range of styles and techniques from our Junior and Senior School artists. Exhibition finalists and category winners were carefully selected and judged by ourselves and the Adelaide Perry Gallery Curator, Ms Tiffeny Fayne who met at the end of Term 3 to view the entries. Finalists and winners were included in an online exhibition and the winners of each category were rewarded with a $50 art supply gift voucher. The winning artworks displayed outstanding confidence, technical skill and unique artistic vision that transport the viewer into emotional and spiritual realms beyond the everyday.

“The winning artworks displayed outstanding confidence, technical skill and unique artistic vision” An online exhibition was made available on the Places Covid-19 Updates tile for the College community to access and was screened at the Senior and Junior School assemblies at the commencement of Term 4. Congratulations to the six winners and all students who participated for lifting

our spirits through art during this extended period of lockdown. Ms Jo Knight Head of Visual Arts Ms Alison Lloyd Junior School Visual Arts Coordinator

Category Winners Transition: Sophia Lowe, Year 8 Pre-Kindergarten – Year 2 Section: Anastasia Vithoulkas, Year 1 Year 3 – Year 6 Section: Lily Sabharwal, Year 5 Year 7 - Year 8 Section: Isabella Loo, Year 8 Year 9 - Year 10 Section: Amelia Rand, Year 10 Year 11 - Year 12 Section: Mackenzie Griffiths, Year 12

Left: Mrs Cathy Wedd working over Zoom with Year 7 Design and Technology students during learning from home. Bottom of page: Students produced food such as watermelon, a banana and fairy bread with a Coke using LEGO in their stop motion videos.

LEGO MASTERCHEF STOP MOTION CHALLENGE What another challenging year it has been for our creative young designers. We are very proud of all our students in the Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) Faculty as they positively engaged in a range of design projects online that were not what they had planned for or in many cases had hoped to be doing. developing food products may not have been experienced Once again, the TAS curriculum needed to be adapted to be delivered innovatively for learning from home. by many. The experimental process to create replicas of New design challenges were developed which aimed to food products required patience and perseverance. continue to generate the excitement for designing and the Once a range of objects were pieced application of technological skills that we together, the girls worked enthusiastically often take for granted within The Croydon Stop motion is an to determine what to do with them in environment. Our Year 7 students are to animated filmmaking order to create an engaging stop motion be congratulated on their adaptability to animation. the changing nature of design projects. technique in which Their enthusiasm for embracing new Stop motion is an animated filmmaking objects are physically technique in which objects are physically technological skills and the collaborative creativity on Zoom has been truly manipulated in small increments between manipulated in impressive. individually photographed frames. The small increments objects then appear to move when the All Year 7 Design and Technology students series of frames is played back. It has been were set the challenge to participate between individually an absolute joy to see the individual and in a LEGO Masterchef Stop Motion collaborative efforts of all students using photographed frames. extravaganza. The competition is inspired the Stop Motion Studio app. We look by the amazing work of ‘Clicker’, the stop forward to celebrating with and sharing motion master chef of the LEGO world! the work of our PLC Sydney LEGO Masterchef Challenge The competition rules included the addition of a maximum of competition winners at the completion of their projects. three kitchen equipment items and two additional resources Ms Jo Herrmann such as cardboard, playdough or fresh fruit and vegetables. Head of Technological and Applied Studies Whilst we all have fond memories of creating with LEGO,

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WATTLE WARRIORS AND DATA DETECHTIVES

This year the girls at PLC Sydney have been fortunate enough to participate in an out of this world program ‘What’ll Happen to the Wattle’, a first program of its kind in Australia. The ‘What’ll Happen to the Wattle’ basil seeds sent to space and ones that program is a joint initiative remained on earth. The girls designed, between the Australian Space coded and used digital tools with the Agency, JAXA (Japan Aerospace micro:bit to collect data on the seeds, Exploration Agency) and the One including a micro:bit thermometer to Giant Leap Australia Foundation. measure the temperature of the seeds Working in unison, the three growth conditions, and a micro:bit soil organisations sent golden wattle seeds moisture tester, to test the moisture of and Japanese herbs to the International the soil the seeds were growing in. The Space Station (ISS), where the seeds project was a great way for the girls to spent seven months in space aboard “...they conducted data the ISS. Upon their investigations comparing the return to earth, PLC Sydney were growth of wattle and basil seeds one of 150 schools Australia wide to sent to space and ones that receive the seeds, remained on earth.” to plant and cultivate in their schools. practice their burgeoning coding skills Girls in Year 3 took responsibility for and apply these to help solve a real the seeds and have been growing these world problem, right here on campus. at school. Becoming data detectives, they conducted data investigations Students communicated their findings comparing the growth of wattle and to their teachers and peers by building

Year 3 students cultivated seeds that had spent seven months aboard the International Space Station and then conducted data investigations.

a website in Google Sites and a vlog of process. They also shared this data with the Australian Space Agency, JAXA, and One Giant Leap Australia using a specially designed app, collating all the data sent in from schools Australiawide. The Year 3 girls are pleased to report the seeds are growing nicely and will remain on campus, when they are fully germinated. It’s exciting to know that our school will always have seeds from space as part of our beautiful grounds. Mrs Helen Kardiasmenos Technology, eLearning and Innovation Leader, Junior School

Dr Burgis attended the Wuhan Opera House on 18 January 2020, thinking that the theatre was relatively empty.

A PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTIONS ON COVID-19 These few paragraphs cover personal reflections on being a principal during a pandemic. I remember sitting in the Wuhan Opera House on 18 January 2020, thinking that the theatre was relatively empty. The show before me was spectacular. Acrobats flew through the vastness of space, riders blasted out of pools, propelled by water cannons. It was the age-old story of the good of the human community defeating individual power—the type of story the People’s Republic of China would applaud. The next morning I was at Wuhan International Airport. Even though the population of the city was over ten million people, the airport was all but empty. I had heard rumors of a terrible sickness whilst I was there, but my hosts from the Wuhan Australia School assured me that the Communist Government had everything in hand. When I returned to Sydney Dr David Lim, previous Chair of Council called me. ‘It is going to be big,’ he said. You should prepare for a pandemic. Dr and Mrs Lim had both been reading PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

extensively on the virus and its impact on Wuhan. Their help over this whole period has been invaluable. I remember meeting with the Heads of Faculty. Their faces appeared both perplexed and unbelieving. It didn’t seem as if I was telling the truth! ‘We are going to need to prepare for potential online learning,‘ I said. I explained what I had learned to date and what the virus impact might be like. To their great credit they set straight to work. Our school was thus ready to go into online learning. PLC Sydney announced online learning a few days before Premier Berejiklian told our community that we would be going into lockdown. I was worried that we could have cases and potentially deaths. I think all school leaders felt the burden of the safety of their schools. Premier Berejikilian announced the lockdown on a Sunday. We had announced our move on the previous Friday. On the Saturday of that weekend I exchanged some difficult emails with colleagues who were principals. One in particular was quite angry with me. She thought the move to go online was unnecessary. Right or wrong, I had decided that I did not want to have a staff member with a preexisting condition catch the virus. We need to remember that we were worried that someone could die.

I have to commend our Executive staff and our heads of faculty, heads of year and staff with particular responsibilities. They really worked hard to organise the school well and to make the girls feel secure. Our whole staff—teaching, professional support, and maintenance staff, all pitched in. We decided we were going to lead by communicating well. Even if people disagree with us, we thought they would be secure in knowing what we thought. We set up a ‘Covid tile’ on Places. Next we thought that we needed to support school businesses, so we opened up a page to allow our families to advertise. It was a great relief when we could return to school. I remember being here during the holidays with Mrs Chiba. We were measuring every room to check how many students could be in each classroom. A few days later we were told that there were no limits on the number of students in a room. This is what Covid-19 has been like: make a decision, find out more information and change the decision! Perhaps the epitome of this was the discussion we had about masks. I announced that we would mask our community. There was a strong push-back from our European medical and scientific community who said that the evidence suggests that masks don’t help. Our Asian community largely supported them. We ended up not going ahead at that time with mask-

wearing, but now they are mandatory in the school. Year 12/2020 did exceptionally well under the circumstances. When we went into lockdown I went to their Common Room where they had set-up a mock Speech Day. They were giving out all kinds of awards and the tears were flowing. They thought they would not be back on campus. As it was, they finished the HSC in pretty good shape. It was Year 12/2021 who had the bigger challenge. They went into lockdown #1 at a critical time in their learning, only to then have to go into lockdown #2 for the latter part of their studies in 2022. I have written a ‘Whole Cohort’ misadventure submission for them. Their HSC Trial results indicated that they were collectively well behind our regular program. Whilst other schools have conducted every Chemistry practical and practised each Drama piece in full, whilst they have had uninterrupted access to Music teachers and their instruments and have started revising the whole course in September, our students have not been able to conduct experiments or drama pieces or music performances or begin revision. Our teachers have gone the extra mile time and again and have done a sterling job. Compared to schools that are not in a lockdown LGA, our students have been slowed down. Zoom itself is reason enough to indicate this: it is hard to get effective discussion happening on Zoom. I thank Ms Pollett, our Heads of Faculty, Heads of Year and teachers, for the superb job they did getting ready for exams with Rapid Antigen Testing, then turning around to run them all on Exam Net when the Premier suddenly changed course. It was a huge job, but

Students awaiting Rapid Antigen Testing during the 2021 Covid-19 lockdown. Trial HSC examinations, September 2021.

“PLC Sydney announced online learning a few days before Premier Berejiklian told our community that we would be going into lockdown. I was worried that we could have cases and potentially deaths. I think all school leaders felt the burden of the safety of their schools.” we were committed to full exams, in order to prepare our students well. Year 12 finished in great spirits. Our final farewell events were online, but I think we still honoured them.

Mr Heap has been superb. He has cut together so many online events. Not every Year 12 student follows instructions well! We asked each student to send in a five second wave goodbye. He had to put some Year

12 videos on slow motion to make them reach the five seconds! The final product though was excellent. Here we are now, the HSC exams have finished, out of lockdown and free. We are OK. Our community is positive and strong. I am reminded of the words of our chaplaincy captain at the final assembly. They come from 1 Corinthians. ‘Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ... That is why we never give up.’ We feel the sense that we are loved by God, even though life gives us challenges. Dr Paul Burgis Principal

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

EXPEDITION TO THE ECLIPSE The night of 26 May marked an important event in the astronomical calendar: the first visible total lunar eclipse in Australia since 2018. To commemorate the occasion, we held the ‘Expedition to the Eclipse’, a Science Festival run by students for students.

Preparations began in Term 4 of 2020, with a group of passionate students from Years 7-12, meeting weekly with Mrs Hendriks and STEM Captain Julia Cummins, to plan the event. Throughout the night, there was the opportunity to participate in a range of fun-filled science activities— from telescope making and rocket launching, to puppet and owl shows— all the while dressed in a spacedthemed costume! Gathering to watch the stunning blood moon at the end of the night topped off an incredible experience—one that could only be described as ‘out of this world’! Marina Ruan, Year 11 STEM Captain 2022

How fortunate, grateful and thankful we are for being able to witness the total lunar eclipse on a clear night, having had a sausage sizzle and waffles from a food truck. The Expedition to the Eclipse was a student-led event held to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy witnessing a natural phenomenon with the use of telescopes and scientific understanding. As the event planning evolved it became a cross-curricular event with the Big Band, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Strings playing and entertaining us on the night. The Chinese Club made and presented a moon shadow puppet show, and the Junior School Science and IT team produced an array of activities to do with the exploration of the solar system. Volunteers from Year 10, 11 and 12 students escorted Year 5 and 6 students to a variety of activities on the night adding to a real sense of community. I believe the highlight for many students was the owl show in the Audrey Keown Theatre and the Invertebrate House with fluorescent beetles and beasts. The telescopes manned by PLC Sydney staff, BINTEL astronomers and the Chalmers, Cummins and Yilan/Chow families were viewed with amazement and wonder by all. There were two highlights for me: the first was observing students looking up at the eclipse from all around the school, listening and in some cases dancing to the music from the Big Band. And the second, was the team work and laughter when the students organising the Science Festival put together 400 lava lamp kits, 300 show bags, 300 telescope kits and 400 rocket launching kits in the weeks leading to the event. The students who organised the event led by Julia Cummins should be very proud. Mrs Fiona Hendriks Science Teacher

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Festival Highlights The festival was an evening full of fun space-themed science events and activities including rocket launchers, make your own telescopes, fluorescent events (making lava lamps and viewing fluorescent insects in the Invertebrate House), meeting owls and of course, viewing the eclipse. Highlights also included the art and cake competitions. One of the most popular and thrilling events of the night was the Owl Show—a big thank you to the Feathered Friends for coming in and presenting a breathtaking and knowledgeable performance. From barn and sooty owls, to the curlew bird—a crowd favourite after falling off the AKT stage and running through the aisles, allowing the girls to gently pet it. The owls soared powerfully over the girls’ heads with their immense wingspans, and everyone left the show delighted, and yes, we had a hoot! One of the music performances for the night was the Wind Ensemble performance at the top of Hamilton in the new Multipurpose Centre. Wind Ensemble performed the pieces “Mars”, “Jupiter”, “Gladiator” and “Toy Story”, conducted by Mr Harper. The space-themed music was chosen to

reflect the most important event of the night, the lunar eclipse. Shortly after the performance, the audience

presented a fantastic show. And finally, the biggest, warmest thank you to Ms Hendriks and Julia Cummins.

The owls soared powerfully over the girls’ heads with their immense wingspans, and everyone left the show delighted, and yes, we had a hoot! went out onto the balcony to watch the eclipse. The performance was a great success. The rocket stall involved making and launching rockets, and was very popular throughout the night. At the beginning of the night, Year 10 and 11 committee members ran the stall and helped the Year 5 and 6 students to make their rocket. Each rocket had up to four fins and was personalised with each customer’s name. The rockets were launched using special equipment provided by Dr Van Heerden. At the end of the night, the rockets were left on the field to see which one had gone the furthest. The Science Festival Committee would like to thank the Year 10 peer support leaders and Year 11 and 12 prefects for their leadership on the night, in leading the Junior School students. Thank you to the invertebrate team, coordinated by Ms Blount, who

Eshwari Surendran, Michelle Hong, Jennifer Su, Amy Feng, Jenny Liu, Madeline Chang, Year 10 Anastasia Prokhorov, Tessa Pavlis, Isabelle Ho Shon, Sasha Prokhorov, Year 9

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL MODELLING CHALLENGE For five consecutive days in March, we participated in the International Mathematical Modelling Challenge (IMMC). This competition is open to all Australian high school students; winners of this competition are then judged internationally. Contestants are given a detailed scenario and have to produce a 20-page report involving comprehensive analysis using mathematical models of their own creation. In 2021, the scenario involved determining the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in two sports. In the end, we were awarded National Finalists with Honourable Mention, placing us sixth overall in Australia. We were also the youngest placing team with all teams placed higher than us containing Year 11 and 12 students. There were no other placing teams with Year 9 students. You can see the full results at www.immchallenge.org.au/results. Unfortunately some of our names are rendered incorrectly.

For the scenario, there were four parts: 1. Who is the GOAT (greatest of all time) of female tennis players in 2018 based on Grand Slam Results? • We had to create a mathematical model using a variety of aspects that would contribute to the system we used for scoring. We considered the important components of a tennis game carefully before deciding upon three main areas: achievements, stability and resilience. We used statistics to support each of these, hoping to produce a result that would be a combination of these aspects. Through trial and error, we repeatedly evaluated the value assigned to each variable. In the end, we were able to arrive at a ranking system which we used to determine the GOAT.

• To present our results in a format that showed comparison between players, we used the concept of the ‘perfect player’. This ‘perfect player’ was not one of the candidates for the GOAT, rather, a hypothetical player who would achieve a perfect score of 100. Based on this, we scaled our variables and found the percentage for each player being considered. The closest to the ‘perfect player’ that we had was Simona Halep with a score of 41.98% followed by Angelique Kerber (39.32%) and Caroline Wozniacki (37.80%). Naomi Osaka (37.63%) and Serena Williams (36.64%) were 4th and 5th respectively. This shows that humans still have room to improve our physical capabilities, but also how difficult it is to develop as a tennis player as it involves a large range of skills and techniques. 2. Extend the model to another individual sport • When looking for another individual sport, we aimed to find a sport that was not as well known, yet involved different and interesting characteristics to explore. • We chose snooker and implemented a model similar to the one we had for tennis. However, this scenario involved looking at the actual greatest of all time (rather than the greatest of 2018), meaning we had a lot more data and variables to work with. • We used the same general concepts (ie. ‘perfect player’); however, our variables were focusing on what we considered to be important in snooker: consistency, comparison and achievements. This required a lot of extra research on the sport itself and how they were generally scored in a game.

Julia Fang, Lydia Kim, Anastasia Prokhorov and Amy Feng participated in the International Mathematical Modelling Challenge and were awarded National Finalists with Honourable Mention, and secured sixth overall in Australia.

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• According to our model, we found that the player closest to the ‘perfect player’ in snooker was Ronnie O’Sullivan, landing with an overall 13.64%. This was followed by Judd Trump (13.49%), Ding Junhui (11.36%) and Neil Robertson (11.01%). Although players showed skills in particular areas, it is evident

Overall, our team worked very well together, and were able to harness the different strengths of our team in order to allocate members the roles that they would be able to do the best in. that it is difficult to become a ‘perfect player’. This is because a perfect player has reached the score of 100% for every variable, which is quite impossible due to human errors. 3. Describe the changes necessary for the model in order to find the GOAT in terms of team sports • In summary, we considered the fact that each player has their own role, and makes their own contributions alongside collaborating with the rest of the team. Therefore, we established that GOAT in terms of team sports must be evaluated in relation to the individual players of the team. • We explained our considerations of a player’s physiological, tactical, technical, and psychological capabilities • Physiological: Strength, power, agility, coordination, etc. • Tactical: Team’s ability to work together, communicate • Technical: Recovery, speed, control, offence/defence

• Psychological: concentration, motivation, sportsmanship • This shows that a lot of knowledge and everyday observations in the sport field are required to fully understand the concepts lying underneath. Mathematics modelling isn’t only about calculations, but about understanding the topic of interest and how things work in real life. 4. Letter to the director of a sports magazine explaining our findings • We wrote a letter summarising our key findings and a brief description of our model addressed to the director of a sports magazine, who was said to be a fan of our chosen sport (snooker). While working, everyone had a specific role that they played in order to equally distribute the workload and increase efficiency. Amy was responsible for the collection and analysis of data from many different sources for both sports, as well as compiling the data using spreadsheets and a Python program. Anastasia wrote up many mathematical

concepts using sophisticated, concise and understandable language. She also did a lot of writing and editing towards creating the final report. Lydia helped with the general research and was in charge of researching snooker in order for the team to achieve a thorough understanding and henceforth create a thoughtful solution. Julia evaluated the important variables to be considered for each sport and created the formulas by adjusting the weighting given to each variable. (Based on her own experience, Julia also provided the rest of the team with valuable insight about tennis.) Overall, our team worked very well together, and were able to harness the different strengths of our team in order to allocate members the roles that they would be able to do the best in. By participating in this competition, our team members each gained valuable experience working together as a team, providing us an opportunity to exchange and bounce off each other’s ideas and opinions. We found that through this experience, we gained the ability to learn and develop skills such as problem solving, time management, researching and organisation. As this competition is an annual occurrence, we look forward to participating in it in following years, with more experience and knowledge gained. Julia Fang, Lydia Kim, Anastasia Prokhorov, Year 9 and Amy Feng, Year 10

SAVE THE DATE 2022 DRAMA PRODUCTIONS Staff and students from the Drama Faculty are working hard to deliver an amazing line-up of performances in 2022. We are looking forward to welcoming audiences back to the Audrey Keown Theatre next year—we hope to see you there!

MIDDLE YEARS PRODUCTION

CARLTON CUP

Wendy & Peter Pan

Theatresports

5 & 6 April, 6.30 pm

16 March, 7.00pm

PLC SYDNEY MUSICAL Oliver 27 April, 6.30 pm: Junior School Preview Night 28 & 29 April, 7.30 pm

Keep an eye on Notices next year for ticket sale information or follow us on Instagram. @plcsydneyperformingarts

30 April, 6.30 pm

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

Emma Furlan, Year 4, Trumpet

Evelyn Cahill, Year 8, Trombone

PERFORMING ARTS CREATIVITY THRIVES DURING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS Semester 2 has been such a creative time in the world of Music and Dance. Learning to sing and play an instrument is not about working towards a performance.

Semester 1 were adapted to become the Macindoe in Lockdown Concert series where students submitted a video to be included in a half hour weekly concert. This allowed the students to not only work on practising and aiming for a goal of perfecting a piece of music ready for performance, they had to work on their video editing skills to create the end goal of a video that had visual clarity and was well balanced.

There are so many individual skills developed and benefits in the activity of playing music whether it’s in a performance, in a private lesson or simply having fun playing at home. Semester 2 allowed the world of individual music making to flourish. Private Music lessons continued online via zoom over the semester allowing the students to continue to learn and make music. New skills were developed that would not have happened if we were not in lockdown.

These concerts were amazing and everyone who took part must be congratulated. Performances included amazing solo piano works, virtuosic instrumental solos with accompaniment whether it was flute, clarinet, french horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, drum kit, bass guitar, cello, or even beat boxing. Many students created wonderful videos of themselves singing over background rock or pop bands, or incredibly edited choreographed dance videos. Amazing student compositions were featured as well, as a result of the wonderful work our students do in the Compositional Club. Special thanks must go to Mr Malcolm Heap for his amazing work in editing the final video each week.

PLC Sydney Music students have been working very hard on their solo performance skills. The Friday lunchtime Macindoe concerts in

Natalie Iacullo, Year 10, Drums

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

In addition to the opportunity of taking part in the Macindoe Lockdown Concert series, many PLC Sydney students submitted performance videos to Solo competitions within the local or wider community. A number of students took part in the recent Ryde Eisteddfod with numerous 1st, 2nd and 3rd placings awarded. On a wider scale, some students submitted videos in Australia wide competitions such as the Australian International

Music Competition or even on an international level such as the Singapore Raffles International Music Festival, again receiving well earned placings. It may have appeared as a quiet semester for our larger groups however most ensembles met on a weekly basis via zoom and rehearsed in very creative ways or focused on developing new skills. These skills included learning to conduct where students learnt the basics of conducting techniques by focusing on the repertoire to be played in the future. This gave the students the opportunity to express the music through their hands instead of their instruments. Students in the jazz bands focused on learning how to improvise by listening to music and playing along with backing tracks, whilst other groups had special guest clinicians attend their zoom meetings. The Dance Troupes also met regularly. They worked so hard on preparing for their performance in the Wakakirri Eisteddfod which unfortunately moved from being postponed to eventually cancelled. It is hoped that the troupes will record and release a short video showcasing their wonderful work over this semester. Congratulations and thanks must go to all students and staff who have continued to show their enthusiasm in creating exciting, wonderful and entertaining opportunities and performances. Mr Philip Harper Director of Performing Arts Coordinator of Bands

WORKING WITH THE JUVENILIA PRESS: STUDENTS EDIT AND PUBLISH THE JUVENILE WRITING OF FELICIA HEMANS Seven PLC Year 11 students have been working with the Juvenilia Press in editing the juvenile poems of Felicia Browne, the child who became the noted nineteenth-century British poet, Felicia Hemans.

Felicia Hemans: Selected Early Poems has been launched.

Emily Le, Marina Ruan, Imogen Sabey, Nicoletta Staphopoulos, Jemima Wall, Katherine Zhang and Yvonne Zhao have worked enthusiastically to produce a volume of substance and significance. Felicia Hemans: Selected Early Poems has been launched.

and annotate, developing skills in research and critical writing. The initial poem in the volume, addressed to a family friend and her patron, Lady Kirkwall, acknowledges her recognition of these early poems as “youthful vows to Poesy” that she intends to form “the future path I tread” and the student editors noted the growing maturity and assurance of the young poet. They were able to work with original manuscripts provided by the New York Public Library and the library of the University of Liverpool, England.

The Juvenilia Press, based in the School of the Arts and Media, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at the University of New South Wales Sydney, is an academic teaching program usually involving post-graduate students. Our students have been privileged to work in this project and have been developing skills in research, editing, annotating and designing as they worked with myself as mentoring editor, and international scholar Professor Christine Alexander. Researching the life and times of Felicia Hemans allowed the students to understand the changes that the Romantic Revolution brought to life and art at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and to appreciate the difficulties involved in becoming a published poet, especially as a woman. Felicia Browne was born in 1793 in Liverpool, England, but by the time she

was six years old, her family had moved to Gwrych in North Wales because of her father’s bankruptcy. Not many years later, he left the family to seek financial security for them in Canada but died before he achieved this. Growing up in a setting that she adored, the young Felicia was able to view the Welsh landscape through the lens of Romanticism, and her early poems reflect a fascination with landscape and the imagination. She read widely from an early age and her prodigious memory of this reading is evident in her youthful poems, where she quotes William Shakespeare, John Milton, Alexander Pope, William Collins and Robert Bloomfield, among others. As a juvenile poet, Felicia Browne was well aware of those who preceded her, and those whom she wished to emulate. In 1808, when she was fourteen, Felicia’s first volume of poems was published, with a long list of subscribers that included the Prince of Wales. The students researched the significance of such lists in publishing as they explored the process of publication. From this volume, they selected poems to edit

Professor Christine Alexander introducing the students to the genre and history of Juvenilia.

In 1812, and nearly nineteen, Felicia Browne married Captain Alfred Hemans, a wounded veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, and had five sons in quick succession. In 1818, by the time the fifth was born, Captain Hemans had left his family to live in Rome (“for his health”) and Felicia Hemans was left to raise her young family initially with the assistance of her mother, and largely from the proceeds of having her poems published. She died in 1835, but her works continued to be popular for much of the nineteenth century, especially her poem “Casabianca” that famously begins “The boy stood on the burning deck”. This has been a journey of well over twelve months for the young editors. Sadly, they have had a virtual rather than a physical book launch, but you can still purchase a copy of their beautifully produced volume through the Juvenilia Press website (https://bit.ly/3qrAs2J) or by contacting Pamela Nutt at pnutt@ plc.nsw.edu.au. The Virtual Book Launch can be viewed at PLC Sydney’s YouTube Channel (https://youtu.be/PGLSpgLgz_Y). Mrs Pamela Nutt Juvenilia Coordinator, English Faculty

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

OLYMPIC GAMES FOR SCIENCE THINKERS Did you know that every year there are Olympic Games for Science? These are called the International Science Olympiads and are held in a different country each year, with teams competing from all over the world. The selection process begins with the Australian Science Olympiad Exams.

Olivia Stavrakis (left) was invited to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School and Amy Feng to the Junior Science Olympiad Spring School.

Annabelle Qui (left) and Jessica Chen were invited to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School and Annabelle was also invited to the Chemistry Olympiad Summer School.

The Australian Science Olympiad Examinations are held every year in August for high school students in the subjects of Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental and Junior Science. PLC Sydney offers a fortnightly tutorial program run by dedicated teachers to help students prepare for these exams. Ms Grundy conducts the Biology tutorials, Mrs McGrouther conducts the Chemistry and Mr Trimble the Physics. Any interested senior student is welcome to attend; we highly recommend going if you are serious about getting some preparation out of the way before the exam, or just want to learn more about Science.

26 top-performing students from across Australia in each subject area (exciting!). This year, the following students were invited: Amy Feng (Year 10), to the Junior Science Olympiad Spring School; Annabelle Qiu (Year 11), to the Chemistry Olympiad Summer School; and Jessica Chen (Year 11) and Olivia Stavrakis (Year 10) to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School. Annabelle was also selected for the 2020 Chemistry Summer School.

If you do really well in the Australian Science Olympiad Examinations, you may be invited to attend one of the Science Summer Schools. This is an intensive program, lasting two and a half weeks, where the equivalent of first year university content is taught to the

by Annabelle Qui

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD AND SUMMER SCHOOL While the Chemistry Olympiad exam is known for being challenging, I found it to be a very rewarding and fun experience. Although some background knowledge is definitely ideal for tackling

the problems, the exams are more focused on finding what you can do with the information given. You need to be versatile in your thinking, and I find that it’s the process of problem solving and working out difficult problems that makes the Olympiad really enjoyable. Unfortunately, the 2021 Chemistry Summer School was online due to Covid-19, however, it was still a really great opportunity to (virtually) meet like-minded students from across the country, many of whom I still talk with frequently. The program definitely lived up to its reputation of being extremely challenging. Each day was packed with new content to learn, taught through a series of lectures spanning many hours. What made it so fun though, was that the tutors were all really friendly people, easy to talk to, and they kept the whole program engaging. Overall, Summer School was a very worthwhile experience despite the drawbacks of lockdown.

JUNIOR SCIENCE OLYMPIAD by Amy Feng

Annabelle Qiu and Amy Feng (right) highly recommend the Australian Science Olympiads for students looking for a challenge.

Student Testimonies

The Junior Science Olympiad, for students in Years 7 to 10, is of course, challenging. But with the challenge comes the reward of working through problems that you would otherwise have little exposure to. The exam focuses on juggling knowledge and logic; using the content you learn in school and holding it up to a different lens; taking it apart and piecing it back together. Although all of the problems are multiple choice, you have the opportunity to explain your reasoning on a few of the questions. Quick tip: I highly recommend doing this if you have some time to spare at the end of the exam (especially if you’re serious about aiming for Summer School, because these help to differentiate between candidates!).

“I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Science Olympiads Program. The two Olympiads I participated in, Chemistry and Junior Science, stimulated and pushed me further than the school Science curriculum. In particular, I believed I acquired valuable knowledge in the Chemistry Olympiad sessions which interested me and led me to choose Chemistry as an HSC subject. I am thankful to the school for offering such a wonderful opportunity for us.” Stella Lin (Year 10)

“The Olympiad program brought me an excellent opportunity to explore the areas of my favourite Science subjects that I would probably have never come across otherwise. Overall, the skills and content I learnt were applied widely throughout the remainder of my Science studies at PLC.” Angela Liu (Year 11)

“The Australian Science Olympiads are an excellent opportunity for keen students to challenge themselves and excel outside the classroom. You will be exposed to concepts beyond the curriculum, whilst being supported by the tutorial programs offered at school. We both highly recommend anyone who is interested in Science and looking for a challenge to participate!” Amy Feng, Year 10 and Annabelle Qiu, Year 11

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

Students assembled a battery operated pencil sharpener as part of their Year 8 Design and Technology project

EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE OF ENGINEERED SYSTEMS In our second year of delivering engineered systems, a component of the revised Stage 4 curriculum, Year 8 Design and Technology students enthusiastically accepted the challenge to create a promotional campaign to encourage young girls to engage in STEM and engineering. As part of the project our young engineers all created a battery operated pencil sharpener, assembling a functional product from a range of component parts. Animated gifs were then created to further enhance the interactive nature of their website designs. A fun modification to the project, during the online learning experience, included working collaboratively to design a marble run challenge using objects found within the home.

adorable husky was born with deformed front legs and paws. It was impossible for him to walk around like other dogs. Derby had the good fortune of being fostered by Tara who was able to develop custom prosthetics made with 3D printing technology. Derby can now function much like any other dog. This is just one of the many stories featured on the engaging websites designed by our caring and passionate young ladies.

This project was influenced by existing promotional strategies such as the Tech girls movement and inspired engineered solutions. Our girls were particularly encouraged by engineer Tara Anderson and her work with Derby the Dog. This

Head of Technological and Applied Studies

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

Ms Jo Herrmann

HOW DOES THE VIOLIN SAW ITS TOOTH?

Named in honour of Australia’s first Nobel Laureates William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg, the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing recognises outstanding non-fiction writing on science. High school students were invited to submit 800-word essays in response to the 2021 theme: The STEM in Everyday Life.

violin to optimally produce sound. Although we call these holes the ‘f-holes’, they are the long and descending ‘s’ used in Latin and Italian!

Stephanie Chew has been awarded as Runner-up the 2021 UNSW Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing. In her essay “How does the violin saw its tooth?” Stephanie explores the complicated science behind how a violin produces sound. We share Stephanie’s impressive essay below:

How do these f-holes work? Well, they act as air-filled cavities that have a neck. This is called a ‘Helmholtz resonator’. Here, the volume of air in and near the open holes vibrates because of the springiness of the air inside. When the body vibrates, the volume of air inside also vibrates. This produces pressure fluctuations in the air which eventually leaves through the f-holes. If the f-holes are placed too far apart, the sound becomes rough. If placed too close together, the plate cannot vibrate properly, and the sound becomes ‘pinched’. If the f-hole is too wide, then the violin lacks the ability to project sound. Makris, a professor at MIT, showed that the f-hole length used by the masters increased the air-resonance power from their predecessors by approximately 60 per cent!

It has been said by Isserlis, a British cellist, that Bach’s music shows us God’s view of the world, Mozart’s music is like a part of nature and Beethoven’s music speaks for all mankind. And the heart of it all is the amazing sound players release from their instruments. When I play Bach’s Sonata No. 2 on my violin, I’m whisked into a whirlpool of emotions, with excitement, sorrow and joy combining into one. The calming melody in the third movement flows over a steady baseline, and the sound from the violin soulfully cries out to the listener. I marvel at my violin’s ability to create polyphonic voices, voices that would otherwise take multiple singers to produce. Where does the violin’s mysterious ability to create sounds that strongly connect with human emotions come from? The answer lies in the combination of the player and the carefully calibrated design factors in the body of the violin that together create the sublime sound.

The top and back plates of the violin’s body perfectly encapsulate the physics behind sound production. The masters established the ideal thickness and arching of these plates for optimal vibration and sound production. By tapping on the plate and listening to the resulting sound, they were able to tune the plates and scrape them to the desired thickness for easy vibration. This practice survives today.

The process starts when the bow is drawn across the strings. Friction causes the string to move. Helmholtz, a German physicist, showed that this is a ‘slip-stick’ motion that occurs hundreds of times per second. The string travels with the bow for some time (the stick), then slips in the other direction, before sticking to the bow again. The resulting wave looks like the teeth on a saw, so it’s called the ‘sawtooth wave’!

Thanks to research in 1787 by Chladni, a German physicist and musician, modern luthiers can better understand how these plates resonate by using Chladni patterns to visualise the vibrations on these plates. Symmetrical plates produce symmetrical Chladni patterns. These patterns help modern luthiers adjust the symmetry of the plate to optimise sound production and propagation.

The vibrational energy from the strings is then transferred to the body of the violin and the vibrations are transformed into sound. This is where the magic occurs. The body acts like a loudspeaker cone, with the greatest influence coming from its top and back plates.

Finally, resonance features heavily in sound production in a violin. This sound is comprised of its fundamental frequency (measured in Hertz) and associated harmonics (i.e., multiples of the fundamental frequency). When the open A string (with a fundamental frequency of 440Hz) is played on the violin, it also produces sound at the harmonics (i.e., 880Hz, 1320Hz etc.). The E string (with a fundamental frequency of 660Hz) also vibrates, as 1320Hz is a common multiple. This is called resonance. Generally, the more intense and balanced the combination of fundamental frequencies and harmonics, the better the sound.

In the twelfth century, Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician, described the Fibonacci series. By taking one number in the series and dividing it by the two preceding numbers, we get a ratio of approximately 1.6. This is called the ‘Golden Ratio’. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, master luthiers, such as Amati and Stradivarius, applied the Golden Ratio to perfect the geometrical proportions and the form of the violin. As deviations from these proportions can reduce the acoustical properties of the violin, they have continued relatively unchanged to this day. The masters further perfected the shape, length and location of the two sound holes on the violin’s top plate. These help the

Understanding these scientific fundamentals helps us appreciate the complicated process behind the way a violin produces sound. For the modern luthiers, this helps them replicate old master violins and to create acoustically better and more powerful violins. Stephanie Chew, Year 8 ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

CHALLENGING YET FUN: ONLINE SCIENCE IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL Teaching Science online to Junior School students during the learning from home period was challenging yet fun. Lessons were created which were hands-on and usually included an instructional video created by myself, the Junior School Science Coordinator. In fact, during this lockdown period, I made more than 50 videos for the girls which demonstrated experiments and other activities that they had the opportunity to complete at home. I based the ideas for the lessons on the units of work that would have been taught if we were at school. In many cases, this created amazing opportunities for the girls to do more extensive and individual experimentation that would have been more limited in the classroom environment. Many of the instructional videos demonstrated experiments for the girls to carry out. I endeavoured wherever possible to ensure the experiment videos were personalised to our girls and not simply taken from YouTube. Some of the experiments included using cups to investigate sound amplification, the importance of water for blooming flowers and the effect of salinity on the growth and survival of plants. PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

Model making was another task students participated in during online Science. Models are frequently used in Science to help understand complex concepts and as a learning tool. Models were presented to the students

Sustainable energy production was also investigated and Year 4 students made their own model windmills to investigate the effect of blade size on energy efficiency. Cooking is a great scientific task too. When students cook they follow instructions (like a scientific method) and if they do this well, their product (results) should taste good. During online learning, various cooking tasks were carried out for Science by the students at home. Year 2 students had the opportunity to make butter and ricotta cheese whilst Year 3 students made their own chocolate spiders.

During online learning, various cooking tasks were carried out for Science by the students at home. Year 2 students had the opportunity to make butter and ricotta cheese whilst Year 3 students made their own chocolate spiders. to help understand adaptations of turtles and mangroves and also when experimenting to investigate how hair can prevent heat transfer. They also used paper clips on water to model how a large surface area is useful in spreading the force of a huge animal like a polar bear walking on ice.

PLC Sydney is fortunate to have the wonderful expertise of the Animals Program. During online learning, Science and Technology classes had the opportunity to utilise this resource with Laura Howell producing videos to incorporate into lessons. One example was a wonderful movie for Year 6

“The depth of learning and engagement through these longer-term tasks was found to be ‘some of the best learning we’ve ever done’ as stated by several students.” students in which she showed the environmental benefits and detriments of many invertebrates. This was highly engaging and a great way for the girls to reconnect with their school. Journals were introduced to some students as a way of recording scientific information and observations. Year 6 were learning about the sustainable production of food so they created field journals to document their own growing of tomatoes (from ripe tomatoes) in pots compared to those grown in terrariums (representing hydroponics). Year 5 students were learning about astronomy and our place in space. These students created their own astronomical journals which proved to be astronomical in content and quality. The depth of learning and engagement through these longer-term tasks was found to be “some of the best learning we’ve ever done” as stated by several students. So, although learning Science at school in the classroom is a wonderful, quite unique opportunity here at PLC Sydney, the activities and lessons provided online were fun, high quality and engaging. Mrs Annie Martin Junior School Science Coordinator

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

BOARDERS’ GAIN JOB-READY SKILLS AT SCHOOL Set within five hectares of manicured gardens and courtyards, PLC Sydney’s Boarding House is home to girls from Years 7 to 12. The girls benefit from being located in the heart of the school, with easy access to before and after school activities—they could be in the pool or on the tennis court before school or rehearsing in the Performing Arts Centre after school. With a co-curricular program offering more than 50 activities in the Senior School, there is something for everyone at PLC Sydney. In years past, Boarders were often at a disadvantage when they left school and looked for employment while undertaking further study or starting out in their chosen career. Living on campus throughout their senior years meant they were unable to secure after school or weekend jobs. However, as many aspects of boarding life have evolved over time, so too has this. PLC Sydney Boarders who are 16 years and over, have the opportunity to participate in paid work on the College grounds before and after school. Possibilities include working with Junior School students in Before School Care, assisting at the Tutoring Centre, helping the swimming coaches at the pool and supporting the Gymnastics program. Apart from earning pocket money, there are many benefits for the girls. “Working on campus really gives the girls an opportunity for personal growth. They learn job skills and how to communicate with colleagues in a team environment. I see Year 10 Boarder Bronte Runciman runs her own cake them grow in confidence as they take on more responsibility. making and decorating business baking_bronte. The girls have to be reliable and if they are unable to attend their allocated shift, they have to find a suitable replacement—the girls understand “The College has been really supportive in that people are relying on them,” says Director of Boarding Ms Pauline Turner.

allowing me to move my business to school.

Year 10 Boarder, Bronte Runciman, from They even put in a small oven within the House Comobella in northern NSW, so that I can bake on the weekends” loves to bake. In fact she has her at the school. That’s just definitely something that she’d never own cake making and decorating be able to do at home”, said Nadine. business that she runs off her Instagram page baking_bronte. Ms Turner says that Bronte’s cakes are beautiful. “I think all our “The College has been really students get inspired by watching girls achieve their dreams. supportive in allowing me to move For some girls, they watch for a while and then they’ll try things. It’s just a matter of seeing there are options out there for them my business to school. They even to take up.” put in a small oven within the House so that I can bake on the weekends” “The opportunity for paid employment on College grounds says Bronte. allows the students to work in a safe environment, learning skills that will set them up for employment once they leave Bronte’s Mum, Nadine, has been school. Being able to add these skills to their resume allows blown away by the opportunities them to gain part-time work while attending university or available at the school. “Bronte’s doing an elective called assists in developing their career post-secondary school.” Enterprise, so earlier this year she was able to have a stall. She actually baked 200 cupcakes and 100 macarons and iced cookies in the Boarding House and then sold them at a stall

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

SARAH SETS HER SIGHTS ON PARIS Year 12 student, Sarah Clifton-Bligh, is one of four proud recipients of the 2021-22 Kurt Fearnley Scholarship. The scholarship program is a joint venture between Commonwealth Games Australia and the Carbine Club of NSW to target talented individual para-sport athletes in NSW who received minimal funding from existing programs. Coached by Paralympic legend Louise Savage, Sarah Clifton-Bligh is a wheelchair racer in the T33 classification. At 17 years of age, Sarah is a talented all-rounder having competed in both track racing and field events such as the seated throws, but has become one to watch in the wheelchair racing world. The scholarship provides financial support and Sarah is hoping to use this to travel with the National Wheelchair Track and Road Squad to the Swiss National Championships and an international wheelchair track race series in Switzerland next year. “The fastest wheelchair track in the world is in Switzerland and I am hoping to make qualifying times for the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships. The scholarship also provides access to the NSW Institute of Sport support and facilities, which will be wonderful,” Sarah said. When asked how she became involved in wheelchair sports Sarah said “Having seen another young athlete on the racing track in his own racing trackchair,she turned to her mum and said I want to do that.” Sarah began racing after being lent the famous "blue chair", which has been shared among wheelchair racing icons such as Kurt Fearnley and Angie Ballard. 2021 has been particularly hard for Year 12 students, wth the uncertainty around the HSC and very little contact in their cohort. Many of the usual 'rights of passage' events have been cancelled or conducted online.

For Sarah, the Covid-19 lockdown also affected her training regime. “I couldn’t train on the track but I trained with rollers on Zoom every Saturday with the other junior wheelies, which really helped my mental health during lockdown,'' Sarah said. “Although both the IGSSA and CIS Athletics Championships were cancelled due to Covid, I was lucky enough to compete at the NSW State and National Championships. They were both pretty hard this year as there was no real competition leading up to the events.” Even under what has been pretty challenging conditions for all sports men and women in 2021, Sarah achieved a PB for her 100m race at the AIS track in Canberra. With a time of under 24 seconds, this win has ranked her number 1 in the world.

“With a time of under 24 seconds, this win has ranked her number 1 in the world.” Sarah has her sights now firmly set on the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and is hoping to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and World Championships in Kobe, Japan, next year. Looking to the future, Sarah hopes to support and mentor emerging wheelchair athletes, just as she is being supported and mentored now. She is also planning to establish her own business making and selling clothes designed especially for people in wheelchairs. With role models such as Louise Sauvage, and the opportunity to mentor with Kurt Fearnley as part of her scholarship, we think the future is bright for this aspiring young para-athlete. ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

VENTILATION TESTING OF CLASSROOMS PROVIDES A ‘REAL LIFE’ OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENT LEARNING Prior to the return to face to face learning in Term 4, all of the rooms throughout PLC Sydney underwent ventilation testing to ensure a safe return to campus for staff and students. Year 11 students Lilian Stock and Marina Ruan had the opportunity to learn and participate in the application of STEM outside of the classroom learning environment. On Wednesday 13 October STEM Captain 2022, Marina Ruan and I, Environment and Sustainability Captain 2022, were able to learn the processes and help PLC Sydney’s lab technicians and maintenance staff do ventilation testing of two classrooms alongside Mrs Kate Cole. Mrs Cole is currently the Occupational Health and Hygiene Manager at NSW Transport, with background training in Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, she is also a parent of the school. Initially arriving at the school, we QR coded in and went through the Rapid Antigen Testing systems in place in Thompson Hall. We then headed up to the new science rooms to do a trial test of the classroom. Put simply, the testing included using dry ice, which sublimes to carbon dioxide, to “flood” the room. We would then open windows and doors and turn fans and air conditioning on and would monitor how long it took for the carbon dioxide to leave the room.

With the help of Mr Heap, we filmed the process in order to communicate to other school students what was happening and how it would ensure that we stayed safe. This is an important element of science, not only running trials and experiments but finding ways to communicate information simply. Throughout the day we were able to ask Mrs Cole further questions and she explained subjects such as the importance of mask wearing coupled with good ventilation, how we can best wear our masks (ensure there is no gap on the sides by tying knots), how really small particles of vapour of our saliva are left in the air when just breathing that could contain harmful pathogens and, of course, the importance of learning science! Ultimately it was an enjoyable and engaging experience and I thank Mrs Emanuel, Mrs Chiba and Mrs McGrouther for allowing us to be involved. Lilian Stock, Year 11 Environment and Sustainability Captain 2022

The carbon dioxide from the dry ice acts as a surrogate, or substitute, for airborne particles such as infectious Covid-19 particles. We breathe out carbon dioxide and therefore, a person infected with Covid-19 would breathe out carbon dioxide containing infectious particles. A classroom with good ventilation is able to quickly remove stale air and introduce fresh air, which helps to move any infectious particles out of the air we are breathing in. Good ventilation in a room helps reduce our risk of getting infected. By measuring how quickly the carbon dioxide leaves a classroom, the ventilation rate of that classroom can be determined. With this data, the school was able to make informed decisions around the school to protect us as we returned to face-to-face learning. This was a memorable and unique experience to be a part of, as well as an incredible opportunity to see STEM being applied in our everyday lives. While listening to Mrs Cole, we were able to gain a better understanding about the importance of STEM and the many different careers that are possible. Thank you to the maintenance team, lab technicians and Mr Welsh for carrying out these experiments around the school! Marina Ruan, Year 11 STEM Captain 2022 Mrs Kate Cole (left) explains to Lilian Stock (centre) and Marina Ruan how the carbon dioxide from the dry ice acts as a or substitute, for airborne particles such as infectious Covid-19 particles.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

60 SECONDS WITH ...

MRS ALISON LLOYD Junior School Visual Arts Coordinator Have you always been a teacher or have you had other careers before teaching? I was a Photographer prior to going back and doing my Grad Dip Ed in Secondary Visual Arts Education. I went to New York wanting to be a famous photographer but came back after a few months with my tail between my legs! I still had a lot to learn about the photographic industry! What led you to a career in education? My dad, who is also a teacher, told me that I needed to get a 'real' job with a consistent income! At first I was not interested, but I think it was what I was meant to do— I love inspiring little artists! What has been your greatest challenge in the classroom? Trying not to laugh when a student says something funny but that is not necessarily appropriate. I remember this happening when I was teaching at an independent boys school and I had to hide my face in my scarf!

“There is no right or wrong in my classroom.” What do you find most rewarding about teaching? When I am able to help a student believe in themselves and create an artwork that they didn't think they could produce. Do you have a most memorable career point to date? I think the moment that stands out most to me was on my first day of teaching at a Secondary Boys High School. It was my first lesson of the day and I had been given an extra that was Year 11 Maths!!! I will never forget that lesson as I have never felt more out of my depth in my life! I had very little control of the class and the Head of Maths came in to see what the raucous was about as there were some students jumping on tables etc—I wanted to hide under the desk! I wouldn't say this is a career highlight but it is certainly scarred on my memory!

Who has been your greatest influence? My mum and dad as they role model empathy and kindness and Dr Timothy Wright, my Headmaster when I worked at Shore. He told me that the word 'boring' should never be used as look at how lucky our students and children are in Australia, and how beautiful our world is. They should have very little reason to use the word bored. It inspired me as both a teacher and as I became a parent. What is your motto in life? "In a world where you can be anything, be kind." We never know what others are experiencing. I try to teach my own children that all they need to be in life is be kind, respectful of others and embrace and celebrate each other's differences. Do you have any interests/hobbies? Making art, photography, playing soccer, playing the ukulele and piano and being a mumma to my three little kids.

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

60 SECONDS WITH...

What do you enjoy most about being involved in education? The joy of teaching a subject that is so inclusive of all abilities. There is no right or wrong in my classroom. Mistakes are celebrated and I literally shine inside when a student comes up to me explaining that part of their artwork was not looking how they had hoped, so they overcame the issue by turning it into something else.

MR GAVIN SINCLAIR Director of Mathematics Enrichment Mathematics Teacher Have you always been a teacher or have you had other careers before teaching? I was a computer programmer for about eight years after finishing university, and it’s a skill I dabble in to this day, including at school— generating class lists, processing marks, tallying carnivals, even making random seating or grouping arrangements.

What do you find most rewarding about teaching? There are many answers I could give, but I’ll choose this one: seeing students take on great challenges. I care not for the results, but for the personal growth they experience. Also, it’s no exaggeration that I’ve learned as much from students over the years as they’ve learned from me.

What led you to a career in education? A combination of interest in the subject matter, passion for learning more about it, and a belief that a better future requires a better-educated populace. I prefer the big-picture focus of my current career over the small-picture focus of my previous one. After my father died when I was in my twenties, I realised you only get one life so you’d best focus your energies on something meaningful to you.

Do you have a most memorable career point to date? I’m pleased to have done many things while at PLC Sydney and it’s all beginning to seem a blur. Having a greater focus on enrichment these last two years is great because it’s so important (and rewarding) to try to push students to think beyond the structures that are created for them.

What has been your greatest challenge in the classroom? The early years posed significant challenges in relating to the great variety of students in a positive and productive way. Nothing can prepare you for the fish-out-of-water sense of being in “your” classroom for the first time, and probably no other job takes a newbie, throws them in and expects them to perform like someone who is experienced. My favourite saying from that time is: good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement! What do you enjoy most about being involved in education? A collegial environment is a great thing. Teachers are generally giving people, and it’s wonderful to be part of a team (both faculty and school-wide) that blends so many valuable skills and focuses on the benefit of others. I also enjoy having variety, autonomy and the opportunity for creativity.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

“I’ve learned as much from students over the years as they’ve learned from me.” Who has been your greatest influence? It’s hard to pick a “greatest”— I’m a magpie when it comes to influence. There are just so many admirable people in the world. It’s cliched but true: my own high school Maths teachers were a significant influence in myriad ways. I remember fondly the no-nonsense dry humour of Mr Becker, the kindness of Mr Barrett, the straight talking of Mr Ottery. And from university, my wish is that everyone can have a teacher as good as Dr Peter Brown. What is your motto in life? Try to leave the world a better place than you found it.

Do you have any interests/hobbies? Certainly! Behind the cool facade, I’m actually quite a nerd. I love gathering knowledge in any area of interest, and there are many. A small sample, in no particular order—I follow major chess tournaments, love the music of many centuries, do crosswords, and learn about the history and current practice of typography and typesetting. Above all, the art and craft of mathematics and computer programming provide boundless interest.

SEED: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

As a landmark event for the schools Sustainable Education and Environment Development group, SEED, we hosted one of our first ever Sustainability Weeks in early June this year.

2021 Environment and Sustainability Captain Grace Hefferan interviewed guest speaker Sarah Wilson (Australian journalist, television presenter, blogger, media consultant and author) where she spoke about the positives of becoming more environmentally friendly.

The week included guest speakers, lunchtime activities, an eco-product stall and more. The week commenced on Friday with guest speaker Sarah Wilson, Australian journalist, television presenter,

“Being more sustainable allows you to have more time for fun and feel more fulfilled.” blogger, media consultant and author of I Quit Sugar and One Wild and Precious Life, recently rated one of the top 200 most influential authors in the world. She was interviewed by the 2021 Environment and Sustainability Captain Grace Hefferan, who had previously reached out to her.

Students could visit the carbon footprint activity stall and make a pledge for a sustainable future at the Year 7 United Day activities.

To conclude the week on Friday, SEED ran an assembly. There was a big band performance as well as a choir singing the song “Let It Grow” from The Lorax. It was an exciting and well-organised week and SEED is very excited to plan in preparation for our next one to come. Lilian Stock, Year 11 2022 Environment and Sustainability Captain

Grace and Sarah talked of the positives of becoming more environmentally friendly. Being more sustainable allows you to have more time for fun and feel more fulfilled. She gave examples of how instead of going shopping for clothes all the time, she has time to go to the beach or go on a walk. On the Tuesday, the SEED team organised Year 7 United Day activities, glass bottle collection, a lolly jar competition, pledge wall activity, ecological footprint calculator station and eco-friendly product stall. On Wednesday, there was also a wrapper free lunch organised and a beeswax wrap workshop on Thursday. ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

PROVIDING AN ENRICHING ENVIRONMENT AT PLC SYDNEY PRESCHOOLS Watching the children grow from being a little apprehensive and shy on their first day of preschool, to confidently waving goodbye to you and walking independently into the classroom to unpack their bag and begin their day, is perhaps one of the biggest milestones we achieve as parents. And it’s the same for the PLC Sydney Preschool teachers. Making sure each and every boy and girl feels safe and supported, and providing an enriching environment for them to develop into involved learners, is our highest priority.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

“The literacy program focuses on phonological awareness and unpacking story books as a means to extend children’s oral language and vocabulary.” PLC Sydney Preschool is renowned for their structured learning, which is set to grow even further with the introduction of a Macquarie University based, MultiLit program PreLit. The literacy program focuses on phonological awareness and unpacking story books as a means to extend children’s oral language and vocabulary. While this prescribed approach to learning garners a lot of praise from parents, equally important is the preschool’s focus on making learning fun. The Reggio Emilia philosophy encourages children to play and explore based on their own interests, and is supported by a robust curriculum that offers the perfect balance between play, nature and technology. One thing that we have learnt this year is just how unpredictable life can be. If we can nurture a resilient child, then they’re ready to take on anything. Regardless of their ability, background, circumstances, if they can get up and try again, we’re helping them to shape their future in a positive way. One of our pedagogical practices has been introducing the Zones of Regulation. The zone is a concept used to support children in learning how to self-regulate. The Zones of Regulation creates a system to categorise how the body feels and emotions into four coloured Zones with which the child can easily identify. We then provide the children with a toolbox of strategies to help them recognise and deal with their big emotions. Mrs Mary-Ann Rizzo PLC Sydney Preschool Director

“If we can nurture a resilient child, then they’re ready to take on anything.”

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

PLC SYDNEY: TIMELINE OF A PANDEMIC (2021) • New South Wales has recorded a local Covid-19 case, ending the state’s 17-day streak of zero new community infections. • Accordingly, temporary public health measures for the greater Sydney region will be in force from 5 pm 6 May to 10 May: 20-person limit for at-home gatherings, face masks in indoor venues, including public transport, no singing and dancing at indoor venues except for weddings.1

Mandatory mask wearing rules have been extended beyond public transport to include indoor settings in seven local government areas in Sydney as coronavirus cluster grows to nine infections.5 Further restrictions announced in response to the highly contagious Delta variant of the Covid-19 coronavirus will be in place for at least a week. They cover the number of visitors who may be in a house (5), compulsory wearing of masks in indoor non-residential settings where patrons are not eating or drinking, and the re-introduction of restrictions for bars, restaurants, clubs, gym classes, wedding and funerals. Residents of 7 Sydney LGAs are restricted from leaving metropolitan Sydney for any non-essential reason.6

Delta outbreak index case identified as a Bondi limousine driver transporting international aircrew.3

Start of school holidays

JUN

MAY

People who live or work in four Sydney LGAs (Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, City of Sydney) will be required to stay at home “unless absolutely necessary” for seven days as the “Bondi cluster” grows to 65 cases.7

Masks again are compulsory on public transport in Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains as more Covid cases, especially in the eastern suburbs, have been reported.4

1 SBS News App, 6 May 2021

4 SBS News App, 18 June 2021.

9 SBS News App, 17 June 2021.

2 Principal’s Weekly Letter to Staff, 30 April 2021 and Principal’s Letter to PLC Sydney Community, 6 May 2021.

5 SBS News App, 21 June 2021.

10 SBS News App, 7 July 2021.

6 SBS News App, 24 June 2021.

11 SBS News App, 8 July 2021.

7 SBS News App, 26 June 2021.

12 ABC News App, 9 July 2021.

8 SBS News App, 26 June 2021.

13 SBS News App, 14 July 2021.

3 Sydney Morning Herald, 28-29 August 2021, p. 26.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

Morning

Fourth person tests positive to coronavirus in NSW as officials confirm first case of Delta variant.9

Open Day. In light of the most recent Covid-19 cases we have reviewed the latest restrictions… it will be compulsory for adults and students in Years 10-12 to wear a mask at all indoor venues and on school tours. Each venue will have a Covid marshal. Every person attending Open Day must check in with the Service NSW app. Social distancing practices to be followed, etc.2

Afternoon Greater Sydney placed into lockdown from 6.00 pm as state records 12 new locally- acquired coronavirus cases. All of Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong, placed under stay-athome orders until midnight, 9 July.8

14 Email from the Deputy Principal to Staff, 15 July 20231. 15 Email from the Principal to Staff, 17 July 2021. 16 SBS News Appl 17 July 2021.

31 Linda Chiba, Melissa Watters and I will still be on site, along with the three teaching staff overseeing the essential workers unit. Mal Heap will attend only when required for communications. This unit and the unit for the small number of Year 12s on site will continue to operate. We will need to cap the Year 12 group and allow no flexibility (except in an emergency) for a new Year 12 to join us.

• The federal government will bring forward the delivery of 300,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to NSW to support Sydney’s fight to suppress the Covid-19 outbreak. • NSW teachers and senior students in Greater Sydney and surrounds will have to wear masks when they return to school next term.

David Savill will now review our maintenance staff numbers on site and ask staff only to come to enable the property to be kept safe and to fix urgent works. We will also stop all but essential cleaning. One security guard on site. Numbers on site will therefore be reduced in accordance with the new restrictions.15

• The global death toll from Covid-19 has eclipsed four million, which is about equal to the number of people killed in battle in all of the world’s wars since 1982.11 Years 10, 11 and 12 came onto the campus this afternoon to get their books and equipment from their lockers. It was a very Covid safe, slow, one at a time entry into the school.14

JUL

End of school holidays

The Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, confirms the lockdown on Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Blue Mountains and the Central Coast, which was due to end on 9 July, will be extended until 16 July.10

Almost all Senior School co-curricular activities will go ahead in an online format from today.17 NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced Greater Sydney’s lockdown will be extended by at least two weeks, naming Friday 30 July as the earliest possible date for lifting the stay at home order.13

Further restrictions to apply from 5.00 pm in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour: outdoor public gatherings limited two people (excluding members of the same household); people must stay in the LGA or within 10 kms of home for exercise and indoor recreation, with no carpooling between non-household members; browsing in shops is prohibited, plus only one per household, per day, may leave the home for shopping.12

From midnight 17 July until 30 July, residents of the Fairfield, Canterbury Bankstown and Liverpool local government areas will not be allowed to leave their LGA for work, unless they are healthcare workers or members of the emergency services. Across Greater Sydney non-essential retail premises will be required to close, though click and collect, takeaway and home delivery services can still operate.16

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

• During lockdown 2.0, the PLC Sydney Sports Department will be uploading a weekly challenge where girls are encouraged to have some fun and then share with us a particular talent that coincides with the weekly theme. • Challenge #1 Tokyo Trickshot: Students were invited to send us videos of their Tokyo Trick Shot talent! e.g. shooting a Basketball from halfway!!, or maybe a Football (Soccer) dribbling skill. Anything you can think of that might make us go WOW!!

• In light of the continuing high number of Covid-19 cases, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new arrangements for the HSC trial examinations:

• Challenge #2 Breakdancing: With breakdancing making an appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, let’s see if we can find a superstar freestyle dancer. You never know, this might be the start of an unforgettable journey.

• The Trial HSC examinations must be held at home.

NSW has reported 124 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus, its highest daily tally of the year. The cases come from a record 85,185 tests.19

• Students can come to school in small groups for essential work, or to assist with their wellbeing. • The allowance to attend school is primarily aimed at the creative and performing arts and subjects in the TAS faculty.

Music, drama and dance students are invited to submit a video for the Macindoe in Lockdown Concert Series. The first concert (via Zoom) will be 6 August.21

• Students can stay at school for two hour periods. • Girls in certain LGAs cannot come onto the campus (Girls, know that we love you!) • More information will follow.

Start of Tokyo Olympics

The first “Just Be” day was held. These days will be held on Wednesdays during lockdown and are a variation on the “Power Up Wednesdays” held during the 2020 lockdown. The focus is on “being, becoming, belonging” and involve both physical and group (via Zoom) activities for the Senior School pupils as a break from academic pursuits. Activities will include “Be Active’, “Be Present”, “Be Grateful”, and “Being”. Girls in Years 7-10 encouraged to maintain a “gratitude journal” for recording three good things that happen each day, as those who express gratitude for life and livingwhatever the circumstances have better mental and physical health.

AUG

Wednesdays are “Just Be” Days; this Wednesday the theme was “Be Restful”.22

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a four-week extension to the Greater Sydney Covid-19 lockdown. It will now end on 28 August, at the earliest. The state recorded 177 new cases today.20

• NSW has recorded 262 new Covid-19 cases and 5 Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours. The Hunter and Upper Hunter regions will now go into lockdown. • Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced NSW will receive 183,690 Pfizer vaccine doses as a fast-track package to increase the state’s allocation for August. Most of the doses will go to inoculate residents in the epicentre of Sydney’s outbreak in the south-western suburbs and for Year 12 students.24

17 Letter from the Principal to Staff, 16 July 2021.

23 Letter from the Principal to Staff, 5 August 2021.

29 SBS News App, 16 August 2021.

18 SBS News App, 20 July 2021.

24 9 August 2021

30 SBS News App and ABC News App, 20 August 2021.

19 SBS News App, 22 July 2021.

25 Letter from the Principal to the PLC Community, 9 August 2021.

31 Sydney Morning Herald, 28-29 August 2021, p. 27.

20 SBS News App, 28 July 2021. 21 Connections Newsletter, 29 July 2021.

26 SBS News App, 10 August 2021.

22 Theme, instructions and links from Deputy Principal, 4 August 2021.

28 SBS News App, 14 August 2021.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

27 SBS News App, 12 August 2021.

32 Letter from the Principal to PLC Sydney Community, 27 August 2021.

End of Tokyo Olympics

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing stations set up in Thompson Hall. Eight LGAs in western NSW enter lockdown after state records 344 new local Covid-19 cases and two deaths. One-week stay-at-home orders were put in place for Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren LGAs. Later in the day the Sydney LGAs of Bayside, Strathfield and Burwood were added to other Sydney LGAs under harsher restrictions, bringing the total to 12. Note: the 12 LGAs of concern are Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and some suburbs of Penrith.27

New recreation freedoms for fully vaccinated adults announced. From 13 September qualifying people may meet in a group of five, outdoors if they live in a LGA not of concern; if they ive in an LGA of concern, they are allowed an additional hour of outdoor exercise (up from 1 hour).31

Greater Sydney lockdown extended to at least the end of September, everyone in NSW must wear a mask while outside their home unless exercising, and residents in the 12 LGAs of concern must stay home between 9 pm and 5 am and can only exercise for one hour a day.

NSW reports a record 478 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths.29

Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine program to open for 16 to 39-year-olds from end of August.30

9 10

356 new Covid-19 cases in NSW today, 3 deaths. 357 cases in hospital, 60 of which are in ICU.26

All of NSW will be under lockdown from 5pm Saturday (15 August) after the state reported 466 new locally acquired coronavirus cases and four more deaths. From Monday 16 August, the 10-kilometrefrom-home rule for people in Greater Sydney and other locked-down areas will be reduced to 5km.28

Staff Professional Development to learn how to use Exam. Net, the software for the HSC online examinations this year.

• Students will have the examinations released to them at a scheduled time. They will complete them at home. They will upload their responses.

• Following on from the Premier’s announcement, this letter outlines the return to school process, to start from 25 October. The first groups to return to school will be Year 12, Kindergarten and Year 1. By 8 November all year groups will be back on campus.

• We will allow extra time to students for downloading the paper and uploading their responses.

• The HSC will commence 9 November

• Students with special provisions for rest breaks will be allowed the equivalent extra time.

• Plans are being made for Year 12 end-of-year events to take place, either faceto-face or online during the week commencing 25 October.32

The format we will adopt for the trial HSC examinations: • We are keeping to the examination timetable.

• I will write to Year 12 on Friday 13 August to explain the technical aspects of how students will download, read and upload their exams. There may be a role for phones in the new exam framework. All will be explained on Friday. We will also conduct a practice run for the technical aspects of the exams on Monday 16 August or Tuesday 17 August. • Students will be permitted to take notes into the exams25

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

August Lockdown Activities NESA has just published the HSC timetable. The last exam finishes at 12.30 pm Friday 3 December. We are keeping Speech Day on Friday 3 December, but moving the starting time to 1.00 pm. The prize-giving will be held in AKT and there will be no audience.35 • Year 12 Informal Assembly. The year group has made a humorous video about their days at school that will be shown online.

NSW is now halfway to its target of having 70 per cent of adults fully vaccinated, the milestone in which the state will start to open up. More than 800,000 vaccination doses were administered in the week to Saturday.33

NSW reports another daily record of 1,533 new local Covid-19 cases as the Greater Sydney lockdown enters its eleventh week.34

Year 11 Leadership Service. Year 12 handover the leadership of the College to Year 11. This takes place as a webinar. Year 12 Graduation Service. It is our formal farewell to Year 12. Families and students are all invited. This takes place as a webinar.

The NSW Premier announced more details of the “road map” to easing restrictions. The “freedoms” will be for those who are fully vaccinated and will commence the Monday after 70 per cent of people aged 16 and above are fully vaccinated. Current projections suggest this may be about 18 October. The “freedoms” will include being able to go to gyms, hospitality venues, hairdressers, being able to have a certain number of people into your home, and being able for 50 people to attend a wedding.

33 ABC News App, 29 August 2021.

40 SBS News App, 6 October 2021

34 SBS News App, 4 September 2021

41 Message from the Principal, Connections, 7 October 2021

35 Email from the Head of Administration to Staff, 10 September 2021 36 Letter from the Principal to Staff, 17 September 2021

42 Letter to Year 12 Students and Families from the Principal, 7 October 2021 43 SBS News App, 7 October 2021

37 SBS News App, 21 September 2021

44 SBS News App, 10 October 2021

38 ABC News App, 5 October 2021

45 Connections Newsletter, 29 July 2021.

39 Letters to Staff from the Principal, 5 October 2021

46 Staff Briefing from the Principal, 18 October 2021

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

This morning Australia reached the “milestone” of 80 per cent of the population aged 16 and older having received a Covid-19 vaccine. Australia is about 50th in the world for first dose vaccination rates.38

• Year 12 Principal’s Luncheon via Zoom. Students will have a selection of food delivered to their doors. We will come together as a whole group, then break into Homerooms and then friendship groups to enjoy lunch together.

NSW recorded 1,218 new cases of Covid-19, yet another record.

The NSW government has announced a “friends bubble” where anyone aged 18 years or younger will be able to create a bubble of three friends and visit each other’s homes for play for study. Everyone in the bubble must live in the same LGA and any adults in the household must be fully vaccinated.37

OCT

A number of activities were organised during the lockdown to give students opportunities to participate in a variety of forums beyond the classroom, albeit still using online technologies: Macindoe Lockdown Concert Series on Fridays, Houses Lockdown Photo Competition, and Looking Beyond Art Competition, among them. The annual Book Week was entirely online this year.

SEP

Staff received a letter outlining the College’s Covid-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy and a copy of the Policy. All staff need to be fully vaccinated by 8 November 2021 in order to work on campus. At present 99% of staff are fully vaccinated.39 • Staff will return on the first day that they have students that they teach, or oversee, on campus. We will need to separate staff so that we do not have too many adults in any single space. We all need to distance ourselves socially. • It is expected that each staff member will be vaccinated. • All staff will be expected to wear masks. We will develop protocols that allow teachers to remove masks when it is critical to their teaching (for example, when a young child needs to observe the movements of the mouth in order to be able to articulate a sound). • Air filtering: PLC Sydney has adopted the 'Harvard University Healthy Buildings' protocols.36

35 NSW has reached the 70 per cent double-dose vaccination milestone for over 16s. From Monday 11 October, shops and hairdressers re-open to the fully vaccinated and the five kilometre from home travel limit ditched. Five visitors will be allowed in homes while 50 guests will be permitted at outdoor weddings and funerals.40

Music, drama and dance students are invited to submit a video for the Macindoe in Lockdown Concert Series. The first concert (via Zoom) will be 6 August.45 Kindergarten, Years 1, 2, and 12 returned to campus

• Year 12 students will have an on-campus Study Camp 18-21 October, then return to campus on 9 November for the start of the HSC examinations. During the exams students are not permitted on campus until 20 minutes before the scheduled examination time.

Teachers are to ensure that the windows are open in classrooms and that the fans run on low. All rooms have been assessed for ventilation; rooms have been designated as “green” (ventilation reaches required level of air change six times per hour), “amber” or “red”. Most of the “red” rooms are in the Macindoe Research Centre. Air purifiers have been ordered, and some installed, in “amber” and “red” rooms. MRC will require more major work, which has been planned and will begin soon.46

• The formal Graduation Dinner will be on 16 December at Doltone House Darling Island.42 The Premier, Mr Perrottet, has announced some changes to the lessening of restrictions from 11 October, including that all children will return to school by 25 October, with Covid-safe measures in place. Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 will return as previously announced on 18 October, with all other years to follow the following week.43

Daunting but exciting – after more than 100 days in lockdown, NSW businesses prepare to reopen. From Monday 11 October gyms, cafes, pools, shops, hairdressers and beauticians will all reopen within hours to fully vaccinated people, who will be allowed to venture outside their LGA or more than five kilometres from home for the first time in months.44

Years 3,4,5,7,8,9 returned to campus Years 6,10 and 11 returned to campus

• New dates for students to return to school: Years 6,10 and 11 on 22 October; Years 3,4,5,7,8,9 on 25 October. • Update on works to improve ventilation in classrooms and learning spaces: airflow needs to be replaced six times each hour; CO2 monitors will be installed in every classroom and learning space to keep an accurate record of the quality of air in each room. • Vaccinations: preliminary approach to vaccinations outlined, feedback asked for before final approach is communicated.

DEC

NOV

HSC examinations commenced.

Speech Day commenced at 1.00pm (later starting time because the last HSC examination finished at 12.30 pm) in the Audrey Keown Theatre.

Ms Debby Cramer Archivist Visit www.plc.nsw.edu.au/microsites/ archives/stories-from-the-archives to view the complete timeline Recording events from PLC Sydney, Australia and the world.

• Masks: Senior School students are to wear masks except when eating or exercising.41 ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

u o Y k Than

TO OUR GENEROUS PLC SYDNEY COMMUNITY We are deeply grateful for the many gifts provided by parents, ex-students, and friends of the College to support this year's Annual Giving.

And given this is our second year of Covid-19, your generosity is even more impressive. With thanks to a generous gift of $20,000 from the PLC Sydney Ex-Students’ Union, we reached a significant target, raising $110,785 as a community. With your support, we are now well placed to begin building SkyPath and commence the renewal of classrooms around the Freda Whitlam Amphitheatre. We look forward to sharing more news about these activities very soon. Thank you for your continued support and for the privilege of working together to provide our girls with an excellent education and an amazing tomorrow. John Da Cruz Director of Development

Please see the list of donors below, as we acknowledge and give thanks to the families and friends who have supported this year's Annual Giving. 40 Anonymous Donors

Hyun Chul Kim

Robyn Gleeson

Yang Liu

Shengjie Shao

Ameline and Con Archis

Kathy Civardi

Betsy Grieve

Tianbing Liu

Ching-Ching Shih

Craig and Nerida Alexander

Eric Constantinidis

Keira Guan

Lois Chinn

Simon Harper

Christopher Loo

Kendelle Tait

George Anton

Rebecca Cook Debby Cramer

Michelle Hoang

Lilian Lygdas

James Andrew Crisp

Maria Hondronicola

Lydia Makarie Rofail

Sophie Arkelidis Felicity Athanassiou

John Da Cruz

Samuel Bae

Hua Deng

Lu Bai

Doan Dinh Truong

Cheryl Baines

Melinda Doust

Rong Bo Du

PLC Sydney Ex-Students’ Union

Andrew Boyd Loredana Brown Carden Calder Lara Campese Amy Carr O’Meara Ramona Chalmers Sally Chang Vanessa Chau

PLC Sydney P & F Association Xiao Fang Wang Sean Fenton Michael Ferreira John and Effie Fildissis Aik Foo Lau

Xiaoan Huang Thi Huyen Huong Cao Salim Khodr Chah Sunny Kim Antonia Kralj Xiang L Jin Natalie Lacmanovic Adam and Michelle Ladkins Sean Lake Christine Lao Amy Lau

Margaret Sedgwick Marion Marriott Chloe Metledge Reina Michaelson Belinda Morrissey and Ian Parsons

Peter and Alison Tait Dr Stephen Thompson Kathryn Stokes Shyamala Surendran Sharon Tivey Bill Tsourdalakis Dr Abdul Usham and Dr Suvithini Som

Noriaki Nakagawa

Anurag Verma

Hermeet Najjhur

Ms Ivy Vu

Livia Nguyen

Jing Wang

Helen Nott

Bing Wang

Faten Oueik

David Wechsler

Megan Paterson and Rabee Ajami

Ms Xiaochao Zhang Chang Xing

John Fu

Bruce Law

Stephen Cheang

John Galletta

Ruth Lennon

Lai Ping Hoi

Yuyu Chen

Song Gao

Mrs Lesley Schroder

Kerri Pitcher

Helen Chen

Xingfu Gao

Clarence Lim

Alexey Prokhorov

Daniel Young

Richard Chew

Jinhua Gao

Ngoc Linh Luu

Chenlu Qiu

Sijing Zhang

Anthony Chow

Gawel Family

Evita Liu

Tina Qu

Luching Zhou

Grace Perry

Olivia Yang Jingying Yang

STORIES FROM THE ARCHIVES

VERY MUCH LOVE FROM LENIS My Dearest Everyone,

When the Cabin Steward called us at 4 am, “You will be in port in about twenty minutes”, our ablutions were hastier than usual and within the twenty minutes we were on deck, watching the lights of Port Said and all the activities which attend the arrival of a vessel in the harbour. . . Very much love from Lenis

She was an inveterate letter writer. Letters to her family invariably began with “My Dearest Everyone” and closed with “Very much love from Lenis”, presumably her pet name. She was the only female Principal to serve our College during wartime. She was the only Principal who was not born in Australia. She was the only Principal to head two Presbyterian colleges, in succession, and both in New South Wales. Indeed, she was the only Principal to have three headships to her credit in her career. But near the end of 1937 Dr Helen Isabella Wilkie, aged 42, was a passenger aboard the Twin Screw Steamship T.S.S. Jervis Bay at the entrance to the Red Sea, 14.XI.37. Built in 1922 for the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Government Line, the Jervis Bay travelled the UK to Australia shipping route to encourage assisted migration and to increase capacity for the export of Australian produce. Dr Wilkie, travelling on her own, had left her native Edinburgh and was heading to Sydney, and thence to Armidale, where she was to become the Principal of PLC Armidale. While we do not know what led her to decide to move to the other side of the world to head a struggling school in a country town, we do know that she relished the voyage, for our College Archives holds a ten-page typewritten document that combines seven letters written between Port Said and Sydney that recounts the journey. Dr Wilkie was a keen observer of the people and places she experienced, here are some extracts:

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Now you must realise that all the fishermen, in fact almost everyone whom we had met. . . wore real Eastern clothes and the majority were barefoot. They seemed to have great dignity of carriage. . . What a motley assortment of colours and shapes of garments – flowing robes which came down from shoulder to ankle worn with a turban; nondescript robes worn with a red fez; and one which could easily have claimed kinship with a gym tunic. Port Said, Egypt

By this time the clouds were piling up and it looked as if we were in for a bad thunder storm, but with our usual luck we did not get more than occasional very heavy showers; but it did keep hot and clammy. We gradually settled down to our longest stretch of ocean. The weather appeared to become hotter as we crossed the equator. We did that at 3 am, so there were no ceremonies accompanying the “crossing of the line”. Between Colombo and the Australian Bight

We have reached Australia at last. There in the distance was the low coastline of the district around Fremantle. . . the queue then moved on to the smoke room, where the customs and other officials were sitting. There they stamped passports and took from us our landing cards. Now I am all ready officially to land on Australian soil. . .the cabin steward came to find me because there was someone to see me in the lounge. . . I went to find that the President of the West Australia Association of University Women was there to greet me, bringing with her her small daughter and a lovely bouquet. . . as a greeting from the Association. We spoke for some time. Then a Press Representative came up and interviewed me. I felt terribly important. Fremantle, Western Australia Dr Helen Isabella Wilkie was 46 years old when she became the fourth Principal of PLC Sydney. It was January 1942 and Australia had been at war since September 1939. Less than a month after her 47th birthday on 18 April, the Croydon campus had been requisitioned by the RAAF to be used as a radar unit, the College had been packed up, and both goods and students had relocated to temporary premises in Strathfield. Even with the kind help from Meriden School with sharing some classroom and boarding space with us, Dr Wilkie’s time as Principal was dominated by the challenges imposed by adapting to temporary facilities and the hardships of war and rationing. Still, the curriculum remained robust.

6 1. A view of Port Said as it looked when Dr Wilkie visited en route to Australia in 1937 2. The Jervis Bay offered a one class service between England and Australia via the Suez Canal 3. The Mount Lavinia Hotel near Colombo in the 1930s 4. A view of the premises at 18 Margaret Street, Strathfield during World War II 5. A view of Port Said as it looked when Dr Wilkie visited en route to Australia in 1937 6. Rediscovering Sri Lanka through a travel memoir-Tripsy

As well as English, Ancient and Modern History, Geography, French, Latin, Mathematics, Botany, Chemistry, Physiology and Biology, class singing, musical appreciation, physical education and sports, drawing, elocution, dancing, shorthand, typing, bookkeeping and business principles were also offered. In 1945 changes were made to promote a wider study of Science and a wool-classing class was introduced. And, perhaps surprisingly, the enrolment increased: from 165 in February 1942 to 288 in December 1945. The Archives holds a number of both typewritten and handwritten letters (copies, perhaps) that Dr Wilkie wrote to her family in Scotland while the College was at Strathfield. In the main they relate school matters: Jersey Day, packing to move to Strathfield, an outbreak of measles amongst the boarders, interviewing staff, meetings with students and parents, meetings of local wardens and testing respirators, writing Speech Day reports. Occasionally she mentions going to a film, a symphony concert, or a short trip to Canberra during school holidays. Of special interest is her letter describing VE Day -- Victory in Europe, 8 May 1945 – an event that, owing to the time difference with Europe, was primarily celebrated on the Wednesday, 9 May, in Australia.

. . . Mr Chifley [the Prime Minister] was to speak to Australia at 9.30 am, so I had just time to collect the staff who had a “free” period and get the K.G. . . We heard the glad news, went back to the Senior School building and made the announcement piece meal. Sirens could be heard by now but their effect was very feeble and there were no

church bells alas! The pupils left their classrooms knowing that in a very short time a bell would ring to summon them to a dismissal assembly. And on the following day, Thursday 9 May 1945:

They [the boarders] decorated their rooms with streamers, tore papers into butterfly bows for their hair and generally went gay. One manifestation of joy for which I can give no explanation was the stripping of all beds and the placing of the blankets and pillows on the floor. The sleeping quarters looked dreadful but the girls had let off steam so we said nothing and I put up with a great deal of extra noise. In the evening we went to a joint service in the Methodist church and then had coffee and cake as a special treat. World War II officially ended on 2 September 1945, after VJ Day (Victory in Japan) was declared on 15 August. By the end of the year Dr Wilkie, whose mother had died earlier in the year, had resigned in order to return to Scotland to attend to family matters. Subsequently, she became the Principal of Rothesay House School in Edinburgh. She never returned to Australia, but she did correspond with her successors Miss Whitlam and Miss Dyson. Wilkie House, established in 1995, recognises our fourth Principal. Ms Debby Cramer Archivist

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

EX-STUDENTS’ NEWS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I fondly remember Year 12 being the most enjoyable year of my thirteen memorable years of schooling at PLC Sydney. However, naturally, preparing for my HSC exams was exhausting, and I was keen for that year to end as quickly as possible! In hindsight, after this year’s events, I see that I took for granted seeing and speaking to my teachers and friends as frequently as I wished. Our Year 12 teachers often used the word “resilience”, encouraging us to develop into resilient young women who withstand disappointment and move forward with optimism and continued hard work. I can confidently say that my year group could never have anticipated a global pandemic shaping our final year at school. As President of PLC Sydney’s ExStudents, I attend several special, albeit online, events at the conclusion of Term Three. I enjoyed eating lunch

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

with the Class of 2021, sending a video message for the Graduation Assembly, and cheering on from home as the 2022 School Leaders were installed. When I reflect on my own experience in Year 12, the main difference was that my parents and brother attended these events in person and shared my excitement. In the break-out rooms during the Graduation Lunch, instead of dwelling on how they felt they had missed out on some special events, our Year 12 girls reflected on the friendships they had formed during their school years and how this support had guided them through the challenges of 2021. There was no overt sense of negativity or disappointment but rather hope and optimism for the exciting next stage of their lives, underpinned by the values instilled in them throughout their PLC Sydney education. I anticipated feeling sorry for our Year 12 girls - but instead of a sense of pity, I feel proud of the resilient young women who are graduating from the College this year. They are a testament to the support of their teachers, families and friends - these young women epitomise resilience. In March, I felt so energised and excited to lead our Ex-Students, and with the support of the Committee, we had grand plans for the events and activities in 2021. I could never have envisaged such a significant disruption to our calendar. I know our community was disappointed to hear we needed to cancel Jersey Day, our flagship annual event for the second year in a row. However, rest assured the Committee has used the downtime productively - improving our processes and documentation and preparing a strategic plan for 2022 and beyond. We have defined a new Vision, Mission

and Purpose, which will underpin our initiatives going forward. We have also adopted a new constitution and reviewed and changed some of our current events and activities. I am excited to announce developed new initiatives to be rolled out from next year - stay tuned! I wish to thank the Committee for maintaining their momentum this year even when our hard work sometimes felt it had gone to waste, which it certainly has not. In particular, I also wish to thank, on behalf of all exstudents, Philippa Zingales, Director of Alumni Relations, for her ongoing tireless work for our Committee and the ex-student community at large. We are all grateful to Dr Burgis, the College’s leadership team and all academic and support staff for caring for our current students and continually finding ways to keep them motivated this year. Unsurprisingly, PLC Sydney banded together as a family. Ahead of a busy year of ex-student activities next year, I will be taking the time over the Christmas break to enjoy quality family time - and welcome into the world, my second child! Most of my family and friends have not seen me during my pregnancy, so it will be very special to spend quality time with them and enjoy my beautiful children. If “returning to normal” means enjoying the company of loved ones, I am so looking forward to this.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a brighter New Year. Mia Joseph (Ilias, 2009) Ex-Students’ President

(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.

2021/2022 EX-STUDENTS’ COMMITTEE Founded in 1905, 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.

ESU COMMITTEE AND OFFICER BEARERS 2021 Patron: Gwendoline Bosler (Stuart, 1949) President: Mia Joseph (Illias, 2009) Vice President: Edwina Hobson (2015) Vice President: Marina Clark (Lvoff, 1978) Secretary: Elizabeth Gregory (Cornish, 1961) Treasurer: Johanne Stapelfeldt (1978)

A NEW PIN FOR EX-STUDENTS

Vice Treasurer: Megan Carrillo (Hor, 1998)

A meaningful symbol for generations of PLC Sydney women, the Crest has been worn as part of the school uniform for more than a century. Featuring the College motto - Sancte Sapienter (‘be holy wisely’) - the Crest reflects the Christian and academic foundations of the College. Worn on the hearts of Croydon girls since 1888, the Crest symbolises the proud history and tradition of PLC Sydney, connecting students and ex-students: then, now and always.

Committee Members:

As the Committee and College work together to unite all ex-students, in 2021 Year 12 girls will be the first to receive this new pin design, to represent their lifetime membership to the Ex-Students’ Union.

Robyn McBride (Hailey, 1976)

Rae Gower (Hoore, 1949) Sara Keli (Thorp, 2001) Hannah Kesby (2009) Catherine Marvell (Davidson, 1975)

Ann McDonald (1965) Director of Alumni Relations & Committee Member: Philippa Zingales (Harris, 1998)

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

ESU NEWS

Lesley Meldrum (Morgan, 1955)

GET TO KNOW THE EX-STUDENTS’ COMMITTEE opportunities - sport, music, art, languages... I could go on and on! What have you gone on to do since school?

HANNAH KESBY (2009) When did you start at PLC Sydney and what did you enjoy most about your time at the College? I went to Branxton before starting at Evandale in 1997. It’s simply too hard to pick one thing I enjoyed most about my time at the College! It was all about lifelong friends, amazing teachers, Evandale sleepovers, a strong support network, a beautiful campus, endless

After finishing, I took a gap year and spent a year living and working in the boarding house of a school in the UK and doing lots of travel. On my return, I completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Sydney University, spending six months in North Carolina on a uni exchange. I worked in retail throughout uni and now work as a Merchandise Planner for an Australian fashion company, so the last 18 months have been very challenging to navigate! Why have you become involved in the Ex-Students' Committee? I don't think I ever stopped missing school after finishing, but I was never sure what to do about it. So when Mia became President earlier this year (we did K-12 together!) I reached out to see if there was an opportunity to join the Committee and be involved with the College again.

I'm looking forward to working with the Committee to help build stronger connections between ex-students and the College. Favourite memories from school? Definitely House Choir Night! I loved the energy and excitement of the night (quickly forgetting the weeks of stressful practices!). With every student participating in some form, it was such a great opportunity to get to know girls in your house from other years. Potentially controversial, and it probably wouldn't have been my answer while I was at school, but the bagpipes make me nostalgic whenever I hear them now.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT MORSL MARKETS CEO and Founder of Morsl, Karla Borland (1995) recently returned to school to speak with at the Year 11 Women in Enterprise Breakfast. After leaving her 17-year banking career, she launched Morsl in 2018. Combining her passion for health and wellness, and her personal understanding of how hard it can be to make healthy choices during a quick lunch break, Morsl's fully-automated, self-service cafes are found in some of Australia's largest distribution hubs and HQs. These 24-hour markets are now feeding many of our essential workers healthy options during their long and demanding shifts. Morsl has quickly grown from start-up to a multi-million dollar success. Visit www.morsl.com.au to learn more.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

ALUMNI ANNOUNCEMENTS ENGAGEMENTS 17.08.2021 During Sydney's lockdown on a daily walk, William Thackray surprised Kassandra Kashian (2012) by proposing at their favourite secret picnic spot with a beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge and the city, just a 5-minute walk from the first home they purchased together in July 2020. They are planning an August wedding in the Hunter Valley. The couple will be surrounded by friends and family and three of Kassandra's bridesmaids will be her best friends whom she met at school 16 years ago.

WEDDINGS 16.01.21 Emily Racki (2016) and Harry were lucky enough to get married earlier in the year on 16 January 2021 after postponing their wedding a few times due to COVID-19. Due to restrictions on the day, the couple celebrated with close friends and family with a ceremony at St. Peter Chanel Church in Woolwich and reception at Deckhouse Woolwich. Emily’s younger sister Clare (Year 12, 2021) was Maid of Honour.

WEDDINGS AND BABIES 28.02.21

ESU NEWS

Margot-Jeanne Kelly (2009) married Felix Ellis on 28 February 2021 in an intimate ceremony under a waterfall in the Tasmanian wilderness. They welcomed a son William Felix on April 15. And yes, he smiles like that all the time. Margot has taken 12 months off her role as the Tasmanian Correspondent for ABC’s Landline and is working on completing her law degree.

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

BIRTHS

Fairlie Hamilton (1999) Fearn Jean Connie Maitland was born to Fairlie and Scott on 19 August 2021, 3.8kg and 53cm long.

Adriana Burt (Abramowitz, 2005) Lily Grace Burt was born to Adriana and Jason Burt at 7.21 am on 13 May at the San Hospital.

COUSINS & SISTER-IN-LAWS (L-R) Belinda Koungras (Gilvarry, 2009), April Miljkovic (Finney, 2009) and Lauren Finney (Elliott, 2009) are best friends from school and have welcomed their babies within weeks of each other. Lauren married April's older brother Tom Finney, so Mrs Finney has become a first-time grandmother to two within weeks.

Cousins, Oliver and Vincent

April Miljkovic (Finney, 2009) Oliver Frederik Miljkovic born 9 October to April and Nikolas Miljkovic. 4.015kg and 54cm length. Lauren Finney (Elliott, 2009) Vincent Finney was born 12 October to Lauren and Tom Finney. Vincent was born three days after his cousin Oliver. Belinda, April and Lauren

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

Belinda Koungras (Gilvarry, 2009) Olivia Joy Koungras was born to Belinda, and her husband Michael on 25 September at 5.54 am, weighing 3.9kg and 51cm.

VALE

JANET VENN-BROWN (1924 - 2021) The College is sad to share news of the death of respected artist and ex-student Janet VennBrown (1941) at 96. Janet began at PLC Sydney at 13 when Miss Hamilton was the Principal, and approximately 260 students were attending the College. The artist Adelaide Perry was the art teacher during those years, and she taught Janet. During her last year, the RAAF requisitioned the College, and the school moved to Strathfield.

In 2017, ex-student Alison Scott (Dyster, 1958) donated a painting by Janet to the College. View from a flat in Via dei Giubanari shows the cupola of the church Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome. It was purchased in 1980 when Janet and Alison were both living in Rome and became friends. The painting is now part of the PLC Sydney Art Collection and hangs outside Dr Burgis' office in Shubra Hall. Vale Janet.

After completing the Leaving Certificate in 1941, Janet began working in publishing. She studied art under Antonio DattiloRubbo at the ADR Art School in Pitt Street. In 1961 she decided to leave Australia and see how she would fare as an artist. For nearly 50 years, she lived outside of Australia, mainly in Rome but with extensive painting trips to the Arabian Gulf countries. In Rome, Janet met Wael Zuaiter, a Palestinian translator. Wael was interested in books and music. While he was committed to the idea of a Palestinian nation, he also believed that peaceful co-existence with the Israelis was possible. The pair became engaged, but Wael was tragically assassinated by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in 1972. At his death, he translated A Thousand and One Nights and worked for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in Rome. Grief-stricken for many years, one of Janet's proudest achievements was the publication of For a Palestinian: a Memorial to Wael Zuaiter in 1984.

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. 29.10.21 Rosemary Neville (Rosen, 1949)

Photos of Janet Venn-Brown reprinted with permission from Dr Peter Manning.

6.11.21

7.11.2021 (TBC)

Anne Headley (Gibbins, 1968) Sister of Linda Robertson (Gibbons, 1972) and Susan Gibbins (1975). Sister-in-law of Marie Headley (Ellice-Flint, 1968)

Alina Halloran (Smyth, 1987)

9.10.2021 Florence Battye (1949) Her sister Margaret Hayes (Battye, 1949) dec., and her niece Florence Yeung (Hayes, 1987) also attended the College.

12.11.2021 Elizabeth (Betsy) Grieve (Paterson, 1940) Betsy attended with her sister Doranne Dobbin (Paterson, 1947) and her daughter Belinda graduated in 1979. Betsy was the daughter of Mr and Mrs J.G. Paterson. Mr Paterson served on College Council for many years.

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

ESU NEWS

Her painting career continued, specialising in architectural exteriors and, more recently, domestic interiors. In 2013 the Tap Gallery in Darlinghurst mounted her 89th birthday retrospective exhibition. Award-winning journalist Peter Manning wrote her biography in 2017, and the launch for Janet Venn-Brown, A Life in Art, was held in The Croydon, with Janet attending. A selection of Janet's papers, diaries, letters and paintings are held in The National Library of Australia.

ACHIEVEMENTS LINDA BADEWITZ-DODD NAMED PHARMACIST OF THE YEAR 2021 Congratulations to Linda BadewitzDodd (1981), who has been recognised as 2021 Pharmacist of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). A prestigious award, Linda has been recognised in a year unlike any other

for pharmacists at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic in their local area. Her community spirit and work during the 2019 bushfires - providing support throughout evacuations and ensuring equipment and medicines were made available to the local community -

further demonstrates her community dedication and leadership. Linda is the daughter of Nancy Badewitz (Caldwell, 1956), and mother of Georgia and Mackenzie Dodd (2013 and 2019).

Congratulations Linda!

EX-STUDENT NAMED YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR Congratulations to ex-student Natassia Chrysanthanos (2012) who has been named Young Journalist of the Year at the NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. Natassia Chrysanthos is the Education Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. Her recent reporting includes her exclusive coverage of the historic consent petition, which demands better and earlier sex and consent education in schools. Last year, she was a finalist in the Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards for her coverage of the New Year’s Eve bushfire crisis. Her career at the SMH started in 2018, when she was. selected as one of eight trainee journalists to join the

paper. Before that, she was Editor of Ciao Magazine and Sydney University's student newspaper Honi Soit. Natassia graduated from PLC Sydney in 2012 and completed a BA (Media and Communications), Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. The NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism, are named in honour of Sydney crime reporter Les Kennedy who died aged 53 years in 2011. The awards continue to recognise the nation’s finest news media professionals and those who have put so much back into the industry.

GISELLA GRADUATES IN STYLE Gisella Candi (2016) was recently named NSW & ACT Fashion Design Graduate of the Year 2021 for the Design Institute of Australia's Graduate Of The Year Awards (GOTYA). The Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) is the Design Institute of Australia’s flagship program for emerging designers. The GOTYA program is a unique awards program created to support and celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers. This program is instrumental in providing tertiary institutions and design graduates with vital, real-life feedback from experienced designers and industry figures. Educational institutions are invited to submit six nominations per category per state based on their graduate’s work and their graduate’s work ethic and PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

perceived ability to transfer their skills to the workplace. In addition to her GOYTA Award, Gisell was chosen to present her Honours collection at Melbourne Fashion Festival in March 2021, which ended up being a video showcase due to COVID-19 restrictions. In June, she was selected to show her graduate collection at the iD International Emerging Designer competition runway in Dunedin, NZ. Only six awards were given to recent graduates from all over the world. Gisella was the only Australian graduate competing, and she won the Bremwroth Natural Luxury with Wool Award. When we contacted Gisella, she said, “All of this is completely insane and almost unbelievable to me!

It's incredibly humbling for my work to be recognised at this standard - to think it all started in The Croydon with Mrs Nastassi and my HSC project that almost didn't make it in on time!” You can view Gisella’s UTS Fashion portfolio here: uts.edu.au/gisellacandi-fashion

WELCOME TO THE COMMON ROOM - A NEW TRADITION

Over the past three years, a new tradition has emerged as we welcome the incoming Year 12 to the space, acknowledge the importance of their role as Year 12 and pause to consider that their time as PLC Sydney girls is coming to an end.

This year, before the 2022 School Captain Georgia Macdessi cut the red ribbon and students ran in to claim their spot and find their lockers, Dr Burgis took a moment to acknowledge that in many ways this marks the beginning of their final year at school. This shared space of friendship and study is named in honour of Mrs Deirdre Coleman, who taught at the College for over 20 years. Special thanks to The Ex-Students, who surprised Year 12 with decorations and special cookies. We wish the Class of 2022 a great final year as PLC Sydney girls.

ESU NEWS

Access to the Year 12 Common Room is an important milestone for Year 11 students.

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS We are very excited to celebrate the 100th birthday of ex-student Betty Davis (Thompson, 1938). Betty was a student from 1932 until 1938, and she also attended Branxton in 1925. In 1938, she was School Co-Captain, Dux of the College, Editor of the Aurora Australis, Secretary of the Student Christian Movement, ViceCaptain of Kinross House and ViceCaptain of the Tennis Committee. Betty returned to PLC Sydney in 1943 and taught English at Croydon and Strathfield during WWII until 1948. The Thompson Family has a very long-standing connection to the College across many generations. Betty's mother, Lily Thompson (Crawford, 1906), and Lily’s sisters Mary-Maxwell and Jessie were students, as were her paternal aunts —Jessie, Jean, Margaret, Kathleen and Grace Thompson. Her sister Marjorie was also an ex-student. Betty's father, FL Thompson, was chairman of the College Council from 1940 until the 1970s. Her aunts were known as the ‘Thompson Aunts’ —Jean,

Margaret and Kathleen, and they later converted their home into a school which became Branxton, the College's pre-school (Reception to year 2) for many years. Her nieces Anne Harley (1972), Elizabeth Tugwell (Harley, 1979), and great-niece Jessie Wiles (Tugwell, 2011) are ex-students. Betty's three sons and nephew also attended Branxton. The College community wish Betty many happy returns on this special occasion - happy birthday! From Aurora Australis, 1938

"We know that in years to come, some of our happiest memories will be memories of Croydon—and let us hope that fifty years hence we will all be back to celebrate once more another jubilee!" —B. Thompson

LEGACY RING

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

Every time you wear this classic piece of jewellery, it will be a physical reminder of your connection to College and history as a "PLC Sydney girl".

polished rhodium-plated finish. Each ring is engraved with your year of graduation and presented in a crested gift box. The cost is $130 inclusive of GST, and a portion of the sale of each ring will be donated back to the College.

Custom made to order in the highest quality Sterling Silver with a high-

To order or for more information, contact the Ex-Students’ Office.

INTERVIEW WITH WHITNEY LUXFORD

When did you attend PLC Sydney? I started at PLC Sydney in 1979 in Year 6 and graduated Year 12 in 1985. My time at school was fun, and I have very fond memories. I remember being in the old pool doing lifesaving, fully clothed and swimming from one end to the other. The Gym was in the science block. Of course, the school was not how it is now—the buildings and the choice of subjects and co-curricular activities are the most noticeable changes! What was your plan after leaving school? If I could go back in time, especially during my school days, my life would have been so different. I didn’t know what I wanted to do—I wasn’t a great student. I thought maybe something around nursing, however all my friends were doing accounting and going off to University, but I went straight to work and started working for a dentist. He instilled some excellent business practices in me, so I benefited hugely from working for a small business owner. Whilst working (and all my friends were studying accounting), I thought I should try my hand at what they were doing, so I signed up for an accounting course with TAFE. After a year, I left the dental practice and worked for an accounting firm in the city, but it was not for me—it was horrible! I was offered a role with Cute Kids Modelling Agency—I was the youngest booker ever. I was filling in for the receptionist, but after the first day, the Principal of the Agency said “no, you are coming to work

over here.” She was a great mentor, a strong-headed businesswoman. She saw talent in me that I didn’t yet see in myself. She moulded me and built on the capabilities that I had learnt at the dentist. I married and initially had two children (Jessica and Saxon), at the time I had friends flying with Ansett Australia. I had applied to Qantas to be a stewardess when I was 21, but I was 4cm too short! It was always in the back of my mind that I would like to fly. In 1994 I started at Ansett and worked there for ten years. Following the collapse of Ansett, I worked for the Commonwealth Bank however should have learnt the earlier lesson that finance was not my forte— and it was time to reassess. What did I really love? I loved dentistry and the patients, but mostly I loved the medical side of the job. So I applied for NSW Ambulance. I started as a paramedic in January 2004 and worked there for several years, and I loved it. Shift work was hard with the kids; I had four children aged 12-0 by then. Unfortunately, due to family illness I had to leave NSW Ambulance NSW to be there for my four children. I left just three months shy of completing my Diploma in Paramedicine. Leaving short of finishing this was an error, to this day, I am still trying to fix. A little while after this, I started working for Virgin Airlines. They were setting up their international airline with a training centre in Sydney, and I was one

Whitney Luxford (Hughes, 1985)

of the first trainers there. Following a number of flight medical diversions, despite the aircraft being equipped with suitable medical equipment, I was asked to review the reason for ongoing medical diversions as I was the only one with medical knowledge on the team. My review resulted in several recommendations one was to develop an in-house medical department (like Qantas). I was privileged to develop and build an in-house medical department and was there until I joined Qantas in 2014. I loved aviation but equally loved medicine—so for me being able to bring those two together was perfect really—I was very fortunate. Whilst at Qantas, I was constantly aware of leaving NSW Ambulance without my full paramedicine certification. My role requires me to provide clinical advice and build protocols and procedures for the airline usually from my desk – so I am required to remain current clinically and to keep up with the latest medical care procedures without being in the field, which at times can be challenging. I completed a Bachelor of Paramedicine, with a Distinction. I’d work during the day, come home and take care of the kids, and then complete the lectures, tutorials and assignments at night. I finished that in 2018. Many students are interested in learning more about paramedicine what do you love about the job? The variability is excellent—some days you drive, some days you treat. You could be working with a junior or senior colleague or a student, sometimes you’ll be teaching them to treat or watching them drive—always a bit scary! It’s that unknown factor and making a difference in someone’s day that I enjoy, and for me, it is getting somewhere and ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

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Ex-Student Whitney Luxford (Hughes, 1985) has been instrumental in PLC Sydney’s Rapid Antigen Testing program. Her experience overseeing Qantas’ aviation health programs and leading the development and implementation of Covid-19 clinical protocols has been historic for the airline and Australia. Her career path has been forged by determination and by believing in and harnessing her natural capabilities and interests.

INTERVIEW WITH WHITNEY LUXFORD continued

knowing that You. Are. It. You and your partner are there to solve a problem and help. You don’t know what you are walking into—we have had walls which needed to be pulled down and police and fire brigade clearing the weeds just to get access to a patient. So it’s about being able to think quickly and calmly, to identify and problem solve and execute all whilst undertaking treatment and communication with the patient, their family, your partner and others. Always lots going on simultaneously and often changing. Also, you come across so many different people, and you learn so many different things about people. Their medical problem may not be that complex for me, but being able to provide reassurance, give advice and make their day just that bit better. It is a fantastic job and a tough job. The role of a paramedic is an incredible privilege, being there to help someone at what is their worst moment. Epitome of true job satisfaction. My story is a great example of how I’ve used paramedicine and taken it to the corporate world— there are so many transferable skills. Can you explain what Rapid Antigen Testing is and how your new business opportunity came up? Well, it came up thanks to Dr Burgis and the school. Over the 2019/2020 Christmas break, we had many Qantas staff affected by smoke on the eastern seaboard during the bushfires. One other doctor and I were the only staff working. We had one quiet day, when my colleague said, “Hey, there is this flu floating around in China.” I didn’t think much of it, but he repeated it the next day, and by 20 January, I was fully entrenched in Covid-19. I led two missions to Wuhan in early February 2020 to repatriate Australians and their families. I led a medical team from the Federal Government, and I had to build the protocols for the aircraft very quickly (and it was on a plane I had never been on before— the 747). From that point, I was one of the senior clinical leads to help the airline navigate the pandemic and was deployed at the end of last year to Howard Springs— this was for two reasons. 1. to scope out a base for our crew who were conducting the repatriation flights and quarantining, and PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

2. to conduct a trial with Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) In July 2021, the NSW Premier announced RAT for schools so that the state could proceed with the HSC. Dr Burgis rang me and asked if I could help. We formed a working group, and I quickly visualised and mapped out an area of the school and what we had to do and set about writing protocols for the testing. Then Dr Burgis spoke to other schools about what we were planning, and then phone started ringing, from other schools asking for help. My business works with the primary importer and distributor of RAT tests to Australia. I oversee the clinical governance (management and logistics) of providing RAT testing to businesses and schools in Sydney and Melbourne. The business is called Antigen Logistics. I see this as our contribution to help life to return to some kind of “normal”. We have proven repeatedly that schools and businesses don’t have to close where there has been a positive test case where RAT has been in place. It is done in such a controlled fashion: you enter the school or your workplace, have the test, and go on with your day after a negative test—potential cases are identified early and leave through controlled protocols to undertake further testing. The aim has been to keeping the big businesses —major logistical hubs for our groceries and essential services— open during the lockdown and as we emerge from restrictions. It has been a real success. What has been your proudest moment so far? Most recently, the two missions to Wuhan with Qantas—they were history making, and I laugh in retrospect at how we launched the whole expedition. If we knew then what we know now, potentially it may have been different. The first mission was 60 hours, following some rest we went off on launched a second mission within a week. However, on the second mission, the Wuhan Chinese Government wouldn’t permit us to land, so we were delayed for 24 hours on the ground, and we were not allowed off the plane. This is where my skills as a flight attendant came in handy—our support crew and the medical team all remained on the aircraft; however, no one except me knew how to turn on the ovens or make the coffee.

After that mission, the Prime Minister came to Qantas and I was awarded us the Spirit of Australia Award, a proud moment. However, it was bittersweet as soon after they announced the stand down of the airline as borders closed around the country and the world. I was so extremely proud to have helped bring those Australians home. Of course, I’m proud of my four children. They are great kids, and with the youngest Piper completing Year 12 in two of the toughest years—I couldn’t be prouder of their achievements—they are happy, well-adjusted adults, living their lives. What role has PLC Sydney played in your life? It has always been my second home— PLC Sydney was and always will hold a special place in my heart. It truly has continued to keep teaching me well beyond leaving as a student. Every time I spend time here I learn something. PLC has shown me how to live my life with integrity and purpose. Even though the school keeps changing and evolving, there are so many fundamentals that stay the same. I am very traditional, and the school holds a lot of familiarity and warmth for me – every time I come here, it feels the same. Having my girls come here has been quite an achievement and I have had lots of proud “mum” moments. Speaking of traditions, what are some of your favourite PLC traditions? We used to have very traditional assemblies using a Hymn book, and we used to sing—yes, me too—I can sing! I love the School Hymn; I love the School Prayer. I love Speech Day—the pomp and ceremony. The Mother-Daughter Dinner or Father’s Day breakfast—any time we can all come together is great. The Open Day and Fair has always been huge for my family—Jess has made so many cupcakes during Piper’s time at PLC! I’ve been involved in the P&F, been President of the Ex-Students’ Union, and have been involved in the Foundation for several years. I am constantly in awe of how this school keeps growing and evolving. These fortunate young women get so many amazing opportunities. If I were allowed to come back as a PLC girl, I would come back today, this time I would partake in every opportunity— PLC is in my DNA!

CLASS OF 1977 VIRTUAL REUNION

In 2012, the Class of ’77 held a 35-year Reunion. Many of us had not seen each other for quite some time and the evening was a great success. From a recognition of the benefits of staying connected, a Facebook page was established. Over the years, this has been a great way of keeping in touch with each other. Now, in 2021, the world is very different. In the grip of a pandemic, many businesses across Greater Sydney closed. The community was in lockdown, people struggling with diverse issues resulting from the inability to see friends and family... During this time, I have mastered (almost!) the complexities of Zoom. I have used technology creatively to maintain some of the activities I undertake as a retired person and, indeed, to expose a new, broad range of things to do whilst in lockdown. Hearing the news from the College that all reunions are rescheduled for 2022 made me think of my group. Could our Facebook group (and others) get together over Zoom before restrictions

ease and we plunge back into the routine of life out of lockdown?

law and singers. Four of us had been at Branxton together.

We did! For two hours on Saturday 9 October, 23 of us gathered to hear about each other’s situations, joys and challenges during the lockdown. We are a mixed bunch - some fully retired, some working full time and others in transition - grandmothers, PhD holders, golfers, teachers still imparting wisdom to young people, a pending ViceChancellor, CEOs, workers in health and

Breakout rooms facilitated deeper discussions, and there was wonderful feedback from all participants. Whilst it certainly didn’t replace a physical gathering, all agreed it was a very positive initiative, and we warmly embraced the benefits of digital connection. Megan Nelson (1977)

CLASS OF 1971 BOARDERS REUNITE Eight boarders from the HSC year of 1971 recently spent some time together in Bathurst, NSW.

Caption (L to R): Pip Goldman (Cameron), Catie Douglass (Cathy Campbell,) Barbara Gold (Armour), Keitha Lomas (McAdam), Judy Williams (Austin), Merren Dargan (Abrahams), Libby Cuza (McCarron) and Jude Melville. Judy Williams (Austin, 1971)

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It was a most welcome break after the restrictions of COVID-19, especially for those who live in remote or regional areas. We all really enjoyed our time together and are hopeful that Jersey Day 2022 will go ahead as planned.

EX-STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

ALLISON BELLINGER (MUNRO, 1987)

DIRECTOR, A.K. BELLINGER GALLERY

Often it is the more simple things that give me pride, like knowing that I am making a difference in the life of my painters by showing and selling their work or just by being there for them as a mentor and friend. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention that in the second year of the Gallery, I attended the Archibald with one of my artists, who was a finalist in arguably Australia’s most prestigious art prize.

Ex-Student Allison Bellinger (Munro, 1987)

If we look back at your time at school, when did you attend PLC Sydney, and what did you plan to do/ what did you study after Year 12? I attended as a boarder from 1983 to 1987. It was a very happy time in my life. I was a Prefect and Boarders’ Vice-Captain. When I left school, I went on to study law and work in a couple of law firms in the cty. I also travelled extensively and lived & worked overseas for a time in Germany and the UK. What have you gone onto do after school? In 2002 I married and relocated from Sydney to be with my husband, who was farming near Inverell in northern NSW. I then spent six or seven years working side-by-side with him on the property. It was a wonderful time, and we had great fun meeting people in the district together. What does a typical "work" day look like for you? A typical day for me begins at 6 am preparing my son for school and checking emails. I travel into town (which is a 50 km drive), and I am in the Gallery four to five days a week. Most days, I do a Pilates class before going into the Gallery. The day typically involves me taking couriers and responding to enquiries from clients. I also spent a lot of time researching PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

new artists for the Gallery and communicating with our current artists. A good part of my day is spend with visitors to the gallery, whether social or commercial. I have two assistants in the Gallery, a part-time bookkeeper and an IT assistant. I usually leave work by about 3.30pm to meet my son at the bus. When I am home, my 'online' workday continues responding to emails followed by the usual domestic undertakings. I am often working with media to provide interviews and press work regarding the Gallery too. To date, what has been your proudest moment? I’ve had many proud moments in my life, from graduating in law, opening night in the Gallery and having two beautiful children. My children make me proud every day as I believe they are fine young people. My son has a disability which makes some undertakings difficult for him. Recently he ran in the primary school cross country race and gave it everything he had. I think that was my most recent proud moment. My daughter bravely went off to boarding school at 12 and took to it like a duck to water. I am proud of her courage. Regarding the Gallery, I feel proud and humbled often by my achievements attained in that space.

Could you tell us about a mistake you have made and what did you learn from that mistake? I have made many mistakes. Ultimately, I think life is a great teacher and tends to sort things out for us via our mistakes and the directions that result consequently. Holding back for so long to follow my passions was a mistake; most likely, it was a lack of confidence. In truth, I never really enjoyed studying law but felt that it was a safe place for me to be when the reality was that my passion and interest was more in the arts and creative field. What advice woudl you share with someone starting their own business? My mother (Suzanne Denison OAM (Brown, 1960) always instilled the value of community service & generosity. I think she might say that these values were also instilled in her from her time at the College. The Gallery is an exciting cultural hub for the regional community, and it's a destination that is open to all. I will often host a function in the Gallery, with guest speakers, so that the local community can enjoy the space and the joy of art, even if they are not in the market to purchase. I also sponsor local art prizes and regularly donate paintings to charities for special fundraising. Recently my Gallery raised nearly $10,000 to donate to UNHCR following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. This was an initiative led by Ben Quilty and one which I feel very strongly about supporting. On a more practical note, my favourite saying is that there is 'more than one

way to skin a cat'! This reminds me to be resourceful and find solutions to problems that seem insurmountable at the time. If you could travel back in time, what would you say to your younger self? I think there are so many things that I would say to my younger self, most notably that to follow your passion is a gift to yourself and that in doing so, you will find freedom and great satisfaction. I would also remind my younger self that life is short. I would tell myself to make the years count;

INTERNING WITH THE EX-STUDENTS:

YIFAN (JOEY) LIU (2018)

...don't wait for things to happen to you, make them happen yourself. How do you find balance in your life? I balance my life is by keeping fit and spending time with people who inspire, make me laugh and feel good.

Please share some of your most vivid, favourite or amusing memories from school. Some of the things I'd like to mention may not be appreciated here, but my memories are so vivid! As I have said, the humour and fun we had in the boarding house often fills my thoughts. We did some really silly things, all to have fun! As we got away with them, I think I will keep them under my hat for now! ---A.K Bellinger Gallery is a contemporary Gallery situated in Inverell on the North West Slopes and Plains of NSW. Visit www.akbellingergallery.com or follow @akbellingergallery

Yifan is currently completing a Bachelor of Media (PR & Advertising) at UNSW, after graduating from PLC Sydney in 2018. She has completed a professional placement with the Ex-Students’ Office, as part of her final semester course requirements. In my first year of university, all I wanted was to take a break from high school: I partied, met new people, and enjoyed the freedom I lost in Year 12 as I was so dedicated to my studies. When I got my first job at a retail store during my second year, I realised the importance of gaining practical working experience something I can never learn from a book. I reflected on the knowledge I gained in the first year during the lockdown and started planning for my future. I still remember the night before my internship began - I was nervous and excited. I never thought I would have the chance to work at PLC Sydney in the near future, and I thought it would be unusual to implement an online internship; however, it was not. I felt the warmth on the first day I received welcome emails from my

previous teachers, Miss Mella and Miss Young - I was so touched by their words. My tasks have included composing content for the Ex-Students’ Instagram account and Camphora Magazine, assisting to plan the International Student Mentoring program and Futures Events for Year 10 and 12. I want to especially thank my supervisor, Philippa, who has demonstrated to me what a PR working environment is like, patiently answering my every single ‘silly question’; inviting me to join in meetings and discussion to express my opinions to make me feel involved in the working environment. During the time I have spent with her, I have learnt a lot. Thanks PLC Sydney for providing this internship opportunity. Even though I am no longer at student at PLC Sydney, it still helps me to learn and grow. ISSUE 13 / WINTER 2021

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How has your education at PLC Sydney shaped the person you are today? Having come from a small community in western NSW, my time at school was profound. It goes without saying the friendships formed there far exceed anything else. Nearly 34 years later, these friends are still some of the most precious ones in my life. I adore the humour shared with the old PLC girls. When I opened the Gallery nearly five years ago, many of my old PLC Sydney friends made the long trip to attend. Sometimes it can be a few years without seeing them, but we understand each other so well; it’s always like 'yesterday' when we catch up.

EX-STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

ELIZABETH RYU (2000)

CEO, HAPPYTEL

When I joined HappyTel in 2004 we had less than 10 stores. Today, HappyTel is the largest retailer of smart device accessories and smart device repairs with 60 stores in every capital city and major shopping centre in Australia and New Zealand. I then decided to do a Law degree, but part-time so that I could continue to work. Studying law was a major turning point in my life because it made me think differently, think broadly and logically. It made me a generalist and highlighted the importance of understanding/knowledge. This love of learning led me to another degree - MBA from the London School of Economics, New York University Stern, and HEC Paris. The 18 month global program cohort consisted of executives, CEOs, and leaders from Europe, US, Africa, South America and UK. It was a life changing experience which broadened my perspective. I met so many amazing, successful but humble people who I still stay in contact with. Currently, I am the CEO of HappyTel, Director of Active Golf, and other companies which own and manage real estate, funds, and online businesses.

Elizabeth Ryu (2000)

If we look back at your time at school, when did you attend PLC Sydney, and what did you plan to do after school? I attended PLC Sydney when you could describe yourself by identifying as a Spice Girl, Nokia Snake was the only form of mobile phone entertainment, and John Howard was PM. I have such fond memories of life inside the green gates. They were fun times with the teachers who were all very caring, friendly, some stricter than others but generally a very lovely environment to spend your days. After school, I planned to go to university, preferably one where my friends were going, study business or economics, then go into the big corporate world or go overseas and live the life of an ex-pat in London or Hong Kong and work for a multinational. Well, that was the plan... Please briefly tell us what you did after finishing school? I went to UNSW and studied Economics but didn’t end up going into the big corporate world or going abroad; instead, I stayed in Sydney and started my career at Happytel. Happytel is a retail business that my parents founded when phones were the size of bricks. In 1996, they were the first to sell mobile phone accessories in shopping centres. PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

What does a typical 'work' day look like for you? A typical workday involves many meetings with various stakeholders of the various entities regarding, management, strategising, sharing ideas, checking on their well-being in fact anything. In between meetings, I'm on the email, zoom or calls. Since covid Zoom or Microsoft team meetings have taken over requiring less travel and more flexibility. I try my best to fit in a walk during lunch. I quite enjoy this time as it gives me the chance to take in the weather, listen to sermons, podcasts or the news. What are the positives of working in a family business? The positives of working in a family business are flexibility, maintaining a good culture and closeness to staff. Being less bureaucratic, we are more nimble, cohesive and decisive despite the limited information in an ever-changing environment as we have experienced/experiencing during the pandemic. Quicker decisions means faster implementation and improvement. Whilst I say it is a family business, my parents moved on many years ago so the only family I work with is my brother and we have 350 staff members. Contrary to popular belief, it’s great working with my brother. He is highly intelligent, understanding and open-minded. We have great discussions about the economy, life, politics, and everything else. He is often sending me podcasts about technology, innovation, future industries and markets which challenge my thought process and I adopt later in work and life. We make a great team.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes! Some of these include; •

Making key investment decisions on gut feel or past data.

•

Hiring people without proper analysis of their capabilities.

•

Underestimating a problem and trying to solve it the easy way.

I made the call on the biggest one-off purchase order. Unfortunately, that resulted in a multimillion-dollar loss and almost cost the entire company and took years and years to recover. The lesson I learned from that was decisions need to be holistic; based on facts, research, data, reports, and information on the ground, not on gut feel. We are a future-orientated business - the leader in the category. We often go out to shopping centre landlords (Westfield, Vicinity, Lendlease), and educate them on what the category was, where the category is and where the category is going. We are a company which disrupts the market to bring positive change. What has been the proudest moment in your life so far? Being able to serve God and helping others. Every morning I wake up at 4.30am to attend the 5.30am church service. Whilst it is often difficult to wake up, especially if I’ve had a big night, I get so much assurance, inspiration, and growth through God’s teachings and guidance. I’m also very proud of my staff because they teach me so much and bring positive change to this world. I’m proud of the culture and collaboration that we have. COVID has made our teams more cohesive. When you’re in a crisis, you stick together and get through it. This has seen great success, with better profitability post COVID. If you could travel back in time, what would you say to your younger self? Always go in with an open mind, learn from others and just experience it. Invest in relationships, find out about people and what their talents are. Always try to connect with people and see how you can empower them, then elevate them to serve something greater than themselves.

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” How do you find inspiration and balance in your life? My biggest inspiration is God. Hearing God’s word first thing in the morning keeps my values in check, makes me feel great and inspires me to serve the community and God. I also enjoy listening to audiobooks, podcasts, ABC Business, as well as reading articles and books. Talking with mum, my brother Max, and my soulmate who is highly intelligent and big picture minded have shaped my thinking. I love walking – it gives me peace and quiet to reflect and think. Golf is something I used to do a lot during COVID, it’s so challenging and fun at the same time. Golf is mentally and physically stimulating, and every time I play, I can’t help but think how much it mirrors life. There are ups, downs, variables, hints of joy, and when you think you’re on track you start going backwards, but all in all, very rewarding. What are some of the values that PLC Sydney instilled in you that have made an impact in your life? Good values, balance, and respect. Good values were instilled through religion and the school culture. We all cared and looked after each other, whether it were your classmates or the girls with special needs. There was a great sense of inclusiveness and community. The school instilled balance through the encouragement of extra-curricular activities such as sport, music and arts. Whilst academia was important; we were not graded purely on this because, outside the green gates, the world values people who are well rounded.

Please share some of your most vivid, favourite or amusing memories from school. Some of my favourite and amusing memories would have to include two favourite teachers; Mr Daniel, my maths teacher and Miss Hayek, my economics teacher - the two of them had a hard time because of me!

One time in maths class, I noticed that the clock on the wall was an hour behind, obviously, it hasn’t been corrected for daylight saving. As usual, Mr Daniel gave us maths problems to do, “ok girls, please do these problems on the board”, so I thought, ok. However, when the class went quiet, when everyone's head was down solving the complex maths problem, for me, the clock on the wall kept bothering me. So, I got up, walked up to the front of the class, pulled up a chair, reached for the clock behind the whiteboard, pulled the clock down, adjusted the time, put it back up, and then walked back to my seat. Mr Daniel was completely flabbergasted but didn’t say anything and just looked at me in amusement. He was a great teacher, a bit “different” as all highly intelligent people are, but a very caring and witty teacher. I really enjoyed his classes and was sad to see him pass away, but I’m glad I was able to say goodbye at his funeral. Miss Hayek was a beautiful, caring and fun teacher. When she gave us tasks to do and I didn’t want to do them, I would ask her about her family. One time I said, “Miss Hayek, I know you have a big family, are you able to name all your cousins, including their last names?” She had many many cousins. Being Miss Hayek, she would oblige and started listing them one by one, and with my encouragement she kept going and going and for me that made the class go faster. Follow @beHappyTel on Instagram.

PLC Sydney instilled the importance of respect. I think that was why manners were so strictly enforced—good manners to teachers, fellow students and the community. Whilst I didn’t understand it at the time, presentation was important at all times, both inside and outside the green gates.

ESU NEWS

Could you tell us about any mistakes you have made and what did you learn from that mistake?

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

REFLECTIONS ON LOCKDOWN FROM AN OLDER EX-STUDENT Living in a complex with a concierge, a coffee shop in the foyer (takeaway only in lockdown), childcare and a nursing home incorporated in the buildings means there are always people around to talk to even if one does have to wear

Life in lockdown has obviously been different for everyone and, for me, very different this year from last year.

I have virtually never lived on my own, so that in itself has been a new experience. None of my family and very few friends live within my 5km radius, so I have not physically seen any of them since June.

In 2020, I moved into a new complex for over 55s in a suburb not very far from my previous home. I moved into a beautiful unit with two large balconies with different views and opposite a very large park, all of which has been appreciated throughout lockdown.

a mask and social distance. I meet other residents in the park, in the foyer and at the letterbox, and some who like to bake have made delicacies for us all, leaving them at the Concierge for us to collect.

All the community activities stopped in the complex except for virtual meetings, and there were no visitors allowed. However, under the government Covid restrictions, we could walk outside with one companion, which I did most days.

There has always been plenty to do and enjoy. I miss the garden as pot plants are not as satisfying as I have more trouble encouraging them to flourish. Still, my orchids, peace lilies and maidenhair have enjoyed the change,

as they have been glorious with no extra effort from me. I have always dabbled in family history, so I have spent more time organising my information and photos and continued my research. I’ve read an enormous number of books, watched television, learnt to not only participate in Zoom meetings but to set them up, celebrated a birthday online and spent many hours on the phone with people all over the world but also on WhatsApp and FaceTime. Digital technology has been wonderful. The groups I belong to have had Zoom meetings and webinars; my children and grandchildren FaceTime me rather than just ring, so I see them. Chat groups easily keep me up to date with the small details of family activities. It is not as good as physical contact but infinitely better than a weekly letter and an occasional long-distance phone call on a Sunday. I will enjoy catching up with people in person when the lockdown is over. Still, I have not missed the shops being closed! I have not missed the traffic but have missed going further afield as I have been in an LGA area of concern. Overall though, the time has passed very quickly and pleasantly. Elizabeth Gregory (Cornish, 1961)

THE CROYDON CIRCLE - SAVE THE DATE OCTOBER 2022 The Croydon Circle serves to recognise those ex-students who have the longest connection to our College’s traditions and history. Ex-students are invited to join The Croydon Circle upon their 75th birthday and to attend a luncheon at the College, traditionally held in October. In 2022, we extend a special invitation to the Classes of 1950, 1951 and 1952, to celebrate their 70 Year Reunion at the annual luncheon. A date for this event will be announced in the new year, however, please contact the Ex-Students’ Office for more information.

PLC SYDNEY / CAMPHORA

SAVE THE DATE INTERSTATE CONTACTS ADELAIDE

MELBOURNE

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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

Leonie Gillett (Cresswell, 1961) (03) 9848 5058 leonian2@bigpond.com

Kay Ralph (Teasdell, 1970) 0438 932 690 termimesh@westnet.com.au

NEW ENGLAND/NORTHERN DISTRICT

RIVERINA

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

CANBERRA

Helen Loveday (Kinross, 1951) (02) 6721 0583

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

SUNSHINE COAST

GOLD COAST

Catherine Cruickshank (Bassingthwaite, 1986) (02) 6927 6353 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.

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

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

JERSEY DAY SATURDAY 12 MARCH 2022 Gather your PLC Sydney friends together and return to Croydon for Jersey Day, the College's annual back-to-school event for past students. The Ex-Students’ Union AGM will also take place on this day. At Jersey Day 2022, we invite the following cohorts to celebrate their Decade Reunion (or previously postponed reunion) or 5-Year Reunion. Each class will celebrate this important milestone over drinks and canapes.

1961 - 1962 1971 - 1972 1980 - 1981 - 1982 1990 - 1991 - 1992 2000 - 2001 - 2002 2010 - 2011 - 2012 2015 - 2016 - 2017

STAY IN TOUCH

60 Year Reunion 50 Year Reunion 40 Year Reunion 30 Year Reunion 20 Year Reunion 10 Year Reunion 5 Year Reunion

Contact the Ex-Students’ Office E: exstudents@plc.nsw.edu.au T: +612 9704 5635 UPDATE YOUR DETAILS TODAY www.plc.nsw.edu.au/alumni/stay-in-touch

Ex-students, friends and family are invited to save the date for the Annual Card and Games Day on Monday 21 March at Pymble Golf Club. This event is a lovely opportunity to catch up with friends over morning tea and games.

Join the Official PLC Sydney Ex-Students Group: facebook.com/groups/PLCSydneyExStudents Follow us on Instagram: @plcsydneyexstudents Update your LinkedIn profile with PLC Sydney and grow your school network: linkedin.com/school/plc-sydney

ISSUE 14 / SUMMER 2021

ESU NEWS

Ticket price and schedule to be announced.

ANNUAL CARD DAY 21 MARCH 2022

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;-2021-12