The Ruyton Reporter - Spring 2022

FROM THE STUDY

An icon, an inspiration, a trailblazer, a national treasure. These accolades and many more have echoed around the world as we have remembered the extraordinary life of Old Ruytonian Judith Durham AO (Cock, 1960). I was privileged to join a group of students, staff and Old Ruytonians at the State Memorial; a celebration of a gracious life well lived. While we paid tribute to her legendary musical talent, there was so much more to Judith Durham. Fellow Seeker, Bruce Woodley AO spoke of her steely determination to achieve her dreams and her kindness, generosity and dedication to making a difference for others were universally acknowledged. Her family’s tributes were so full of love and gratitude; particularly Beverley Sheehan’s (Cock, 1958) stunning rendition of Jelly Bean Blues, the very first song Judith recorded. It will stay in my memory as the most loving tribute from a sister. Judith Durham lived a bold and full life, giving so much joy, hope, inspiration and respect to others. She truly led a life of impact and purpose. It is at this time of the year that our Year 12 students look back and look forward. Looking forward, some see certainty while others see the unknown, but they are all well prepared for the challenges ahead. As they reflect on their years at Ruyton, often with a sense of fondness and gratitude, they contemplate their own personal growth and individual journey. A journey complete with ups and downs, challenges, and sweet moments. No singular journey is straightforward, each has its own twists and turns. And perhaps this year it is sweeter than ever, as this group of students set themselves the leadership challenge that I consider a gift to our community; ensuring the spirit of Ruyton stays true across our student body as we resumed life on campus after two years of COVID interruptions. At a time when steady and supportive leadership was so vitally important, the Class of 2022 fulfilled their intention to lead with Meraki and Vibrance. We thank them for leading with such distinct impact and purpose and wish them well for their final days of school next term.

This year saw the launch of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, an important moment for girls’ schools as we have united to elevating women’s leadership worldwide by educating and empowering our students to be ethical, globally-minded changemakers. A century and a half ago, girls’ schools were a response to the lack of educational provision for girls. In today’s world, successful girls’ schools such as Ruyton offer a wide range of cocurricular activities and academic opportunities, free of gender stereotyping. At Ruyton we provide the dual focus on excellence in education and empowerment of girls, enabling them to be their best and believe in themselves. We meet the learning and wellbeing needs and the preferences of girls with our holistic approach which includes blended learning and wellbeing programs, extensive curricular and cocurricular choices, leadership learning and opportunities; all with dedicated staff who clearly recognise the needs of girls and how to maximise their potential.

There has never been such purpose, potential and power in girls’ schools as there is now. United globally, this is an era where we are seeing girls and women take centre stage and envision a brighter future for women. At Ruyton, this is our North Star, our purpose.

This edition of the Ruyton Reporter feels like a celebration in so many ways. A celebration of returning to life on campus and embracing all the important events, rites and rituals that are an essential part of our culture. It is also a celebration of our Ruytonians living lives of impact and purpose in so many different ways as we recognise the endeavour and achievements of current and Old Ruytonians.

Linda Douglas Principal

FROM THE BOARD

Hilda Daniell, the longest serving and much-loved Principal of Ruyton 1913–1952, was responsible for moving the School to our current location in 1920 to ensure better classrooms and playing fields. Her students referred to her as ‘Dream’ and it is only fitting that as we plan the next major project at 12 Selbourne Road we Dream Now.

Providing world-class academic and co-curricular facilities, the redevelopment of our performing arts and library precinct through the Dream Now project will strengthen Ruyton’s commitment and capacity to deliver an outstanding all-round education and secure our future as a leading educator of girls.

Having paused construction plans in 2020 amongst the uncertainty of COVID, I am pleased to announce that work on the Dream Now project has finally begun. With demolition of the Royce Theatre and the Library now complete, Ireland Brown Constructions (IBC) have been appointed to build the new performing arts and library precinct. IBC is an award-winning commercial construction company with significant experience in the government, independent and tertiary education sectors. We welcome IBC to the Dream Now team and look forward to working with them on this project.

With memory of living through construction of the Junior School and the Margaret McRae Centre (MMC), the Ruyton community is well equipped to deal with the disruption that follows a major building project. I commend students, staff and families for the pragmatic way you have already adjusted to the changes to daily routines onsite and thank you for your cooperation and understanding as the Dream Now project becomes reality.

Amongst the excitement for our new performing arts and library precinct, the Board and Executive have also been planning for the future of Ruyton through the development of a new strategic plan. To be published shortly, this vision is a culmination of an eighteen-month planning process – much of which was undertaken during the difficulties of COVID.

In hindsight, this was a blessing. With the space to reflect and look outward simultaneously, the Board are resolute that our primary focus remains; ensuring that a Ruyton education remains relevant, engaging, and fit to best prepare our girls for their individual futures. Recent experiences have highlighted that the future is inherently unknown. With this in mind, we have devised a five-year strategic plan with a ten-year horizon. We look forward to sharing more details with you when the document is published imminently.

The Ruyton Board has recently appointed two new members to fill vacancies on the Board and I am delighted to welcome Caroline Bennet and David Bidmead. Caroline brings experience in actuarial and financial services consulting, mergers and acquisitions, risk and capital management and insurance to the Board and will also be a member of the Finance Committee. David has global experience in insurance brokerage, risk advisory management and corporate governance skills and will be a member of the Governance Committee.

I know Caroline’s and David’s skills and expertise will enhance the rich and diverse range of knowledge and proficiency on the Ruyton Board and further strengthen the governance of our school. Existing community members with connection to and care for Ruyton, we warmly welcome them both to the Board and look forward to working with them in the future.

This is an exciting time to be at Ruyton. Honouring the past, we are enriching the present and writing the next chapter of our great school’s history together.

Virginia McLaughlan President

The Ruyton Board

CURIOSITY IS THE CORNERSTONE

Curiosity is the cornerstone of everything we do in Early Learning. Our children are full of curiosity and are constantly observing, questioning and solving problems within the world around them. When our Kindergarten and Pre Prep children engage in curious and critical thinking they expand their vocabulary, using rich and dynamic language to describe what they are thinking, seeing, hearing or experiencing.

Throughout Semester 1 our children have engaged in learning experiences and inquiry projects that have developed dispositions for learning such as curiosity, creativity, enthusiasm and reflexivity. These inquiry projects have been driven by the children and their interests and have supported them to enhance their hypothesising, researching, experimentation and investigative skills.

Our Kindergarten Yellow children have developed a strong interest in minibeasts and have spent time in the garden observing the creatures, noticing and responding to changes that occur. Hearing teachers and children ponder questions, explore theories and conduct research together supports children to engage in learning relationships and have confidence to seek out their own answers to questions.

Kindergarten Blue have embarked on exploring their world through the camera lens. The children have been using a variety of technologies to capture the flora within their Ruyton environment. They have worked independently as well as collaboratively searching for a range of flowers and plants to investigate and photograph. As they continue to compare and document their findings, the children are discovering a fascinating diversity of size, shape, colour and patterns.

The Pre Prep Blue children have been focused on an inquiry into our sense of smell and have used their own senses to identify and classify smells in the environment. They experimented with creating new scents in the classroom using nature and oils while also exploring the multitude of scents in their own world. They also surveyed a sample of the Ruyton community to identify what our favourite aromas might be. The children then documented their findings as they sorted, categorised and compared their collections of scents.

There have been a multitude of inquiry topics that have highlighted children’s curiosity in Pre Prep Yellow, with the most recent project focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. The children have been exploring acknowledgements of country and the wonderings they may have about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being. Through research and discussions the children are becoming aware of connections, similarities and differences between people and are respecting different ways of being and doing.

Early Learning has a transdisciplinary approach to learning. Through inquiry we integrate the development of dispositions for learning and skills to support children to become confident and involved learners.

Lisa Dobson Director of Early Learning

BUILDING A CULTURE OF THINKING AT RUYTON

Fun Fact: the word ‘thinking’ is the 125th most frequently used word in the English language and the 12th most frequently used verb. But what do we mean when we talk about ‘thinking’?

'A Culture of Thinking' is a term described as a place where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members. As we strive to create cultures of thinking in our learning environment, educators use a variety of methods, including valuing and making time for thinking, developing and using a language of thinking, making the classroom environment rich with the documentation of thinking processes, and making their own thinking visible. Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education has shown that students recognise Cultures of Thinking classrooms as being more focused on thinking, learning and understanding, and more likely to be collaborative in nature than those where it is not a focus. For classrooms to provide a culture of thinking for students, schools must also have a culture of thinking for teachers.

Early in 2020 our staff were fortunate to commence a learning journey with Dr Ron Ritchhart, Director of the Worldwide Cultures of Thinking Project1 and former Senior Research Associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our learning with Dr Ritchhart is focused on developing a Culture of Thinking at Ruyton by focusing educators’ attention on the eight cultural forces which act as shapers of each learning group’s cultural dynamics and learning behaviours. The Cultural Forces of language, time, environment, opportunities, routines, modelling, interactions and expectations each play a significant role in our practice as educators and can be leveraged to have a powerful impact on student learning and agency.

While this learning journey, like so many, was impacted by the pandemic, we have continued to engage with Dr Ritchhart remotely over the last two years, providing important modelling for us as educators as we experienced our own distance learning, refined our practice through this experience and considered how we might make thinking visible in the distance learning context as well as in the face-to-face classroom. In Term 2 this year, we were delighted to welcome Dr Ritchhart back to Ruyton to work with teams of staff from across the school, particularly focusing on the Cultural Force of language in the classroom and building our capacity to lead a culture of thinking.

As a shaper of culture, language allows us to direct attention and action, and conveys not only an explicit, surface meaning but also has the subtle yet profound power to convey messages that shape thinking, sense of self and group affinity. As well as the impact of our language relating to listening, knowing and feedback, some elements of language we have been challenged to consider in our classrooms include:

• language of community – pronoun choice can communicate a sense of inclusiveness, collaboration and community if we use words such as we, us and our rather than you

• language of identity – referring to students as mathematicians, scientists, authors or thinkers communicates that it is learning to do and act authentically that matters, not just learning about the subject

• language of noticing and naming – what we notice and name is what we reinforce with our learners –do we notice and name thinking and connections or behaviour and correctness?

• language of initiative – we can convey to students that they are active, decision-making agents in the process of learning by using phrases such as, how are you planning on ...? what are you wondering about?, rather than stepping in and rescuing students by making these decisions for them.

In addition to a whole-staff workshop, many of our teachers had the opportunity to spend time with Dr Ritchhart in small informal groups where they were able to collaborate, reflect and plan how they might implement this learning in the classroom. This learning journey will continue throughout the remainder of 2022 and beyond. In the words of Dr Ritchhart, ‘creating a Culture of Thinking is not about instituting a set of practices faithfully, but an ongoing process of transformation. It is about our constant striving to make thinking valued, visible and actively promoted in our school’. We have the opportunity to rethink how we see ourselves as educators, challenge closely held assumptions about schools, question our teaching practices and focus on the deep learning of our students.

Cathryn Furey Deputy Principal, Director of Learning

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

In 2021 Ruyton was thrilled to be accepted as a Candidate School into the global education network Round Square Schools. Round Square is an international network of 230 like-minded schools in 50 countries that connect and collaborate to offer world-class programs and experiences that develop global competence, character and confidence in students of all ages.

Kurt Hahn founded Round Square in 1966 in collaboration with the two original member schools, Schule Schloss Salem in Germany and Gordonstoun in Scotland. Hahn’s educational philosophy was that students could best understand life by experiencing it in exciting and challenging ways. He believed that by testing themselves, students would be able to develop their courage, generosity, imagination and core principles. He also believed that the greatest thing young people could learn in life was compassion and its importance in becoming courageous and compassionate leaders.

Connecting with other Round Square Schools will enable us to strengthen our School values and provide truly character-building experiences for our students where they can connect globally with other students, working together as future leaders discovering, understanding and responding to global challenges. The Round Square themes focus on Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership and Service (IDEALS). These IDEALS provide a common platform, shared by all schools in the network, around which we can collaborate to share learning resources and jointly participate in activities such as conferences, exchanges and academic projects. In 2021 Ruyton staff and four students attended the virtual Round Square International Conference where they were able to collaborate on projects with students from all parts of the world. Our Senior School Student Leadership team and co-curricular captains have also committed to developing the IDEALS within their chosen area, affording all students the opportunity to learn more about these important themes.

The Round Square IDEALS are also underpinned by twelve Discoveries: inquisitiveness, tenacity, courage, compassion, inventiveness, problem-solving, sense of responsibility, self-awareness, appreciation of diversity, commitment to sustainability, communication and team working skills. These Discoveries and overarching IDEALS align seamlessly with our established Learning and Wellbeing Pillars at Ruyton. Our extensive co-curricular offerings, student leadership programs, including the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, overseas exchanges, adventure tours and a strong emphasis on service to others, all work towards developing students to have strong character and be agents of positive change. These themes further complement our interdisciplinary, experiential and community-based Scholar Program, where students engage more deeply in an area of particular interest.

Our involvement in the Round Square School network will lead to enriched learning experiences for our students. To quote Round Square, ‘Ultimately, we want our students to understand that whatever field of work or career they enter into, with a spirit of the Round Square they can – and should – make a positive difference in the world’. As Kurt Hahn wisely said, ‘There is more in us than we know’

Trish Hatzis Ruyton Round Square Representative Director of Wellbeing

RADIUM GIRLS

ruYTon TriniTY

Picking the right play to produce each year can be a difficult task, but deciding to choose Radium Girls was an easy decision. Alongside the many complex and compelling characters we felt would present a strong artistic challenge for our students, it proved to be the perfect play for us to produce.

The play is closely tied to real-life events. Nearly every named character in the play was a real person, from the dial painters and their families to the lawyers and factory executives. This enhanced the students’ ability to bring their stories of courage and hope to life. It is a story of courage because these girls bravely weathered extremely difficult circumstances. It is a story of hope because despite the devastating events in their lives, their actions incited positive change.

Radium Girls celebrates the grit and passion of Grace Fryer, and women like her, who have fought to be seen against seemingly insurmountable odds. Grace refused to remain another faceless victim.

At a time when women had just won the right to vote in America, it was a group of women, led by Katherine Wiley, who asserted their clout and understanding of public opinion to create positive change. I hope our audiences were inspired by these women’s stories to better understand our own time and the determination required to set things right. For our students, this play was a reminder that we have a responsibility to each other. Only in honouring the humanity of all do we honour our own humanity. Our choices matter.

We congratulate everyone involved in this production who threw themselves into bringing this story to light with enthusiasm and imagination. Our audiences and drama staff were impressed by the depths of truth and passion the actors brought to their work in such a short rehearsal time. It is important to note how equally impressive the dedication of our student crew was, as they forged ahead during these uncertain times. We cannot pretend it was a smooth rehearsal process, as the impact of the pandemic and isolation periods during our already short rehearsal process made producing this show exceptionally challenging. We were all very grateful to perform this production in Royce Theatre to an audience of our friends, family, and teachers. All involved in the production valued the process of the creation – the rehearsals, the friendships, the creativity, and the sense of belonging to a community of theatre-makers was felt by all.

Darcie Kane-Priestley Director of Drama

CHICAGO: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

Over four performances in July, the Ruyton and Trinity Grammar School, Kew cast and crew of CHICAGO: High School Edition musical gave their audience ‘the old Razzle Dazzle’, to rave reviews. In an excerpt from the production program, Director Ryan Bowler and Assistant Director Rebecca Cecil explain why the high school musical is a powerful vehicle for self-expression and discovery.

When reflecting on the last few years and their impact on the performing arts across the world, it was important for us to choose a musical show that showcased the performing arts abilities of all our students. The decision to stage Chicago: High School Edition allowed us to feature the performing arts as front and centre.

In our performance, like most iterations of the standard production, the band was centre stage, the scene transitions were visible, and our performers were showcased to be both prominent and supporting parts of this production. When all viewed together, each facet of the performing arts is visible and supportive to each other.

We could easily use words to describe the theme, morals and motifs in the production, but what we would rather focus on is the utter joy and elation we witnessed over the four months of rehearsals leading to opening night when we watched our young people come together and relish the material of the show.

Seeing students do something they love or something that is new to them or outside their comfort zone is the single greatest part of the process for educators. Over each performance students from Ruyton and Trinity were able to be creative, collaborative and confident. They were able to sing together, learn new and challenging choreography, discover more about themselves and overcome personal doubt. No other domain can provide this same experience and that is what makes school productions like our musical CHICAGO, so special.

Ryan Bowler Director and Producer Rebecca Cecil Assistant Director

SPORT

and games

SPORT IS BACK ON TRACK AFTER TWO YEARS OF COVID CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS.

Congratulations to Year 12 student Charlotte Ball who was selected in the Australian Under 19 team to compete in the Junior World Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy in July. In addition to an outstanding season where Charlotte stroked the victorious Ruyton 1st Quad to victory at the Victorian State Championships and the Australian Championships, Charlotte was officially awarded Senior Rower of the Year at the Ruyton Rowing Presentation Evening.

RUYTON ROWERS ON THE WORLD STAGE

Jean Mitchell, Eleanor Price and Eliza Gaffney (L to R)

In March, Old Ruytonian rowers Eleanor Price (2017), Jean Mitchell (2018) and Eliza Gaffney (2018) were selected to the Senior Australian Rowing team.

From their days of training as Ruyton rowing students at Selbourne Road, Eleanor, Jean and Eliza are now currently on tour in Europe competing at meets including the Gavirate International Regatta, World Cups and the Royal Henley Regatta. For Director of Ruyton Rowing Matt Wilson, ‘Their rise has not been quick, simple or without obstacles; they continue to display their talent, grit and excellence. We will watch them race on the world stage with a great sense of belonging. Uniquely connected by the bond that thousands of kilometres on a river “somewhere” and hours upon hours in the John Bate PE Centre gives you. Eleanor, Jean and Eliza aren’t just representing Australia, they are representing Ruyton and that’s a very special feeling’.

ELEANOR PRICE (2017)

A member of the cross country team at Ruyton, Eleanor Price was inspired to take up rowing after seeing her brother enjoy the sport at school. Defining success as ‘achieving your personal best and having fun along the way’, Eleanor’s memories of rowing for Ruyton are treasured. ‘A major highlight of my rowing career at School was winning the Year 10 Division 1 Quad at the Head of the Schoolgirls (HOSG) for the first time in Ruyton’s history and winning the Schoolgirl Single Scull at the Victorian State Champs in Year 12’. Completing VCE and ‘inspired by the successes of other Ruyton rowers who continued to row after school’, she was able to secure support from The University of Melbourne and The University of Sydney to pursue rowing in addition to tertiary study.

Eleanor’s journey to the Australian team hasn’t been without its challenges. ‘I have dealt with torn spinal discs and been unable to train properly for six months due to illness. During these incidents I struggled to pick myself up and contemplated quitting. However, it was the close-knit community and love for the sport that has kept me involved in rowing despite these setbacks’. Success has come to Eleanor with enormous dedication and hard work. ‘I have devoted countless hours to training and recovery which could have been spent with family and friends or sleeping and studying’

Openly grateful to her parents for ‘sacrificing sleep to drive me to training, driving to and from regattas of a weekend and financially supporting me so I could continue rowing’, Eleanor counts herself incredibly lucky to have been coached by Matt Wilson, his team of rowing staff and credits Steve Ellinghaus ‘for developing me in my early years into the athlete I am today’

‘Rowing is a sport that rewards hard work and determination. How you deal with the “lows” of the sport will dictate how big your “high” can be’.

Eleanor Price with her parents Cameron and Madeleine

JEAN MITCHELL (2018) ELIZA GAFFNEY (2018)

Jean Mitchell has ‘always loved the social side of rowing’. Becoming ‘lifelong friends with people of all ages and personalities’ became especially important to Jean in 2016 when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. ‘It was a huge shock to everyone. I underwent surgery to remove a 4cm tumour and had radiation and chemotherapy over the next two years. My experiences in rowing helped me get through my treatment. It helped me push through the hard times, even imagining the four rounds of chemo to be each 500m of a 2km race. I felt the support of the whole Ruyton community at this incredibly tough time and will forever be grateful’.

Enduring such a significant experience at such a young age hardened Jean's resolve for success. ‘After being diagnosed with cancer, I felt as if I hadn’t achieved everything that I was capable of within the sport. I wanted to continue rowing after School because I had unfinished business and goals that I hadn’t achieved’.

Reflecting on winning Nationals ‘especially in 2015 when it was the first time Ruyton had ever won it’, being selected for the Senior Australian Rowing team is Jean’s ‘greatest highlight’.

Aware of the sacrifices her family have made to support her as an athlete, Jean believes ‘a special mention needs to go to Matt Wilson and his program at Ruyton. It is very special and rare to have three girls from the same school be named in the Senior Australian team in the same year. Not to mention the multiple girls on scholarships in the USA, and the three underage representatives in the past four years’.

‘Quite hesitant to sign up’ to rowing in Year 8, Eliza Gaffney Gaffney was encouraged to pursue the sport by her parents, ‘but after the first season

I was hooked. The camaraderie in the Ruyton squad was strong and I always felt supported by my coaches and teammates’

Listing competing at the 2018 Australian Championships for Ruyton in the Schoolgirls Coxed Quad Scull in 2018 as a treasured moment, racing with ‘women who I had looked up to for years’ in the Victorian Eight at the 2021 Queen’s Cup remains a career highlight that left her feeling ‘so grateful’

Life as a rower has not been without its sacrifices and challenges, and Eliza credits her parents’ continued support over the years through the inevitable ups and downs as instrumental to her success. Matt Wilson also played a significant role as ‘one of the most important figures during my time at Ruyton’.

‘There is not exactly an endpoint that can be found in rowing, or in any pursuit that you find worthwhile because there is always more to be achieved, learned and found. Success is not an endpoint or goal achieved, but more like an upwards trajectory in the long term once you smooth out all the ups and downs along the way. To find success there must be sacrifices in other facets of life so you can experience all those challenges and highlights which make you grow’

As for being on the Australian team with Eleanor and Jean? ‘The three of us now have the opportunity to represent Australia because of the dedication we have had and the sacrifices we have made. But that is not to say that rowing in our formative years and the people along the way haven’t played a pivotal role in our journeys’.

Robyn Treyvaud

Past Ruyton staff member and past parent

Brigid Steele Marketing and Publications Manager

‘Someone’s gotta do it, so why not you!’

‘Instead of just standing firm when things are uncertain or chaotic or looking to not go your way, try to get stronger and grow from it.’

Jean, Eliza and Eleanor with Kim Brennan (Crow, 2003) at Ruyton

FAREWELL ROYCE

On a Monday evening in May, current and past parents and staff, Old Ruytonians and students gathered for the Farewell Royce concert 1960-2022. It was a joyful occasion, a coming together of the Ruyton community to witness a showcase of our Performing Arts and a tribute to all the staff, students and volunteers who have been part of this program across the decades. We thank the students and staff, past and present, for a stellar final performance, and particularly Paul Smith and Darcie Kane-Priestley for leading such a beautiful celebration.

We also celebrated the story of Royce Hall or Royce Theatre, depending on your era at Ruyton; the keeper of so many Ruyton moments, memories and stories.

Arthur Leonard Royce served on the Ruyton School Council for 29 years, from its very first meeting in 1930 until 1959. An accountant by profession, he was a General Member, Treasurer and President during that time, with his son Arthur possibly attending Little Ruyton, his daughter Kathleen attending Ruyton and his three granddaughters following in her footsteps. Ruyton was truly a family affair for the Royce family.

In July 1959 the School purchased 82 Wellington Street, formerly owned by Dr Gillies and his family. This property included Derham House and a large block of land where Royce and the Junior School forecourt are now located. Later that year the School Council proposed building the new Assembly Hall to replace the old Assembly Hall in Henty House. Construction commenced in February 1960, but sadly Arthur Royce never saw the building completed as he passed away in May after a long illness. When Royce Hall opened in November of 1960 his wife Ruby Royce opened the building, acknowledging his long contribution to our school.

Taking inspiration from the Malthouse Theatre and under the leadership of Principal Prue Gillies AM, Royce Hall was remodelled into the theatre we know today in 1996. From Semester 1, 1997 the new Royce was in use with the official opening of Royce Theatre taking place in June 1998. The transition from Hall to Theatre was complete.

Since 1998 the Ruyton community has grown in size, as have our drama and music programs and their technical and physical needs. Through the Dream Now project, the new Royce will be an improved facility for performance with regard to the stage, backstage, acoustics, lighting and a more comfortable experience for the audience in terms of the foyer, seating and stage view. We will also have an increased number of single studies and large rehearsal spaces, a Blackbox Theatre, change rooms, offices, and plenty of storage.

arThur roYce

While we look forward with great excitement to the new spaces and the opportunities they will bring, saying farewell to Royce is like saying goodbye to a much-loved friend. Royce has been central to the life of every Ruyton girl. From her first Early Learning concert through to her final day of Year 12, Royce holds so many memories.

Royce has been our soul, our heartbeat, our inspiration; it fed our creative spirit and kept us connected. We have gathered there over the decades to celebrate the achievement and endeavour of our girls; to learn, experiment, take risks and to grow confident young women; to come together and support each other as a community. From the emotion of a classical musical performance to the high energy of a Performing Arts House Festival, the joy of an Early Learning concert, a Junior School Assembly or Senior School Captains Assembly, Royce has seen it all.

Linda Douglas Principal Cathy Dodson School Archivist

VALE JUDITH DURHAM AO

Judith Durham AO (Cock, 1960) was enrolled at Ruyton in 1956 as a Year 8 student. Noted in the Ruytonian as being active in the performing arts, she was a member of Choir and Madrigal and Ruytonians from those years often talk about her beautiful voice and her ability as a pianist. Apparently, the music teacher Mrs Sanders would simply state, ‘No-one can sing like Judith’. How right she was.

After leaving school Judith performed as a jazz singer at Melbourne venues and enjoyed success as a solo singer. Within a few years, she was lead singer of Australia’s most successful singing group, The Seekers. This was the first Australian group to sell a million records, the first to reach number one in England and the first group to top the American charts. The Seekers dominated the charts from 1965 to 1967, replacing The Rolling Stones and The Beatles at the British Top 40 and in one year sold more records than the boys from Liverpool. They were the trailblazers from Down Under. The Seekers' legendary 1967 Myer Music Bowl concert saw over 200,000 people gather, the largest crowd in the southern hemisphere and one tenth of Melbourne’s population at that time. It speaks volumes of their popularity.

As recorded in her biography The Judith Durham Story: Colours of My Life, Judith left The Seekers to spread her wings as a person and a performer, achieving outstanding solo concert success during two decades of personal and professional growth. She returned to touring with The Seekers several times, including their work together to create the anthemic hit I Am Australian.

With her fellow members of The Seekers, Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley, Judith shared the honour of being named Australians of the Year 1967. She was also awarded the Order of Australia, the key to the City of Melbourne, a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary Australia, Victorian of the Year 2015, the Centenary Medal, and many other accolades. These awards recognised her significant contribution and achievement in the music industry, but also her support for others through her dedicated charity work.

Judith Durham valued adversity and blessings in disguise. Living with chronic lung disease for most of her life; she survived a major car accident in 1990 and the death of her beloved husband, Ron Edgeworth, to motor neurone disease in 1994. Judith also suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2013, shortly after coming off stage in Melbourne on a Seekers reunion tour.

In a 2019 interview with The Age, Judith reflected, ‘I’ve had a lot happen to me. But because of my perspective on life, because I’ve had a spiritual basis to my life, [it’s about] seeing everything as a blessing in disguise. If you take the adversity away, you’ve lost the blessings. It’s very important. Acceptance. It’s not always easy to accept something, but it’s very important. Perhaps this has happened as a blessing in disguise? I’ll just wait and see what happens. Every day brings something different.’

Judith Durham was a pioneering woman of Australian music. She was an icon, an inspiration, a trailblazer, a national treasure. She was also a Lascelles girl, a Madrigal and a Ruytonian. So humble, understated and giving. She will always inspire Ruyton girls to be their best, to overcome adversity, and make a difference for others.

Sharing her gifts of song with many, Judith’s story is of a Ruyton girl who left Selbourne Road and went on to live a rich life with impact and purpose.

The Ruyton community is extremely proud and privileged to call Judith Durham a Ruytonian. She will be remembered as a treasured member of our community.

As a community we offer our sincere condolences to Judith’s sister Beverley Sheehan (Cock, 1958), niece Belinda Pulles (Sheehan, 1987) and all of Judith’s family and friends.

Recte et Fideliter

Linda Douglas Principal

EVE KANTOR AO

Growing up at the family home in Coleridge Street with sisters Julie (1975) and Kate (1980), and brothers Martin (dec.), Tom (dec.) and Michael, Eve Kantor AO (1979) holds wonderful memories of her 12 years as a Ruyton girl.

Developing lifelong interest in politics, culture and society under the tutelage of Di Berold, Erica Strugnell and Jane Edwards, Ruyton ‘was a beautiful, tiny school and the extraordinary quality of teachers really stood out’. So did the friendships Eve made whilst she was a student, including meeting her husband Mark Wootton AO at the Scotch College and Ruyton production of The Skin of Our Teeth when she was 13 years old.

Living opposite the School had benefits, like only leaving the house when she heard the bell ring in the morning and sneaking home with friends to cook lunch, listen to music and jump on the trampoline. Describing the Ruyton grounds as being like her backyard growing up, Eve ‘had complete free access to roam around after school and on the weekend’. With aspirations to be a Wimbledon Champion, or at least to win House tennis for Lascelles, she spent many hours practising her craft. ‘There was a big wall at the back of the Junior School, and I just hit the ball for hours.’ ‘It was one of my great joys playing sport at Ruyton. It was incredibly inclusive and very much about being part of a team rather than being an individual.’

A value placed on the collective and community was also ingrained into Eve at home where her mother Anne Kantor AO was an advocate for social justice. ‘Mum used to give away a lot of money but she also gave a lot of her time’. In the 1970s, Anne became concerned for the families of inmates at Pentridge Prison and the terror they felt when visiting incarcerated partners, fathers and sons. With the help of friends, ‘she set up a house nearby, where women could come with their children to feed and play with them and access support services – it was all run by volunteers’. Closer to home Anne would regularly host the Ruyton swimming team for breakfast after morning training, filling them with ‘sausages and scrambled eggs and cereal’ before sending the girls the 40m from her front door to the back gate of the School.

Now living with Alzheimer’s and needing care, Anne lives with Eve and Mark at Jigsaw Farms, their 3,500-hectare farm in south-west Victoria. Both training in education at Monash University, Eve and Mark came to farming via teaching positions in the Latrobe Valley and two subsequent years in Botswana, Africa with Australian Volunteers Abroad.

After a short stint teaching in Melbourne, in the late 1990s they moved to Western Victoria with their young family and set up Jigsaw Farms.

Over the last 26 years they have lived and worked there, trying to solve the sustainability puzzle. They see this as their most significant legacy.

Jigsaw Farms is renowned amongst the agriculture industry as a pioneer in carbon-neutral farming. A very successful mixed grazing farm that runs 20,000 sheep for fine wool and prime lamb as well as 500 beef cows, the farm also incorporates a 690-hectare hardwood timber plantation and indigenous plantings for biodiversity and shelter.

This passion for the environment extends beyond life on the farm. Over the last 30 years, they have given away over $50 million to environmental causes, after receiving an inheritance from Eve’s grandparents Dame Elisabeth (dec.) and Sir Keith Murdoch (dec.) and being entrusted to redistribute the funds of her late brother Tom. They provided funding for the Australia Institute in the 1990s, recently set up an endowment for the Anne Kantor Fellowship to ensure the continuation of work done by Eve’s mother in areas of peace, social justice and the environment and also funded the Nobel Peace Prize winning (2017) International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Eve and Mark also worked with Eve’s sister Kate to invest in the 60L Green Building in Carlton. Their contribution to the Climate Institute from 2005 to its closure in 2017 was, at the time, considered trail blazing. ‘We set that up in 2005, when a lot of people were sceptical about climate change. The organisation had quite a big impact and we are really proud of that’.

Eve and Mark were both awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in January 2022 for their distinguished service to the community through philanthropic support for a range of organisations, and to the environment. Providing ‘a great opportunity to shine a light on the issues we’re committed to’, Eve and Mark enjoyed celebrating this honour with their friends and family.

Having seen how destructive large sums of money can be for people, Eve and Mark ‘don’t want to be defined as philanthropists’ and have encouraged their four children Hannah, Nina, Gracie and Charlie to value earning their own income. Hannah is a journalist, Nina a marine biologist, Gracie a nurse and Charlie is completing his honours in Agricultural Science, and work continues on the farm for Eve and Mark.

Brigid Steele Marketing and Publications Manager

AIMING SKY-HIGH: AVIATRIX EVELYN KOREN

Evelyn Koren (Gunnersen, 1946) first made the newspapers in 1952. At just 23 years old, she was a qualified pilot living in Mt Gambier, South Australia with her husband and baby son. Known as Ev, she also had a courageous dream, for Ev had joined an all-female team aspiring to fly in the New Zealand Centenary Air Race of October 1953. The women were aiming sky-high, and Australia’s media were fascinated.

It was to be the last of the great Air Races. Such races were part of a pioneering age where the global aviation industry pushed the capacity of their machines and crews to their limits. Their exploits helped create the know-how and infrastructure that would later enable international air travel to flourish. The New Zealand event would also to be the longest ever Air Race, covering 12,300 miles (19,700kms). Competitors would fly from London to Christchurch, chasing a lucrative £30,000 prize.

The all-women crew was led by Melbourne pilot Gertrude McKenzie who saw it as a way to prove the rightful place of women in Australia’s aviation world. ‘I have been trying for 17 years to get some official recognition for women pilots in Australia. I felt that an all women crew in an international air race would help remove the prejudice,’ she later told an Adelaide newspaper1. That prejudice was plain in Australian media reports about the team. ‘Sitters arranged.

Mothers Aim at Air Race’ ran one disapproving headline, before reassuring their readers that the women had made proper arrangements for the care of their children for the six-week duration of their travels2. On another occasion a government backbencher reportedly told McKenzie ‘I don’t approve of women fliers. Woman’s place is in the home.’ Gertrude McKenzie’s response was equally direct, commenting ‘Fancy a man in 1953 talking such drivel.

Courtesy SLSA – BRG 347/1400

Courtesy SLSA – BRG 347/1399

Undeterred by insinuations that their place was in the home rather than the cockpit, Ev Koren and her teammates pushed on with their bid to be part of history. Ev was to be the relieving co-pilot for the group and was thrilled by the challenge the Air Race presented. ‘The most exciting thing I have ever done was to fly from Melbourne to Mt. Gambier in my own little plane,’ she told The Age newspaper 4. Mrs Koren had plenty of experience too. She’d been awarded most outstanding pilot trainee of 1947 by the Royal Victorian Aero Club, and the following year had been one of the first three women pilots to ever fly in an aviation rally over Melbourne5. With five years flying time under her belt since then, she was ready for a bigger adventure. Unfortunately, the all-female team needed more than their steely determination to take to the skies. Throughout 1953 they worked hard to secure a suitable plane and the requisite funds to meet the trip’s demands, with newspapers tracking their progress over the months. As the only Australian entrant in the transport section of the race, the women might have expected some government support, but that was not sufficiently forthcoming. Generous supporters made donations towards the project while team leader Gertrude McKenzie was willing to sell her own house to help them reach their goal. There was even an appeal to Her Majesty, The Queen, for help but to no avail.

By September 1953, there was just a month to go until the race. With almost everything in place, the women made a last-ditch appeal for £5,000 to cover the remaining fuel and other costs. Though more donations flowed in, the team didn’t quite meet their fundraising target and found themselves unable to overcome this final hurdle. Their dream to fly together was over. With great disappointment, Australia’s all-women New Zealand Centenary Air Race team was withdrawn.

Ev Koren maintained her passion for flying and over the ensuing years appeared in newspapers and aviation journals as ‘Mrs Evelyn Koren, woman pilot’.

By 1971, The Ruytonian noted that she was piloting the No.2 aircraft in the Cherokee Eagles Formation Flying team based at Moorabbin.

In 1974 Evelyn Koren would make the news again, but this time for devastating reasons. After taking off from Mt Gambier in a light aircraft one Sunday in May, her plane went missing. Several days of investigation ensued but the search for Evelyn Koren and her plane was eventually called off. Sadly, though some wreckage was later found at sea, her body was never found.

Cathy Dodson School Archivist

Supplied by the Koren family, 1965

Evelyn at Ruyton (Ruyton Heritage Collection)

150 YEARS OF HENTY HOUSE

Legend has it that Tarring became a family home on 17 September 1872. That was the day that Henry and Marion Henty and their children moved into the gracious new house built for them on 20 acres of gently undulating paddocks in Kew.

The Hentys were already well known Kew residents when they purchased their sizeable block in the mid–1860s. It stretched east-west from Edgevale Road to Glenferrie Road, while Fitzwilliam and Wellington Streets formed the southern and northern boundaries. It was land of a size and position suitable for the creation of an estate and was named Tarring as an acknowledgement of the Sussex birthplace of Henry Henty’s English forebears.

Friend and neighbour, prominent architect Albert Purchas was the designer for the new house which was to be built in the fashionable polychrome brick style. Purchas signed a tender with the builder in December 1871 for £3249.10.1, which included instructions to demolish a pre-existing cottage and use its broken up slate roof to form the damp course at the foundations of the new building.

Over the next nine months a two story house of 27 rooms arose. These included several bedrooms, a dining room, drawing room, library, nursery, schoolroom, bathroom and three W.Cs (toilets). In the working part of the house there was a kitchen, scullery, laundry, glass closet and pantry on the ground level, with servants’ bedrooms above. A small underground cellar provided storage, (but not an entrance to the fabled tunnel linking Tarring to Roxeth (later Trinity Grammar School) where another branch of the Henty family lived). Three staircases tied it all together: a large formal one for the family, the nursery stairs, and a corkscrew-style servants’ staircase at the back of the house. Eight rooms featured bells so that a servant could be easily called to attend to the Henty family’s needs.

Around Tarring the Henty family developed extensive grounds that befitted their substantial and comfortable home. Today, Ruyton’s magnificent Moreton Bay Fig, which sits as guardian beside Henty House, is the sole remnant of that original garden. In the Henty’s era, the shade and scale of large trees were provided by some of the ancient eucalypts that were kept among English style lawns and shrubberies. A small fernery gave respite from Melbourne’s summer heat and there was even a lake located near the present corner of Selbourne Road and Wellington Streets where Derham House now stands. Productive gardens supplied fruit and vegetables to the house, while the four-legged residents of the cow and horse paddocks met the family’s dairy and transport needs between them.

The pagoda was one of the most notable elements of the garden. This ornately carved Burmese temple was acquired when the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition ended and was installed by the Hentys as a summerhouse. The pagoda survived until 1932, when in a dilapidated state it was pulled down by Ruyton to enable the oval to be enlarged.

In 1882 the Hentys travelled to England for an extended trip and left their business affairs with a family member. Unfortunately, when the Hentys returned to Melbourne in 1884 they found their financial situation had significantly deteriorated. To resolve their debts Henry and Marion were forced to shrink their property down to about four acres around the house. It was at this point that Coleridge Street and Selbourne Road were created, and together with the existing streets, they enabled large house blocks to replace most of Tarring’s paddocks and gardens.

Henry Henty died in 1912, aged 79, while Marion passed away in mid 1919, aged 81. Their three adult children remaining in Melbourne decided to facilitate the sale of the property to Ruyton’s headmistress Hilda Daniell, who was seeking a larger premises to replace the school’s buildings in A’beckett Street, Kew. It was a win-win situation. In Ruyton’s hands, Tarring would be protected from further subdivision, while the school would gain the space it needed to flourish. Ruyton and the Hentys were already well known to each other, with a shared connection through Kew’s Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Henry and Marion’s daughter Beatrice had attended the School in its earliest days, later maintaining her interest through membership of the Old Ruytonians’ Association, while their granddaughter Dorothy Armstrong had been a recent pupil.

Miss Daniell, her staff and students moved into Selbourne Road in time for term 2, 1920. It was the beginning of a new era, but the old one was immortalised in a name change; for Tarring became Henty House. This year we mark its 150 years.

Cathy Dodson Archivist

The Ruyton Annual Appeal is an important fundraising initiative which supported our Founder’s Scholarship and Henty Excellence in Teaching Fund in 2022. The teaching fund is an essential element in helping Ruyton deliver its very best through the provision of new learning opportunities for our teaching staff. This in turn allows our staff to perform at their very best and consequently empower our students to do the same.

A financially means-tested scholarship, the Founder’s Scholarship provides a Ruyton education to students who otherwise could not receive one. As a community we believe in girls and through the scholarship we can make a difference and provide a life changing opportunity for a young girl.

While it is important to retain the anonymity of current recipients of this scholarship while they are at School, we know the families of these girls are truly thankful. I was delighted to speak with two of these families recently and they speak in glowing terms of the opportunities their daughters have received since being at Ruyton. I think it is best I leave it in their words …

‘Ruyton has simply been a fantastic foundation. There has always been the expectation for her to try her best and give it everything she’s got. Now she’s thinking about her future, what she wants to do and actually planning for it.’

‘She was the driving force behind getting us to Ruyton, but now she is here, the School is providing the foundational support. She simply loves the School. It has given her opportunities and experiences she did not previously have.’

Sally de Guingand Director of Community Engagement

MORETON BAY FIG BEQUEST SOCIETY LUNCH

Ruyton turned 140 years old in 2018. To celebrate this extraordinary milestone in our history the Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society (MBFBS) was established, and the inaugural MBFBS lunch was held that same year.

For those who are unaware, a bequest is when a person leaves a gift in their will, thereby leaving a lasting and important legacy.

Ruyton named its bequest society in honour of the beautiful Moreton Bay Fig tree which is loved by many and remembered by all.

The MBFBS is a valued group of bequestors whose generosity continues to have a major impact on the School’s ability to provide exemplary teaching and learning facilities and to offer young women the opportunity to experience an outstanding education.

In May 2022, the MBFBS was finally able to gather for a second time for lunch at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Celebrating and thanking current bequestors, the MBFBS also officially welcomed five new members, Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973), Sally Dean (1970), Linda Douglas (Principal), Margaret Smith OAM (Ingram, 1965) and Kylie Taylor (parent).

After formal proceedings and lunch, attendees heard from Ruyton’s archivist Cathy Dodson about the rich history of the Henty family and in particular their home, ‘Tarring’.

We sincerely thank the MBFBS President Robyn Kanat (Bate, 1980) and committee members for their continued support.

Kate Nixon Alumnae and Bequests Manager

If you are considering leaving a bequest to Ruyton Girls’ School, please contact Kate Nixon confidentially on (03) 9819 2422 or email nixonk@ruyton.vic.edu.au.

Kylie Taylor (parent), Linda Douglas (Principal), Sally Dean (1970), Margaret Smith OAM (Ingram, 1965), Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973)

A

HOME FOR THE SPIRIT OF RUYTON

Life at 12 Selbourne Road has been busier than usual lately, with construction commencing on the Dream Now project.

Our purpose-built performing arts centre and library will benefit every girl at Ruyton. Providing a stage for our students to develop competencies and confidence, and space for collaboration and innovation, the state-of-the-art facilities will fuel creativity and support our girls as they prepare to challenge, shape and change the world.

The performing arts centre will continue the tradition of Royce and be a place we gather to celebrate the endeavour and excellence of our girls, as they journey from their very first Early Learning concert, to their last day in Year 12. An inclusive and inviting space, the performing arts centre will house a 630-seat auditorium, with expanded onstage and backstage facilities, a full suite of large and small rehearsal spaces and a blackbox theatrette. The new library, spanning across two floors, will provide flexible spaces for collaborative and individual learning.

This is a significant moment in Ruyton’s story. Not only the biggest build in Ruyton’s history, it is also our largest ever fundraising endeavour. We are thrilled with the support our community has shown, having pledged over $1 million in the next five years. While we are still working towards the $3 million fundraising target, we are hopeful to continue to build this momentum and ensure we fulfill the vision for our school, and all our girls.

This project will make a real difference impacting the life of every Ruyton girl, leaving a strong legacy for generations to follow.

Sally de Guingand Director of Community Engagement

INGRAINED IN BECOMING THE WOODWORK

Melinda and Michael Gray have loved Ruyton since their first visit to the School. It was ‘the warm and welcoming feel of the school’ that led them to enrol their eldest daughter Eloise (2020) into Early Learning in 2006. She would be followed by sisters Lucy (2022), Miranda (2024) and brother Hugo (now at Trinity Grammar School, 2026).

Active members of the community, the Gray family have taken every opportunity over the last 16 years to get involved in the life of the School. Beginning with acting as a Class Rep for Pre Prep, Melinda has also been Class Rep Coordinator for three years, held a continuous position on the Parents of Ruyton (POR) Committee since 2015, been elected POR Co-President for two and a half years, finishing that role in 2020 during the pandemic, and also volunteered with the Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts group (FORPA). In her view, Ruyton is an ‘easy community to be a part of… I have met many people through volunteering that I wouldn’t have ordinarily come into contact with’

Michael has also given to the community through his active support of the Year 9 and 10 internship program each semester, mentoring Ruyton students undertaking various projects to gain work experience.

For people who have offered an incredible amount to the community, Michael believes his family ‘have been very fortunate. The School has given us so much’.

Eloise, Lucy and Miranda have all been involved in drama and music and performed extensively in Royce Theatre over their time at Ruyton. Melinda lists the Prep/Year 6 Buddy assemblies and the Junior School drama productions amongst her favourite annual events but notes the Year 6 production as a definite highlight. ‘We saw [the girls] do things on stage that astounded us’. Noting the skill of the teaching staff to see potential within each child and giving them the opportunity to use it on the stage, Melinda recalls watching Eloise perform in her role as the Mad Hatter for the first time and ‘we could not believe it was her!’.

The experience of performing in the Year 6 production and subsequent Senior School productions remains in Eloise. Currently studying speech pathology at La Trobe University, Melinda traces her passion for her career path back to drama at school. Performing on stage and learning to appreciate, understand and develop vocal clarity, expression and projection, there were times when ‘drama was the thing that got her to School each day’. ‘Drama and music at Ruyton have been such a big part of our lives’, says Michael.

Excited about the imminent construction of our new performing arts centre, Melinda and Michael are pragmatic about saying goodbye to Royce Theatre and the magic moments they have witnessed within its four walls. ‘It is not so much about the physical space as it is about the spirit. The Spirit of Royce will live on in this new facility’.

Being in a fortunate position to be able to support the Dream Now campaign, the Gray family will become permanently ingrained into the woodwork at Ruyton through the naming of the black box theatre as the ELM Theatrette (E, L and M after their daughter’s initials). For Michael, ‘we are just so grateful for what the School has given us and we wanted to give back’.

Motivated by the fact they ‘feel very much a part of the School’, Michael says ELM is their gift to Ruyton and ‘a nice tribute to our girls, a great fit’.

‘If you are able to support the Dream Now campaign, it is wonderful to be able to do’.

Brigid Steele Marketing and Publications Manager

POR

CO-PRESIDENTS’ REPORT

After a tumultuous 2021 and the uncertain Christmas period, the Ruyton community started 2022 with beaming faces and hopes for a full and exciting school year. Despite being postponed due to restrictions, we were eventually able to hold both the Junior School and Senior School Welcome Events onsite!

Seeing parents and staff chatting and laughing was a sight to behold as the community came together to celebrate a new year of learning. The community was also out in force for the Twilight Concert held picnic-style on the Oval. Families swayed and clapped along, and the girls encouraged their classmates as they performed in windy conditions. Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts (FORPA) worked hard on the night to provide pizzas, treats and drinks for an eager audience.

At the conclusion of Term 1, the POR organised a Giant Easter Raffle for the whole school. With over forty prizes, the raffle was drawn in the final week of term to much delight. Thank you to the team of POR volunteers involved – Rhiannon Broomfield, Nicole Bidmead, Annabel Dundas and Bridget Langley. Thank you also to Leaf Hawthorn and to all our Ruyton community for supporting this fundraiser, with proceeds going towards Questers for the beautification of the School, enriching the educational experience for all our girls.

In Term 2 our focus shifted toward celebrating mothers and special friends in our community. The POR and Questers, in lieu of a traditional Mother’s Day Stall, turned the focus toward handmade gifts via activity packs for the girls to complete in class. Armed with a wonderful group of parent volunteers, the girls were supported by class teachers to make a gift for their mums. Thank you to all of the volunteers involved in both the preparation of the craft packs and supporting the girls on the day – Annabel Dundas, Elli Beggs, Bridget Langley, Rhiannon Broomfield, Crystal Deng, Daphne Biberias, Kalpana Agarwal, Leila Ensafi, Enlighta Young, Yan Chen, Angela Cosgriff, Shelley Schade, Kara Fedele, Michelle Liu, Marina Malcolm and Vanessa Newlyn. Thank you also to Kate Giles and the Junior School staff for making the event such a success. The Junior School was abuzz with activity!

Mums were also the focus for our Junior School Mother’s Day movie afternoon held at the Rivoli Theatre in May. Girls and their families enjoyed a screening of Bad Guys based on the books by Aaron Blabey. Thank you to Emma Harwood for all of her help in organising this wonderful afternoon.

The Second Hand Uniform Store (SHUS) now opens fortnightly on a Friday providing our community with much greater access to this important service throughout the term. Thank you to our exceptional volunteers – Andrea Tooby, Annabel Dundas, Claudeen Nguyen, Chloe Stone and Elaine Heng for all their hard work. Thank you also to the Year 9 students who worked with the SHUS volunteers to sort through stock. Both uniform donations and more volunteer helpers to join this wonderful team are always warmly welcome.

Lastly, as we head into a busy second half of the year, we would like to extend our most sincere thanks and gratitude to Annabel Dundas who has completed her term as POR Co-President. Annabel’s boundless energy and commitment is contagious (in the very best sense) and she continues to work tirelessly in support of the POR. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all of the Ruyton parent volunteers for their contributions. It is the commitment of our volunteers that enables the POR to function and support the School community. We are grateful for all the support you are able to offer.

We also greatly rely on the ongoing support provided by Linda Douglas, Sally de Guingand, Emma Harwood, Ann Sciberras, Eden Phillips and Brigid Steele at Ruyton.

Bridget Langley (1991) and Elli Beggs POR Co-Presidents

EVENTS WELCOME

We’ve had a wonderful but incredibly busy start to 2022 with ten reunions held already and another four planned for the latter half of this year, along with ORA Golf Day in October which we have been unable to host since 2019. It is so pleasing to see our alumnae attending events and reconnecting again after what has been a challenging few years.

At the Old Ruytonians’ Association AGM held in May this year, Phoebe Demiris (Tallent, 2003) resigned from the Committee and I was voted in as President after having been the association’s Treasurer for the past two years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Phoebe for her dedication and all she has achieved in her time on the ORA Committee and in particular in her role as President. By the time this publication has arrived in your mailbox, Phoebe will have had her third child (a brother to Jack and Henry). We wish her every success and happiness and I’m sure she will continue to be a big part of the fabric of the Ruyton community. We have held the following reunions so far this year: 1971 – 50 Years (belated), 1972 – 50 Years, 1990 – 30 Years (belated), 1991 – 30 Years (belated), 2001 – 20 Years (belated), 2002 – 20 Years, 2011 – 10 Years (belated), 2012 – 10 Years, 2017 – 5 Years and Golden Girls (50+ years out of School).

Our Golden Girls reunion is different from other reunions in that it includes all Old Ruytonians whose graduating year is over 50 years. These former Ruyton students are invited to attend a morning tea at the School where the Year 2 students sing the School song and mingle with our Golden Girls. Having recently studied the history of Ruyton, these young girls learn that they too will be a Golden Girl one day. At this year’s reunion, the Junior School Paganini Strings group performed two musical pieces providing students with the opportunity to perform publicly for the first time in two years. For some, it was their first ever public performance.

Our online platform RuytonORA.com continues to grow and we would like to remind those that are yet to connect to please do so. It is a wonderful way to search for your friends, look at and also upload School photos and provides wonderful networking, employment and mentoring opportunities for our alumnae.

Our social media platforms are another way to engage and connect and we encourage you to follow us on both our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Plans are underway to hold a Grand Reunion in 2023 as Ruyton will celebrate its 145th year next year. If you would like to be part of the sub-committee for the Grand Reunion, please contact our Alumnae Manager, Kate Nixon by email at ora@ruyton.vic.edu.au.

Hacia Atherton (2006) ORA President

DATES

augusT

Monday

Friday

ALUMNAE

birThs

Lachlan Christopher Banting was born on 5 November 2021 to parents Emily Banting (Baker, 2010) and her husband Sam. Lachie is their first child.

Weddings

Johnny Lassen was born 22 October 2021 to parents Gemma Lassen (Storey, 2002) and her husband Ben. Johnny is a grandson to Jane Storey (Tonkin, 1970)

Hacia Atherton (2006) married Simon Harris on 5 February 2022 at the beautiful Tanglewood Estate on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Hacia and Simon met back in her ‘horsey’ days when Simon was her farrier. Hacia is a CPA and CEO and Founding Director of Empowered Women in Trades She also sits on the Old Ruytonians’ Association Committee and took over the role of President in May this year.

neWs

Emma Ulrick (2010) and Maddy Benallack (2015) are two lucky Old Ruytonians who are now working at Geelong Grammar School’s Timbertop campus in the Victorian High Country. Emma is now a maths teacher and Maddy a science teacher. Despite being five years apart at Ruyton, they did know each other as Emma was Maddy’s rowing coach in 2012. Maddy is reliving her glory days of the Ruyton Running Club as she trains with the students for a 33km trail run.

Their life at Timbertop is a constant adventure with weekly hikes to very cold, remote and stunning locations. Both girls feel extremely lucky to have been educated by such dedicated and caring teachers at Ruyton which has definitely influenced the teachers Emma and Maddy are striving to be.

Image of Lian taken by Rob Maccoll for Noosa Today.

Lian Knight (Smith, 1980) published her second book earlier this year. Ratbag Soldier Saint is a true story about Lian’s grandfather Sergeant Issy Smith VC, a Jewish war hero of World War I who was the first living Jewish soldier to win the Victoria Cross (VC). The VC is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system and is awarded for valour.

Bella Hadid, right wearing Emily Watson

Emily Watson (2015)

Emily graduated from fashion at RMIT University in 2019 and launched her own label Emily Watson focusing on swim and resort wear. Her brand has become a firm favourite among those in the know and has been worn by model Bella Hadid, US rapper Chinese Kitty and US internet personality Emma Chamberlain. Emily received an award to present her Honours year collection at the London Graduate Fashion Week in 2020 however due to COVID, the event was cancelled and Emily further developed her collection and set up a small business in a spare room at home.

Emily has now established stocklists in LA, NYC, Sydney and NZ and sells directly to customers online. She has been noticed by media worldwide and has recently established a workshop in Brunswick. Follow Emily’s success on Instagram @emmmmilywatson

Emma and Maddy at the Bluff in Victoria’s High Country.

VALE

Deaths of Old Ruytonians or former staff members of which Ruyton is aware are listed here. Obituaries for the name(s) in italics below appear after the listing. The obituary for Judith Durham AO is on page 16-17.

BAULD, Gail (Ritchie, 1971)

Born 31.12.1953; RGS 1959–1971; Died 11.11.2019 Gail’s sisters Deborah Evans (Ritchie, 1972) and Lisa Henley (1974) attended Ruyton

BELLEW, Barbara Mary (Hughes, 1938)

Born 5.2.1923; RGS 1930–1938; Died 27.11.2021

BURKE, Quita (Smith, 1959)

Born 8.12.1940; RGS 1948–1958; Died 5.5.2022

DURHAM AO, Judith (Cock/Edgeworth, 1960)

Born 3.7.1943; RGS 1956–1959; Died 5.8.2022

FITZ-NEAD AM, Joan (1949)

Born 12.8.1932; RGS 1945–1948; 1948; Died 3.4.2022

FLETCHER, Kathleen (Shaw, 1952)

Born 10.2.1935; RGS 1940–1950; Died 12.5.2022

GELBART, Suellen (1966)

Born 10.5.1949; RGS 1954–1965; Died 7.10.2021

Suellen’s sister, Sally Stribley (Gelbart, 1964) attended Ruyton

HEATH, Wendy (Baker, 1954)

Born 28.8.1936; RGS 1949–1952; Died 4.6.2022

Wendy’s sister Margot Baker (1959), daughter Sally Heath (1977), granddaughter Lucy Green (2012) and niece Priscilla Hunt (1986) attended Ruyton

JAMES, Cynthia (Rodwell, 1939)

Born 14.9.1922; RGS 1930–1939; Died 22.6.2022

KRONE, Carole (Rourke, 1956)

Born 23.8.1938; RGS 1951–1954; Died 31.3.2022

LEIGH, Trish (Cunningham, 1969)

Born 15.9.1952; RGS 1965–1969; Died 10.12.2021

Trish’s sister Catherine Cunningham (1980) attended Ruyton

LOUTTIT, Naomi (Webster, 1957)

Born 13.3.1940; RGS 1952–1956; Died 2.5.2022

Naomi’s sister Margaret Luyters (Webster, 1959) and mother Leonie Webster (Ricketson, 1932) attended Ruyton

MARTENYI, Winifred Anne (Howarth, 1964)

Born 11.5.1947; RGS 1959–1964; Died 18.2.2022

Win’s daughter Erica Stanecki (Martenyi, 1996), sisters Jill McMillan (Howarth, 1968) and Pamela Wilson (Howarth, 1969) attended Ruyton

MITCHELL, Jen (1976)

Born 22.10.1958; RGS 1971–1976; Died 11.1.2022

NEELY, Beryl (Adams, 1937)

Born 11.7.1920; RGS 1936–1937; Died 17.2.2022

SWINEY, Grace

Born 27.9.1933; RGS Staff 1972–1993; Died 13.5.2022

Teacher and Deputy Head of Junior School. Grace’s daughter Jill Swiney (1984) attended Ruyton.

WATT, Marie (Peterson, 1965)

Born 5.5.1948; RGS 1954–1963; Died 8.10.2021

WRAITH, Amber (2020)

Born 24.5.2002; RGS 2013-2017; Died 13.04.2022

Joan FiTz-nead am (1949)

Born 12 August 1932; RGS 1945–1948; Died 3 April 2022

Joan was born in Moulamein, New South Wales and attended Ruyton as a boarder from Year 8 in 1945 to 1948. A prefect in her final year, she always spoke of her time at Ruyton with great affection. From my conversations with Joan over the years, it was evident that sporting rather than scholastic pursuits interested her more; she excelled at many sports, enjoying membership of the hockey, baseball and swimming teams. I recall her mentioning that she was in trouble more than once for climbing the much-loved Moreton Bay Fig tree.

After finishing school with her Leaving Certificate, Joan trained as a nurse in general practice and midwifery in Melbourne in the early 1950s and then worked in Australia, England and Canada, where she also lectured in health sciences.

After moving to Tasmania in 1964, Joan retrained as a teacher. In 1976, she was invited to set up and manage a special school for high school girls from the greater Hobart area who had been suspended or were at risk of expulsion from other schools. In the four years that Joan taught at Nangaree, she confronted other educators about the issues that brought young women to the school. This led to several positive outcomes that still endure in the education system today. Joan was later appointed Head of the School of Child Care Studies at TAFE Tasmania and was instrumental in initiating a national Child Care Associate Diploma Course. This facilitated the restructuring of the career path for child carers.

After retiring from teaching, Joan was appointed to a wide variety of positions on boards and tribunals. This included as a Senior Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal, where her strong commitment to the principles of social justice facilitated the work of the Tribunal in hearing appeals against decisions made by Centrelink.

In 2003, Joan became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the community of Tasmania through a range of health, social welfare and educational organisations. In 1995, she was awarded the Hobart City Council Tasmania Day Community Award, and in 2005 was entered on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women for service to the community. Joan was a Life Member of the Australian Labor Party.

Alongside travel and her many friends, Joan was passionate about the welfare of all animals (big and small) and always advocated for women’s rights, for fair and just conditions for all workers and for high standards in education and health services. She was a tireless worker in a diverse range of community organisations, with a particular interest in the need for peace and understanding between nations. This led to her involvement as a Trustee of the Tasmanian Peace Trust, being instrumental in the declaration of Forest Road, in West Hobart, as a 'Street for Peace' and as a co-founder of the Peace Park in West Hobart in the International Year of Peace in 1986. In 2018 the Hobart City Council acknowledged Joan’s work in this regard and commissioned the installation of a series of peace totems which carry Joan’s life learnings, summarised in 14 words and decorated by the children at Goulburn Street Primary School with whom Joan had a long relationship.

Joan died following surgery and extensive treatment for cancer.

Vale Joan.

Written by Joan’s friend, Carol Hughes

WendY heaTh (baker, 1954)

Born 28 August 1936; RGS 1949–1952; Died 4 June 2022 Wendy was born in St Kilda and lived in many towns throughout Victoria before she was enrolled at Ruyton. Her years at School were an enriching and happy experience that greatly influenced her. Always an avid reader, the then headmistress, Miss Hilda Daniell’s ghost and Shakespearian nights left an indelible spell.

As a dental nurse graduate, Wendy worked at the Melbourne Dental Hospital. She never lost touch with her colleagues.

She and Bill Heath married at the Scotch College Chapel in 1957 and after building a house in Templestowe, quickly started a family with son Richard (1958) and daughter Sally (1960). The Templestowe community was important for Wendy, ever a joiner and contributor. Lifelong friendships were formed. She instructed at the new and soon flourishing Templestowe Pony Club and assisted with Riding for the Disabled. Wendy was a serious craftswoman and set up a needle group. She was a regular at a Warrandyte pottery class and never missed Wednesday tennis. She was a smart and devoted gardener.

Wendy was thrilled to complete her education by graduating with a BA in Art History from La Trobe University in 1986. She combined her love of art and faith when she became a member of the Icon Writing School at St Peter’s Eastern Hill Church. The group’s icons can be seen in the Church.

Wendy shared all these interests with her five adored and adoring grandchildren at a magical house in Templestowe and then at a farm in Kyneton, where she and Bill moved in the 2000s. Aged 80, Wendy became a bee keeper.

After the unexpected death of Bill in 2020 and the difficulties of the pandemic, Wendy moved to assisted care in Melbourne near family.

She asked that verses from Cymbeline by William Shakespeare be read at her simple funeral at St Peter’s. Lucy Green (2012), a Daniell girl, rose to the challenge.

'Fear no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages; Golden lads and girls all must,

As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' the great; Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:

Care no more to clothe and eat;

To thee the reed is as the oak:

The sceptre, learning, physic, must

All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash, Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;

Fear not slander, censure rash; Thou hast finished joy and moan; All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust.

No exorciser harm thee!

Nor no witchcraft charm thee!

Ghost unlaid forbear thee!

Nothing ill come near thee!

Quiet consummation have; And renownéd be thy grave!'

― William Shakespeare, Cymbeline

Written by Wendy’s daughter, Sally Heath (1977)

paTricia (Trish) Leigh (cunningham, 1969)

Born 15 September 1952; RGS 1965–1969; Died 10 December 2021

Having completed her Matriculation at Ruyton in 1969, Trish enrolled in Law. Two years later her desire to be an educator got the better of her so instead, she followed her dream of teaching. After graduating from university, Trish secured a position Caulfield Grammar School (Malvern campus), where she worked for 20 years. Mathematics was her passion; she helped her primary students not only understand maths but she made maths fun.

A career change saw her write many textbooks including Maths Tracks (2004), a teachers’ resource book for the NSW Mathematics syllabus and numeracy initiatives for the Department of Education and Training. During this time Trish provided numerous professional development (PD) sessions assisting teachers to cater for individual differences in the maths classroom and to develop practical maths activities that enhanced student understandings. Trish loved doing her PD sessions, where her catchcry opening comments were always the same, ‘Hi, I’m Trish Leigh and I’m MAD – yes MAD. I’m here to try to Make A Difference to teachers and students alike.’

Teaching was always Trish’s passion. Sorely missing the classroom, she took a role at Fintona Girls’ School in 2009 and was appointed to the position of Head of the Middle School. Here, she again taught students from Years 4-8 while simultaneously undertaking her administration duties. When she retired in 2020, she was content in her commitment and teaching acumen to helping students in the love of mathematics.

Trish was an avid walker. Often travelling 7-8 kms each day, Trish explored many walking tracks along the Yarra including Gardiners Creek and Dight Falls. It was consequently a huge shock when she was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer last year. Trish lost her battle in just seven short weeks which was devastating to her family and friends.

Trish is survived by her husband Ewen, her son Chris and daughter Samantha, two stepdaughters Carly and Lisa and three grandchildren. Trish certainly made a difference to those she loved, her family and friends alike.

Written by Trish’s husband, Ewen Hoggarth

grace eLLen sWineY

Born 27 September 1933; RGS staff 1972–1993; Died 13 May 2022

Where does one begin to find words that will describe and sadly farewell a well-respected colleague and loved friend of so many years' standing?

My personal friendship with Grace started in 1972, when she became a staff member at Ruyton.

I remember helping with so many infant school activities, even though she was teaching in the Upper Junior School. Woe betide any of her Grade 6 students who divulged to the Prep and Year 1 girls the truth about the Easter Bunny nest at the base of the Morteon Bay Fig tree! I so appreciated her never failing optimism.

For many staff, our friendships went beyond the confines of School. We were always invited to her home for drinks, activities, and a customary game of croquet.

I’m sure Grace’s children Jill Swiney (1984) and Mark blessed their mother’s out of school activities with staff, especially when Jill started at Ruyton in the Senior School. No student wants to see teachers in their home but Grace handled it with aplomb.

Words to describe Grace: loyal, funny, capable, friendly, strong, supportive and understanding.

As one former staff member said, ‘Grace was a presence in the room, strong and determined with a laugh that lit up her face. Someone who was firm but fair’. Another recalled ‘I remember her as such a stalwart of the Ruyton Junior School’, another, ‘I have fond memories of Grace and the wonderful times we had together. I looked up to her as an exemplary teacher and an awesome role model. She always had a ‘can do’ attitude – her students were indeed blessed’ and another ‘I feel enormously grateful for the time I spent teaching at Ruyton with such a wonderful group of passionate, strong, caring women such as Grace’

These sentiments were expressed by her colleagues with whom she taught at Ruyton over a period of 21 years.

Grace was incredibly supportive of me applying for the position of Head of Junior School in 1977, even though

I felt I was too young, and she had many more years’ experience. She stated ‘If you apply and get the position, I’m 100% behind you’ – and she was. Right to the end of our time together on the staff.

There are so many anecdotes to relay but a funny one was when I made a huge ‘boo boo’ on my first Year 5 and 6 camp away (I’d never been on one of these expeditions). We were going to Warrnambool, Tower Hill and the Maritime Museum, and were billeted in a motel. I was anxious about the night arrangements, and Grace and I agreed to take it in turns to wake and check the rooms. It was my turn, so I grabbed the torch and umbrella (as it was raining) and started my patrol. It was all quiet and peaceful, except for one room a distance from us. I hammered on the door and hissed, ‘Be quiet – have some consideration for others’ and stormed back to Grace, as we were sharing a room together. Grace listened to my story patiently and then quietly said ‘We don’t have students in that room’

It wasn’t ever mentioned again.

After retirement and the death of her husband Ken, Grace travelled extensively. She was so proud of her family, her children Mark and Jill, daughter-in-law Kate and grandchildren Emma and Chloe. Sadly, many of us were denied the opportunity to spend as much time together over the past two years as we would have liked, due to COVID. Visiting Grace was difficult, so we talked on the phone. I always loved the way at the end of a conversation Grace would say ‘I love you’ and I loved her very much in return.

Written by Hilary Oates, former Head of Junior School, Ruyton RGS staff (1965–1993)

REUNIONS

CLASS OF 1971, 50 YEAR REUNION (belated)

In February this year, a small cohort from the Class of 1971 attended their 50 Year Reunion lunch at Cru Wine Bar just around the corner from Ruyton. Ruyton’s beloved volunteer archivist and Old Ruytonian, Micky Ashton (Marshall, 1965) popped in to chat to the girls about the importance of archives, reminding them that any unwanted Ruyton memorabilia cluttering their homes would be very appreciated by the Ruyton Archives team.

CLASS OF 1972, 50 YEAR REUNION

At the end of March this year, 14 girls from the Class of 1972 attended their 50 Year Reunion at a lunch held at Cru. We did have a few more booked to attend but with COVID still present in the community, we sadly had a few last-minute apologies. The girls brought all sorts of Ruyton memorabilia with them including photos and old uniform items. It was so lovely to see such a happy bunch of girls getting together and reminiscing.

In attendance: Jenny Briers, Jill Burns (Oldfield), Jenny Campbell (Luke), Deb Evans (Ritchie), Di Evans, Bettina Evert, Katrina Hazewinkel (Polites), Sally Loder (Evans), Sue Maclellan, Jane McIntosh, Sally Miller, Michele Pearson (Weinberg), Wendy Stone (Balloch), Gini Waller (Smith).

Apologies: Susan Beaurepaire (Wood), Cynthea Brodribb, Dawn Glanville (Anderson), Pru Logan (Williams), Megan McLarty (Crittenden), Anne Moorfield, Jane Pettifer (Bottomer), Kay Salehi (Gillespie), Helen Sicklemore (Berg), Jenny Slater (Anderson).

In attendance: Althea Bell (Briers), Jenni Brahe (Tate), Jenny Graham (Fullagar), Fiona MacDonald, Judy Terracall (Hooke), Janine Walker (Fisher).

Apologies: Ronelle Clarke (Galloway), Julianne East, Kate King (Danby), Lyndal Peck (Matthews), Rhonda Small.

CLASS OF 1990, 30 YEAR REUNION (belated)

Originally receiving invitations to their 30 Year Reunion in 2019, the girls from the Class of 1990 would be forgiven for wondering if their day would ever eventuate. It did; in early March this year and with the assistance of Mazz Cole (Dix) and Libby Laird (Law) we were able to track down many ‘lost’ girls and their belated reunion was held at Fonda Mexican in Hawthorn. 13 girls attended on the night and we are very grateful to Justine Braithwaite who flew down from Canberra for the occasion, to Mazz for her trek from Anglesea and to Kristy Morrison (Matthews) who travelled from Benalla.

In attendance: Justine Braithwaite, Liz Chegwin (Beaumont), Fleur Coldwell (Summons), Mazz Cole (Dix), Anne Forbes-Harper (Forbes), Rebecca Howatt (Howatt), Libby Laird (Law), Kristy Morrison (Matthews), Alex Moule (Rennie), Sally Richardson (Driscoll), Sarah Ridley (Monsell-Butler), Katrina Schlager, Lucy Zelouf (Pennicott).

Apologies: Sally Geraghty (Bell), Luci Giblin, Marina Green (Harrak), Simone Leonard (Ralton), Rachel Schutze, Louise Stone (Hosie), Miranda Switajewski (Duigan).

CLASS OF 1991, 30 YEAR REUNION (belated)

The second 30 Year Reunion was for the Class of 1991. They too had received many updates about date and venue changes but on 10 March we finally held their reunion at Fonda Mexican restaurant. 16 girls attended with a few late apologies. Thanks to Jessica Piorun-Vernon and Kadri Kutt for their hard work behind the scenes. Kadri now lives in Queensland and was unable to make it in person but she FaceTimed with the girls on the night.

In attendance: Eliza Addison (Sims), Lisa Barry (Logan), Jane Brodie, Catherine Charles (Towell), Lucinda Grodski (MacNab), Bridget Langley, Claire Lennox (Purcell), Amanda McArthur (Slater), Nicola Millard-Michaelis (Millard), Penny Mudge, Katherine Phillips (Gurney), Jessica Piorun-Vernon (Piorun), Larissa Pricolo (Rocchi), Jacquie Quaine (Fincham), Kelli Reynolds, Belinda Smith.

Apologies: Claire Cassidy (Holmes), Melinda De La Salle (Willis), Kirrily Frigo (Boulter), Bronwyn Fyfe, Tracy Henderson (Sinner), Karin Hyslop (Blomquist), Zara Kantzos, Kadri Kutt, Lucille Manuele, Simone Nardella (De Forest), Karina Ray (Winspear), Di Ritter, Ed Thomson (Dixon), Nadia Traficante.

CLASS OF 2001, 20 YEAR REUNION (belated)

It was fourth time lucky for the Class of 2001 and their belated 20 Year Reunion which was finally held in February this year at Fonda Mexican in Hawthorn. 12 girls attended and we were ecstatic to welcome Emily Pearce (Ogilvie) who travelled from Balgowlah NSW. When Principal Linda Douglas popped in, it was hugs all round for those girls she taught as a Ruyton Junior School teacher 30 odd years ago. Linda was also the coach of the Ruyton Gymnastics Club and many of these girls were part of her squad in the 1990s. Due to popular demand a School tour was scheduled for interested girls a month later in March.

In attendance: Celeste Armstrong, Jess Cracknell (Anderson), India Grigg, Lucy Hallo, Katherine Hauptmann (Archer), Julia Jenkins, Anthea McCombe (Rooke), Emily Pearce (Ogilvie), Sarah Rossi, Annabel Sampson (Robson), Erin Stapleton, Alanna Weekley.

Apologies: Melissa Finlayson, Caz Gibbons, Chelsea Kereama (Burns), Phoebe O'Loughlin (McDonald), Emma Purdue, Meagan Schloeffel (Jones), Nicole Siemensma, Anna Smith, Lauren Wallis, Laura Youl (Cropley), Sophie Zalkauskas).

CLASS OF 2002, 20 YEAR REUNION

Our second of three 20 Year Reunions being held this year, the Class of 2002 held their event at Fonda. Three of these girls attended a Ruyton school tour beforehand, bumping into staff members Lou Burbury and then Georgie Parker who was working at Royce’s last performance. It was a privilege to see Royce in fine form. The lights on the Moreton Bay Fig created a stunning backdrop for some photos and then the girls went off to dinner to meet up with the others for a fine Mexican meal and a few drinks.

In attendance: Georgie Blackett-Smith, Julia Cleghorn, Sarah Herrod (Bamford), Alice Kohler, Tetyana Lawriwsky, Katherine Maple, Jenna McAlister (Lipshut), Caz McBride (Morrison), Emily Ramsey, Katherine Rance, Laura Walter (Munckton).

Apologies: Stephanie Booth, Gemma Lassen (Storey), Lauren Poulton (Rogers), Jess Sutherland (Elston).

CLASS OF 2011, 10 YEAR REUNION (belated)

It was fourth time lucky for the 2011 cohort when their 10 Year Reunion finally took place in March this year. Kate Elkington and Zoe Kanat did a brilliant job of rallying the troops and we are very grateful for their enthusiasm and enormous support working tirelessly behind the scenes. They managed to track down their Year 12 video which was a fun surprise on the night. With so many reunion updates and the dreaded COVID still causing havoc, we were thrilled that 30 girls were able to attend their reunion.

In attendance: Katherine Andrianopoulos, Kate Billings, Kirsten Callander, Amelia Chandramouli (Lachal), Emily Clifford, Sarah Drinan, Nicaela Dwight, Kate Elkington, Mollie Farrell, Louise Giorgini, Olivia Harvey, Caley Jowers, Zoe Kanat, Tatiana Kotsimbos, Anna Maddison, Hannah Maxwell, Madeleine Muir, Victoria Nadalin, Emma O'Neal, Lucy O'Neal, Elizabeth Pearce, Laura Roberton, Claire Robertson, Emily Scott, Steph Stamopoulos, Kate Walker, Elizabeth Willis, Angela Xu, Michelle Ye, Karen Zheng.

Apologies: Georgina Baker, Lauren Clements, Natalie Cossens (Kourtis), Rhian Davies, Jacqueline Evans, Eliza Green, Chloe Irwin, Georgina Kelly, Lauren Markopoulos, Georgie Meehan, Angelica Norman, Upuli Pahalawatta, Georgia Pedersen, Sophie Perry, Lauren Riva, Tenille Rollnik, Laura Rowland, Claire Seton, Bianca Strugnell, Karen Tan, Constance Vavasis, Truc Walsh.

CLASS OF 2012, 10 YEAR REUNION

The Class of 2012 celebrated their 10 Year Reunion in March this year with a huge turnout at the Crudo Warehouse in Kew. We were lucky to be able to hold a School Tour for the girls and were thrilled that Anna Truelove was home from London for the occasion and Abigail Miller had flown down from the NT. Special thanks to both Lucy Green and Charlotte Inge who were amazing helping behind the scenes.

In attendance: Paige Adgemis, Ashleigh Appleby, Eishitha Bandara, Sarala Baskaran, Ali Bethune, Danni Booth, Tallulah Butcher, Mackenzie Casey, Steph Cowley, Sarah Davey, Emily Farrall, Sarah Forbes, Imogen Gentile (Shute), Natalie Gnoato, Lucy Green, Jenny Guo, Michelle He, Sarah Henson, Prue Heron-Paterson, Charlotte Inge, Annabelle Jones, Anastasia Josseff, Natasha Kotsimbos, Shimona Lai, Haylee Lawrence-Simons, Aurora Lee, Morgan Lewis, Lucinda Loane, Molly Lombardi, Abigail Miller, Huishi Peh, Belle Power, Natalie Proposch, Rose Savage, Isabelle Thomas, Anna Truelove (Martin-Truelove), Emily Tulloch, Rylie Wallace, Winnie Wu, Kara Young.

Apologies: Megan Clegg, Tess Gardiner, Emma Jamieson, Renee Pantas.

CLASS OF 2017, 5 YEAR REUNION

The Class of 2017 held their 5 Year Reunion in February this year at Fonda Mexican in Hawthorn. It was a brilliant turnout for our first reunion of 2022 with 42 girls attending, and Alyssa Barron travelling from Canberra just for the occasion. Although Co-Captain Meredith Rule was unable to attend (she had just started a new job in Canberra), her work behind the scenes was greatly appreciated.

In attendance: Georgia Alexis, Elise Allibon, Bella Anderson, Alyssa Barron, Eliza Bate, Mimi Bland, Tash Borash, Mia Brown, Annabel Buckley, Caitlin Caselli, Tori Condon, Elise Deayton, Alice Dempsey, Alannah Harris, Issy Hogg, Belle Houlihan, Sarah Hughes, Carissa Lau, Gen Leslie, Gloria Ling, Sophie McLeish, Jean Mitchell, Emily Montagu, Aisling Moten, Sammi Murphy, Claire O'Brient, Orkideh Rahimi, Julia Rigg, Elise Sando, Holly Simondson, Stella Skoullos, Felicity Smith, Ashleigh Tascone, Laura Tetaz, Millie Trigar, Cara Volkofsky, Olivia Watson, Katrina Weigold, Isobel Whelan, Hannah Wilson, Elisa Woolrich, Regina Yang.

Apologies: Meredith Rule, Issy Tibb, Sarah Goucher.

GOLDEN GIRLS REUNION

The Golden Girls Reunion is such a wonderful way for our (slightly) older alumnae to catch up and snatch a glimpse of life in action at Ruyton.

Held again in the Junior School Open Space this year, our alumnae heard about the exciting new Dream Now building project which is now underway, and an optional tour of Royce Theatre (previously known as Royce Hall) was available to any Old Ruytonians who wanted to visit the building.

The Year 2 students sang the School Song together with alumnae, who were then presented with a lovely drawing and pot plant as gifts. The Junior School’s Paganini Strings group performed two orchestral pieces and our Golden Girls enjoyed morning tea and some wonderful conversations.

In attendance:

1946; Joan Martin (Wardrop), 1949; Margaret Myers (Campbell), 1951; Libby Duff, 1952; Mary Le Get (Murray), 1955; Anne Mickelson (Townsend), 1956; Christine Martin (Hooper), Janet Walker (Brock), 1957; Beverley Bencina (Cook), Judi Boyd (McColl), Sally Buckner (Latham), Mary Dixon (Macpherson Smith), Jane Teasdale, 1960; Kay Francis (Wolstenholme), Helen Grainger (Kitson), Elaine Hutchinson (Chipper), Jennie Schunke (Levick), Jennifer Yates (Jellis), 1961; Rosemary Dowling (Groves), Carol Driscoll (Crane), Pamela Jonas (Fisher), Suzanne Lucas (Hutchinson), 1962; Joan Balfour (Ditty), Barbara Butler (Palmer), Robyn Quigley (Wardrop), Louise Utter (Foletta), 1964; Heather Matthews (Patterson), Ailsa Pinkney, Felicity Renowden (Piesse), Diana Weetman (Gibbins), Anne Woodward, 1965; Micky Ashton (Marshall), Jenny Gunson (Waters), 1966; Anna Mason (Simms), Sue Thomas (Oakley), 1970; Sally Dean, Jane Storey (Tonkin).

Apologies:

1945; Peggy Anderson (Massey), 1948; Lorraine Kirwan (Dumbrell), 1950; Patricia Heath (Luxton), Jean Stanway (Berry), 1951; Jill Foletta (Wigg), 1952; Judy Stewart (McDonald), Pam Terry, 1953; Elaine Cockburn, Jane Murray (Harvey), 1954; Joyce Hall (Bawden), 1955; Susan Petty (Buckland), Diane Rau (Mahony), 1956; Robin Osborne-Smith (Homer), 1957; Anne Grant (Joel), Marianne Van De Poll (Brunsting), 1958; Maz Gill-Harper (Harper), Anthea Mollison (Culpan), Wendy Pike (Gibbins), Jan Roberts (Monger), 1959; Judith Constable, Judith Cooke, Patricia Judd (Kean), Vanda Rounsefell (Mann), 1960; Joy Cox (Gray), Judith Edgeworth (Cock/Durham AO), 1961; Jan Brothwell (Neilson), Michelle Grattan, Pam Jowett (Friday), Jenny Purdie (Must), Caroline Purves, Diana Wills (Ayres), 1962; Sue a'Beckett (Vautier), Trish Bradley (Townsend), Judith Caughey (Moore), Pamela Davis-Jones (Main), Marian Eyers (Dean), Karla Freer (Thwaites) Sherri Robertson (Wines), Angela Watson (Hutchinson), 1963; Michele Allegretto (Hall), Trish Collins (Talbot), Helen Irwin-Childs (Powers), Lynette McClaren (Wood), Sandra Torpey (Ling), 1964; Margaret Brown (Watkin), Lenora Clarke (Gray), Robyn Grant (Coop), Lois Hamilton, Helen Lovett (Gunnersen), Irmgard McComas (Zeusche), Sue White, 1965; Unice Ekberg (Hamilton), Margaret Falconer (Palmer), Julie Foletta, Tina Madden (Crow), Di McKie (Whitcroft), Rosalind Rankin, Margaret Smith OAM (Ingram), 1966; Leith Crow (Falconer), Ann Eastwood (Duncan), Diane Harris, Jennie Macdonald, Trish Mitchell (Lanning), Karyn Moon (Small), Yvonne Needham (Wilks), Margaret Somerville, Julie Thomson (Green), Jill Webb (Daniels), 1967; Linda Bedford (Wilson), Carmel Berkey (Hore), Robin Hingeley (Fletcher), Rosalind Naughton (Whitlock), Robyn Stevens (Eccles), Janet Trainor (Hansen), Jill Wilkes (Shipp), 1968; April Browning (Turner), Robyn Buchanan (Smith), Alex Caldwell (Gunning), Jenny Elliott (Phillips), Leigh Guymer (Daly), Dorothy Holt (Hocking), Kay Howe (Wallis), Vicki Rosenberg (Beseler), 1969; Judi Gilchrist (Ellery), Brier Gough, Fran McAdam (Osborn), Julia Morgan (Simms), 1970; Belinda Burke (Hardie), Penny Guy (Daniels), Liz Morcom (Pollock), Judith Thomson (Bolton), Bev Wort (Norman), 1971; Julianne East, Mandy Ellwood (Zimbler), Louise Martin, Lyndal Peck (Matthews), Jayne Robertson (Coutts), Rhonda Small.