PRESBYTERIAN LADIES’ COLLEGE: A COLLEGE OF THE UNITING CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
SUMMER 2018
IN THIS ISSUE
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Message from the Principal
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Lighthouse learning framework
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2017 Results Snapshot
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No-tech-before-bed movement
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Student Prefecture
10 The best Speech Night in Perth 12 Indigenous students flies Aboriginal flag on Mt Everest 13 Teen film-maker has the world beneath her feet 14 PLC Piping into the sunset 15 High profile visitors 16 Making a splash for mental health 17 Chaplain’s Address 18 Boarders shine a light on their homes 19 Into the Woods 20 Early learning students inspire Year 7 poets 21 IB Science 22 Foundation report 24 Parents@PLC
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26 Parents’ Committee 28 Old Collegians’ Association 30 Reunions 34 Tartan News 38 From the Archives 40 Obituaries
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Cover Image Emma Rose Playford (Year 11) participates in a yoga class in the new PLC Lighthouse dance studio.
Message from the Principal The year has begun with a flurry of great excitement as we formally opened our newest state-of-the-art facility. Feeling good, functioning well and doing good for others are core tenants of the programmes operating out of the PLC Lighthouse. With suicide the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-24 (Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, 2015), the mental wellbeing of our young people must be our most pressing priority.
PLC, Perth has a long tradition of excellence in academic endeavor having been in the top 10 schools in the State for the past 17 years, all bar one year when we were 12th. Our PLC Lighthouse is supporting the continuation of high academic standards. Not only do wellbeing programmes improve social and emotional outcomes for young people; in a study of more than 270 000 students it was found schools where these programmes were implemented enjoyed on average an 11 per cent increase in academic outcomes (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor & Schellinger, 2011). The School has established dates where you are most welcome to come and tour our newest facility,
please contact Communication and Engagement to find out when our next tour is running by visiting our website. In addition to supporting our building projects and bursaries, the PLC Foundation instigated an inspiring Scholarships Campaign mid-way through 2017. It is with humility and gratitude we welcomed into the School five new Foundation General Excellence Scholarship recipients in 2018. Of these recipients, three have joined our boarding community. The Foundation raised a remarkable $511,000 from amongst the PLC community to fund these students and is keen to continue the campaign, which provides the opportunity of a PLC education to families for whom this would otherwise be out of reach. Should you be interested in supporting this initiative please contact our Foundation Coordinator, Suzanne Pelczar on foundation@plc.wa.edu.au. My sincere thanks to the Foundation Board, led by Chairman Ian Macliver, for the outstanding support they offer the School and its students.
My sincere thanks to the Foundation Board, led by Ian Macliver for the outstanding support they offer the School and its students. Our commitment to the International Baccalaureate programme remains strong with a surge of interest for the Diploma Programme (DP) over the year. We are delighted to have doubled our intake into this programme in Year 11, with 20 per cent of our cohort now DP students. Our students are global learners, with interstate and overseas university study destinations and scholarship opportunities becoming more popular than ever. Our girls, current and past continue the tradition of being Inspiring Women. Congratulations to Emily Bradley who secured a scholarship at the prestigious University of Cambridge to study a Bachelor of Engineering. Dr Kate Hadwen Principal
www.plc.wa.edu.au 3
Lighthouse learning framework A leader in wellbeing education
INSPIRING LIFELONG WELLBEING
An innovative health and wellbeing curriculum designed by PLC Perth teaching staff will lead the raft of researchbased programmes to be delivered at the new PLC Lighthouse. Structured around the core principles of feeling good, functioning well and doing good for others, the Lighthouse Learning Framework aims to equip students with the tools they need to support their academic development, prevent mental illness and promote mental health. Director of Wellbeing, Laura Allison, said research had found that schoolbased social and emotional learning was associated with improved social and emotional skills, behaviour and academic achievement. “Furthermore, within a recent study of 287 Australian schools, the highest academic scores occurred when mental health promotion was included in a school’s priorities,” Ms Allison said. She said the Lighthouse Learning Framework designed by the Wellbeing team and Health and Physical
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Education Department is taking an interdisciplinary approach to the delivery of wellbeing education. “At PLC Perth, we will be implementing a purpose-designed curriculum within a purpose-built facility promoting wellbeing and supporting learning in a way no other school has ever done before,” Ms Allison said.
and goals. The inquiry-based nature of the framework will allow students authentic opportunities to engage in a practical manner with the wellbeing pathways through the disciplines of Physical Education, Health Education, Wellbeing, Food and Nutrition. “Within these pathways, speciallydesigned lessons will be built around themes such as thriving during change, building growth mindsets, recognising and regulating emotions and bouncing back from adversity.
PLC Perth’s Health and Wellbeing teaching teams spent 2017 researching world’s best practice in the health and wellbeing curriculum and have devised a Structured around the core principles of learning framework feeling good, functioning well and doing which will build good for others, the Lighthouse Learning students’ relationships Framework aims to equip students with the with others as well tools they need to support their academic as develop their own self-awareness and development, prevent mental illness and resilience.
promote mental health.
Every PLC student will undertake health and wellbeing lessons in the Lighthouse. “The Lighthouse Learning Framework will support the existing curriculum and staff to enable students to function at their best and flourish,” Ms Allison said. Ms James, Head of Health and Physical Education, said the framework was built around the wellbeing pathways of strengths, emotions, attention and awareness, relationships, coping, habits
“There will also be learning projects around these themes such as investigations into the science of wellbeing as well as a Wellbeing Shark Tank where girls are challenged to learn to deal with failure, innovate and personalise wellbeing for themselves and others.”
Café open for business The new PLC Lighthouse Café is now up and running every school day from 7am-4pm. Operated by Swanbourne’s Kirkwood Deli, the café offers parents, Old Collegians, visitors to the School, Lighthouse users, staff and students a range of hot drinks including tea and coffee, a selection of cakes and slices, smoothies, lunch options including bagels and salads and refreshments.
Watch the video in Digital Blackwatch
PLC Principal Dr Kate Hadwen said the Lighthouse Café was a perfect meeting spot for parents after drop-off and before pick-up and an ideal location for a coffee with friends or family. “Café patrons are very welcome to use the Lighthouse parking bays located at the rear of the new building, which can be accessed from the first driveway to the right as you enter McNeil Street from Stirling Highway,” Dr Hadwen said. “We are also very excited to be offering family meals such as lasagne, curries and macaroni and cheese to make life that bit easier for our busy parents and families. The Lighthouse Café is located on the McNeil Street level of the PLC Lighthouse.
Uniform Shop returns to campus Replacing, upgrading or buying a new PLC Perth uniform is now easier than ever with the relocation of the Uniform Shop to the PLC Lighthouse. Boasting a space more than double what it previously occupied on Stirling Highway, the new shop has large spacious change rooms, a welcoming reception and extensive display area. The Uniform Shop has not been on campus since 2005, when it
was relocated to make way for the construction of the new middle school.
Normal Uniform Shop hours during term time are:
Manager, Emma Young, said she believed current and prospective students and their parents would be pleasantly surprised by the new facilities.
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 12.30pm – 4.30pm
“It is certainly a lovely space and its location back on campus will make it far easier to access for families needing uniform supplies,” Ms Young said.
WEDNESDAY 8.00am – 1.30pm FIRST MONDAY OF EACH NEW TERM 9.00am – 4.00pm Families can contact the Uniform Shop on 9460 6243.
www.plc.wa.edu.au 5
2017
RESULTS SNAPSHOT
100% of ATAR WACE Achieved
NAPLAN PLC Recognised by ACARA for Substantially Above Average Gain
#8 WA’s TOP ACADEMIC WACE Schools List
90.20
75%
ATAR combined median WACE & IB Diploma
OF GIRLS 80+ ATAR guaranteed entry UWA
WACE
1 GENERAL EXHIBITION TOP 50 STUDENTS
in Western Australia
4 CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE
11.97% PLC AVERAGE ABOVE STATE MEAN
reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, numeracy
YEAR 3 12.46%
ABOVE STATE MEAN
YEAR 5 13.09%
ABOVE STATE MEAN
YEAR 7 13.15%
ABOVE STATE MEAN
YEAR 9 9.59%
ABOVE STATE MEAN
89.60 ATAR from WACE State median 81.40
16 CERTIFICATES OF DISTINCTION 31 CERTIFICATES OF MERIT 22% OF STUDENTS ACHIEVED
IB Diploma
95 ATAR equivalent or above
56% OF STUDENTS ACHIEVED 90 ATAR equivalent or above
78% OF STUDENTS ACHIEVED ABOVE WORLD AVERAGE 29.9/45 World Average
4 STUDENTS IN TOP 20% in the World for IB Diploma Scores
1 BILINGUAL DIPLOMA
only achieved by 22% of students worldwide
VET 100% OF STUDENTS Certificate III or higher
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TOP 2 STUDENTS in ATAR Course
Starting a no-tech-before-bed movement Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen, has been making nation-wide headlines with her movement encouraging parents to remove communication devices from their children’s rooms at night time. Her efforts aim to combat the documented negative effects of latenight technology use such as poor sleep, impaired cognitive performance and mental health issues including increased depression and anxiety. “There is a growing body of evidence linking technology use late at night and negative mental health outcomes for young people,” Dr Hadwen said. A recent study by the Australian Research Council of 1,100 students, indicates that 75 percent of Year 8s and 78 percent of Year 11s are using their phones well into the night. In 2015, Glasgow University’s study of social media use found that engaging with social media at night damages sleep and increases depression and anxiety. Sleep deprivation of just one hour per night on a regular basis may also reduce academic cognitive performance by up to two full years.
Dr Hadwen shared this research, along with her suggestion that parents remove all technology before bedtime, in a Links newsletter in 2017. Since then, the suggestion has been shared thousands of times on social media and has been covered in numerous news outlets including the Australian Financial Review, The West Australian, Channel Seven and Channel Nine News. “As a community, I have encouraged PLC families to commit to collecting the technology off our children at bed-time, at least for students in Pre-Kindergarten to Year 11. “The evidence against technology use at night time for teens and young children is very compelling. If we all committed to a bed-time ban on technology, imagine the impact we could have on our community,” Dr. Hadwen said.
To encourage the girls’ active engagement and participation in the initiative, the School purchased alarm clocks to give to all students who committed to handing in their phones at bedtime. More than 720 girls have so far taken up the pledge. So many in fact, that PLC bought out every alarm clock in K-Mart, Western Australia and had to get more alarm clocks shipped in from other states. “The feedback from parents, girls and other teachers and Principals has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Dr Hadwen. “The positive responses and news coverage we’ve received demonstrates that I’m not the only one who feels that this is a challenge. “I hope that by encouraging our PLC girls and families to lead the way, this initiative can spread nationwide. “If all young people committed to putting their phones away before bedtime there could be an incredible turnaround in mental health outcomes for young people in our communities.”
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INTRODUCING
Student Prefecture Eliza Donaldson
Eva Marsh
Head Prefect
Service Captain
PLC has truly shaped me into the person I am today and, after 12 years of studying at PLC I now have the absolute pleasure of becoming Head Prefect for 2018.
I am really excited to be the Service Captain for 2018.
In 2018, I want to promote inclusivity in our School, and reassure each girl that she is able to be herself themselves. I encourage and hope that the sense of community and culture at our School can continue to grow. I hope that this year, all girls will be inspired to try their best and make the coming year a memorable one. Whether it is achieving personal bests or trying something new, I hope that you all learn to be your own inspiring woman.
Elizabeth McLarty
I started at PLC in Kindergarten and I have spent most of my life here. The environment at PLC empowers and develops women. All the opportunities I have been offered in the Arts, sport and service have helped me develop confidence and grow as a person. In my role as Service Captain, I hope to embody PLC’s commitment to service. I believe when you are privileged enough to go to this amazing school, you have the responsibility to give back to the community. My goals for 2018 are to make service accessible to everyone at PLC and to increase the understanding that you can find ways to give service in all of your areas of passion.
Deputy Prefect
I am so excited for this year, since being elected Deputy Prefect. I am really looking forward to working with the student council to get as many girls, from all years, involved in every aspect of the School. What I have loved about PLC is how we are always encouraged to give everything a go. Whether it’s sport, the Arts or academia, there is always a strong sense of spirit and community in all of these activities. This year is off to a great start and I’m looking forward to working with Eliza to make it the best year we can.
Natalie Everett
Makenzie Thomas Wellbeing Captain
With the opening of the new PLC Lighthouse, this year excites and motivates me to create a whole new scope on wellbeing. As Wellbeing Captain, I hope to teach students how they can feel good, function well, find strategies and cope well in life, whether it be in or out of school. I am so excited for what this year will bring and cannot wait to get working with not only the wellbeing team, but also the rest of the staff and students. I feel so honoured to be this year’s Wellbeing Captain and am looking forward to introduce and create new initiatives alongside the 2018 Student Council.
Academic Captain It is an honour for me to serve as Academic Captain in 2018. I would like to see PLC’s commitment to education and excellent academic record continue. I believe that we can all achieve this by focussing on the following: • Being as organised as possible and maintaining a routine. • Maintaining a balanced lifestyle between academics and co-curricular. • Figuring out what works for you in regards to study skills. • Asking for help when you need it, because unless you ask no one knows you need it. • Supporting and helping each other. I believe that by promoting these five things we can all achieve to the best of our individual abilities and be the best that we can be. I look forward to an exciting and successful 2018.
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Grace Johnson
Junior School Senior Prefect Ever since I started at PLC, I have loved the strong connections between the older and younger girls and how these relationships can really impact a student’s experience at school. I am honoured to have been appointed Junior School Senior School Prefect for 2018 and am so excited about what this year has to offer. As Junior School Senior School Prefect in 2018, I want to tighten the connection between the Senior and Junior School girls. I also want to build more relationships between all the girls in the Senior School and improve the Big Sister programme. With programmes such as Big Sister, girls at PLC will hopefully be able to build these important relationships.
Isadora Rakich Sports Captain
I am so excited and honoured to be appointed the role of Sports Captain at PLC for 2018! Sport is something I have always been really passionate about, so I hope that my enthusiasm will motivate all girls to get involved and embrace the opportunity to play sport at PLC. From IGSSA to Blackwatch, there are so many sports to get involved in and there really is something for everyone. Not only is sport a great way to get out and do some exercise, it is also a really good opportunity to meet new people and create friendships in all different Year groups.
2018 HOUSE CAPTAINS Sarah White – Baird
Rasheeka Razvi – Carmichael
Saskia Thomas – Ferguson
This year, my main focus is to maintain the team spirit within sport at PLC by encouraging participation and increasing the team spirit in all of the sports our School has to offer.
Alia Golestani Arts Captain
Since joining the PLC family in Year 3, I have been showered with endless opportunities to involve myself in any and every aspect of the PLC Arts programme. I am extremely confident in saying that if it had not been for the encouragement of my older peers to involve myself in the Arts, I would not be who or where I am today. My biggest goal I would like to achieve this year as Arts Captain is to encourage each and every girl to step out of her comfort zone. I am no stranger to feeling slightly uncomfortable or nervous in some situations, but I hope that with the guidance of myself alongside some of my Year 12 peers, the younger girls will feel more motivated to try something new within the PLC Arts programme.
Tish Martin – McNeil
Poppy Evans – Stewart
Tallulah Williamson – Ross
Selena Ballesteros – Summers
SCHOOL OFFICIALS Orchestra Captain Renya Golestani Wind Ensemble Captain Enya Zankharia Chorale Captain Emma Thorpe Stage Band Captain Grace Bowen Vocal Ensemble Captain Georgina Thorpe
Kristen Smith
Senior Boarder
Throughout my years boarding at PLC, I always felt a sense of inclusiveness and support. As Senior Boarder, I aim to continue that atmosphere and I will work hard to develop a community spirit, support this amazing team of prefects, act as your representative and be your sounding board. I will work with my team of Boarding Prefects to ensure the girls feel safe, welcomed and that everyone belongs at all times. Above all, I want to make sure every girl feels at home.
Pipe Major Tish Martin Drum Major Ava Gajdatsy Deputy Senior Boarder – Wellbeing Leilani Minniecon Boarding House Prefect – Sport and Fitness Emma Wilson Boarding House Prefect – Arts and Activities Dharishinni Ambalagam Boarding House Prefect – Service and Environment Charlotte Pope Dance Captain Madelyn Johnston Civics & Social Justice Captain Caoilin Marstrand Environmental Captain Sacha Winter Drama Captain Grace Farrell Kookaburra Editor 1 Anna Konowalous Kookaburra Editor 2 Emma Rishworth Media Captain Olivia Tan Visual Arts Captain Sophia Gawan-Taylor Reconciliation Captain 1 Siahn Ejai Reconciliation Captain 2 Giorgi Devereux Debating/Public Speaking Captain Georgia Krige
www.plc.wa.edu.au 9
The best Speech Night in Perth
2018 JUNIOR SCHOOL HOUSE LEADERS
Minti Kitcher Baird
Georgia Stafford Baird
Olivia Stephenson Carmichael
Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen inspired past, present and future students at last year’s Speech Night at HBF Stadium, embodying the notion of owning one’s own success. Through her uplifting address, Dr Hadwen reminded the girls of the importance to look within themselves for praise, recognition and celebration.
Zoe Michea-Palmer Carmichael
Imogen Haynes McNeil
Isabelle Early Ferguson
Lauren Russell-Weisz McNeil
Grace Turnbull Stewart
Academic Leaders Penny Barker Charlotte Erwin Laura Kingdon Alexia Leake Poppy Maxted Maddy Mayo Natalie Row Eirwyn Siford Annabel Utting
Arts/Languages Leaders Leila Bolt Emma Burton Josie Crampton Alexandra Enslin Anabella Fernandez Riveras Genevieve Kessey Isabella Maliszewski Jordyn Slocombe
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Charlotte Gishubl Ferguson
Amber Downes Stewart
Jacinta Boquest Summers
Community Service/ Wellbeing Leaders Nina Ambrosini Zara Ball Ava Gillies Skye Goldberg Sophie Graham Emily Hector Adison Martin Lucy Rodda Jordan Timmcke Sylvie Warner Darcy Waters
Evie Salt Summers
Environment Leaders Ruby Crier Annabella Davies Jamie-Lee de Bruin Keira Graham Mackenzie Harris Izumi Lewis Isobel Marinko Emily McAuliffe Eloise Monti Jadira Sudwell Abby Timmcke
Peer Support Leader Tiami Bachofen von Echt Lucia Italiano Katherine Lovegrove Annecy Lyon Eloise McVicker Natasha Playford Jaymie Savill
“Praise is an incredibly important mechanism to drive success. It is possible to reframe the narrative or the story in your mind. It is possible to celebrate your success with just a party of one,” Dr Hadwen said. An array of outstanding performances from PLC’s drama, dance and music students gave the audience of students, staff, parents, Old Collegians and special guests a taste of the School’s accomplishments in 2017. The girls’ academic and service achievements were acknowledged with more than 100 awards presented on the night. Congratulations to the 2017 WACE Dux of School, Emily Bradley and IB Diploma Dux of School, Emily Flynn whose outstanding efforts saw them become two of the most awarded girls on the night. The night culminated in the Class of 2017 taking their final parade across the stage to monstrous applause and confetti canons as they became the latest group of Old Collegians to head out and make their unique mark on the world.
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
Indigenous student flies Aboriginal flag on Mt Everest Year 12 Indigenous student Sarafina Elliott made a life-changing decision to climb Mt Everest after finishing her Year 11 exams last year. Sarafina, a very ambitious PLC student, made the brave choice to take on the world’s highest mountain, after her father, Jeremy Elliot, suggested the idea. Sarafina and her father have completed many treks throughout the world, before deciding to take on the biggest of them all. This fierce father, daughter duo have backpacked through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and many other places. “This was an ambitious trip but I wanted to show Fina that anything’s possible,” Mr Elliott said.
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Sarafina and Mr Elliot spent more than a year planning the whopping 60 km hike. In preparation, she took up boxing classes, abseiling and running so that when the time came, she was fit and ready to take on the challenge. Sarafina even decided to create and execute an Everest Base Camp Trek Guide eBook for her PLC Personal Project, filled with all the knowledge, tips and tricks needed to take on the hike. “I did so much research for my project, which helped us a lot when the time came to do the hike”.
For Sarafina the most challenging part of the whole journey was the day they trekked to the highest point. “We had to wake up at 3.00 am in minus sixdegree weather. It was an arduous trek with no flat ground and a harsh incline. It was so worth it though.” After the trek, Sarafina went home with the realisation that she could truly achieve anything she put her mind to. She said she will never forget that overwhelming feeling of happiness and accomplishment. Sarafina hopes that her journey inspires other Aboriginal and young women to reach for the stars.
Teen film-maker has the world beneath her feet PLC Old Collegian, Meg Anderson (2017) premiered her new short film in the Year 12 Media Perspectives film festival. Media Perspectives showcased the top student film productions created by Year 12s from 2017. Meg, who studied Media and Production Analysis (ATAR) at PLC Perth, has always been a story teller, according to her mother, Anna. “She’s been writing stories since she was very young. We had to buy a copy if we wanted to read them,” she recalled. Meg describes her film as a poetic documentary. The film is a montage of beautiful scenic shots of the land and her family, sequenced to illustrate the narrative with a powerful Australian voiceover provided by local Peppermint Grove resident, David Millar. “The voice is from the perspective of the land. I’m very passionate about my home. It’s more than just farming land. It’s family, and this film shows how we’re all connected. How it challenges, nurtures and sustains us,” said Meg, who began boarding at PLC in Year 8.
As a 12-year-old country girl, new to high school and to life in Perth, Meg missed being in Kojonup with her family. “I wasn’t too fond of being away from home. I loved PLC but I struggled with boarding. Working on the film was a way for me to have something from home.” Students were allocated a term to complete the film. The challenge for a boarder making a film about home is to shoot all the footage in one weekend during the Boarder’s Mid-Term break.
Meg certainly has a bright future in the Media and plans to defer her place in Notre Dame’s Media and Communication degree this year to spend time back on the land at a station up north. “I’ll definitely be taking a journal and writing about the Station. I’m looking at getting some video equipment so I can shoot some footage, but we’ll see”, she said when asked if there will be a sequel to Beneath Their Feet.
PLC Media teacher, Gemma Freel, was impressed with the quality of the work that Meg produced over the short weekend at home. “Her film is beautifully shot and really demonstrates her adeptness as a cinematographer, as well as her skill in editing.”
www.plc.wa.edu.au 13
PLC Piping into the sunset
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
The PLC Pipe Band joined together with the Australian Army Band Perth, Royal Australian Navy Band and the 51 ACU Swan Regiment Drums and Pipes for a massive sunset concert spectacular at the Army Museum of Western Australia in Fremantle on Sunday 25 February 2018. With more than 100 musicians performing and over 1,000 guests in attendance, it was a spectacular event. For PLC Pipe Major, Tish Martin (Year 12), the performance was one of the biggest performances she’d ever been a part of. “Apart from the Virginia International Tattoo in 2016, it was the biggest concert I’ve ever performed in,” Tish said. “Performing alongside two other pipe bands and the larger combined Army
and Navy Band was pretty intimidating but at the same time, quite exciting.” The combined band and pipes and drums was a real community affair for PLC with a number of Old Collegians as well as former PLC drum tutor, Mr Peter Jones OAM, performing as part of the 51 ACU Swan Regiment Drums and Pipes. PLC Pipe Band tutor, Matija Franteovich, also performed as part of the Australian Army Band Perth, so all three bands had a connection to PLC.
“It was a nice way for the big PLC Pipe Band community to come together. Bagpipes are a bit of a strange hobby, so it’s nice to find other people out in the community that share the love of the pipes,” Tish said. “It was amazing marching off stage with hundreds of other musicians, all playing Black Bear, which is traditionally played when returning home to the barracks. The wall of sound was pretty impressive – it was a really special event to be a part of.”
PLC girls turn seniors into tech heads Community and Service Learning has become an integral part of the PLC curriculum, with a comprehensive programme of activities available to girls. One of the programmes, Tech Tips, allows the students to offer technical help to anyone in the wider community, every Tuesday after school at the Grove Library. Whether the individual needs help navigating through their smart phone, iPad and laptop, or just needs a helping hand with online shopping, the PLC girls are there to help! Head of Service, Matt Donaldson, said the programme provided students with the opportunity to use their skills and develop inter-generational relationships while helping the community. “The great pleasure of experiencing a shared moment with community members who become confident using their phones and other technological
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devices, in particular, whilst connecting with overseas family members, brings about a shared feeling of joy and happiness,” Mr Donaldson said. “Our students begin to realise the significance of offering a helping hand.”
The six-week programme began in 2015 and has grown its interest among students over the past three years. Year 10 student, Claudia Tedjasaputra, participated in Tech Tips last year and said it was a wonderful learning experience. “The use of technology is very important these days, however, some people don’t have the correct knowledge or skills to discover the potential of their technological devices,” Claudia said.
Mathematics: everywhere and everyday A number of girls from Years 4 to 6 achieved excellent results when they participated in the ICAS Mathematics Assessments in 2017. ICAS Mathematics assesses students’ skills and knowledge across five strands: Algebra and Patterns, Chance and Data, Measures and Units, Number and Arithmetic, and Space and Geometry. Head of Junior School, Louise Peyton, said that she was thrilled to see so many students embracing the subject.
Year 6 students take chance to question high profile visitors The Year 6 students had a chance to grill the Foreign Minister and Fremantle Mayor when Curtin MHR Julie Bishop and Dr Brad Pettit visited the School on separate occasions in 2017. In July, girls wrote a letter inviting Ms Bishop to their class as they had been studying migration and government for their units of inquiry. When Ms Bishop accepted their invitation, the girls were extremely excited at the opportunity to speak with Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister. After giving the girls a brief overview of her past, which included tales of growing up on a farm in South Australia where there were only 20 students in her whole school, Ms Bishop told the students how she began her career in politics and what being the Minister for Foreign Affairs entailed (a lot of travel was one thing!). The girls questioned Ms Bishop on what she loved about her job and what made her want to pursue a career in politics. They also asked whether she always knew she wanted to work in foreign affairs. Ms Bishop replied that she
didn’t even know what a Foreign Affairs Minister was when she was their age. Later in November, Dr Brad Pettitt came to speak to the students about living a sustainable life and the actions the City of Fremantle was taking to create sustainably designed communities that made smart use of the planet’s limited resources.
She said the Junior School practised a visual, hands-on approach to teaching Maths. “It is important to be at the cutting edge of research and to know that our girls are being given the best opportunities to develop their Maths skills,” Ms Peyton said. Year 5 students, Eirwyn Siford and Zara Ball, both achieved Distinctions in the ICAS Maths Assessment, placing them in the top 11 percent nationally. “At PLC, the teachers make learning Math really fun, which is why I have enjoyed it since I can remember. I love the logic and problem solving behind it, which makes finding the answer all the more satisfying,” Eirwyn said. PLC will continue to teach Math in a practical way which will model positive attitudes towards a subject often viewed as difficult and overwhelming.
“We would need four planets if everyone lived like an Australian,” Dr Pettitt said. “It’s the great challenge.” The girls learned about how a local government could put sustainable actions into place, including drawing hot water for the Fremantle Pool from underground and developing the White Gum Valley green housing project. Fittingly, Dr Pettitt caught the train from Fremantle and walked from the train station to the School.
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Making a splash for mental health
PLC’s Junior School has jumped on board the Big Splash WA, a mental health campaign run by Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation which aims to spark conversation about mental health and remind children that they can speak about their feelings, they are not alone and real help is available. The campaign also raises funds for the Mental Health Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital. Katy Howes, Year 4 teacher and Junior School Wellbeing and Service Co-ordinator, said PLC joined the Big Splash because it complemented the School’s Wellbeing programme. “At PLC, our Wellbeing programmes teach the skills to prevent mental illness, support learning and cultivate wellbeing,” Ms Howes said. “We define wellbeing as feeling good, functioning well and doing good for others. We joined the Big Splash campaign as we wanted to make sure other people also know about the importance of looking after their wellbeing.”
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As part of the Big Splash, Junior School students spent Arts Week painting their very own dolphin, fondly named “Dolly”, to be displayed alongside other schools dolphins and a further 36 dolphins decorated by local artists at a Farewell Event in March. The students also held a pyjama day and a fundraising activity which raised $1,200 for the campaign. “The children loved participating in the design process and colouring in Dolly as part of Arts Week in 2017, which had a focus on wellbeing,” Ms Howes said. “Dolly’s design was inspired by the project the Year 1s had been working on, which was Monet’s flowers. They felt that flowers were a good symbol for wellbeing.”
Every student from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6 had the chance to get involved and decorate Dolly. “I thought it was a good way to get us talking about wellbeing and it was fun decorating Dolly,” Samara Sudwell (Year 4) said.
Dolly will return to PLC following the Big Splash Farewell Event and will be on display for visitors to see. Find out more about the Big Splash campaign at www.thebigsplashwa.com.au
CHAPLAIN’S ADDRESS Around the world, from Myanmar to Poland and the USA, governments, leaders and populist movements are championing ever narrower nationalisms. In a recent article, Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, challenged this myth of the new purity which underlies the thinking of so many. He argues that the time has come to celebrate the benefits of diversity. Biology is instructive here. Every child is a combination of genetic material from two different sources. Every child is impure, a mix. Over time, our inescapable, systematic, fundamental human impurity gives us the capacity to do what has not been done before, to make creative leaps in our biology, in the diseases we can resist and the foods we can digest. And in our thinking, culture and politics the same applies. Of Asia and Africa’s influence on European
cuisine – and vice versa. Of the foreign-born on Silicon Valley. Of the green revolution. Of cutting-edge research in medicine. These are not victories of purity, designed by like-minded people of similar appearance and narrowly shared ancestry. These are what can be achieved when humanity mixes. (Mohsin Hamid is the author of the international bestsellers ‘Exit West’ and ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, both finalists for the Man Booker Prize.) A patchwork quilt is made up of many different squares. Each square adds
something unique; it belongs. Together, the individual squares make a beautiful whole and the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The quilt is less for losing one square. In a sense, the PLC community is a microcosm of what we would like the wider world to be. Every student is unique, has travelled her own journey and contributes what only she can contribute. When a student leaves, the community changes. We will continue to celebrate diversity and our varied forms of giftedness.
Arrowsmith Programme produces exciting results in Junior School In keeping with PLC’s commitment to personalised learning, the differentiation of student programmes and the wellbeing of all students, the Arrowsmith Programme was introduced in 2015 as a pilot programme in the Junior School to improve academic outcomes for students with barriers to learning. The Arrowsmith Programme is a cognitive programme in which students work on specific exercises and stimulate weak cognitive functions. “Some of our Arrowsmith students have clear and specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, dyscalculia or ADHD,” Head of Junior School, Louise Peyton, said. “Others participate in Arrowsmith because they may not be achieving the level of academic success that we know they are cognitively capable of. We also have students who access Arrowsmith as an extension programme, extending their capacity to learn, focus, process and function in the classroom.” Instead of teaching skills and concepts, the Arrowsmith Programme works to change the cognitive function that
impairs a students ability to learn quickly and confidently. It is based around neuroplastic principles, building and strengthening the neural pathways that make learning easy and automatic. “After three years, we have seen positive changes and academic shifts in our students that are both astounding and exciting,” Ms Peyton said. “Teachers and families have been impressed by the positive gains we have seen in our Arrowsmith students’ NAPLAN results from Year 3 to Year 5.” The feedback from students and parents involved in the programme has been overwhelmingly positive. One Year 5 Arrowsmith student said. “It’s made me more confident. I used to be really negative, I never used to look for the good in things, but now I do.”
www.plc.wa.edu.au 17
Boarders shine a light on their homes Students from across Australia and the world build the culturally diverse PLC boarding community. From Brighton in the UK to Kulin in WA, the PLC boarders come from many wonderful places and at PLC we like to celebrate that. Carly Savage hails from Kulin, a small farming town in WA’s Eastern Wheatbelt. She arrived at PLC in 2016 at the age of 12 following in the footsteps of a number of her family members. Now in Year 9, Carly said she loved being a PLC girl. “I really enjoy living in the Boarding House and have made good friends. I actually miss it when I go home for the holidays,” she said. “I love the beaches and the buzzing atmosphere. I think it’s pretty hard to get bored here.”
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However, her home town holds a special place in her heart. “Even though Kulin is a small town, the amount of space is something I really love. With that much open space, I can ride my horses all the time.” There are another 133 other boarders who come from many wonderful places around the world and Australia. The PLC Facebook page frequently posts about the girls’ home towns to highlight the different places our students come from.
Fable comes to life in school production Broadway came to PLC in Term 4 with two performances of the Tony-Award winning musical, ‘Into the Woods’. A Year 9 and a Year 10 cast were given the opportunity to bring the production to the PLC stage. Into the Woods takes all the classic fairy tale characters and weaves their stories together, forming one epic fable. Students were challenged in a variety of different ways, combining singing, dancing and acting. Intricately beautiful sets, designed by Theatre Manager Rob Kelly, gave the production an otherworldly feel and detailed costumes by Lizzie Davies added the final touch of magic to the show. “As always, I am in total awe of the standard and quality of the performances that our girls at PLC deliver, Drama Teacher, Oliver Craze said. “The students in both casts put on excellent performances that would challenge and rival any professional production.”
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
Anoushka was paired with Year 1 student Nina Shephard and together they created a story about a detective being sent to Italy to find the President’s dog.
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
Early learning students inspire Year 7 poets Year 7 students had the chance to participate in a fun activity involving some very cute Kindergarten, Pre-primary and Year 1 students in Term 4. Anoushka, along with the other Year 7s illustrated, edited and put their narrative poems together like a book.
To make learning about poetry that little bit more interesting, each girl from Year 7 was paired with a student from one of the three Year groups.
Year 7 student, Anoushka Paganin, said that the project was a great way to get to know the Junior School girls, while at the same time learning about poetry.
They spent a few weeks compiling questions and interviewing the little ones to find out about their interests, likes and dislikes to be used as inspiration for a narrative poem.
“It was rewarding being able to make the little ones happy,” Anoushka said.
Year 8 Co-ordinator, Gemma Freel, said that she hopes to repeat the project again this year.
Anoushka was paired with Year 1 girl, Nina Shephard and together they created a story about a detective being sent to Italy to find the President’s dog.
“The task gave the students a purpose for writing their poems, as well as inspiration from which to generate their ideas,” Ms Freel said.
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Nuclear Attack puts IB Science students to the test A nuclear event has made life unsustainable on Earth and it’s up to the Year 11 International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) students to come up with a strategy to survive for the long term. That was the scenario facing PLC’s IB students - to come up with a suitable design and concept that could preserve life in a self-sufficient way. Every group devised a unique and well thought out design to be presented to a group of judges, including Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen and Deputy Principal, Dr Andrew Cousins. Sacha Winter, Ryan Hodgetts and Matilda Malet formed a group and produced a genius project by creating a voltaic cell. “We collaboratively created a voltaic cell through using a pair of electrodes, of two dissimilar metals; copper and zinc and moist soil
as an electrolyte. This ‘earth battery’ produced about 2.8 volts”. This IB project gave the students the opportunity to think critically and consider global contexts. Sacha said that the IB Curriculum inspired students to think about the world in a different way. “I found the IB Diploma and this project very interesting and motivating because it allowed me to apply the concepts and information I had learnt in chemistry and apply it to a real-life situation,” she said.
Team PLC Shines Up For Silver Team PLC had another incredible year of IGSSA sport in 2017, with the girls’ combined efforts, talents and commitments leading to a secondplace finish overall. The results of all IGSSA sports, excluding rowing, led to PLC coming second overall, closely behind St Mary’s Anglican Girls School. After a recordbreaking 2016, where PLC was crowned Overall Champion School, following it up with second place was a fantastic result. “The hard work and passion of every single girl involved in IGSSA sport contributed to this result and I am very proud of Team PLC,” said Head of Sport, Annette Pearce. In individual sports, PLC was crowned Champion School in Tennis, Hockey and Soccer for the second year in a row. These fantastic results follow up PLC’s achievements in rowing for 2017, which saw PLC break records and become the first school ever to take out all three of the top IGSSA rowing accolades for three years running! Congratulations to all those involved in Team PLC, from the coaching and teaching staff, to the parents for their unconditional support and to the girls who give it their all every single time they step up to train and compete.
www.plc.wa.edu.au 21
FOUNDATION
REPORT
Generosity of PLC community shines through The PLC Foundation’s 2017 campaign to award additional scholarships to deserving young women was met with an inspirational response. In the space of just a few months, the PLC community contributed more than $500,000, which was an amazing and generous result through which, we were able to offer another five students, in addition to our annual scholarship recipient, the opportunity of a PLC education. The successful recipients were: 2018 PLC Foundation Scholarship recipient Taleisha Hurford, Year 7 Taleisha is an excellent swimmer. She was selected to represent WA in the school sport swimming squad for the Pacific School games at the end of last year. Taleisha is also interested in tap dancing, netball, gymnastics, reading, art and taking photos. She plays violin and supports charities by taking part in fun runs and the colour run; last year she ran in the HBF Fun Run for the first time on her own. Taleisha hopes to represent Australia in swimming in the Olympic Games, would like to play the
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violin like Lyndsey Stirling and dreams of being a Vet looking after elephants. 2017 Scholarship Fundraising Campaign recipients Shelby Heidrich, Year 7 PLC and the PLC Boarding House are a long way from Shelby’s home, a cattle station located 245 kms north west of Halls Creek off the Gibb River Road. Shelby’s interests include dance, drama, science, sport, music and reading; but her real loves are trick riding and cross country – dressage and pony club are not really her thing. Shelby is so happy to have made friends and take part in ‘real’ classes after the many limitations she has endured through School of the Air. Jemma Warren, Year 7 Jemma’s interests include ballet and contemporary dance, netball, athletics, swimming and viola. In Jemma’s words “I will try my very hardest and pursue everything I can do until the end of the next six amazing years that I am going to spend at PLC. I will stand by my word the whole way through, no matter what.” Sioni Zankharia, Year 9 Sioni who has recently recovered from open heart surgery and has already
been selected to represent PLC in IGSSA Tennis. Sioni enjoys playing the Violin and has now signed up for Trumpet lessons at PLC. Sioni is intrigued by the deaf community and culture and learns Auslan. Cassidy Emmott, Year 10 Cassidy is from Manjimup and is a PLC boarder. Cassidy has attained excellent academic results and successful sporting achievements. Cassidy was selected for the local, development and South West league netball teams and an Australian Bronze Medallist U15 400m hurdles and ranked 13th in the State for cross country. In Cassidy’s words “When I think of Dr Hadwen, the PLC Foundation and this special PLC family, I come to the realisation that none of this would have happened without this amazing group of people.” Jordi Edwards, Year 11 Jordi is from Margaret River and also a PLC boarder. Jordi has represented her local town in Swimming, Basketball and Netball and also volunteered for many charities. Jordi believes that the opportunity to study at PLC will set her up for her future in ways she would never have imagined.
On behalf of the PLC Foundation, I would like to thank the following donors who made the gift of a PLC education for these girls possible. Albion Foundation Pty Ltd Ms Robyn Ahern and Mr Mark Bradley Mr Geoffrey and Mrs Janette Brown Mr Craig and Mrs Katrina Burton [Fairweather 1982] Mr Nick Draper Dr Kate Hadwen and Mr Matthew Bell Mr Mark and Mrs Jemma Hector Ms Valda Ioane [Slocombe 1959] Mr Russell Kane Mr Damien Kestel Mr Stephen and Mrs Janine Lauder Ms Morgen Lewis Mrs Rosalind Lilley [McClelland 1961] Mr Ian and Mrs Chantal Macliver Mr James Mactier Mr David McAuliffe Mr Andrew and Mrs Cate McKenzie [England 1986] Mr David Michael Mr Trevor Nairn Dr Jenny Rogers [1972] Mrs Jane Somes [Temperley 1962] The Constantine Family Foundation Dr Sue-Anne Wallace [1963] Mr Neil and Mrs Rebecca Warburton 2 anonymous donors
The PLC Foundation Board Members would like to extend their gratitude and thank supporters of the 2017 Annual Giving Programme. We also acknowledge those Donors who wish to remain anonymous. Building Fund – Total raised $45,580
Lady Jean Brodie-Hall [Slatyer 1942] Mr Paul and Mrs Sophie Chamberlain Ms Joanne Cruickshank Mr Jonathan and Mrs Katrina Downes Mr Ken and Mrs Paula Everett Mrs Jenny Fairweather [Yeo 1988] Mr John Franetovich
Mrs A Gregg [Cooke 1953] E/Prof Tracey and Mr John Horton Dr P Kailis AM OBE Mr Peter and Mrs Lucinda Kerr [Webb 1992] Mrs Freda Livingston [Bunce 1949] Miss Monica McInnes [2002] Mr Peter and Mrs Suzanne Monger [Mills 1949] Mr Willy and Mrs Mimi Packer [Clough 1982] Mrs Molly Paterson [Allen 1947] Mr Michael and Mrs Alison Purves Mr Robert and Mrs Alison Quinlivan Mr Graham Reynolds OAM and Mrs Margaret Reynolds Mrs Laurel Stanes [Jenkinson 1946] Dr Richard Vaughan AM and Mrs Elizabeth Vaughan
Scholarship Fund – Total raised $245,163
Mrs Margaret Atkins OAM [Cusack 1947] Hon Margaret Craig AM [Lynn 1947] Mrs Beth Duncan [Blair 1946] Mrs Beverley Fitzgerald [Bird 1954] Mrs Anne Kyle [Jago 1948] Mrs Julie Larkin [Sedgman 1951] Mrs Tibby Lea [Baron-Hay 1941] Mrs Beverley Ludlow [Harrison 1956] Mrs Wendy MacGibbon [Lynch 1946] Mrs Ann Macliver [Bird 1952] Mrs Elizabeth Manners-Sutton [Irving 1939] Hon John McKechnie and Mrs Beth McKechnie Mrs Jill Mowson [Harrison 1949] Mrs Jan Muggleton [Fuller 1968] Mrs Jeannette Pennell [Hodges 1949] Ms Jenny Rankin Mr Peter Rose Mr Paul and Mrs Sally Rossen [Field 1980] Mr Adam and Mrs Winks Shephard [Sheedy 1988] Mrs Glenice Shephard Mrs Margaret Stamper [Monger 1947] Mr Garry and Mrs Cerina Triglavacanin Mrs Betty Trotter [Gibbs 1939] Dr Richard and Mrs Elizabeth Vaughan [Overton 1962] Mrs Pat Voyer [Beatty 1946] Mrs Shirley Wallman [Morrison 1949] Mrs Thelma Webster [Fisher 1947] 4 Anonymous Donors
Meet the members of the PLC Foundation board IAN MACLIVER Chair, PLC Foundation PLC Foundation Board member since 2011 Daughters: Lily (2018), Isabella (2012) and Bianca (2007) CATHY DONALDSON Secretary, PLC Foundation Board PLC Foundation Board member since 2013 Daughters: Eliza (Head Girl 2018), Phoebe (2015) and Anneliese (2013) CARLO FRANCHINA PLC Foundation Board member since 2015 Daughters: Giavanna (Year 5) and Valli (Year 3)
TONY GRIST PLC Foundation Board member since 2016 Daughters: Maddy (Year 10) and Isabelle (2016)
JAMES MACTIER PLC Foundation Board member since 2015 Daughters: Edwina [Year 8] and Harriet [2016]
MR ANDREW MCKENZIE PLC Foundation Board member since 2011 Daughters: Martha (Year 12) and Amilia (Year 7)
www.plc.wa.edu.au 23
PARENTS@
PLC
The Open Garden Day Platinum Event was an incredible day of School community involvement and fundraising.
Just like that, another year has come and gone... 2017 was an extremely successful and rewarding year for Parents@PLC. Our role of fostering friendships, and supporting the PLC ethos of a warm, caring and nurturing environment for our girls, parents and wider school community has been fulfilled. I am very proud of all who have been involved in allowing us to achieve this.
gardens, cafe, and market stalls creating a vibrant atmosphere in the streets surrounding PLC. Donna Jackson and her committee did an extraordinary job. This day requires a massive call out for volunteers and the PLC parents came to the fore!
So many events have occured in the latter part of the year.
The year wrapped up with the Jingle and Mingle, a whole School event organised by Linley Flugge and Alicia Boelen. The girls did a fantastic job, it was a great way to end the school year.
The City/Country lunch, held at the gorgeous property of Helen and Shane Martin in Bindoon, was a fantastic opportunity to spend a day with both city and country parents, Head of Senior School, Sharon Anderson and Director of Strategic Communication Keryn McKinnon. We were met with morning tea from the famous Bindoon Bakery on arrival, followed by a walk through the paddocks to our lunch destination and a bush BBQ! The Open Garden Day Platinum Event was an incredible day of School community involvement and fundraising. Around 1,000 people wandered around the amazing
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Parents@PLC co-ordinates all Parent Year Group representatives, New Parent Liasons, Boarding House Representative and Pastoral Care. Parents@PLC were also involved with the Valedictory Dinner, giving gifts to our Year 12 School Leavers. Yearly provisions via the Parents@PLC include decorations for the Year 10 Social and Year 11 Dance, prizes for Scotch/ PLC quiz nights for Years 6 and 7 and games night in Year 8.
The Year 12 Ball moved back to PLC in 2018. Parents@PLC contributed $5,000 towards lighting and decorations for this ball and for use at balls in future years. The Outdoor Movie night was another great success in 2018. This free family event was held in the Senior School Quad. The PLC Pipe Band performed and also sold goodies on the night. The atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable while the family-friendly movie Beauty and the Beast, played on the big screen. Although not our primary focus, fundraising events such as Open Garden Day enable Parents@PLC to help the School. The Wish List was again open for everyone in the School community to submit requests for funding. We are delighted to announce that Parents@PLC have funded the following; Junior School: • Book Day/visiting Author $1,500 • STEM Resources $1,021 • Art Dept $740 • Learning Support $1,781
Senior School: • Art Dept $5,994 (items also used for Old Collegians events/school events and exhibitions) • Chilled Water Fountain $1149 + Installation of approx $800 • Yr 12 Common Room toasted Sandwich Makers $100 • Kilts (Hand made in Scotland) for PLC Pipe Band $20,000 Parents@PLC also purchased two new PLC-Branded Marquees. These will be used for Open Garden Day and other Parents@PLC events and by the School for events such as Head of the River and Athletics Carnivals. The marquees are stored in the Maintenance Department for use by all School departments and groups as needed. Parents@PLC is delighted to have donated in excess of $42,000 this year. None of these achievements are possible without the help of many great people. To all the parents who have taken on roles, volunteered at events and supported the Parents@PLC in many other ways, we thank you. Thank you to all who have attended the once per term meetings, (where we have up to 50 people attend); you have all had
a part in making these decisions on behalf of the Parents@PLC. These meetings are a great way to be involved and know what is happening in and around the School and a way of meeting and supporting other parents. Minutes of meetings are available on the PLC website. 2018 is shaping up to be another exciting year for PLC of which the Parents@PLC looks forward to being a part of.
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
Susannah Evans President Parents@PLC
www.plc.wa.edu.au 25
PARENTS’
COMMITTEE
The second half of 2017 saw another highly successful semester and the completion of another year with a new cohort of girls graduating. During this time, the Parents’ Committee continued to foster, promote and enrich the welfare and progress of the College and the education and development of the students. Parents’ Committee Scholarships A highlight was the annual Parents’ Committee Scholarship. Each year, the Parents’ Committee recognises two girls (one each from the current Year 8 and Year 10 cohort) who have shown outstanding participation and endeavour and whom epitomise our school motto. This is a Scholarship with a difference. This is not an academic or sporting award, but a recognition of a girl’s character and approach to school life. This scholarship is open to all, whatever their academic, artistic or sporting ability. Awarding of the scholarship has become a stamp of recognition of School and Community participation across multiple fields of endeavour and, as such, is highly regarded. 2017 saw a very strong field of 40 applicants for the two scholarships, providing the Scholarship Sub-committee with the challenging task of selecting the winners. The 2018, Year 9 Parents’ Committee scholarship was awarded to Sophie Day. The committee was very
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impressed with her clear passion for the environment and the way that she used her initiative and harnessed it to work with others in the School to promote recycling. They admired the composed way that she presented herself at the interview, and her commitment to PLC and its moto of Labore et Honore, along with her willingness to have a go, get involved and be confident in herself. The 2018 Year 11 Parents’ Committee Scholarship was awarded to Holly Dowling. It was clear that Holly’s upbringing and personal values underpin her approach and attitude. This is demonstrated in the way she has embraced life at PLC, doing her best to participate and engage with the community. The Committee was really impressed with her unassuming confidence, sense of self, and her ability to reflect on and build on her experiences. The Parents’ Committee would like to encourage all girls who are eligible for consideration to make time to put themselves forward for these scholarships in 2018.
Fundraising Through the Parents’ Committee, Fundraising activities such as the School Fees Draw and annual Family Subscription money has been provided for a range of significant things that the School would not otherwise be able to provide. The Term 3 Fee Incentive Draw was invested to improve the experience for girls learning a foreign language by providing native language speakers in French, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish to promote their language and culture for the benefit of PLC students. The Term 4 Fee Incentive Draw funded new play equipment for the Junior School in time for the start of Term 1, 2018. This further development of the Nature Play playground includes some redesign work and provides new monkey bars and a vine swing, which are more appropriate for older students and for building upper body strength. The Committee tries to share its funds around the School and 2018 will be the first time in many years that the Committee will support the Boarding house through the funding of a pilot Leadership Development Programme for girls with the 2018 Term 1 fee draw. This will be a ten week programme for our Year 8 students. The programme is to assist the girls in a number of areas, but primarily with the challenging
The Parents’ Committee would like to encourage all girls who are eligible for consideration to make time to put themselves forward for these scholarships in 2018.
prospect of living together as a group co-operatively and in a productive fashion. Acknowledgements The Parents’ Committee would like to thank Andrew Johnson, the outgoing President, whose daughter, Emily graduated from Year 12 in 2017. Both Andrew and his wife Natalie have been key members of the Committee for a number of years and their time and endeavour have been much valued. I would like to thank the whole committee for their work during the course of the year. A special mention for those stepping down; Jon Smeulders, Raewyn Mutch and Drew MacDonald. This year, your Parents’ Committee consists of Matthew Maxted, Sophia Gillies, Nick Saunders, Alison Hutton, Cheryl Croce, Sophie Keil, Caroline Ofoegbu, Sarah Smith and Andrew Woolgar and Gill Fairweather. We encourage all parents to participate through the annual Parents’ Committee membership, and welcome you to join the Committee as a member, or simply to attend a meeting and meet other parents and hear about what is happening in the School.
See the full photo gallery in Digital Blackwatch
Matthew Maxted President PLC Parents’ Committee
www.plc.wa.edu.au 27
OLD COLLEGIANS’
ASSOCIATION
Old Collegians’ Association (OCA) It has been a wonderful second half to 2017 with so many Old Collegians involved in events in and around the School. There have been many Old Collegian reunions, the Inspiring Women programme, the Mentoring programme, the Networking Breakfast and of course, planning for the cornerstone event, the OCA Art Exhibition. The OCA also surprised the incoming 2018 Year 12 girls with a morning tea to welcome them to the OCA Year 12 Common Room. The morning tea was well received and I received a lovely thank you letter from our new Head Prefect Eliza Donaldson, which was much appreciated. Open Garden Day was a great success with the OCA stand making over $2,000 selling the beautiful succulent pots. I would like to thank Katrina Burton for making the pots and organising the stand.
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Valedictory Dinner In Term 4 the Valedictory Dinner was held to honour the Year 12 girls as they embark on their very exciting journey after exams. The OCA awarded an engraved silver bracelet and a certificate to welcome the Year 12s into the Old Collegians. The Committee also attended a Year 13 brunch in October which was very successful and I am sure we will see many of the girls involved with the OCA, in future years. PLC Old Collegians Association Bursaries The OCA Committee awarded three bursaries in Term 4, 2017. The process is always a very difficult one as we have so many very deserving girls that apply. It is with great pleasure that the Old Collegians’ Bursary Committee announce the award recipients for the following three bursaries. The Olive Cusack Bursary: Isabelle McGinniss This bursary recognises a boarding daughter or grand-daughter of an Old Collegian in Year 9 for Year 10.
The Dr Vera Summers Bursary: Saffron Fairweather This bursary is awarded to a daughter or grand-daughter of an Old Collegian in Year 10 for Year 11. The Heather Barr Memorial Bursary: Natalie Everett This bursary recognises participation and contribution to PLC and is awarded to “the girl entering Year 12 who most clearly displays the qualities which reflect the principles espoused by Miss Barr”. 2018 Mentoring Programme The aim of the Mentoring Programme is to provide Year 12 students contact with a recently graduated PLC student (Mentor) doing a tertiary course of study that the Year 12 student is interested in. The role of the Mentor is to answer any questions the Year 12 students may have about studying that course, especially the practicalities. The OCA Committee is facilitating the Mentoring Programme with 32 Year 12 girls that would like a mentor and matched them with a mentor from Old Collegians that have recently left the
School. It is a time-consuming process to ensure the right girls are matched, but a very rewarding programme for the girls who are involved. It has got off to a great start for 2018 and I am sure it will continue to grow each year. If you would like to know more about the OCA Mentoring Programme, visit the OCA page on the PLC website (www.plc.wa.edu.au/connectedcommunity/old-collegians/plcmentoring/) 2017 Inspiring Woman Recipient The Inspiring Women Programme endeavours to research, recognise and honour past PLC students who have achieved success in their chosen field, career or an area of personal pursuit that the OCA, as a committee, deem as being inspirational. It was our great honour and pleasure to announce Georgie Smith (1986) as the 2017 OCA Inspiring Women’s recipient. Well done to Georgie, she is truly inspiring and a great example of where life can lead you if participate, take a risk, work hard and give a random act of kindness to someone. Thank you to Liz Langsford for working on this project and managing to get Georgie to speak to the girls whilst she was on a brief trip to Perth. If you would like to know more about the OCA Inspiring Women Programme, visit the OCA page on the PLC website (www.plc.wa.edu.au/connectedcommunity/old-collegians/ocainspiring-women/) Networking Breakfast The PLC & Scotch Alumni Networking Breakfast was held at Frasers restaurant in August with 60 people in attendance. Senior journalists, Dixie Marshall and David de Vos, spoke about the future of news, the post-truth era, and communicating in the digital age. It was well attended and was a very enlightening, positive experience as well as very entertaining. It is a great way to bring together past students from both schools to hear from eminent speakers.
Events for 2018 The Easter Service (Thursday 29 March) and the Founders’ Day Service (Wednesday 15 August) run annually to celebrate the ethos of the School, whilst the Annual OCA Art Exhibition provides a chance for past students and community members to come together to view work by artists who are Old Collegians or connected to Old Collegians. Annual General Meeting The AGM, held in August 2017 was well attended. The changes to the office bearing roles, include: President: Jennie Deykin Vice President: Jessamy Mahoney Treasurer: Justine Cerini Treasurer: Katrina Burton If you would like to become involved with the committee or would like more information about any of our events or initiatives, please contact Sascha Hill at Sascha.Hill@plc.wa.edu.au or find us on Facebook @PLCOCA. Finally, I would like to thank the committee for their support and dedication in my first few months as president of the OCA. It is an honour to serve as president and I look forward to a very exciting 2018. I would also like to thank Sascha Hill the Alumni and Parent Group Co Co-ordinator and all the staff in the Office of Communications and Engagement. Your tireless help and assistance has made my transition to president, a far easier one. I would also like to thank Dr Kate Hadwen for being a great supporter of the OCA to ensure very close ties with the School. Kate has attended all the OCA Committee meetings and OCA events. It is very much appreciated. I look forward to your support and attendance at the Old Collegians events in 2018.
The PLC OCA Art Exhibition back for 2018 The Exhibition will be run from 25 to 27 May. The Opening Night Cocktail Party is Friday 25 May, 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm. Tickets are available at: bookings.plcoca.org.au Get in early as numbers are limited and it is always a fabulous night. The Exhibition continues over the weekend, Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 May from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm. We would like to warmly invite all artists from the PLC Community to register to include their artwork in the 2018 Exhibition. Artists receive 70 percent commission on sales. To register your interest to exhibit and/or to buy tickets to the opening night, please go to plcoca.org.au Miniature artwork invitation to participate in the miniature wall Artists who register to exhibit are asked to also do a miniature work which will be for sale at the exhibition. We welcome anyone else who is feeling creative to participate in this much loved part of the Exhibition. Miniature canvases can be collected from the Office of Community and Engagement or Junior School Reception, and returned there once you have created your special artwork. It is a great way to support this event.
Jennie Deykin (Eastwood 1982) PLC Old Collegians’ Association President
www.plc.wa.edu.au 29
REUNIONS
13 Year Brunch In October 2017, over 50 leavers from 2016 attended their first school reunion in the Year 12 Common Room. Dr Hadwen and Year 12 Co-ordinator, Jane Brandenburg were there to hear all about the girls’ post-school experiences. A lovely brunch was served with the help of members of the OCA Committee.
10 Year Reunion (Class of 2007) We discovered that while a lot has changed in ten years - degrees and qualifications, travels, varied careers and starting families - the 2007 leavers still share a sense of humour and love a good laugh. We had a fantastic turnout at the Mosman Park Bowling Club and a smaller organised event in London. The night ended with us all sitting at one massive table in fits of laughter, only calling it a night because the Bowling Club was closing. Safe to say, 007, mission complete. Emily O’Keeffe
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20 Year Reunion (Class of 1997) The Class of 1997 met on the steps of the Chapel in October 2017 for our 20 Year Reunion. It was great to recognise all the familiar faces and I’d like to think we’ve not changed a bit! We enjoyed a stroll around the School grounds while sharing memories and catching up on more recent times. Following a tour of the Boarding House we continued our reunion at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel. It was a fantastic evening with lots of laughs and reminiscing. We missed the girls who were unable to make it due to distance or prior commitments. Hopefully those that were unable to join us will be able to make the 30 Year Reunion, which no doubt will be here sooner than we think. Jane Wandel (Murray)
30 Year Reunion (Class of 1987) A fantastic time was had, as over 70 women from the Class of 1987 reconnected with PLC and each other for their 30 Year Reunion. After a tour of the School, girls headed to Cottesloe Surf Lifesaving Club where they were welcomed by the familiar sound of the bagpipes. So many smiling faces were seen as well as lots of laughs whilst we reminisced about school days in the ‘80s, including hairstyles and ball fashion! Shelley Stewart
www.plc.wa.edu.au 31
REUNIONS
40 Year Reunion (Class of 1977) On Saturday 11 November 2017, the old-fashioned Claremont Bowling Club, turned out to be the most friendly and welcoming venue for our Reunion. It was like stepping back in time, but that’s what we were all gathered to do, so in these homely surroundings, 45 girls from the ‘Class of 1977’ were set for a fabulous evening. Proceedings began with drinks around the bar, Head Prefect, Jo Cruickshank then called us into the long table seating dining room which was beautifully decorated with black tablecloths and loads of white flowers
60 Year Reunion (Class of 1957) On the day following Founders’ Day, the ladies from the ‘Class of 1957’ came together to celebrate their 60 Year Reunion. After meeting at the Chapel, they took part in a group photo, followed by a school tour and a visit to Archives. The ladies were then piped over to the Boarding House for their reunion luncheon.
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and greenery. Delicious food by Garry Rishworth encouraged the chat to flow and was easily followed by some truly heart-warming speeches by Tanya Franz (Campbell), Julie Audas (Wallman) and Rosanne Dowland. Rosanne bought everything into perspective by reminding us of the incredible power of kindness and friendship particularly in times of challenge and adversity. We all went home richer for our shared experiences and have truly embraced this enduring companionship we value so much.
The committee of Rosemary Johnson (Breidahl), Susan MacDonald (Rees), Helen Schurmann (Tweedie), Rosanne Dowland, Mary-Ellen King, Jo Cruickshank, Barbie Smith, Lennie Barblett, Maria Bacopanos (Kailis), Fiona Fairhall (Spragg) and Jenny Thornton are to be congratulated for their persistence and energy in co-ordinating another fantastic reunion. Ever onwards girls – we look forward to the next gathering in 2022! Jo Cruickshank
2018 Reunions 70 Year Reunion (Class of 1948) Wednesday 15 August (Founders’ Day) Venue: PLC Perth Contact: Sascha Hill oca@plc.wa.edu.au 60 Year Reunion (Class of 1958) Saturday 10 November Venue: PLC Perth Contact: Jenny Fairweather jenfairs@bigpond.com 50 Year Reunion (Class of 1968) Saturday 20 October Venue: St Catherine’s on Park Conference Room Contact: Rosemary Lukin mallorycottage@bigpond.com
65 Year Reunion (Class of 1952) In 2017, the year marked 65 years since the ‘Class of 1952’ left PLC. To celebrate this milestone a lunch was held in the private Function Room at Chez Pierre Restaurant in Nedlands on 6 October. Those who attended the Reunion remembered it as a lovely, warm occasion to re-engage with friends. GROUP PHOTO | BACK ROW (L-R): Jill Milner (Weir), Lorna Bingemann (Foreman), Olga Ferstat (Hutchens), Jan Hodge (Geddes), Elizabeth Blow (Heaps), Anne Platt (Hodby), Wilma Blazey (Bolton), Jenny Ress (Leedman), Diana Lefroy (Morgan), Leonie Kirke (Jeanes), Jill Lawson (Underwood), Jan Turner (Nathan), Nancy Cornish (Gray) FRONT ROW (L-R): Sally Mackenzie (Barnett), Val Hobson (Robins), Dell Nainby (Bessell-Browne), Gretchen Bantock (Toop), Margot Lang (Richards), Anne Macliver (Bird), Cynthia Playford (Hogbin), FRONT: Val Croker (Snowden)
40 Year Reunion (Class of 1978) Saturday 6 October Venue: Mosman Park Bowling Club Contact: Liz Langdon langdone@iprimus.com.au 30 Year Reunion (Class of 1988) Saturday 19 May Venue: Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club Contact: Jessamy Mahony (Carroll) jessamymahony@hotmail.com www.trybooking.com/UIBM 20 Year Reunion (Class of 1998) Saturday 8 December Contact: Kate Findlater (Myers) katefindlater@gmail.com 10 Year Reunion (Class of 2008) Contact: Anna Curry or Hannah Murray Anna.Curry@plc.wa.edu.au yarrumhannah@gmail.com For more details on the reunions, please visit the Old Collegians, Reunion section of the website or contact Sascha Hill at oca@plc.wa.edu.au
70 Year Reunion (Class of 1947) On Friday 15 August, the ‘Class of 1947’ gathered for an afternoon tea in the boardroom at Scorgie House where they chatted about the good old days. A visit from Principal, Dr Kate Hadwen was welcomed, to hear all about what was happening at PLC in 2017. GROUP PHOTO | BACK ROW (L-R): June Craig (Lynn), Joanna Bullock (Gibson), Elizabeth Green (Plaistone), Elizabeth Flynne (Shearn) FRONT ROW (L-R): Thelma Webster (Smith), Margaret Atkins (Cusack), Lynnette Cook (Owen), Pamela Mc Bain (Smith), Sue Carew-Reid (Copley)
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TARTAN
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Dr Sue-Anne Wallace AM (1950-1963)
Dr Wallace’s entire schooling was at PLC, from kindergarten through to leaving, a period of fourteen years! So, imagine the challenge, when she left because her father was transferred to Sydney and entered Sydney University in 1964, not knowing anyone, a situation that was, thankfully, soon remedied. Service as Carmichael House Captain stood her in good stead to take on the role of Women Sports Representative for the faculty, though occasionally it meant she became part of teams in various sports, some of which she had never played before. Sue-Anne had an agreeable career in pharmacy, working in retail practice in Sydney and Brisbane, following her marriage to John Flutter. When they moved to Canberra, she especially enjoyed working in Hospital Pharmacy, being at the forefront of intravenous additive and poisons information services. However, a year in France with her family in 1979 stirred thoughts of going back to University, which she did at ANU, studying French Language and Literature and Fine Arts, graduating with honours in 1984. Throughout this period of intense study and work, her two daughters were born, Naomi in 1970 and Chloe in 1974. While Sue-Anne pursued her Doctorate in Art History, focusing on Byzantine Art, in particular the rock-cut churches of Cappadocia, an offer of casual tutoring at ANU was too good to turn down and so she continued to work part-time in Hospital Pharmacy while studying and tutoring. She was appointed a lecturer at ANU in 1986 which spelled an end to her pharmacy career. In 1988, Sue-Anne was appointed a lecturer at the National Gallery of Australia, followed by periods at the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, the Australian Council and Queensland, University of Contemporary Art Sydney, the Australian Council and Queensland University of Technology’s Cultural Precinct, during which time she was
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also very active in the museum sector, holding the position of President of Museums Australia from 1994-2000. Sue-Anne returned to Sydney in 2003 and in 2006, she and Grant McMillan (Scotch College 1961) married. Back in Sydney, she again changed professional directions to engage with the not-for-profit sector, as CEO of Fundraising Institute Australia, and an executive of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. These positions awakened an interest in governance and selfregulation which she has pursued through codes of conduct in Australia and Internationally. Sue-Anne retired from full-time work in 2012 to focus on non-executive director positions, some of which have been arts related. Currently she chairs the Customer Owned Banking Code Compliance Committee, and has deputy chairman roles with the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (Geneva) and the Fundraising Institute Australia Code Authority. Sue-Anne is privately working to enhance the way charities deal with complaints, a topic she researched in some detail when awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2014. In January 2017, she was awarded an AM in recognition of her work with the not-for-profit sector and codes of conduct. Between Sue-Anne and her husband, they have six children and feel blessed with seven grandchildren, all living in Sydney, hoping that an appreciation of the arts will be a part of their lives.
Felicity Beattie (Mackie 1987)
Dorothy Hatch (1987)
After PLC, Dorothy went to UWA and did a double degree course in Science (physics) and Engineering (mechanical). She worked as an Engineer for a couple of years before heading to Monash University in Melbourne to do postgraduate studies. Dorothy got married a couple of years later, changed track and became a secondary school teacher. She was widowed a decade later and became an early childhood teacher. Dorothy moved back to Perth after more than 20 years in Melbourne and is now finding her way in a changed and changing landscape.
Fleur Bushell (1987)
Fleur studied nursing and graduated in 1991. She then proceeded to work at Fremantle Hospital. Following an 18 month stint backpacking around Europe, Fleur returned to work at Fremantle Hospital then she went to St John of God Subiaco where she currently works as a Clinical Nurse in Clinical Risk. Fleur and her long-term partner, Karin have three children; 11 year old boy/girl twins and a seven year old boy. Life is flat out, but they are all happy and healthy.
After Felicity left School she completed a law degree at UWA. She worked in private practice in Perth for two years before leaving with a friend to travel through Europe for six months. They ended up in London, where she got a job at Freshfields. Felicity lived in London for three years, combining work with trips to Europe and Nepal and one trip back to Perth to be bridesmaid for Emma Gebbie (1987). In March 1999, she started work as a legal advisor at the Western Australian Parliament. Felicity works with Legislative Council Committees, providing advice and writing reports on draft legislation to be debated in Parliament. Felicity is married to Paul Mackie and they have two daughters, aged 13 and 9. They also have a crazy spoodle called Mack.
Susie Pantall (Gibbs 1987)
After traipsing through Arts, Law and Physiotherapy studies, Susie finally finished a degree in Health Promotion and then completed honours studies. She worked for Healthway, Main Roads, then relocated to Sydney to work as a senior consultant for Booz Allen. Susie spent two years working for SOCOG on the Sydney Olympics. She spent more time traipsing – this time travelling from south to north Africa, through Europe and around central and north America. Next stop was working for the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Committee (SLOC 2002) and then the Manchester Commonwealth Games. After being sure she would never marry an Australian, Susie came home to Perth, met and married a very Aussie bloke named Brad. Brad came complete with the full package deal of a blue heeler and a set of old rusting Holden cars. Susie and Brad had a wonderful son called Jaxon, now 11, and were “blessed” with identical twin girls, Elysha and Caitlin, now aged 9. In between adding to the population of Australia, Susie has continued to work as a Communications Manager for mining and resources companies – including BHP, Leighton, Rio Tinto and INPEX currently.
Renee Unsworth (Coyle 1987)
Renee graduated from WAAPA with a diploma in Musical Theatre. She spent 10 years touring Sydney and Melbourne in various productions including the Australian premier of Andrew Lloyd Webbers, ‘Aspects of Love’. While in Melbourne, she formed an original grunge pop/blues band and played local gigs and recording an album. She also owned and operated
Miss Lou Lou’s Tap Dancing, and produced extravaganzas at the Athenaeum and the Astor theatres. Renee returned home to Perth in 2003, to marry and have three children. She is currently running Miss Lou Lou’s Tap Dancing Academy in East Fremantle, and this year, will open a new live music venue, ‘Duke of George’. This Blues/Jazz bar will provide quality live music and excellent food, and above all, a performance stage for new and talented artists Australia wide.
Jenny Hart (Pocock 1987)
Jenny studied Chemistry at UWA, then completed an Environmental Engineering degree, before securing a job in Brisbane in 1994. She worked in Brisbane and Adelaide for some 10 years, during which time, she met and married her husband, John Hart. They have three children, their eldest boy is 14, middle daughter 12 and youngest son is 10. They go to Shenton College and Newman College. While the family has moved frequently, living in; Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, London, they are now settled in Wembley. Since having children, Jenny’s time has largely been spent out of the paid workforce, using her time for volunteering in various organisations (Australian Breastfeeding Association, Raiders Basketball Club, Shenton College Board).
Peta White (1987)
Peta White is a science and environmental education lecturer at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
With 25 years’ experience in education, Peta has worked in classrooms, as a curriculum consultant and manager, and teacher educator in several jurisdictions across Canada and Australia. She gained her PhD at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada where she focused on living sustainably, using this as a platform from which to educate future teachers. Her passion for initial teacher education, activist environmental education, and action-orientated research methodologies drives her current teaching/research scholarship in Science and Sustainability. Peta lives in Burwood, Melbourne with her partner, ‘fur babies’, and plants and often travels back to WA to visit her family and friends.
Emily Pidgeon (1987)
Since Maths and Physics were Emily’s favourite subjects at school, she chose to study Engineering at UWA. After University, she worked for a short time as an engineer in WA, including offshore on the NW shelf. She then moved to California in 1992, to study Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. Emily did a Masters and PhD at Stanford with a thesis topic focused on waves (influenced by growing up on Cottesloe Beach). She worked as a research Oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego for a few years before deciding to find a more direct way of helping people. For the last 12 years, Emily has worked at Conservation International - a large
Katharine Edwards (Melville-Jones 1987)
After 13 years at PLC, Katharine headed to Edith Cowan University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies). Upon graduation, she auditioned and was accepted to study broadcasting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. These degrees led to a twenty-year career in the media and public relation sector. She has been living in Sydney since 1999, and is married with two children (her daughter attends PLC Sydney). In 2001, Katharine and her husband began developing childcare centres in Melbourne, which has now grown to more than 60 centres across Australia. Katharine is currently studying a Masters of Digital Communications at the University of Sydney, and hopes to have her thesis on teenage girls and social media completed by mid 2018.
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TARTAN
NEWS
environmental non-profit, where she has built the International Oceans and Climate Change Programme. This has taken her to all the corners of the World where she gets great pleasure working with vulnerable communities as they use the environment around them to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Emily is also working with governments around the world to ensure the ocean environment is included in climate change policy. It was particularly rewarding for her to be in Paris in 2015, to see her work integrated into the UNFCCC International Climate Change Agreement. Emily now lives in the US on the coast just south of San Francisco with her husband, Chad, 10-year-old daughter, Bronwyn and 7-year-old son, Kieran. Most years, they travel back to Perth to reconnect with family, friends and Cottesloe Beach.
Sarah “Buzzy” Jackson (1987)
Sarah was an exchange student during 1986-87 and loved spending her year abroad at PLC. She now lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA with her husband and son. She has a PhD in History from the University of California (Berkeley) and is the author of three non fiction books and a historical novel-in-progress.
Lyndel Taylor (1987)
Lyndel’s time at PLC provided her with an education, friendships and inspiration for life. Her School studies and involvement in dance, media and drama have all had an impact on her subsequent pathways. Armed with a Journalism degree from Curtin, Lyndel worked in various places around Western Australia before moving to Esperance in the early 1990s to work as a journalist at the Esperance Express. She spent eight years at this regional newspaper, most of that time as Editor. Lyndel stepped out of Journalism to establish a Youth
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Arts Programme before undertaking further study to enable her to teach. Since then she has worked at local schools teaching Drama and English, an experience she finds very rewarding. Lyndel has a strong involvement in the arts; acting, directing and writing for theatre, with a particular interest in both youth theatre and devising original works. She has also worked for DADAA, organised festival events and has collaborated to produce largescale commissioned public artworks. Her favourite role however, is that of mother to her two daughters. She is enjoying bringing them up in Esperance and on the family farm at Kojonup.
Susan Easton (Wall 1987)
According to Susan, she really wanted to be related to Alex Easton, so she married her brother, Fred Easton. They have four children; Lucinda (16), Lloyd (14), Fabienne (10) and Hugo (8). The girls are at PLC which creates lots of flashback moments for Susan, ranging from humorous to embarrassing. After School, she studied a variety of weird subjects which has led her to an interesting career in Consumer Behaviour and Market Research.
Clara Kotai (1987)
Clara is living in Carbunup River (30 kms, north of Margaret River) with her three daughters aged 10, 12 and 14. Clara works as a teacher at the Yallingup Steiner School and relief teacher at Cape Naturaliste College. For the past seven years, she has been training with Lunar Circus and performing at the Western Australian Circus Festivals. Clara is a director and actor with The Busselton Repertory Theatre Group and ‘Bare Naked’, Theatre Company.
Sally Hollis (Hodby 1987)
Sally is enjoying the sunshine of Perth and its glorious ocean. She has worked in different facets of the Tourism Industry for the past 30 years, in the UK, Scotland and Australia. Her roles have changed from, Executive Officer at Tourism Council WA to National Manager of the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program.
Sally is currently mentoring tourism businesses under a Federal Government Tourism Boost Program and is an Academic Supervisor and Sessional Tutor at Murdoch University. Sally has a ‘Brady Bunch’ family with her two kids, Tom (12) and Ainslie (10), and Don’s two, Mitch (12) and Georgia (10). She is still looking for an Alice!
Evelyn Chin Yu Min (Chin 1987)
Evelyn lives in Malaysia and had the most memorable and eventful years living in Perth. PLC was her first landing in a new world and according to Evelyn, there were some tricky moments at the start. However, as she moved through the years, she became a part of a very supportive and encouraging network of teachers and friends.
Claire Kingston (Graham 1987)
Claire graduated from Edith Cowan in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in Primary Education. She taught in Nungarin and Perth, then completed an Early Childhood Conversion Course in 1996. Following this, she taught Pre-Primary at Narrogin Primary School from 19972002. Claire is married to Mark Graham and lives on their farm at Popanyinning. They have two children; William (15) and Edward (13). Since 2010, Claire has been teaching kindergarten level at St Matthew’s School in Narrogin. William is 15 and Edward is 13, and both are boarders at Scotch College.
Joanna Thumiger (Farrell 1987)
Having completed a Bachelor of Commerce at UWA, Joanna joined the Myer Management Development Program. She progressed through Myer and then became Store Manager at Aherns, Garden City. In 1998, she married Stefan Thumiger, a Swiss hotelier, and they started their overseas adventure, living in Vanuatu, Egypt, Turkey, UAE, Thailand, Korea and China. They now live in Singapore.
Joanna is currently the Managing Director for South-East Asia for Progress-U, an executive coaching and leadership development company. She loves living in Singapore and whilst her son has just graduated this year and will be studying Engineering at UNSW, she is excited (albeit, a bit sad) about the next stage of life in Singapore, with no kids in the house!
Dr Rebecca Gianotti (1997)
Rebecca considers herself to be a writer, scientist, photographer and dreamer. She was formally educated as an environmental engineer and a hydrologist in Perth and in Boston, USA. Between 2008-2012 Rebecca completed a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, as part of a Scholarship MIT Presidential Fellowship. While completing her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rebecca was introduced to the Forty8 Environmental Consulting group, made up of some of the world’s most excited, clever, and determined minds in environmental engineering, all of whom are devoted to solving the Earth’s most pressing environmental issues and preventing future environmental damage. Since 2014, Rebecca has been a team member of Firty8 Environmental Consulting, which seeks creative solutions to the most challenging questions facing issues pertaining to the environment, hydrology, and traditional and alternative energy resources. She is currently the Senior Research Associate at Global Water Institute (based in Ohio State), working directly with the country of Tanzania. Rebecca is based in Chicago and works from home with fly-in meetings to Ohio and Tanzania. In her current role, Rebecca coordinates the programme development for water, sanitation and income generating activities in rural Tanzania as part of a national rehabilitation initiative.
Sarah Wiseman (Noll 1997)
In Year 12 Geography, Sarah visited the Swan Valley and was given a brief introduction into wine production. This sparked her interest in the field and she completed a BSc (Viticulture & Oenology) at Curtin University after finishing at PLC. Sarah travelled extensively after graduation from university and was
fortunate enough to win the student section of the Vin de Champagne Awards in 2001. The Champagne region, wines & people are very close and she is very grateful for the opportunity to return every 10 years with the other previous winners of the award from around Australia. Whilst working at Cloudy Bay in NZ, she met her husband, Callum and they returned to live in Albany. They have seven year old twin daughters and a family life which meant a few changes in profession. Sarah currently works as a Technician at a Podiatry practice and organises events in her spare time!
Louise Daw (1998)
Louise is a 3rd generation PLC Collegian, Mother of two girls and has worked in the IT and mining industry since 2003. She has travelled the world designing, developing and implementing mining solutions, in business analysis, project lead and product management roles. In 2010 Lousie, Co-Founded MiPlan, a company born when she and her husband pitched a game changing idea to two Australian Mining companies that loved the concept so much that they bought the solution sight unseen. The solution was installed at Australian’s largest mine site within three months. MiPlan offers real-time data solutions to the mining and vehicle industry and has changed the data management landscape of mining, civil and other industries around the world. This highly successful mining software solutions company was acquired by an international firm, Hexagon at the start of 2017. Also, in 2017, Louise was a recipient at the Western Region EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Upon reflection of her time at PLC, Louise said, “My time at PLC definitely influenced me in ways I never understood at the time. I was fortunate to be at PLC when the decision was made to convert from paper to laptops. PLC was the first school to do this thus causing a lot of controversy. Many were afraid of change, it was seen as an innovation that was unnecessary! We had to embrace the change and we flourished. This most definitely shaped me into the person I am today and helped me always question the norm which ultimately led to the success of MiPlan”. “It has been great to have the opportunity to reflect on my time at PLC. I can better appreciate the
reasons why it is recognized as a School at the forefront of girls’ education. I will always cherish the fun, the friendships made, the lessons learnt, the opportunities offered and so much more while at PLC. I can’t wait for my girls to start there!” “PLC is an incredibly entrepreneurial School and achieves success through innovation. The School has always been at the forefront of education and this most definitely impacted me and was provided me with great confidence to start a business and challenge the norm.”
Mia Egerton-Warburton (2013)
Mia left School knowing she wanted to work in the media. She went straight to UWA and completed a Bachelor of Arts (Majoring in Media and Communications and Marketing) in 2016. In her last year of study, she went on exchange to the University of Leeds, where they had an excellent media/radio programme. There, she auditioned for the ECU (WAAPA) Grad Diploma in broadcasting, and to her surprise, got in. A very intensive regime followed for the 22 participants, five days a week. Mia did work experience all over Perth (Hit, Mix, Nova, ABC Perth, GWN, Ch 7, Sunrise Sydney) as well as shifts on 89.7 FM. She pursued casual work as a Producer/ Reporter at the ABC Great Southern in Albany, which led to a casual job at Nova 937 in their newsroom. Mia loved this experience but admitted that it was incredibly tiring due to the 4.30 am starts, writing traffic/ news, all before going to university. Then, a week out from finishing her course, she got offered a job with Nine Regional in Victoria. She had 3 weeks to move, and knew nobody. Now she is happily based in Shepp (two hours North of Melbourne – Sheppherton) as a video journalist. She works by herself to shoot, voice, write and edit the stories from the Strathbogie ranges to Echuca. She primarily provides stories for Nine News, Border North East, as well as providing content for Nine News, Central Victoria and Nine News, Melbourne. Mia describes her job as “super fun, but very hectic “ and says she has met some absolute characters along the way. She travels a lot and gets to explore many little towns, she wouldn’t usually visit. She says, “It’s easier to cut stories from my car wherever I am and send them straight to Melbourne where the news is recorded.”
www.plc.wa.edu.au 37
FROM THE
ARCHIVES
LEFT: 142 Forrest Street, Peppermint Grove; home to PLC Archives 1998-2017. ABOVE: A small section of the Compactus.
On the Move! We have a lot for which to thank key people in the establishment of our College Archives and the ongoing preservation of our history… or maybe, more accurately, it is her-story. First, Margot Stretch (Brown 1955), for her steady campaigning during the 1990s to establish a College Archives, and Hazel Day (Principal 1989-1997, staff from 1963) for listening, acting, and appointing then Development Officer (later, Registrar) Rosemary Lukin (1968, staff 1989-2014) to begin gathering and sorting the nucleus of our Archives. Then Beth Blackwood (Principal 1997-2015) for facilitating a home for the Collection in the western half of 142 Forrest Street, Peppermint Grove, and appointing our inaugural Archivist, former Humanities teacher Di Allan (staff 1973-2006, Archivist from 1998) for sorting our growing collection into archival boxes and creating a brilliant finding aid still in use today. We can look back on that with pride, and at how far we have come in the twenty years since. When I succeeded Di in 2006, one of my key directives was to grow the Collection - and I have, both digitally and physically, built on Di’s structure
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and spreading where I could. 142, with its beautiful leadlight windows, painted doorknobs, wooden bows and pretty door trim stood us in good stead, but the enormous growth of the Collection meant we exceeded capacity a few years ago. The term ‘busy working archive’ excused the lack of room, but regular visitors recognised the squeeze.
Centenary in 2015 and the storage of our own records from that year was at risk. I saw no point collecting items we could not ensure the correct conditions in which to keep them, and I closed our Archives to large, physical donations midway through that year. One of those was the sizeable Pipe Band Collection (see Thanks to Volunteers, below).
Our Reading Room - where I once laid out photo albums and research material for visitors, and annual groups of inquisitive, wide-eyed Year 1s who were able to comfortably spread out around the tables - became a vitally-needed processing and storage room instead. One bookcase became two, the oldest half of the Textile Collection came out of the laundry cupboards and into the dry, and one of the two tables, presented to Council by Senator Agnes Robertson Robertson (Council 1945-1968) in November 1960, became a surface on which tightly rolled or folded old plans were ‘relaxed’, as it’s called in archives and museums. Add in workstations for two volunteers to work simultaneously and it was readily apparent we had to stop growing the Collection.
Dr Kate Hadwen’s arrival presented me with a new ear to lobby for more space for Archives. From her very first day I seized every opportunity, delivering constant reminders of the need for more space to house our Collection.
Donations kept coming like a tsunami in the lead-up to, and during, our
With the building of The Lighthouse and the subsequent opportunity provided by various departmental moves, my pleas fell on fertile ground and in midNovember I received the welcome news that Archives was moving! Our new home is four large rooms on the third floor of the Senior School, directly above the Rev George Nisbet Dods Memorial Library. There, our Collection can not only be better protected from theft, fire, climate and six-legged pests, there is also room for a larger Compactus and vital space in which to adequately house the Collection and process new donations.
ABOVE: Class excursion to the John Forrest National Park, Principal Miss Elizabeth ‘Elsie’ Finlayson in centre, c1925. RIGHT: Back, L-R: Joan Hearman, Melva Day, ‘Sternie’ [Miss Sterne], Barbara Humphrey, Lily Hocking Middle: Jean Duncan, Doris Dival, Aileen Stockwell Front: Bill [Edna] Sewell, Freda Gates, Agnes Cunningham, Madeleine Forbes FAR RIGHT: PLC logo hand drawn by Nancy Garnsworthy in 1938, with contemporary staff and students’ signatures around it.
Now in the centre of the Senior School, both Archives and the Students will benefit from being able to easily access this rich resource of our own… her-story. The move began during the week after the School year finished. We quickly established a small Museum and Meeting Room in time for the annual Year 1 visits in early March, but unpacking and settling in take us well into 2018. We are really looking forward to welcoming all visitors into our new Archives! Hands up if you’d like to help unpack! Wanted! Kookaburra editions for 2006 and 2008.
Recent Accessions Dulcie Falle (Cooper 1941) Two photos of Dulcie in her Brownie uniform outside her home in 1933; one of Dulcie and the rest of the 2nd Cottesloe Brownie Troop in 1933; the ‘Junior House’ girls standing on the steps outside in 1934; Form IVA in 1939.
Liz Ferguson (Black 1958) Liz’s 1948 PLC hat badge, her 1950s Carmichael House badge and her enameled tie pin. Ian Stimson (OSC), son of Freda Stimson (Gates 1926) Freda’s navy blue and white swimming costume, worn while at PLC (but not part of the uniform). Digital accessions Ian Stimson (OSC), son of Freda Stimson (Gates 1926) 103 black and white images of Freda and her friends from her days at PLC. Anne Munjak, daughter of Nancy Jean Hopkins (Garnsworthy 1938) Photo of Nancy Hopkins (Garnsworthy 1938) in Forrest Place in PLC Panama in 1938; Photo of Nancy while nursing at Royal Perth Hospital 1942-1945; two pages from Nancy’s autograph book featuring a hand drawn PLC crest and the signatures of all her contemporaries (and staff) in 1938; Vera Summers’ contribution to Nancy’s autograph book, 1938.
Thanks to Volunteers! Coralie Gadsdon (past staff 1987-2008) for her ongoing weekly dedication and assistance, every week. Maintaining inventory on the Old Book Collection was vital in ensuring it was one of the first collections back to order in the new Archives. Peta Madalena (past parent) for her invaluable assistance in establishing the new Museum and Meeting Room, and undertaking an inventory on the Textile Collection. Sue Nash (current parent) who has just begun taking care of the Pipe Band Collection which will soon find a new home in our new Archives (now that it will fit)!
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OBITUARIES
We are greatly saddened to hear of the passing of the following Old Collegians:
Returning to Melbourne, the younger girls began their education at St Mark’s Girls’ School but Margaret then won a scholarship to Melbourne’s Church of England Girls’ Grammar School (Merton Hall). Kenneth brought his family to Perth in 1926, where he was Lead Writer for The West Australian. Later, he was Director of Religious Programmes at the ABC.
Alice Maria Adamson (Whittaker 1951) 22 April 1935 – 11 July 2017 Judith Rae Barton (1958) 22 February 1941 – 13 August 2017
In her later-penned memoir ‘Perspectives: Cursory and Clinical’, Margaret wrote:
Pamela Jacqueline Bennett (White 1953) 23 October 1936 – 11 October 2017 Helen Margaret Bertram (Eadie 1959) 17 November 1942 – 19 October 2015
“We three girls were enrolled at Presbyterian Ladies’ College and Graham at Christ Church Grammar.
Noeline Margaret Biggs (1976) 18 October 1959 – 19 November 2017 Joyce Ethel ‘Joy’ Carew-Reid (Bird 1934) 17 June 1917 – 26 January 2018 Judith Denise Coad (Blair 1952) 22 July 1935 – 31 August 2017
Dr Margaret Henderson OBE
Jean Mary Day (Parsons 1932) 21 November 1915 – 17 January 2017 Dr Margaret Mary Henderson OBE (1932) 12 November 1915 – 16 August 2017 Enid Moira Hickinbotham (McGuffin 1948) 25 December 1930 – 14 June 2017 Diane Constance Hill-Harrison (McKinley 1951) 28 January 1934 – 25 March 2017 Nancy Hopkins (Garnsworthy 1939) 8 March 1922 – 7 July 2017 Dr Gweneth June Jones AM (Eggleston 1948) 26 June 1931 – 28 October 2017 Jocelyn Laskie Kardash (Read 1949) 23 September 1932 – 28 August 2017 Lynette Nina Mattin (McBride 1955) 15 January 1940 – 20 July 2017 Jill Annette Moffat (Hawkesford 1959) 3 December 1941 – 21 January 2018 Margaret Ann Perkins (Palmer 1958) 5 January 1941 – 16 September 2017 Jeanette Anne Rodda (1950) 17 August 1933 – 2 July 2017 Una Maxine ‘Muffie’ Rogers (Prater 1948) 12 March 1932 – 18 July 2017 Dr Patricia ‘Paddy’ Kate Weaver (Pottinger 1955) 27 January 1939 – 17 November 2017 Jane Alice Young (Duncan 1959) 22 February 1942 – March 2016 Lilian Young (Wierenga 1953) 3 January 1936 – 3 August 2017
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Dr Margaret Mary Henderson OBE 12 November 1915 – 16 August 2017 PLC lost one of its early stars, still shining brightly at 101, with the death of Dr Margaret Henderson OBE. Margaret was the oldest of three daughters of former headmaster and journalist Rev Kenneth Thorne and Charlotte Mary Henderson. She was born in South Yarra, Victoria, and was four months old when Kenneth, who had lost two brothers at Gallipoli, enlisted in the AIF and embarked for overseas service as a Chaplain, at the rank of Captain. Charlotte soon found she was again expecting, and Margaret’s sister Noel Shaw (Henderson 1934) was born in December 1916. In August 1917, after a series of illnesses, Rev Henderson was invalided home to Australia in April 1918. Youngest sister Barbara Henderson (1936) was born just over a year later during the family’s time in Adelaide, when Kenneth was Chaplain at St Peter’s College. Their younger brother Kenneth, known as Graham, was born in 1922.
Our first house in WA was in Victoria Avenue, Claremont, opposite the Claremont Baths, where we took our life-saving certificates. Noel and Barbara trained regularly and swam very well. I floundered about a bit. I really preferred tennis and hockey. We went to school by bus along the Stirling Highway. By present standards it was a small school - about two hundred students. Classes were not too big and teaching good on the whole. We had a Scottish headmistress, Miss Phemister, with a lovely speaking voice and I still recall her readings from Job and Jeremiah at assembly. Mrs Whittaker, a dumpy Englishwoman, was a good English teacher. A sophisticated Brussels graduate, Miss Dowson, took us for French, later succeeded by Dr Vera Summers, a graduate of the Sorbonne. She took over the position of headmistress when Miss Phemister’s extra-marital entanglement put an untimely end to her career in the school. Religious instruction was a lighthearted essay into Ethics led by the local minister, who was no match for lively adolescents. In Biology, Mildred Le Souef, a charismatic lady, sparked our interest in the beginnings of scientific method.
I am grateful to PLC for its grounding in a wide range of subjects, its training in methods of study and in leadership and its balance of sporting activities. I cherish a Sixth Form report which commends my work but comments that I am ‘too talkative’.
We worked and played quite hard, often subject to the competing claims of the choir, the school teams, and extra work for Alliance Francaise exams. That was one handicap of the small sized school. There were school plays ‘Everyman’ (I was Wisdom) and ‘Twelfth Night’, and there was Girl Guides with adventurous holiday camps under canvas. I was at one of these in the South West, and swimming well out from the beach when the news arrived that I had won a Government University Exhibition in French and German and the English medal. I was then sixteen, too young to enter university and the Exhibition was deferred for twelve months. I was able to do a further year of leaving honours, with a new range of subjects and a crash course in junior Latin, to matriculate for medicine. As Dux of the School I received a gold medal and a gold Rolex watch from my grandfather Henderson which still keeps good time.
Three things my education overlooked sight-reading music, touch-typing and riding a bicycle.” After leaving PLC Margaret moved to Victoria where she studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, as a resident of Janet Clarke Hall, the first university college in Australia to admit women. Margaret graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1938 (with a shared Exhibition in Surgery), and joined the staff of the Royal Melbourne Hospital as Resident Medical Officer. She also joined the civilian forces, serving at the rank of captain, and continued her studies, graduating as a Doctor of Medicine in 1941. At the end of the war Margaret joined the Red Cross as Senior Medical Officer in Malaya, carrying out vital work in fighting tropical diseases in outlying villages.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s obituary for her notes “Following wartime medical service, she became an honorary physician in 1947, and in 1959, became the first woman on the Senior Medical Staff, a pioneering position she held until her retirement in 1981. A highly regarded physician in general internal medicine with specialist interests in respiratory and thoracic medicine, she was also an outstanding teacher much sought after by medical students and residents and played a major role as head of one of the RMH general medical units for many years. …in 2005 she was made Consultant Emeritus at the RMH, becoming only the second person to receive this honour.” Dr Henderson received an OBE for services to Medicine in 1976. An extraordinary life, long and well-lived. Vale, Dr Henderson.
I am grateful to PLC for its grounding in a wide range of subjects, its training in methods of study and in leadership and its balance of sporting activities. I cherish a Sixth Form report which commends my work but comments that I am ‘too talkative’.
RIGHT: Dr Margaret Henderson OBE (1932) at a recent Melbourne reunion. FAR RIGHT: 1931 Tennis A Team Back L-R: Peggy Baird, Kathleen Baird Front: Margaret Henderson, Honor Lyster
www.plc.wa.edu.au 41
Before long they performed with the WA Ballet Company and in mid-1961 Valerie became a soloist and danced the part of Aurora in Aurora’s Wedding.
Valerie May Zalitis (Humann 1958) 7 October 1941 – 30 March 2017 Valerie, born at Subiaco, was the second child of Eileen and Lionel Humann, of Vincent Street, Nedlands. She and her older brother David (OSC) enjoyed a carefree childhood and many family holidays at Yallingup with their aunt and uncle, who owned the Tearooms and Holiday Cottages there. At the age of eight, Valerie joined a class at the Joan Stacy Ballet School in St Andrew’s Church Hall in Claremont, and found a love of ballet. During her early schooling at ‘Prac’, or East Claremont Primary School, with friend and next-door-neighbour Jennifer Fraser (Roberts 1959), she met Jill Hannink (Brownson 1958), who came with her to PLC in 1954. Here she met lifelong friend Jillian Mather (Baird 1958). The two girls had a lot in common, including an abiding love of ballet. Val left PLC after her Junior year and began working in the Perth branch of the Bank of NSW (now Westpac). Meanwhile, Jillian had joined Madame Bousloff’s Ballet School which was a part of the WA Ballet Company, and persuaded Valerie to also join. Madame was an inspiring teacher and both girls’ dancing improved dramatically under her tuition. Before long they performed with the WA Ballet Company and in mid-1961 Valerie
became a soloist and danced the part of Aurora in Aurora’s Wedding. In October 1961, drawn by the glamour and bright lights of London, Valerie and Jillian left for England by ship; the norm in the 1960s. In London they worked and enjoyed many dazzling ballet and theatre performances. In spring 1962 they hitchhiked through Europe and returned to London in late autumn. After another grand hitchhiking tour through Europe in 1963, the girls returned to Australia. On New Year’s Eve 1964 Valerie met George Zalitis, a Biochemistry PhD student at UWA and, within months, they were engaged. They married at St Andrew’s, Claremont, in January 1966, with Jillian as maid of honour. In early May they set off to Pittsburgh, USA, where George, who had completed his PhD thesis, began a three year Postdoctoral Fellowship in the microbiology department of the medical school there. In February 1967 Valerie gave birth to their first child, Steven, followed by daughter Anna, in September 1968. Both became accountants, an occupation that runs deep in the Humann family. Valerie, George and the children returned to Australia in March 1969, but to Sydney, where George had been appointed biochemistry lecturer at the University of NSW. Despite the distance,
Valerie always kept in touch with her Perth friends, and returned every Christmas holidays to spend four weeks with her parents in Nedlands. For the next 15 years Valerie’s life was devoted to her children and George’s career, which took the family back to the US twice; to Madison, Wisconsin in 1976 and Rochester, Minnesota in 1983. Valerie loved meeting new friends in these university towns, and seized the opportunity to make road trips to National Parks, which she loved. Once the children were in high school Valerie felt free to forge a career for herself. She started as a legal secretary before switching to a short-lived career as a licensed real estate agent, then combined both skills as a personal assistant to a partner in a large, Sydney legal practice until she retired in 1999. Her retirement coincided with the arrival of her first grandchild - Sophie, Anna’s first child. Another granddaughter and grandson were born over the next four years and Valerie’s time was spent caring for them, as well as gardening, bushwalking and campaigning for animal welfare and environmental conservation. She maintained her love of ballet and was a subscriber to the Australian Ballet in Sydney for over 40 years. She also enjoyed many trips with George - back to the US, to Europe and all around Australia, and in 2008 she revelled in attending the 50th reunion of her PLC class and seeing many of her old School friends. In 2015 Valerie and George downsized from their home of 40 years in Beecroft, NSW, to an apartment in Killara. Until her last days, Val loved sitting in the beautiful courtyard garden, reading and watching the many birds in the trees and shrubs.
ABOVE: Valerie Zalitis (Humann 1958) in recent years. LEFT: Valerie Zalitis (Humann 1958) dancing in the early 1960s.
42 Blackwatch Summer 2018
Note: Valerie’s brother, David Humann, sadly passed away on 20 November 2017, aged 78.
Some important dates APRIL MONDAY 30
TERM 2 COMMENCES
MAY FRIDAY 11
MOTHERS’ DAY BREAKFAST
TUESDAY 15
NAPLAN COMMENCES
TUESDAY 22
JUNIOR SCHOOL CONVERSATIONS
FRIDAY 25
ART EXHIBITION AND COCKTAIL PARTY
SATURDAY 26
ART EXHIBITION
SUNDAY 27
ART EXHIBITION
JUNE FRIDAY 1
MID TERM BREAK
SATURDAY 2
MID TERM BREAK
SUNDAY 3
MID TERM BREAK
MONDAY 4
MID TERM BREAK
SATURDAY 23
HEAD OF THE RIVER ROWING REGATTA
FRIDAY 29
TERM 2 CONCLUDES
TOURS SUNDAY 1 – THURSDAY 19
PLC / SCOTCH TANZANIA EXPEDITION
TUESDAY 3 – WEDNESDAY 11
KIMBERLEY SERVICE IMMERSION
RETURNS SATURDAY 7
PLC / SCOTCH CANBERRA TOUR
SATURDAY 14
YEAR 10 DEFINE ME NINGALOO EXPEDITION PACKING DAY
SUNDAY 15 - SUNDAY 22
YEAR 10 DEFINE ME NINGALOO EXPEDITION
Community tour dates If you are looking to experience the unique PLC culture and spirit, we encourage you to join us at one of our Community Tours. A tour of PLC allows you to view our facilities, meet our Principal and staff, see our girls in their learning environment and ask any questions you may have. To enable us to give you the best possible experience on the tours, numbers are limited and bookings are preferred. Junior School Community Tours commence in the Junior School Library at 9.00 am and finish at 11.00 am. Wednesday 9 May Thursday 14 June Wednesday 15 August Thursday 13 September Wednesday 17 October Thursday 8 November Senior School Community Tours commence in the Auditorium at 9.00 am and finish before 12.00 pm. Thursday 10 May Thursday 21 June Tuesday 14 August Monday 17 September Tuesday 23 October Thursday 15 November Lighthouse Community Tours commence in the Lighthouse at 9.00 am and finish before 12.00 pm. Thursday 26 April 2018 Wednesday 2 May 2018 Tuesday 5 June 2018
ARTIST REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN plcoca.org.au
OPENING NIGHT
Tickets from bookings.plcoca.org.au
MAJOR SPONSORS
La Primavera with Bush Flowers (2018) Corinne Barton
Friday 25 May 6.00 pm - 9.00 pm
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Blackwatch is published for the community of Presbyterian Ladies’ College A College of the Uniting Church of Australia 14 McNeil Street, Peppermint Grove Western Australia 6011 T: +61 8 9424 6444 F: +61 8 9424 6466 www.plc.wa.edu.au Please address all correspondence regarding Blackwatch to Publications and Communications Co-ordinator +61 8 9424 6475 at PLC or email blackwatch@plc.wa.edu.au