Q News | Issue 43: Meeting Milestones

Meeting

Milestones

A Matter of Diversity Seizing Opportunities Supporting our Young People

Queenwood acknowledges the Cammeraigal people who are the traditional custodians of the land on which the School is built and we pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

QUEENWOOD LOCKED BAG 1 MOSMAN NSW 2088 +61 2 8968 7777 q@queenwood.nsw.edu.au queenwood.nsw.edu.au ABN 83000532696

Welcome

This issue of QNews explores the experiences of women and girls through a variety of lenses.

You will find detailed analysis of the role of women in economics and public policy and some thoughts from me on the contribution of girls’ schools to making this a reality. Our wonderful staff feature prominently in this edition, too – from the varied professional and life experiences they bring into their teaching to reflections on the inspiration for their own careers. Our girls are fortunate to have such caring and talented guides but there is something particularly special in the multi-generational connection to Queenwood of our Textiles teacher, Fiona Smith. Her family’s Autograph Book signed by the Principals of Queenwood is a remarkable piece of our history.

We also love to share with you the work of our students. From the Junior School art gallery to the major works of the Year 12 Design and Technology students from the award-winning work by Annabel (robotics) and Nikki (history) to Olivia’s reflection on the contemporary relevance of Ancient Greek Theatre, we can see their creativity and critical analysis on their display. But if for some inexplicable reason these don’t capture your fancy, Viola and Amelia (Year 4) have some parenting advice for you – on why children should do chores.

It is truly delightful to see the rich talent and hard work which our students and staff bring into school every day. This edition of QNews, as full as it is, gives only a glimpse of all they do but I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.

Elizabeth Stone, Principal

Features Seizing Opportunities ANNI

The Importance of Diversity JACQUI DWYER

“If economics provides the conceptual frameworks to optimise our allocation of  resources, why should diversity among economists matter? ”

SANDWELL

Arriving at Queenwood Junior School

“There is something wonderful about being a woman and leading young women.”

On topic

Supporting our Young People

JULIE EGGLETON

“A Year 12 student recently asked me whether, with hindsight, I would have chosen a different university course.”

The Power of Theatre OLIVIA MCMILLIAN

“We are so aware of the problems occurring now and the problems we must face in the future, thus, why should we hold onto the doings of the past?” 20

Rules for the Conduct of Life EMMA MACEY

“Within these rules, there is a commitment to community: to care for one another as you care for yourself; to share in purposeful work and share in its rewards...” 21

Arnhem Land Reflections

THERESA & NATALIA ALLEN

“From the moment we arrived at Nyinyikay in East Arnhem Land, I felt I was able to slow down and open to the deep learning within their rich culture.” 22

A Prize-Winning Piece NIKKI HAN

Design & Technology, Textiles and Visual Arts Major Works YEAR 12 30

Poetry Anthology YEAR 4 CATALYST WRITING GROUP 35

In Orbit ANNABEL LI 38

Profile FIONA AND PETER SMITH 66

Parents

The strong partnership between the QPA and the school 76

Contributors

Jacqui Dwyer

HEAD OF THE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Jacqui Dwyer is Head of the Information Department at the Reserve Bank of Australia. She has worked in various roles at the Bank involving economic research, economic analysis, monetary policy advice and central bank communication. She established the Bank’s business liaison program and more recently its public education program.

the following pages! Olivia loves music, film, playing sport with her friends on the weekends, and after school hopes to pursue a career which will take her all over the world.

Emma Macey YEAR 12 COORDINATOR

music. She hopes that next year, after she completes the HSC, she will be able to travel and even study abroad.

Viola Zhang YEAR 4 STUDENT

Julie

Eggleton CAREERS ADVISOR

Julie’s varied experience is a great example of a non-linear career path. Following a BA (Psychology, English) at UNSW, she has had roles in human resources, consulting and graduate recruitment in companies such as Westpac, Accenture, PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM, and has a Graduate Certificate in personnel management and a DipEd (UTS). She has also worked as a freelance copywriter, in careers profiling, as a careers counsellor in private practice, and a school careers advisor (which is by far her favourite job - so far).

Olivia McMillian

YEAR 11 STUDENT

2023 COMMUNITY PREFECT Year 12 2023, Community Prefect, Olivia, started at Queenwood in Kindergarten, in 2011. Throughout her time at the school, her favourite subjects have always been English and Drama, which is quite clear in

As well as being one of the strongest supports to our Class of 2022 during their final year of study as Year 12 Coordinator, Emma works with the Executive on strategic projects including IT architecture and youth mental health in the middle years of schooling. She is happiest with a paint brush in her hand or sitting at the potter’s wheel. She keeps fit by chasing her two sons, and her kelpie around her home on the Central Coast.

Emma Bergin

HEAD

OF HISTORY

Emma Bergin has worked in Independent Schools for 14 years. She has a keen interest in Modern European History and has worked in book publishing before moving into secondary school teaching. She has led the History Department at Queenwood for three years.

Nikki Han

YEAR 11 STUDENT 2023 LEADERSHIP PREFECT

Nikki has attended Queenwood since 2018. Currently a Leadership Prefect for Year 12, 2023, Nikki’s favourite (and only) subjects are History and English. In her free time, Nikki loves spending time with friends, walking her dog, and listening to

Viola started Queenwood in Kindergarten in 2018. She enjoys playing the saxophone and drawing. Her favourite thing to do on the weekend is reading books that she has borrowed from the library and spending time with her birds, Snowball and Avis. Her favourite subject at school is English because she loves writing stories.

Amelia Owen

YEAR 4 STUDENT

Amelia joined Queenwood in Kindergarten in 2018. She developed a love for reading at a very young age with many favourite books, some of which include the Harry Potter series and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Amelia enjoys Equestrian Club and Drama. On weekends, she loves playing with her beagle cross cavalier, Dash, and taking him for long walks.

Editorial

EDITOR Ruby Rose

COPYWRITER Kate Pollitt, Ruby Rose

LAYOUT & DESIGN Anna Hair

ILLUSTRATION hellorosamorgan.com

PHOTOG RAPHY jamesgreen.com.au rachelgutierrezphotography.com Anna Hair

With thanks to our contributors who gave up their time to share their insights, wisdom and experience with us.

Re: Thank you

Thank you for another most interesting Q magazine. So many of us regret not appreciating the wit and wisdom of Shakespeare whilst at school but so enjoyed John Bell bringing to us a contemporary view on Shakespeare’s Women. The whole magazine is a delight to read and look at. Whether it was pondering on Ms Stone’s view on the Western intellectual tradition!... or seeing the sport, art, writing, range of extra curricula activities that the girls do today and so on….it is amazing! We are jealous!!! A lot of pull together goes into Q but it is one way some of us can catch into some of the “marvels” of today’s Primary and Secondary education. Thankyou.

Q1960

MOST LIKED

Left: Queenwood celebrates its 97th birthday.

Below: Queenwood finds success at the 2022 Interschool Snowsports.

Re: Reminiscing

I’ve just received my copy of the latest edition of QNews, which I’m most grateful to have mailed to me, with the lovely interviews with John Bell and Anna Volska, and I smiled when I saw the photograph on p.64 of Anna poised to plunge something quite unpleasant into the person seated below - which I believe to be me! It’s not a photo that I ever remember seeing before, though probably I have!

MARGARET LINDSEY Q1960

LIKE TO SHARE?

Do you have photos from your Queenwood days that you would like featured on Social Media? Please send them to communications @queenwood.nsw.edu.au

HAVE YOUR SAY

Send a letter to the editor: communications @queenwood.nsw.edu.au

ROSLYN TINKER

“Plays like this show us the power of theatre – it is a vehicle where we can transform an unthinkable situation to a moment of reflection on our own lives.”

OLIVIA MCMILLIAN’S THE POWER OF THE THEATRE, MORE ON PAGE 20.

Letters to the Editor

The importance of Diversity

by Jacqui Dwyer Head of the Information Department at the Reserve Bank of Australia

In many dimensions of our lives, there is increasing recognition of the importance of diversity. In addition to social inclusion, it fosters diversity and enriches the quality of inquiry, problem-solving and decisionmaking by bringing more views to the table. Consequently, we now expect to see diversity in our workplaces, on our boards and among decision-makers more generally. When it is not evident, we ask why.

In Australia, economics was once widely offered and widely chosen but it is now much less so. Consequently, over the course of a generation, there has been a dramatic fall in the size and diversity of the economics student population at school and university. Enrolments in Year 12 Economics have fallen by about 70 per cent during the past three decades, and enrolments at university have largely flatlined, despite substantial growth in the total student population.

The change is stark by sex; economics was once studied in roughly equal numbers by males and females at school, whereas now males outnumber females by about two to one. A big gap always existed at university.

While our latest data points to a pick-up in female participation, it has returned only to its original imbalance, with nearly twice as many males studying economics as females at university. Also stark is the fact students from high socio-economic backgrounds make up a growing share of economics enrolments at school, while those from low socioeconomic backgrounds make up a steadily falling share.

Some of the trends observed at high school become even more pronounced at university, with tertiary economics courses having among the largest shares of students from high socio-economic backgrounds while rival fields have become more inclusive. There also has been an increased geographic concentration of both the schools and universities that offer economics.

Why does diversity matter?

As a discipline, economics is ultimately about the maximisation of welfare – finding the optimal allocation of scarce resources to meet our needs and wants. If economics provides the conceptual frameworks to optimise our allocation of resources, why should diversity among economists matter? Because economics is a social science, not an exact one. As we move from the abstract notion of welfare maximisation to practical policymaking, there are many questions to be asked and many ways of answering them. What are our needs and wants? What precisely is to be optimised? And across what time horizon? What particular economic frameworks are to be chosen?

Women in economics

The falling share of female students will affect the composition of the economics profession for years. Yet women in economics have distinctly different perspectives from their male counterparts: women perform most unpaid work, child-rearing, and the management of households. This shapes their insights into the economic value of this work – and the barriers to participation in economic activities. Women have been in the vanguard of those who argue that the economic value of unpaid work should be measured.

Phyllis Deane first raised this issue in the 1940s while working with Richard Stone, the founder of the national accounts system we use to obtain today’s measures of gross domestic product. More recently, Marilyn Waring and Mariana Mazzucato have challenged us to think about how economic value

is defined, who decides what it means and who measures it. Many female economists have argued that not accounting for unpaid work biases public policy because the invisibility of this work reduces the perceived importance of actions that support those who provide it.

Meredith Edwards has influenced many aspects of our daily lives through design and implementation of social policies and has been described by one leading academic as “arguably the most important woman in postwar economics in Australia.”. As a mother it was clear to Edwards the choices faced by many women were less about the standard assumption of a trade-off between work and leisure than between paid and unpaid activities.

She also questioned the assumption that families necessarily shared their income or that payments would be appropriately distributed to them within a family unit.

She influenced payments that we now take for granted and that have helped alleviate poverty, particularly for women and children. These include payments made to the carer (who is typically female) rather than to the head of a family unit (who is typically male). Specifically, in the 1980s Edwards designed Australia’s child support payments, where the non-custodial parent pays the custodial parent child support according to their taxable income.

This form of income-contingent payment paved the way for her work with Bruce Chapman on the Higher Education Contribution Scheme, with Chapman designing the scheme and Edwards on the committee that advised the minister.

survey

school students

Female economists also have been in the forefront of research into the economics of gender, family structures, discrimination, education, and childcare. Mention must be made of Alison Booth, who is Australia’s most widely cited female economist on these issues and others (including labour market dynamics and the economics of trade unions).

A recurring theme in the research by female economists has been barriers to participation in the labour force, including the finding that the cost to government of subsidies for high-quality childcare can be more than compensated for by the economic benefits of more women being able to work.

Danielle Wood has been among the leaders of this debate and has argued for simple subsidies

for high-quality childcare that overcome disincentives to work.

Importantly, male and female economists are often interested in different economic issues. A Reserve Bank-led survey of Australian high school students found females are more interested in economic topics related to identifying problems, globalisation, inequality, and the environment. Surveys of economists in Europe and the US find females report a stronger interest in environmental protection and equality of labour market outcomes, along with more support for empirical evidence over theoretical principles.

These differences in priorities and interests of females demonstrate how addressing the decline in their participation could have a material impact on the discipline.

“A Reserve Bank-led

of Australian high

found females are more interested in economic topics related to identifying problems, globalisation, inequality, and the environment.”

>>

Addressing the issue

Students often think economics relates to a narrow range of topics when the discipline is, in fact, broad.

They are turning away from economics – including those with high ability and even many with initial curiosity about the subject. Keeping these doors open matters as students move from their middle years of high school to choosing economics at senior high school, and as they enrol at university. We need to do more to ensure that economics can be a choice for students because it is widely offered and well taught – at school and university. Educators need to be equipped to teach it, particularly at high school where so many are now teaching out-of-field or have limited access to economic resources.

Education authorities need to think about the curriculum –making sure economics can be grasped by students as something that explains the world around them, enlivening it with relevance and clear application. And educational institutions need to be more aware of the role economics plays in contributing to economic literacy in society, a more effective citizenry, and the design of good public policy. •

ELIZABETH STONE PRINCIPAL

There may have been years of vigorous debate about women’s suffrage a century or so ago, but no-one argues now that women should not have the vote. Similarly, Queenwood Old Girls have often described to me how few career options were open to them in the 1950s or 1960s and mused how wonderful it is that our graduates today, without a second thought, simply assume that any path is open to them. It is therefore a shock to see that in some areas progress has not merely stalled but reversed.

As this graph shows, the representation of women in economics is an area of stark regression.

Year 12* University**

ECONOMICS ENROLMENTS BY SEX: SHARE OF TOTAL ENROLMENTS

*Data from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia included from 1992; South Australia included from 1993 and Victoria included from 1995. **Undergraduate and postgraduate students; excludes Maquarie University. Sources: DESE; NESA; QCAA; RBA; SACE Board; SCSA; VCAA

“When considering social progress, many of us feel that it comes too slowly, but we generally assume that, once achieved, it will not be undone.”

From parity at Year 12 in 1992, boys now study Economics at twice the rate of girls, whilst the numbers at university have not improved in 30 years.

Jacqui Dwyer makes the case convincingly for why we need more women in economics. The function of economics is to improve decision-making, especially in the allocation of societal resources. Such questions of public policy are always more critical for the more vulnerable and, for myriad reasons, women are a more vulnerable population than men. Most recently, this has been seen in the disproportionate burdens borne by women during the pandemic. As the Grattan Institute reported1 , women were hit by a ‘triple-whammy’: more likely to lose their jobs; more likely to have to do much more unpaid work (especially childcare with schools and childcare closed); and less likely to receive government support (due to the concentration of government assistance in construction, energy and other male-dominated sectors).

This example underlines the more general point that women’s perspectives are needed to shape effective public policy. As eminent US economist Betsey Stevenson explained in a recent interview 2 , this is not because economic principles are different for men and women, but because their application is influenced by individual perspectives:

There was a study that looked at how women think about economics and then how they think about policy issues. And what they found was that there isn’t really a gender difference in how we see economic tools, but [when it comes to] how we apply those tools and the conclusions we draw about things like redistribution, the environment, children, investing in children, there are gender differences… If economics is going to be useful to the world, then we need to have diverse perspectives in economics.

The case for improving the representation of women in economics is clear, but how to achieve it less so. A (female) academic in Melbourne recently argued that the traditional style of teaching economics was at fault because it involved too many ‘hard equations’ which was off-putting for girls. There is no evidence that this is behind the trend away from economics and I am wary of any assumption that girls cannot enjoy high-level Maths. Indeed, such stereotyped assumptions appear to me to be highly regressive. More enlightening, perhaps, is the research published earlier this year by the Reserve Bank of Australia3 which found that there was a significant confidence gap between boys and girls studying economics. Put bluntly: girls and boys are equally good at it, but

boys rate their abilities more highly. Unsurprisingly, they are then more likely to pursue it as a course of study and a career.

This is consistent with a large body of research conducted over many decades which shows that, on the whole, men are more confident in their own capabilities than women. This is a much broader problem which is evident from a young age and often put forward as the reason for the underrepresentation of women at the highest levels. If women are born this way, then the onus is on us as women to overcome this – and there is plenty of advice about how to ‘lean in’. The fact that the gap is ubiquitous – in virtually every society and every sphere – may seem to suggest that this is the case. A recent study, however, found that there is one environment in which girls’ self-confidence is exactly the same as boys’: singlesex schools.

Here is an extract from a Sydney Morning Herald article 4 about the research:

“The study is important because it shows [the confidence gap] is not innate; it does not have to be this way,” said lead author Terry Fitzsimmons from the AIBE Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace at the University of Queensland.

Prior studies in mixed-sex environments have shown the confidence gap begins

early. One literature review quoted in the study found girls’ confidence began to fall below boys’ at age nine, and remained lower until they turned 80.

“What this [study] goes to show, really importantly, is that there is an environment in which whatever is driving that [difference in] confidence between adolescent boys and girls is not happening,” Dr Fitzsimmons said.

“We think it’s the first study of its kind to establish a set of criteria where that [gap] doesn’t hold.”

So far – as extraordinary as it may seem – the only environment in which the confidence gap has been closed is in single-sex schools. And yet to those of us who have experienced it, it’s not so extraordinary. But what does this mean for the girls when they leave school?

Firstly, it means that they are less likely to be deterred from study or career choices which have stereotypically been seen as ‘for boys’. Our own experience at Queenwood is a great example. Around 7% of all HSC students study Economics but at Queenwood we average around 30%. Whilst boys outnumber girls two to one, our girls take the subject at four times the state average. The fact that girls from single-sex schools study STEM at university at much higher rates than those educated in co-educational

schools is yet another example.

Secondly, it means that the environmental influences which tend to diminish women’s confidence are not felt by our girls until they are older and have a more mature and settled sense of identity and confidence. At this point, it is much harder to take away their sense of capability and possibility; habits and expectations which a young child might have been willing to accept as ‘normal’ are instead set by a more mature young woman against her years of experience in a setting of true equality. They are ready to confront and challenge inequality, and their default position will be – as for boys – ‘of course this is something I can do’

If our girls can bring these perspectives and skills to their future working lives, they will fulfil the mission of our founders, to embark (in the words of Miss Rennie) on high adventures and make the world a better place. •

GRAPH:

Dwyer, Jacqui. “A Matter of Diversity.” (Reserve Bank of Australia), 2 Graph

1 A Matter of Diversity | Speeches | RBA

FOOTNOTES:

1 Wood, Danielle, Griffiths, Kate & Crowley, Tom. Women’s work: The impact of the COVID crisis on Australian women. Victoria: Grattan Institute, March 2021. (grattan.edu.au)

2 Hasenstab, Maria. “Women in Economics: Betsey Stevenson.” December 9, 2020. Women in Economics Podcast Series. Produced by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Podcast, MP3 audio, 39:00. (stlouisfed.org)

3 Tan, Joyce. Exploring the ‘Confidence Gap’. New South Wales: Reserve Bank of Australia, March 2022.

4 Baker, Jordan. “Girls match boys in confidence at single-sex schools, study finds.” Sydney Morning Herald, January 11, 2019. smh.com.au/education/girls-match-boysin-confidence-at-single-sex-schools-studyfinds-20190110-p50qno.html

“Our own experience at Queenwood is a great example. Around 7% of all HSC students study Economics but at Queenwood we average around 30%.”

Supporting Our Young People

MS JULIE EGGLETON CAREERS ADVISOR

I never imagined as a 17-year-old that my own career would be so convoluted. It began with a somewhat disastrous choice of tertiary study but I have landed in the perfect role – one which didn’t exist when I left school.

A Year 12 student recently asked me whether, with hindsight, I would have chosen a different university course. I doubt it. In my teens, I followed external influences: well-meaning parental advice; an all-girls’ school encouraging me to break through the glass ceiling and embrace male-dominated bastions; a perception that a strong ATAR translates to a high course entry from which financial gains and immense satisfaction will follow. While these made sense to me at the time, I chose not to follow my interests, or my heart. This was a mistake. Research into university retention confirms that one of the key factors is intrinsic motivation – choosing a course that you are interested in, rather than one that will bring monetary reward or status.

How do students choose a university course?

The Universities Admissions Centre’s (UAC) 2022 Student Lifestyle Report, provides insight into the views, interests and behaviours of school leavers commencing university. Encouragingly, when choosing a course students rated a passion for the subject matter highest (81%). Their prospects of securing work in a related field (41%), work experience/internship opportunities (31%) and entry requirements (31%) came next.

When commencing university, students were most excited about pursuing passions (71%), university social life (55%) and meeting new people (55%). My own career mirrors the fact that jobs are no longer linear.

The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) New Work Order report series has highlighted the increasing dynamism and complexity of our working lives. Projections suggest a 15-year-old today will hold approximately 18 different jobs over six different careers in their lifetime.

The focus of Q Careers

At Queenwood, career education is intertwined with Wellbeing and Curriculum. From Year 10, students commence a career program with the aim of developing the lifelong discipline of self-efficacy, and holistically considering their interests, strengths, values, and how these influence decisions from subject selection to postschool plans and beyond. Throughout their senior years, students are challenged to continually self-reflect through careers profiling, work engagement, mock interviews, personal statements, career workshops and one-on-one counselling; they also explore future possibilities through tertiary campus visits, expos, university student ambassador presentations and connecting with alumnae. Learning how to explore options will stand them in good stead for the future, whether they choose to pursue university education or not.

Parental influences

When guiding our children as they contemplate the path beyond school, we may unwittingly inject our own preconceptions and experiences into the conversation. A 2021 Study, Work, Grow Report into parental engagement in career education confirmed that parents are the primary influence in their children’s decisions and that children often adopt unconscious parental aspirations. At the same time, parents often report they feel uninformed, time-poor, and lack confidence in the process, and may rely on knowledge and experience that is not up to date.

The number of tertiary options can be overwhelming. Universities may try to lure students with a huge range of “choose your own adventure” degrees that can paralyse an indecisive student. To alleviate the stress, students are encouraged to follow their curiosity and focus on what will engage them. All universities emphasise employability and job readiness through work-integrated learning embedded in all degrees.

A recent article in Forbes magazine, titled 4 Pillars For Career Development, proposed four key elements which help with managing rapid change and ongoing uncertainty. These very much align with Queenwood’s Year 12 2022, themes of Wise Optimism and Virtue:

“To alleviate the stress, students are encouraged to follow their curiosity and focus on what will engage them.”

1. Open-mindedness and curiosity for new opportunities

2. Risk orientation: openness to exploration and possibilities.

3. Self-reliance: encompassing perseverance through adversity, responsibility, independence, drive, and motivation.

4. Supportive relationships: This is where we, as adults, come in through listening, modelling, sharing our stories of disappointment, successes, risks, and failures. We don’t have to have all the answers but it will help if we are aware of our biases and know when to step back, even when we feel the urge to intervene.

Lifelong learning

So, if I had the chance to go back and change my immediate post school decisions, would I? No. I appreciate how a variety of jobs and degrees has helped me develop valuable skills, flexibility and pragmatism –all positive attributes for career and, more importantly, for life in general.

Over time, I learnt to seek out the most fulfilling roles and like-minded, supportive people. Now, I hope to guide young women to look beyond the choice of tertiary studies and to embrace who they are for the lifelong career journey.

•

This article first appeared in Queenwood Weekly News on Friday 12 August 2022.

Seizing Opportunities with Anni Sandwell

Head of Junior School, Anni Sandwell, shares her journey so far at Queenwood and what it means to be a red shoe girl. A special thank you to Sofia and Alice from the Junior School for their help with interviewing Mrs. Sandwell.

What inspired you to come to Queenwood?

I had heard about Queenwood and had known teachers who had worked at Queenwood and they spoke so highly about the School, and the community. I had been working in a regional school for four and a half years and was very keen to return to our home in the city. Previously I had taught all girls and as much as I have enjoyed teaching co-ed and all boys, there is something wonderful about being a woman and leading young women.

What was your first teaching job after university?

Foremarke Hall (Repton Preparatory School) in Derbyshire, UK – in a beautiful Georgian mansion (build in 1760). I was the Boarding Mistress for the youngest boarders and set-up the pre-Prep section for under 8s, boys and girls. Most of the staff lived at the school.

What is something unique to Queenwood that you have noticed?

So many unique things…celebrating the Queenwood’s birthday with flowers and pink cupcakes, the Farewell to Year 12, the instrumental program, our specialised learning and catalyst programs, the Kindergarten red

shoes, Just Read, and the extensive co-curricular program. The girls really understand the Queenwood values Truth and Courage and Service, this gives our School a fabulous sense of Community. If people belong, and they feel that they are in an environment where they their achievements are acknowledged, they are affirmed for doing their best and supported if they are struggling, success comes more easily. Happy girls are more likely to be successful girls.

What do you think makes a Queenwood girl? Integrity, seizing opportunities (engage with challenge) and the sense of purpose (to use the privilege of an excellent education) to make the world a better place for others. Truth; Courage and Service!

What are three words that describe a Queenwood red shoe girl?

Curious, industrious, and happy. If you could invite 3 people to a Queenwood afternoon tea, who would it be?

Our founders: Miss Grace Lawrance; Miss Beatrice Rennie and Miss Violet Medway – to inform them we continue (the Queenwood values they established

almost 100 years ago) to instill in our students the character, disposition and skills they will need to flourish in and contribute to a world of complexity and change. Women of strength and courage and purpose. Three people at a Queenwood afternoon tea would not be enough! I tell everyone about Queenwood!

What do you like to do outside Queenwood?

Spending time my husband and sons, with extended family (in the UK) and local friends. I enjoy walks with Ted (dog!). I love inner-city Sydney life – markets, movies, theatre, museums, galleries, cafes. I enjoy reading and baking.

Where did you go on holiday last and where will you go to next?

Thailand in September 2022, England in June 2023.

How has your dog (Ted) handled the transfer back to the city?

Ted the Chocolate Labrador has adjusted to his new life as a city dog remarkably well – he knows (and frequently re-familiarises himself with) every tree and post within walking distance of our home! We take him for big walks at weekends where he can paddle and frolick!

What is your favourite style of book to read?

Popular contemporary novels (when on holidays); (illustrated) children’s books especially written and illustrated in Australia! Biographies and autobiographies – I enjoy reading about other people’s lives; books written by researchers in educational leadership. •

Kindergarten 2022 students Alice G, Ariana Y, Emma L and Sarah G join Anni in the library for Just Read.

ANNI SANDWELL ON THE COVER

The Power of Theatre

OLIVIA MCMILLIAN YEAR 11 STUDENT 2023 COMMUNITY PREFECT

For the Q Drama Department, it has been a year of renewal for the arts and performance in this village we call Queenwood. In doing this we have affirmed our appreciation of theatre, new and old, and engaged in a collective discussion about the purpose and power of theatre in our lives. In one of our many assembly presentations this year, Year 11 Drama aficionado Olivia McMillan delivered an arousing speech on the importance of the cautionary tale, as seen through our study of Ancient Greek Theatre and its characters.

In the national theatre’s modern interpretation of a classic ancient Greek play – Antigone, by Sophocles, the story begins after a civil war – two men have fought each other in battle and have both died. The King has proclaimed that one of the men must not be given a funeral, where his body will be left for vultures to eat, as a punishment for his disgrace. The main woman Antigone, the man’s sister, makes it her mission to give her brother a proper burial. However, she is faced with the possibility of being punished to death by disobeying the King’s order.

You may be wondering why I am telling you about this play – it is far from our own realities. However, plays like this show us the power of theatre – it is a vehicle where we can transform an unthinkable situation to a moment of reflection on our own lives. We can use drama to create change. If you think about it, the tale of Antigone is simply a story of the pursuit of justice.

In our school, we are taught of changes in our world that have taken place before us, establishing our mission to see the pleas for change in front of us. We are so aware of the problems occurring now and the problems we must face in the future, thus, why should we hold onto the doings of the past?

This was an idea that personally held me back and may be holding you back too.

For example, the idea of learning about a theatre style dozens of centuries old was not appealing to our Year 10 drama class. Just the title – Ancient Greek Theatre – was unfamiliar and our

QNEWS SEMESTER 2, 2022 20

class was unsure of the style’s relevance to our world today. I thought it was going to be like Shakespeare, with some dramatic dialogue of Greek soldiers pushing each other off cliffs and yelling the whole time. I thought it was going to be filled with challenging language that would be hard to understand, with ideas that are old and forgotten. Looking back now, I was being so utterly stubborn and close minded to this new style of drama. Here, we learnt that we could use theatre to change our view of the world, and to expand our understanding of society.

In Ancient Greece, theatre was used as a tool of shaping their “village”. Storylines were captivating and gripping, yet also taught the ideals of the perfect citizen and taught morality and virtues to the audience. The themes of love, loss, grief, power, war, violence, scandal, and jealousy were presented to a village of people. It devastated the audience, creating a cathartic response, which at times was considered traumatic for theatre goers.

You may believe that this is absolutely cruel, for the playwrights to want to purposely upset their audience, however there was certainly a deeper purpose. The purpose of evoking this catharsis was to produce a more empathetic and understanding society. They would portray a scene on stage, where for example, the ignorance of morals and ethics resulted in the death of the audience’s favourite character. It shaped the message that one must always practice the morals of a good citizen, as they witnessed the result of what happens when ethics are ignored.

It’s clear. Theatre was, and still is, a vehicle of inspiring change, either emotional, physical, or spiritual. •

Olivia McMillian speaks to staff and students about the Power of Theatre to shape society and culture.

Rules for the Conduct of Life

EMMA MACEY YEAR 12 COORDINATOR

The first guilds can be traced back to the 12th Century. Groups of like-minded individuals came together to maintain high standards in their area of interest, and to refine the skills of their craft through apprenticeships.

Over time, London guilds became more established: many purchased Headquarters; some introduced distinctive clothing and regalia. Guilds developed uniforms, meeting places, and subject-specific curricular and in this way, they were like schools where master craftsmen taught their apprentices the skills they needed to flourish.

The primary purpose at inception, however, was enterprise bargaining. Sound familiar? The recent government Jobs Summit brought industry groups and government together to discuss ‘employment opportunities’ and ‘getting our skills mix right over the long term’. It is similar rhetoric to discussion held in Guild Headquarters during the Industrial Revolution – how does a Guild prepare an apprentice to enter a rapidly changing workforce whilst still maintaining the high level of skill and knowledge developed in industry over centuries?

Perhaps participants at the jobs summit can take a lesson from the London Guilds who, rather than render themselves obsolete by focussing on technical skills alone, worked with the City of London to evolve in two crucial ways: ensuring an apprentice’s education balanced skills with ethics; and strengthening a commitment to contribute to social good. The commitment to balance the needs of industry with civic responsibility solidified their influence and ensured they maintained relevance over time.

Even now, when craftsmen are admitted into a guild at the end of their apprenticeship, they are presented a small book containing Rules for the Conduct of Life to which they commit when inducted. So, at the conclusion of their schooling, I thought it worthwhile to share some of these rules with Year 12 so that they too, might choose to commit to similar ideals and thus live a good and fulfilling life when they venture beyond our walls.

Rule XII: Be in reality what you are wiling to be thought to be. Every (person) desires to be thought honest, just, and virtuous, that thereby (they) may gain love and good-will from all that know (them). Now the only sure way to be thought so is really to be so.

Rule XVI: Be well content with your own condition whatsoever it may be. Endeavour by honest labour and industry to make your circumstances better than they are, for the good of both yourself and others…

Rule XXV: Be always a good manager of your time, and lay hold of each opportunity that offers for the doing of

whatever is necessary to be done. If you neglect a proper opportunity, you may not perhaps meet with it again… if you accustom yourself to rise early, you will find that you have time enough to do all the business that you have to do, and much more than person who rise late think it possible to be done.

Rule XXVI: Where you are not able to finish business without the help of others, call in speedily such persons to your assistance as are fit to be employed in it.

Rule XXVII: Always consider the consequences of what you intend to do, that you may guard against those that are evil or inconvenient.

Within these rules, there is a commitment to community: to care for one another as you care for yourself; to share in purposeful work and share in its rewards; to experience the world together and take joy in the company of others. Year 12, at the conclusion of your time at Queenwood, know that you do not walk from these gates alone, but together with the bonds of friendship forged in this place. You take with you a collective responsibility to become a force for good in the communities you forge, and the communities you inhabit.

In the words of our founder, Miss Grace Lawrance (Principal 1925 – 1932):

The path of a good woman is strewn with flowers, but they spring up behind her, not before. •

This article first appeared in Queenwood Weekly News on Wednesday 21 September 2022.

Emma Macey offers some sage advice to her Year 12 girls as they move beyond the school gates and embark on their next adventure

Invited on country to experience the wisdom and beauty of the world’s oldest living culture, our mother and daughter duos had the experience of a lifetime.

Arnhem Land Immersion

Queenwood is delighted to offer this biennial educational experience to Year 6/7 students and their mothers through Culture College to travel to Nhulunbuy, Arnhem Land in the far Northern Territory of Australia. We have been invited to participate in the sharing of cultures, knowledge and building of friendships with the Yolngu people. In the words of the Senior Elder of the Gumatji Clan, Charlie Matjuwi Burarrwanga; “...the mission is to unite our young ones with the students from down south, sharing knowledge and building friendships. This is the path we Yolngu have wanted to take for generations. It will create a brighter future for all.”

A reflection by Teresa Allen following her eight-day immersion in Arnhem Land, as part of a Queenwood mother daughter program with the women in East Arnhem Land.

Connecting with Country

TERESA ALLEN YEAR 6 MOTHER

Upon arriving at Nyinyikay, a girl of the Yolngu people paints our foreheads with white clay – a thick strip across the forehead and another back towards the crown. This represents the rivers running into the ocean and it is a sign to the ancestors that we are not a threat and welcomed on their land.

The official Dingo Dreaming Welcome Ceremony is more powerful. We are surrounded by dancers representing a pack of dingoes, kicking up red dust and never losing eye contact. They are soul searching, looking for open minds. I never thought that this welcome would move me in such a truly connected way.

Having lived in Australia for only the last eight years, I knew very little about Aboriginal culture, so when the opportunity arose to go to the far north of Australia, I embraced it. It was an honour and a privilege to walk on their sacred homeland, learn about the Yolngu daily life and to witness how resourceful the traditional landowners are, the care and respect they have for each other and for their homeland.

From the moment we arrived at Nyinyikay in East Arnhem Land, I felt I was able to slow down and open to the deep learning within their rich culture. I felt connected to the land through their traditions and beliefs within the Songline stories and to the learnings of the Bungul dance around the campfire.

I have never experienced anything like this before. To have had the opportunity to be fully immersed in a wonderful week of activities with the Yolngu two men and my daughter was something special. Thank you to the people of Nyinyikay, Queenwood, Paola Tamberlin, Belinda Moore and Culture College for a week that will forever stay in my heart and memory. •

Arnhem Land Reflections

NATALIA ALLEN YEAR 6 2022

I loved spending time with my Mum on this special Mother/Daughter Year 6 trip to Arnhem Land because the culture was so incredible. The experience we had on country and on the homelands was something I have never experienced before. The people, landscape, colours, and red earth was a ll beautiful. I loved the weaving with the expert help of the Yolngu women, and I especially enjoyed building bonds with Megan. It was satisfying to have learnt a new skill and to have made a necklace, a small basket, and a bracelet in a traditional way.

All the Year 6 girls on this trip had so much fun with the Yolngu children, especially with Honey Boy and Tasha whilst crab searching, interacting, and dancing near the campfire. This adventure is one never forget! I would go back in a heartbeat and would highly recommend this trip to future Year 6 Mother/Daughters. Thank you to Queenwood for making this possible. •

CLOCKWISE: Megan and Natalia; Year 6 girls learning from Culture College leader; Teresa and Natalia weaving with the Yolngu women, roads of Arnhem Land; group photo with the Yolngu women and Culture College leaders; Megan around the fire.

View an array of Year 12 Major Works nominated for the HSC Showcase season in 2023, read a prize winning piece of History, marvel at a collection of poetry and artworks from Junior School and go out of this world with our enrichment program.

There has been a lot happening both inside and outside the classroom; here is a quick look at what the students have been up to...

Student work

UNCLE OSCAR BY KATE SNASHALL YEAR 12 IB MAJOR WORK

A Prize Winning Piece

NIKKI HAN

YEAR 11 STUDENT 2023

LEADERSHIP PREFECT

Year 12 student Nikki Han was awarded Highly Commended for her essay in the Simpson Prize 2022, a national history competition for school students. Budding historians were asked to address the question, ‘To what extent have the Gallipoli campaign and the Western Front overshadowed other significant aspects of Australian’s experience of the First World War?’

In her prize-winning essay, Nikki argues for a broader lens through which to view our commemoration of World War One, one that includes the rich and complex experiences of women during war. For too long women’s experiences have been overshadowed and reduced to stereotypes of self-sacrificing nurses and mothers who kept the home fires burning. Nikki points to the varied and complicated stories of women as innovative and resourceful leaders - delivering medical care on the battle front or as home front suffragists who advocated for pacificism and challenged the social and political conventions of the time.

MS EMMA BERGIN HEAD OF HISTORY

As the experiences of everyday soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front were converted into a mythology, a narrow vision of masculinity came to dominate our national self-concept. In our existing war historiography, women are predominantly represented as virtuous and self-sacrificing nurses. However, our story about these nurses must become more nuanced: their motives were not always noble, they were often frustrated and suffered in their jobs, but most importantly, they were innovative leaders who also saved lives in the post-war period. This lack of complexity and depth to women’s representation can also be seen in the way we commemorate women on the home front. The traditional conception of Australian women at home is one of grieving mothers or wives, while the story of women as activists has been severely neglected. Many women advocated for pacifism and challenged the social and political norms of the time. Today, it is important to complicate our commemoration of the war to include Australian women as leaders both in political and battlefield contexts.

Rather than focusing purely on soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front, it is important to explore the labour and leadership of nurses. Like soldiers in the trenches, they suffered trauma. As one nurse recounts, “we went for the worst cases first and worked like fury while all the sound of firing was going on.” 1 Nurses were not flawless or angelic, rather many came to resent their work and longed to escape the war. 2 By recognising nurses as people with full complexity, we can grasp the extent

To what extent have the Gallipoli campaign and the Western Front overshadowed other significant aspects of Australians’ experience of the First World War?

“Rather than focusing purely on soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front, it is important to explore the labour and leadership of nurses. Like soldiers in the trenches, they suffered trauma.”

of their importance. Many nurses worked to the point of exhaustion and suffered as a result of their service. Sister Evelyn Davies wrote that “I feel like a piece of chewed string after duty.” Many not only assisted doctors, but were leaders in their own right. When nurses were sent to Lemnos to set up a hospital, the negligence of commanding officers meant they had no tents and other supplies for three weeks. The nurses, led by Grace Wilson, thus had to treat patients in the open air despite disease and poor sanitation. Sister Evelyn Hutt recounts that the nurses were “tearing up their petticoats for bandages, [and noted] the absence of needed medicines, the poor food and lack of water.” 3 The resourcefulness and leadership of the nurses eventually resulted in a survival rate of 98.03 percent.4 Yet their service has gone under-recognised compared with the men who fought in Gallipoli and on the Western Front.

Similarly in accounts of the home front, women are mostly portrayed as ‘tending fires’ and volunteering for charities. 5 This docile narrative can be problematized by examining how Australian women used the war to challenge concepts of femininity and womanhood. Suffragist Vida Goldstein, who ‘was uncompromisingly pacifist’, used her profile to challenges Australia’s involvement in the war in the press of the time. The activism of Australian women was not only bold and divisive, but successfully contributed to the defeat of two referendums on conscription during the war.

The tendency to neglect the complexity of roles of women in World War I is just one example of the problems produced by our narrow focus on Gallipoli and the Western Front. Other marginalised voices, including Indigenous peoples and migrant and working-class stories, must also be heard. Moreover, we need to shift the thematic focus of our memorialisation to include, not just the soldiers fighting in trenches, but also pacifist movements and the medical service. Ultimately, it is our obligation to accurately tell the stories of the wartime generation, which means including women into the narrative, with full detail and complexity.

•

This is an abridged version of Nikki’s essay that was submitted to the Simpson Prize 2022.

APPENDIX

A:

Source 6: Photograph showing a wounded soldier being assisted by two Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses, who are wearing masks to protect themselves against the Spanish Influenza, New South Wales, 1919.

FOOTNOTES:

1 Sister Elsie Gibson, in: Melanie Oppenheimer. Australian Women and War. (Canberra: Department of Veterans’ Affairs, 2008

2 Jan Bassett. Guns and Brooches. (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1992).

3 Sister Evelyn Hutt, in: Jim Claven. (2016). The Sister Evelyn Hutt World War I collection: An Australian nurse at war. The La Trobe Journal, 98, p. 38.

4 Ibid.

5 Patsy Adam-Smith. Australian Women at War. (Melbourne: Five Mile Press, 1984).

“Many not only assisted doctors, but were leaders in their own right.”

“The traditional conception of Australian women at home is one of grieving mothers or wives, while the story of women as activists has been severely neglected.”

My highly decorative gown is inspired the iconic 1950s American femme fatale. I was influenced by Andy Warhol’s Marilyn series and Jean-Paul Gaultier’s use of silkscreen. My garment consists of a black strapless draped bodice, a black silk taffeta skirt adorned with screen printing, and a detachable silk organza overskirt, attached at the waist with a red sash.

Grace Youlden

THE ICE AGE TEXStyle NOMINATION

The purpose of my garments is to educate the audience about the severity of global warming. I incorporated symbols and aesthetics inspired by the Ice Age Exhibition on show at the Australian Museum in 2022. I was influenced by Elie Saab’s Spring 2020 Couture collection and Guo Pei Spring/Summer 2020 Himalaya collection. Historical inspiration includes the Elizabethan era during the 1600’s, the Merry Widow corsets worn in the 1950s, and Baroque architecture from the 17th century.

Jahzara Hood

FIRE RESISTANT HOUSING SOLUTION SHAPE NOMINATION

The recent Australian 2019-2020 bushfires made international headlines with 3,100 homes destroyed and 18,000 people left without long-term housing solutions.

My project endeavours to create a bushfire resistant residence for a property in the Blue Mountains. This solution had to meet the relevant Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) requirements and be a selfsustaining, environmentally friendly residence. My project looks at the utilisation of natural resources and other methods, such as material selection, to discourage fire from destroying residential premises and lives.

SEAWALL REDESIGN SHAPE NOMINATION

In 2016, Collaroy/ Narrabeen was ranked Australia’s third most at-risk area from coastal processes. A seawall was put in place to prevent coastal erosion in Collaroy, but it led to the loss of a significant portion of the beach and met with significant local resident push back due to its harsh aesthetics. To respond to this issue in a more considered manner I have developed a wave tank system through which alternative coastal defence systems could be designed and tested, with a view to identifying less impactful alternatives, both in regards to erosion and visual impact on the local area.

Sophie Darton

Lola Noble

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING ARTEXPESS NOMINATION

Inspired by American poet e.e. cummings and artist Lucian Freud, my composition is designed to create a sense of familial cross-examination.

I am frequently reminded that my appearance lacks family resemblance so I wanted to challenge the way in which we perceive, and judge family based on physical appearance.

Visual Arts

Poetry Anthology

The Year 4 Catalyst Writing Group enjoyed a poetry unit in Semester 1. Students examined a range of wellknown poems, exploring the nature and effects of poetic devices and how they shape meaning. The girls experimented with these devices and a range of styles and structures to compose a diversity of their own poems. Their compositions were collated into a poetry anthology to share with the school.

Q Drama’s Middle School Production PUFFS (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School Of Magic).

In Orbit Annabel Li

Annabel, Year 7, has taken part in competitions and enrichment programs run through Queenwood, including programs through the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT). Annabel has been involved in every AMT program challenge and received highest grades (7/8) for both Mathematics Challenge and Enrichment (Euler) Stage, a Prize Certificate for the AMC Intermediate Paper (Year 9/10), and a High Distinction for the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO). Next up for Annabel is attending the next AMT programs. Annabel has also received a number of writing awards.

Tell us about the KIBO robotic challenge and your involvement?

The KIBO Robotics Programming Challenge is a competition organised by NASA and JAXA where students need to work as a team to complete a programming task with exciting real world applications. This year, we needed to program a robot called Astrobee to fix an “air leak” in the International Space Station. In order to do this we had to program the robot to do certain tasks in the following order:

1. Go to Target 1

2. Shoot Target 1 with Astrobee’s laser

3. Go to Target 2 while avoiding keep-out zones and staying in keep-in zones

4. Find the centre of Target 2 with Astrobee’s camera

5. Shoot Target 2

6. Return to starting position while avoiding keep-out zones and staying in keep-in zones

7. Report mission completion to Astronaut.

My role in the team was getting Astrobee to the targets while avoiding keep-out zones and staying in keep-in zones. We would program this in Java and we would have to use vectors and quaternions to visualise the robot’s movement in 3D space.

What happened at the International competition in October for the KIBO robotics challenge?

We came 8th in the competition. Our code did not work out as planned. Astrobee had moved to Target 1 and had shot the laser, however it missed Target 2. Although it did not come out as planned, our team all worked very hard and we were proud to have reached this stage.

Where did your interest in space and robotics come from? And What do you love best about the Robotics program?

My love for robotics first came from my older brother, Josh, who first got me into VEX Robotics in 2019. That year, we did our first competition together as a team and even managed to win first place. I’ve loved robotics ever since, especially the problem solving process, and working as a team feels especially rewarding. You have the support of others and your own contribution is valued.

What advice would you give to students interested in doing robotics or a similar program?

I would just say ‘go for it’. Even if it doesn’t seem like something you would be good at or if your friends aren’t interested, you should just give it a try. When I first started, I was almost deterred from the fact that I was the only girl participating, but ultimately I didn’t let that stop me. I ended up having a great time and discovering a hobby that I have an immense passion for.

You have won a number of awards this year including, Writing competitions, Mathematics competitions such as the Olympiad – which one are you most proud of and why?

Out of my awards, I am most proud of winning the writing competition. This is because ever since I was young, I was good at maths and everyone in my family was good at maths. However, English was always my weakness. Winning the competitions took extra

hard work and dedication, therefore I feel most proud, because they are reflective of my effort to improve myself.

What opportunities have you had at Queenwood that have given you different interests? We understand you’re part of the Makers Club.

I am part of Makers Club and it has taught me how to solder and also how electronics work. I found myself very fascinated by this and it is quite different to programming. It is more physically hands-on and the skills involved were completely different.

Do you have any idea of what you would like to do as a career in the future?

I would like to continue following my passion for Robotics and STEM by hopefully working at a major tech company like Google and NASA as an Engineer. My dream is to be involved in designing new technologies that can help other people and improve our world. •

Astrobee

“ My dream is to be involved in designing new technologies that can help other people and improve our world.”

Student work

Junior School Art Gallery

MIRANDA, YEAR 4

WAVERLY, YEAR 3

ALLEGRA & SARA YEAR 4

MADDIE, YEAR 5

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are all already exactly what the world needs you to be: bold and timid, analytical and creative, confident and unsure, musical and mathematical, impulsive and risk averse, extroverted and introverted, old souls and new spirits.”

“You

LUCY

Celebrating Queenwood’s 97th Birthday

ELIZABETH STONE PRINCIPAL

Queenwood

opened its doors on 21st September 1925, a date which happened also to be the birthday of Miss Rennie who founded the school with Miss Lawrance. The five girls who were there at the beginning found out it was Miss Rennie’s birthday, and Miss Medway describes the tradition that sprang up this way:

An extract from the speech by Ms Stone to the Queenwood community with the story of the tradition of bringing flowers on the School’s Birthday.

Those first five girls brought Miss Rennie flowers and, on each succeeding year, flowers and gifts either individual, or from a class and then from ‘the girls’ She loved the flowers, but felt embarrassed in later years about receiving a gift from girls whom she no longer taught, so she asked me to stop the gift… so I explained [to the Prefects] how she felt. They said, however, they liked to give. Then I was inspired: give a present but one for the school not for Miss Rennie personally.

So that is how the tradition of the School’s Birthday gift came about. But the ceremony we are about to observe continues the second tradition. Miss Rennie suffered a period of ill-health in the early 1930s, and one birthday she was too ill to receive visits from the girls bearing flowers. She lived upstairs in the School building, so the girls were asked to gather under her window and raise the flowers high so Miss Rennie could see them as she looked down.

Each year since then, girls have gathered to make the same gesture: of respect, appreciation, and love And by now, of course, it has become a gesture that we make to acknowledge not just Miss Rennie, but all those who have committed their time and talents to the education of girls; who have offered their gifts of service and generosity to build up this School; and who have honoured its mission and values.

So now, in our 97th year, girls, I invite you all to stand.

We will once again remember our values of Truth, Courage and Service and pay tribute to those who have lived out these values and bequeathed to us this fine school.

Girls, I invite you now to raise your flowers high and to give thanks:

For Truth, For Courage and For Service.

All: For Queenwood •

“You have all been gifted the unique opportunity to be a Queenwood Girl. This means you can do whatever you choose to do. Choose to throw yourself into opportunities and situations that will assist you in achieving your goals and choose to support others to do the same. Remember that Queenwood’s support network extends beyond those gates at Mandolong Road and it will always be there for you if you need a little encouragement. Happy Birthday Queenwood.”

GABRIELLE ROYLE GUEST SPEAKER Q2012

“You will find when you leave Queenwood, Queenwood never leaves you.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Valentina B (Year 1) and fellow Junior School students celebrate the School's Birthday; Vittoria D (Year 7) and Bianka J (Year 6) cutting the Birthday Cake; guest speaker Gabrielle Royal (Q2012) addresses the assembly.

CLOCKWISE: Alumna who are current parents enjoy the Queenwood Birthday Breakfast with past Principal Kem Bray; Kem Bray receiving flowers from Kindergarten 2022; Three Generations of Old Girls: Lucy Brogden AM, Trinity Brodgen and Susan Hooke.

Each year, the girls brought flowers and presents to Miss Rennie. She loved the posies; however, she was embarrassed by the gifts. This began a tradition that continues today; girls bring posies of flowers that are distributed to local nursing homes and hospitals, just as they were during Miss Rennie’s time. Following this tradition, this year’s Year 10 students packed all the posies and delivered them to local nursing homes. The School received lots of messages from recipients of the flowers, wishing the School a very happy birthday and thanking the students for the gracious gesture.

Nota Bene

Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2022!

Senior School

We farewelled Year 12 at their Prize Giving & Valete Assembly. We are so proud of all they have achieved and wish them all the very best for their results and journey ahead.

Belinda Moore

IGSA Life Member

Whole School

We congratulated Deputy Principal, Belinda Moore, who was awarded Life Membership of IGSA at the IGSA Centenary Dinner in June. This incredible achievement was awarded to those who have given over 20 years of service to girls’ sport.

Kindness Convention

Junior School

Spreading Kindness. Our Year 5 students joined representatives from 17 other primary schools at Pymble for the recent inaugural Kindness Convention.

Music Showcase Concert

Senior School

The Annual Music Showcase Concert featuring the Senior Music Ensembles was held at the end of Term 2. It was a wonderful evening for parents, students and friends. Well done to all of the performers and the Music Department for putting on such a stellar show!

Year 12 Formal Senior School

Year 12, 2022 enjoyed their beautiful School Formal on Thursday 24 June, celebrating with their friends and Year 12 Tutors.

Bell Shakespeare Senior School

Year 11 & 12 HSC Advanced English students attended an incursion with Bell Shakespeare. ‘Shakespeare: The Human Experience’ connects students’ own experiences with the universality of Shakespeare’s characters, and the wider world around them.

Year 4 held an open classroom and taught their parents how to code the Edison Bots to complete fun challenges.

The latest news and events

NAIDOC Week

Whole School

Junior and Senior School held NAIDOC Week assemblies and activities in this years theme “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!” to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture, history and their contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.

Alice is truly kicking goals!

Senior School

Congratulations to Alice T (Year 11) who represented NSW All Schools at the School Sport Australia Football Championships. Alice was awarded the NSW player of the tournament and was selected in the All Australian Girls Football team.

Namaste!

Senior School

SnowSports Championships

Whole School

Queenwood had its most successful Snowsports season ever with 21 girls competing at the Australian National Interschools Championships. Junior School placed 3rd and Senior School placed 5th in NSW.

QUTE in progress! Senior School

Each week during the term students get into their overalls and work on different parts of the soon-to-be electric vehicle. The developments week by week are so exciting with the students having special visitors including the Treasurer of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AVEA), Michael Day.

As part of PDHPE, Year 9 and 10 are taking part in a new well-being unit focusing on mindfulness, meditation, yoga and journaling. The girls get to enjoy a mix of experiences once a cycle during their practical lessons.

Alumna, Zali Steggall Visits

Junior School

Local MP Zali Steggall (Q1992) came back and visited the Junior School for a Q&A with Year 6 as part of their studies of Australian Government.

Second Hand Book Sale Junior School

Junior School had a great success with their second-hand book sale in Term 2 organised by Year 6 students, Natalia and Sasha. 729 pre-loved books were donated by students and sold to students with proceeds going towards new books for the Medway Library and the Q Emergency Fund.

Nota Bene

Semester 2 Prefects Junior School

The Junior School students attended a special assembly where Year 6 Prefects were officially inducted into their leadership positions. Congratulations!

Bonna on the Bassoon

Senior School

Netball training with Alumna

Junior School

The Junior School Netball team had an extra training session last week with one of our senior coaches, alumna (Q2016) and NSW Swifts player Kelly Singleton.

PUFFS

Senior School

Q Drama’s 2022 Middle School Production of PUFFS (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School Of Magic) took to the stage for a sellout limited season.

Bonna (Year 10) recently competed at the Australian Double Reed Society (ADRS) Open Age National Competition for Bassoon and Oboe. Bonna won 1st place in the Open Age Elite Session and was the youngest amongst the competitors.

Top Gun Paperplane Comp Senior School

Year 7 art classes held a Top Gun inspired lunchtime paper aeroplane competition. Using a piece of paper supplied by the Art staff, students needed to modify it by folding only and launch their plane in the air with the aim of hitting the target, Nancy the Cow.

Year 7 Debating Senior School

Congratulations to our Year 7A debating team who won their division at the Archdale Debating competition, taking home the Year 7A Archdale shield for the first time since our win in 2008.

Year 11 First Aid

Senior School

Year 11 PDHPE students completed their first aid assessment as part of their preliminary PDHPE course. A great life skill for girls to obtain.

As part of the Science of Design course, Year 9 were involved in a Biomedical Engineering module. Using electroencephalograms (EEG) that have been hacked with Bluetooth, students controlled output devices by thinking. It’s mind blowing!

The latest news and events

Dancing Queens! Junior School

Congratulations to all the Stella Dance girls who performed at the Sydney Opera House for the 2022 Sydney Eisteddfod! The girls received a highly commended certificate for their performance.

Mosman Prep Visit

Junior School

Year 3 boys from Mosman Prep visited Year 3 girls at Junior School. Throughout the term, the students have been focusing on the geography topic ‘Protecting Our Changing Land’ and the students shared their presentations on Australian landforms.

CIS Cricket Team Junior School

Some of our Year 6 students were selected in the CIS Primary Girls Cricket Team that competed at the NSWPSSA Tournament in October. Congratulations to Juliette E, Arabella L, Evie C and Holly T!

Book Week

Junior School

Junior School held their Book Week parade filled with bright and creative costumes from the girls favourite books. Our teachers took to the parade first dressed in line with this year’s Book Week theme ‘Dreaming with eyes open’. Some of our parents also joined in, dressed in matching outfits to their daughter!

National Science Week Senior School

Senior School celebrated National Science Week with a variety of science activities outside of lessons. This included creating and tasting Liquid Nitrogen ice cream, a foil boat building session with guest speaker Alison Wong and exploring a Planetarium all about the stars and solar system.

Grandparents Day and Book Fair

Junior School

Grandparents and Special Senior Friends visited for a day full of classes and year group activities. They also participated in the Book Fair, which allowed the girls to donate books to the Medway Library. The special visitors also took part in the Just Read program.

Year 10 student Alix P and French exchange student, Melissa P, participated in the City to Surf for a great cause, raising over $900 for Cure Cancer.

Nota Bene

NSWPSSA Athletics Carnival Junior School

Congratulations to Alessandra M (Year 5), who received a bronze medal in the 11 years 800m final. Chloe G (Year 6) received a bronze medal in the 12 years high jump. Holly T (Year 6) placed 6th in the 200m final. We also want to congratulate the Senior Relay who made it through to the finals, finishing 1st place. We are proud of all the girls tremendous efforts!

Year 5 Space Program

Junior School

The Queenwood Space Agency program, created and facilitated by Mr Draper (Applied Engineering Teacher) has been an absolute highlight for the Year 5 students. The girls had individual roles and had to respond to intense situations, problem solve, communicate and build resilience as a team. Orbiting the earth is not an easy task!

Concert by the Beach Senior School

The Queenwood Stage Band & Symphony Orchestra took to the stage at Mosman Council’s Concert by the Beach alongside other artists including Mosman High Stage Band.

Year 2 Weaving Junior School

As part of their unit Food and Fibre, Year 2 worked with contemporary Aboriginal weaver Tegan Murdock, @ngumpie_weaving, to weave colourful bracelets out of raffia.

Congratulations to our Senior Chess team who took home the IGSA Chess Championship trophy, presented by Dr Julie Greenhalgh, Principal of Meriden.

Portrait Painting Senior School

Year 9 students enjoyed an art incursion of Portrait Painting. A live model sat at the front of the classroom and the girls learnt how to draw and paint a portrait.

That’s a wrap! Senior School

Year 11 students completed their assessment season before commencing Year 12. They ended their performances on a high, proving that academic and performance growth can be found through collaboration and experiential fun.

IPSHA Performing Arts Junior School

More than 90 Junior School students participated in the IPSHA NSW Performing Arts Festival at Sydney Town Hall. The Queenwood girls showcased three ensembles: Medway Singers, Nova Band and Stalley Strings.

Junior and Senior School Camp Week

New South Wales

Queenwood’s outdoor education program is more extensive than most. Pandemic aside, it begins in Year 1 and moves through a carefully staged progression of challenge: from just one night away from home and the novelty of a ZooSnooz through to a full, self-sufficient week in the bush. The landscapes and activities are varied and we even push the girls to explore the urban environment in Year 10. (For many girls, catching public transport from one side of the city to the other is a challenge on a similar scale to abseiling off a cliff.)

Ms Stone recently wrote about Camp in a Spotlight article – “Is it worth it?” The list of reasons are long, but here are four:

1. If you want to make a friendship or a family, you have to spend time together. And if we want to create a school community which gives every girl a sense of belonging and connection, they have to spend time and make memories with each other.

2. It’s good to be in nature. They are physically active and spiritually nourished and they learn the value of outdoor recreation for lifelong enjoyment and wellbeing.

3. It develops vital skills and self-knowledge: self-reliance, interdependence, teamwork and leadership.

4. It generates the right kind of stress. The girls are set challenges which are simultaneously uncomfortable, unfamiliar, even frightening but also eminently achievable.

The Spotlight article first appeared in Queenwood Weekly News on Friday 14 October 2022.

Queenwood achieved extraordinary results at the Tournament of Champions, placing 16th overall. Penelope Jin came 14th overall and 13th in Debating and Yuexi Ren came 1st in History. Congratulations to all the girls involved in this year’s World Scholar’s Cup rounds!

World Scholar’s Cup

Regional Round to Tournament of Champions

Queenwood had the privilege of hosting the Sydney Regional Round of the World Scholar’s Cup competition. Approximately 100 students from 5 schools across Sydney competed as teams of three in Debating, Writing, Individual and Team Quizzes on six subject areas centred on the theme “A World Re-imagined”. Queenwood girls managed to do well; almost all teams qualified for the next step, a Global Round (traditionally held in five locations worldwide), or for the Tournament of Champions, the culminating event held at Yale University every year. This year, Queenwood was represented by 19 girls at the Tournament of Champions.

1. Ms Gabrielle Johnson Director of Strings

From early childhood I was exposed to world class performances from ballet dancers and opera singers seated at the feet of my mother, who was a professional orchestral violinist. These experiences inspired me to become a professional violinist and I have been privileged to combine my love of teaching with the nurturing of young instrumentalists.

2. Ms Anna Sandstrom Choral Director

A huge moment in my performing life was preparing to sing the Allegri Miserere when I was 13. It is such a beautiful piece of music, written in the 1630s, I wanted to know more about this style. My teachers were incredible, and I now enjoy teaching singers more about this style of music through historical performance practice and research.

3. Mrs Jane Peggie

Music Assistant

Whilst I cannot claim to be a musician in the professional sense of the word, my background is in education. In a former life, I was Head of Physical Education in an all-girls school. My expectation from this was to produce “sporty” children however, my children have both chosen music as a career pathway and are studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. They don’t necessarily have what some would call a natural musical ability but what they did have was exposure to talented and passionate teachers who inspired and guided them when they wanted to give up and who offered them wonderful opportunities to perform. Seeing their passion inspired me to be a part of the Music Department at Queenwood.

4. Mrs Nicole Goodwin

Music has been a part of my life since the day I was born. My parents sang to me, played music around the house and engaged me in choirs, bands and community musicals from the start. They are not musicians by any means but they clearly had a passion for it. From there it was fostered by the excellent music educators I was privileged enough to cross paths with. Each one had a slightly different style or approach but I learned eagerly from them all. One thing they did all have in common, was that they loved sharing their passion for music.

5. Mrs Natalie O’Connor

Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Swan” from Carnival of the Animals is an inspiration for me. I love using this piece in my classes to explore movement. My students become surrounded by the wonderful and pure sound of the cello. There is nothing like music from the Romantic Period to engage your imagination.

We asked our Music Department what inspired them to become musicians?

6. Mr Tim Crow Director of Bands

I was very lucky to have been brought up in a household that had a love of music. I remember my mother taking me to the Opera House to see the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and I was in awe of what I was hearing. Whilst I had always appreciated music, it wasn’t until I met my high school trumpet teacher that I had considered becoming a professional musician. Now it’s my turn to inspire the next generation of musicians!

7. Dr Felicia Chadwick

My initial music education came exclusively from school-based experiences. I was excited by early opportunities to move to music, sing in class and in a choir, to learn the descant and treble recorders and to go to a live symphony orchestra concert. In secondary school I was able to start violin lessons, learn to compose, sing in a Combined Schools’ Choral event, (the first to be held in the newly opened Sydney Opera House), and attend a State Music Camp playing as a violinist in a full orchestra for the first time. These experiences ‘opened-up’ the world of music for me.

8. Mrs Elizabeth Moore

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family that valued music and the arts and provided opportunities for me to learn and engage at home and in school and as part of our wider family experience. I come from a long line of musicians and have appreciated the connections that afforded me to engage positively with music from a young age.

9. Mr Murray Winton Head of Department

As a child I used to spend hours listening to my father’s World Record Club albums. It was this exposure to some of the most amazing music ever written that inspired me to first become an orchestral musician, then to want to share my own love of music with others. There is no greater joy than to see and hear children become enthused with the same passion for music that I for fortunate enough to discover. Music is truly the most wonderful way to celebrate our humanity.

10. Mr Benjamin Au Piano Accompanist/Performance Coach

The final chorus from Act 2 of The Magic Flute is filled with Mozart’s typical sense of humour and optimism; it demonstrates such an enthusiastic attitude for life. It is the power of music, and what I believe every music learner should aspire to, that is such an inspiration for me.

Not pictured: Mrs Catherine Borchok

My mother was my first inspiration to become a musician. She has played the piano and sung in choirs her whole life. She filled our home with music playing all the great classical composers on the stereo. The oratorio Messiah by Handel was a particular favourite that inspired me to become a singer. Music has the unique ability to speak to our heart, mind, and soul. Making music provides us opportunities to be creative, expressive and connect with other people. I became a music teacher because I want children to experience the joy and benefits a music education will bring to their lives. It is also just a lot of fun!

•

Learning for Life

JULIE EGGLETON QUEENWOOD CAREERS ADVISORS

At the end of their time at Queenwood, girls will continue building on their interests, passions, strengths and skills in further study and work.

Future jobs, training and education pathways are rapidly changing. It can be hard to keep up with the choices and decide which path is best. We ask ourselves questions like: what about jobs growth and employability? What if you don’t know what you are good at? What if I make the wrong choice? It is common to be influenced by others when making personal decisions about your future and it is natural to fear making the ‘wrong’ choice. However, as you will see from some of our staff profiles, no choice is wrong or wasted. Each step you take in study or work helps you to identify what you really enjoy and gives you important skills for the future.

The teachers and staff at Queenwood have made varied learning choices and career transitions, leading them to their current roles at Queenwood. Take a look at these profiles for a sample of the interesting and diverse career journeys of Queenwood staff.

•

Current staff offer our Senior girls some advice about future career paths – the most exciting part is the journey!

Donna Hughes

CURRENT ROLE: Director of Community Relations

FORMER CAREER:

Customer Service Manager / Personal Fitness Trainer / National Operations Manager

My first job after leaving school was in Customer Service for the local council, dealing with the needs of residents, alongside acting in a volunteer capacity as a Special Constable for the Northumbria Police.

In the late 90s, I moved to Sydney, from the North of England, whereupon I entered the fitness industry, firstly as a Customer Service Manager and then as a personal trainer after gaining the necessary qualifications. This was followed by a role as the Customer Service Manager, then National Operations Manager for a major domestic homewares supplier, coordinating the activities of hundreds of staff throughout Australia.

I represented Australia in 2009 at the Dragon Boat World Championships in Prague and compete annually in regional, state, and national events. I am currently a coach at my local club in Pittwater. At my core, I’m a people person. All my roles, both personal and professional, revolve around my passion and desire to help others to achieve their goals by forming strong and meaningful relationships. This is particularly true here at Queenwood where, after nearly 15 years of service, I’m still loving the opportunity every day to make a difference in our community and build on our wonderful culture.

Mace

ROLE: FORMER CAREER: Head of Library & Information Services Production Coordinator in Film and Television

CURRENT

After I completed Year 12 I had no firm idea of what I wanted to do – so I decided to take a gap year (or two!), earn some money and give myself time to figure it out. I fell into a temporary job with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) working in their drama series and children’s education television departments, on shows like Bananas in Pyjamas, and absolutely loved it. After years at the ABC, I went into freelance television production offices working at Channels 7, 9, 10 and films at Fox Studios for the next 10 years. The long hours on film sets were unforgiving so as I started my family I decided to head back to university and complete a Bachelor of Arts (Library & Information Science) and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Teaching by distance education – so I was doing remote learning many years before a pandemic hit! I adore working in school libraries as I believe they can be the most dynamic learning environments and no day is even remotely like the day before. My days now mainly consist of the two Rs - of research and reading whilst also supporting students and staff to make those connections.

“All my roles, both personal and professional, revolve around my passion and desire to help others to achieve their goals by forming strong and meaningful relationships.”

Gabrielle

Tim Crow

CURRENT ROLE: Director of Bands

PREVIOUS JOBS: SCUBA Diving Instructor, Landscape Gardener

After finishing high school, I went on to study at the Conservatorium of Music where I graduated with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Jazz Performance. Whilst trying to establish myself as a professional musician I worked most weekends with various club bands where I gained experience and made connections with other musicians. I can clearly remember the moment I felt I had ‘made it’ in the music scene. I was phoned up by well-known drummer called John Morrison (brother of James Morrison) who offered me a spot in his band “Swing City”. This was a really big deal for me and definitely opened a lot of doors for me. Since then I’ve performed in over 20 professional theatre shows and have played with artists such as Guy Sebastian, Harry Connick Jr and Peking Duk to name a few.

Away from performing, my other passion has always been music education. I first started teaching private students when I was still in high school. Over the years I have worked in in numerous school as both a Band Director and private tutor. Outside of Queenwood I also work for The Arts Unity, a specialty branch of The NSW Department of Education and Training where I conduct The NSW Public Schools Jazz Orchestra and Schools Spectacular Stage band. There is nothing more rewarding for me than to see my students grow as musicians and enjoy being creative.

Peter Blatch

CURRENT ROLE: Aquatic Facilities Supervisor

FORMER CAREER: Facilities and Operations Manager of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) for 8 years

I firstly completed a trade as a pastry chef and since then this has become an interest more than anything. (I am famous for my caramel slice.) I went on to study facility management, asset management, project management and WHS and put these skills into practice at NCIE. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working at National Centre of Indigenous Excellence. It was a start-up business built in the heart of Redfern on the old school grounds of Redfern public school where I met a lot of great people and developed some great friendships/relationships along the way. NCIE’s core business was to provide sport & recreation, health and fitness and camp and conference facilities to the Redfern community. I currently still work there as a casual duty manager in the fitness centre and help out with some facilities management.

Growing up I played a lot of different sport but mostly soccer, softball and swimming and my hobbies were skiing/ snowboarding and golf. Still a very keen snowboarder and still play golf occasionally.

I’ve done my fair share of travelling. My favourite country to travel to is Canada. I lived in Kelowna for a year and have been back five times. It is a beautiful country. It’s too hard to pick a favourite place for many different reasons but here are some of them Kelowna, Victoria BC Canada, Chicago, San Diego, Seattle, Cape Town, London, Barcelona and Prague. I have many fantastic memories of all of these places.

Molly

Cameron

CURRENT ROLE: Mathematics Teacher

FORMER CAREER: Political Advisor, Diplomat, Management Consultant

When I was in Year 2, I wanted to be a vet. “Molly wants to be a vet” was written in clear black marker next to my self-portrait on the classroom wall, amongst a gallery of slightly abstract faces coupled with their associated ambitions.

Many years later, after leaving school; moving to Burgmann College at ANU; going on an overseas exchange; completing multiple internships in marketing, consulting, and strategy; and, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce, I started off on my career path.

My fear of being locked into a strict career path has never eventuated. My schooling equipped me with a confidence that I have carried with me through my career. As a result, I have always felt that anything was possible. If I wanted to be a management consultant, I could be. There was no reason I could not work as a diplomat, despite dropping out of French in Year 10 with abysmal grades. When I was offered a position advising then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian on policy issues, I approached the position with the same chutzpah that has carried me through up until now.

The move into teaching was somewhat unexpected to most of my colleagues, however, those who knew me well understood the passion I have for the part our education system plays in developing curious, determined, and confident young women.

So here I am, after taking a slightly alternate route, happily spending my time teaching Maths to young women, attending sports carnivals and traversing Sydney to attend inter-school debates. I still find myself restless at the concept of being stuck in a career for life, however, for now, this is pretty close to perfect. •

“My schooling equipped me with a confidence that I have carried with me through my career.”

1930Phar Lap wins the Melbourne Cup.

The world economy begins to enter the Great Depression.

Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Australia becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

The first FIFA World Cup began in July, Uruguay wins.

Pluto is discovered during February 1930.

Don Bradman scores a world record first-class individual innings of 452 not out.

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) established in Melbourne.

August 22nd, the two spans of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are joined.

Above: Queenwood students of 1930.

In 1930 dressmaking is taught as a subject and Visual Arts students take on some of the responsibility for the creation of the Gazette

Alumnae Queenwood Old Girls

This section of the QNews celebrates the contribution alumnae make to the community, both within the School and beyond. Connected by your shared values and formed by your shared experiences, your compassionate and accomplished peers follow a remarkable variety of paths.

In the following pages you will read stories about your friends and see images of them reconnecting. We would love to hear your news; please contact us via email oldgirls@queenwood.nsw.edu.au or by telephone +61 2 8968 7721.

If you have photos, keepsakes or stores from your time at Queenwood, we would love to hear from you – please contact archives@queenwood.nsw.edu.au.

Starting with an autograph book from 1926 signed by all of Queenwood’s Principals from the past, Queenwood alumna and Senior School Textiles Teacher, Fiona Smith, shared with us her memories of Queenwood and how her connection with the school began, with words from her father, Peter Nettheim, about his mother, Natalie Nettheim (née Noble), one of Queenwood’s first students.

Sew on and sew forth

Fiona Smith (née Nettheim)

What are your fondest memories of Queenwood?

Most definitely the long-lasting friendships I made at school and carry beyond, the events and celebrations that have become traditions, especially the School’s birthday, having to bring in flowers and then enjoy a pink cupcake. The music festivals and the junior item performance, from performing in it in Year 7 & 8 as well as the involvement in organising the performance when I was in year 12. The range of musicals that we put on as a whole school and the range of sport, such as hockey, cricket, softball, netball, and tennis.

Where did your interest begin with textiles and design and love of fashion?

Sewing has always been a part of my life – growing up my mum was always sewing and making things and we always did craft and sewing as activities in the holidays. Both my grandmothers always had their sewing machine up – as a little one I would play ‘look through Nan’s button box’.

Alumnae

Queenwood always encouraged us to take subjects we enjoyed, and the subject areas I was interested in, even in Junior School. Inspiring and enthusiastic teachers in the Technology and applied studies (TAS) Department, Miss Dahl and Mrs Bloomfield-Proud were my wonderful textiles teachers. In Year 12 I studied 2-unit Textiles and Design as well as the school offered 3-unit Textiles. I loved having these subjects as a creative outlet from the other areas of study. I also received the Textiles and Design award in Year 12 at Speech Night.

What’s your impression of Queenwood now, how has it changed?

Top School and Bottom School, as I knew them, have changed dramatically. When I started in 1990, Year 2, the Junior School at Queen Street was just about to open. So, for the first few week of Term 1 students went to the Bottom School (Senior Campus) tennis court from which we went by bus back and forth. The Art School remains much the same, apart from a few more buildings. Queenwood celebrations such as the School’s Birthday and House Music Festival continue to be highlights of the school year much as they have when I was a student. Also the familiarity of some of the teachers still being at the School.

What made you come back to Queenwood? What encouraged you to come back at teach at Queenwood?

I loved my time at Queenwood as a student and in my last semester at University I applied for a position as a Textile and Design Teacher, which Queenwood was advertising. Apparently, there were 60 applicants for the job – at the interview was Sandra Ristway (Head of Department), Terri Sawzak and Principal, Kem Bray. Kem was very encouraging to support a new graduate teacher as well as an Old Girl.

As my Dad shared with me, when I was in Year 12, I went to a private Careers Consultant and the summary of this interview/ testing was “Fiona is very set and determined in her career choice, she wants to teach Textiles and Design at a private girls’ School and will not be swayed. I hope her wishes are fulfilled.”

I left Queenwood in 2011 and I gained further teaching experience in a range of schools both in Melbourne and in Sydney. After that I had my two children and when returning to work again another opportunity at Queenwood came up, which of course I was thrilled to return to.

What did you Grandmother share with you about her time at Queenwood?

Her fondness of Queenwood, having lived at the top of the hill and spending time at Balmoral after school and at its Beach Club was all very familiar to me.

Can you tell us about your grandmother’s autograph book and the people featured in it?

Inviting people or friends to write in your Autograph Book was the social media of the day. Nan’s autograph book includes sketches, phrases, and signatures from her friends whilst at Queenwood along with the original 3 head mistresses – Miss Lawrance, Miss Rennie, and Miss Medway.

By chance this tradition has been continued through my time as a student and now as a staff member till today. The Autograph Book now contains the signatures and messages from all female Principals of the School.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My sister also attended Queenwood, Heather Nettheim, and my daughter Sienna is also down to start in the future. She will become a third generation Queenwood girl. My Nan started in 1926 or 1927 meaning she would have been one of the earliest students attending Queenwood after the school opened in 1925. I believe the school started with around five student and grew to around 50 students in the school when Nan attended.

How did Queenwood inspire your passion?

“Inviting people or friends to write in your Autograph Book was the social media of the day.”

Fiona holds a framed portrait of her grandmother Natalie Nettheim (née Noble).

Peter Nettheim

Natalie Nettheim (née Noble) was born 14 January 1918, lived in Clifford Street Mosman and was an active member of The Balmoral Beach Club. A daily ritual was to walk down to Balmoral for a morning swim then back up the hill to get ready for school at Queenwood. Her son, Peter Nettheim, shares with us her memories as one of the first few Queenwood alumnae.

Queenwood opened in 1925 and your mother, Natalie, attended Queenwood from 1930, did she share any memories of how small the school was?

I am not sure of the exact date my mother, Natalie, commenced at Queenwood. It was either 1926 or 1927 but her award for “Plain & Fancy Needlework” is dated December 1928, Form 10A and its signed by the Principal Ms Grace Lawrance. She would have been only around 10 years old at that time. I do remember my Mum would talk about her closest friend Dot Bradhurst (née Armstrong). They were lifelong friends and often played cards and socialised with their husbands all through their adult life. Interestingly, Natalie and Dorothy (after the Intermediate Certificate) wanted to continue their studies, but not sit the final exams (Leaving Certificate). Family folklore has it that Aunty Vi was unable to allow this, and consequently Natalie and Dot finished their final two years of schooling at Wenona in 1934 & 1935.

What are some of the stories you remember about your mother’s time at Queenwood?

We have a number of other awards that my Mum has left. They include a ribbon from the GSSSU Swimming Carnival 1932 – Breaststroke Under 15 years, 50 yards; a ribbon from the Queenwood Junior Championship of School, 2nd prize, 1932; a ribbon from the Queenwood Junior, Orange Race, 2nd prize, 1932 and Queenwood, 1st Age Champ, 15 years & over, 1933.

What can you tell us about her Autograph book?

This is a very treasured item in our family. It humbly started as a memento of my Mum’s friends, teachers, and Principals whilst at Queenwood. It has now become an ongoing testament to the long association our family has with Queenwood.

This Autograph Book now holds autographs from all Queenwood’s female Principals. Fiona resurrected the Autograph Book and had Ms Judith Wheeldon make an entry. Then, whilst Kem Bray was Principal, Kem signed it and she realised that Alison Stalley was the only one missing. So….Kem made it happen!

Do you remember hearing her talk about any of the teachers or Principals?

Mum respected Miss Lawrence, Miss Rennie & Miss Medway and was a bit in awe of them. Whilst she did say she felt they were a bit strict, she still liked them and enjoyed her schooling immensely at Queenwood. She was not very academic, but loved sport, in particular swimming at Queenwood.

How did your Mum feel when your two daughters went to Queenwood?

She was thrilled that her two granddaughters Fiona and Heather both went to Queenwood and followed their updates with great interest until she passed away in 1995.

What did your mother do (as a career) once she left Queenwood?

When she left school, she worked for the Commercial Banking Company in Sydney in a clerical capacity for 15 years before marrying Arthur Nettheim in August 1948. She stopped work when she married in line with the Bank’s policy at the time. •

“It has now become an ongoing testament to the long association our family has with Queenwood.”

Miss Violet Maude Medway spent over 50 years at Queenwood, and in her retirement she established QOGA to create a community for alumnae. She hoped QOGA would be a place to connect, continue and grow friendships, network, seek advice and guidance to help navigate life beyond school.

On Saturday 15 October 2022, Queenwood welcomed our Violets, for afternoon tea on Level 5. Over 80 Old Girls came from the class of 1953 to 1972. •

QOGA recognises Old Girls who have been out of School for over 50 years by acknowledging and welcoming them as a Violet.

Class of 1962 Class of 2017

The latest news from our alumnae

KATE REYNOLDS

(Q2015)

Congratulations to Kate who was selected to join the Sydney Swans inaugural AFLW team for its first history making team.

GRACE K (Q2016)

Grace is a teacher in training and came back to the Junior School to complete a practicum, within a Year 3 class, as part of her teaching course.

JULIA HAMMANS (Q2018)

Julia successfully accomplished the Western Sydney Half Ironman on September 25th. She chose to train and compete in the Half Ironman for her amazing Mum who lost her incredibly inspiring 6-year battle with Ovarian Cancer. She raised over $23,300 which are being split between two ovarian cancer research organisations.

BETH MCLELLAN (Q2021)

Beth was awarded the highly esteemed 2022 ISCA Scholarship from the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) and International Sport College Australia (ISCA).

Astra Gala Dinner

Parents, Staff and the wider Queenwood Community came together for the inaugural Astra Gala Dinner to raise funds for life-saving equipment for the Kempsey District Hospital neonatal care unit via the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and for Queenwood means-tested scholarships. Hosted this year by guest MC Phil Kearns (OAM), all guests enjoyed a fun and successful evening.

World Teachers’ Day – goodies from the QPA being enjoyed by staff for morning tea!

QPA Queenwood Parents’ Association

This section of the QNews is for our Parents’ Association who work tirelessly to facilitate and strengthen the parents’ partnership with the School. Your energy and goodwill is vital in building a school in which your daughters can flourish.

In the following pages we recognise the contribution parents make in organising social events, welcoming new families into our community, providing practical services like second-hand uniform sales; raising funds for equipment and programs, offering assistance for school events, and providing us with a useful sounding board.

If you would like to be involved in the QPA, please get in touch via email presidentqpa@gmail.com

Parent-Daughter Events

Fellow Year 7 parents and their daughters got out and about connecting with each other over a variety of fun bonding activities.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Year 7 family camping trip to Glenworth Valley; the girls head out on horesback; Holey Moley putt-putt golf; Year 7 parents dinner.

Year 11 Parents got together for a fun and relaxed cocktail party to celebrate their daughters finishing Year 11.

U P P Z F L E V P A L M T R E E S A X R D H B L A L L E R B M U L U Z R C M X S E A S H E L L E S F U F D O L P H I N B S V V U E W O N S E P B A W F S U H J V N G I D Q P D E O O L H O A E C U S D M R D A Z L R L O H S L N D A U T S A R C R G M L T G L I D D O E F U U D E P K I H A Y I N F R C X B I G P T W P G V F R A E D R O A C T E K I A I P I Q S O M B O A Z S L F V H L S S D R X C C N O W T I T I I W C H B A L M O R A L A C S U L Y U E D I T H G I H Y V A R V D Y E S U R F B O A R D D N N E D G F F I R Q Y X D B O A R D W A L K Q V S U N B A T H E R S F G W T P G V

Children should do chores around the house

When children grow up, they will be entering a world that offers thousands of jobs. To prepare them for this, they need to learn how to do work and a great way to do this is through doing chores. Completing chores around the house will prepare children for their future, possibly earn them money and it will help teach them valuable skills.

Children doing chores around the house prepares them for their future, teaching them responsibility. Would you want to have a child in their 50s who is calling you up to ask how to wash a pan or cook pasta? We don’t think so. Children will one day need to move out and when they do, they will need to know how to do things like cook, clean and how to take care of themselves and others. If children never learn how to be responsible for themselves, the world will become a living nightmare. Doing chores will prepare them for their future and teach them responsibility.

Many parents offer money as a reward for doing chores around the house, which teaches children how to earn and value money. This prepares them for their future job. Children need to learn that you have to do work to earn money. Doing chores around the house at a young age prepares children for when they get a job. They will realise that they have to work for to earn money, which they will then value. If a child really wants to buy a toy or a new pack of pencils, they

will have to work for the money so that they can buy it. Isn’t this an important lesson to learn?

Finally, doing chores teaches you that you can’t always get what you want. It fills us with anger when we see children throwing tantrums when they don’t get what they want. Doing chores shows children that the world does not revolve around them. When you do chores around the house, you realise how it helps others, just like when you fold the laundry or wash the dishes. It helps you learn how to work as a team and makes you understand that everything is not just about you. Learning this is important and it is why all children should do chores.

If children do chores around the house it will give children responsibility, show them what their future may be like and teaches them important life skills. Children doing chores around the house will make the world a better place. •

VIOLA ZHANG YEAR 4

AMELIA OWEN YEAR 4

“If children do chores around the house it will give children responsibility, show them what their future may be like and teaches them important life skills.”

What we’re reading

We asked the Senior School Science Department what books they were enjoying this semester...

Ratna Ningsih is reading...

Today a woman went mad in the supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer

Michelle Gleeson is reading...

The Loudness of Unsaid things by Hilde Hinto

Merrilyn Lean is reading...

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Savi Kaur is reading...

Truth about Crypto by Ric Edelman

Jacqueline Palmer is reading... Australiana by Yumna Cassab

Sinead Harford is reading... Dune by Frank Herbert

Peter Smith is reading...

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

Andrew Draper is reading...

Jellyfish Age Backwards by Nicklas Brendborg

Naoko Vandeleur is reading... What is Life? by Paul Nurse

Lye Chan Long is reading...

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci

Queenwood is such a wonderful, busy and inspiring place; we want you to be part of it all.

Introductory Mornings

Junior School

Thursday 16 February Thursday 4 May (Kindergarten) Thursday 25 May Senior School Thursday 2 March Thursday 30 March

Thursday 1 June

BOOK NOW: queenwood.nsw.edu.au/ book-a-tour

Preschool Music Group

40 minute classes commencing at 8:40am. Monday or Thursday for children age 3 & over

Term 1: 6 February – 3 April

Term 2: 27 April – 22 June

BOOK NOW: trybooking.com/255570

Free of charge for pupils enrolled in Kindergarten 2024.

Balmoral Lectures

Breaking the cycle of polarisation: solutions for divided times

Tim Dixon Co-founder, More in Common 6:30pm Wednesday 22 February 2023

Cyber – the opporuntity and harms: why spies, lies and thieves all love it Rachael Falk

Chief Executive Officer, Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre 6:30pm Wednesday 29 March 2023

Poison: the unexpected secret to health

Professor Jonathan Stone faa 6:30pm Wednesday 17 May 2023

BOOK NOW: trybooking.com/758556 LEARN MORE: queenwood.nsw.edu.au/BalmoralLectures

From p.82

WORD PLEXERS : 1. Mind over matter 2. Shrinking violets 3. Downtown 4. Space program 5. Far out 6. Cross roads 7. Sandbox 8. Highchair 9. Read between the lines 10. Scrambled eggs 11. Neon lights 12. Just between you and me 13. Go for it 14. Backward glance

Split level 16. Paradise (para-dice)

Square eyes 18. Three ring circus 19. Piece of pie 20. 3 degrees below zero

EMOJI CHRISTMAS CAROLS

1. Joy to the world 2. Let it snow

Rock’n around the Christmas tree 4. Jingle bell rock 5. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas 6. Silent night

This issue of QNews is printed on responsibly sourced, chlorine free, carbon neutral, FSC certified paper.

WELL

MANAGED FOREST CHLORINE FREE

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