Connecting the Community

Old Collegians Association

The mission of the OCA has always been to foster a community for life. This is achieved by providing opportunities for Old Collegians to connect and support each other, however, this goal has had its challenges over the past few years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

While many annual events like the International Womens’ Day Breakfast and the Easter Service and Old Collegians’ Luncheon were either cancelled or postponed in 2022, we were still able to proceed with many notable events.

We were thrilled to hold our OCA Welcome Day Afternoon Tea for Old Collegian families and their daughters starting at PLC, the Year 12 Career Networking Breakfast where Old Collegians shared their diverse career pathways with current Year 12 students, and the Tartan Lawyers’ Networking Breakfast with guest speakers Barrister, Jenny Thornton (1977), and retired Federal Court Judge, the Hon Neil McKerracher QC (OSC, former Chair of Scotch College Council).

The OCA Art Exhibition, our major fundraising event for the year, was once again a huge success thanks to the incredible support from the generous PLC community.

At our annual Founders’ Day Service and Luncheon, we had the great honour of awarding three new Honorary Life Members of the OCA, Dr Helen Gryzb (Brine 1970), Katrina Burton (Fairweather 1982) and Shannon Lovelady (Martin 1983). Over the past 102 years, the OCA has awarded just 20 women this honour with the award being bestowed for exceptional service and contribution to the OCA and PLC community.

It was also our great pleasure to announce Robyn Sermon (1990) as the 2022 OCA Inspiring Woman Recipient for her remarkable 30-year career in the education, agriculture, mining, and health Sectors.

Thanks to the OCA’s ongoing fundraising activities, the OCA was able to gift the Year 12 leavers a beautiful silver bracelet and award three annual bursaries.

The OCA is looking forward to successful fundraising events in 2023 with the goal of further financial donations to PLC in the coming years.

Plc Parents

The function and role of PLC Parents is paramount in helping to build a strong community foundation for PLC and to support the rich learning environment our students experience. PLC Parents also offers valuable support to parents. It is via their numerous activities and events that connections with other parents are made.

2022 was another positive year for PLC Parents despite having to work with some challenging COVID-19 restrictions. The traditional Term 1 Welcome Sundowner was rescheduled to become a Spring Soirée in Term 4, which proved to be a wonderful opportunity for our families to reconnect and reflect on the year that was.

PLC Parents were thrilled to hold their inaugural parent ball, A Starry Starry Night, with 350 parents and PLC staff attending. Planning for the next parents’ ball is already underway with this biennial event set to be held at The Ritz-Carlton in 2024.

The PLC community, parents, staff, and students came together to deliver another memorable PLC Open Garden Day on Friday 21 October. 2022’s event saw the opportunity for attendees to visit seven amazing gardens generously opened by local families. The successful event once again raised substantial funds which will continue to be distributed via the PLC Parents Fund.

PLC Parents were also able to proceed with their various year group functions and events in 2022 including the Year 12 Mother Daughter Luncheon, Father Daughter Dinner Dance, and Year 12 Ball.

The distribution of funds through the Term Fee Draw and the PLC Parents Fund was also successful in 2022, with many great programmes and items such as the Australian Barcode for Life project, resuscitation manikins and new chanters for the PLC Pipe Band being funded to support the educational experience of the students at PLC.

Many volunteer hours go into the work done by PLC Parents, these people are the true strength of the parent community, PLC Parents would like to thank them, and their families, for their contribution.