4 minute read
Our Community
Class of 2021 Past Parents’ Reunion
The Class of 2021 Past Parents’ social evening was held on Thursday 5 May and kindly hosted by Mr Scott and Mrs Fiona Reinke, parents of Louisa (’21) and Sabrina (’17). It was a warm, friendly, and spirited evening where parents shared plenty of stories of their girls’ incredible achievements and the beautiful summer break they all greatly deserved and enjoyed after two VCE years in lockdown. Guests enjoyed the generosity of delicious food and wine bought by everyone attending and agreed they will all endeavour to stay connected in the years ahead. There were many families that would have liked to attend but were unfortunately not able to be there on the night. Scott Reinke made a small welcome speech which was very well received and appreciated.
Mr Scott Reinke Chair, Past Parents
FOLLOW YOUR PASSION
On the evening of Thursday 26 May, in the Long Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, St Catherine’s fathers and daughters enjoyed the privilege of listening to the humble success of Dr Richard ‘Harry’ Harris SC OAM, who played a crucial role in the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018 as a cave diver and anaesthetist.
During the evening Dr Harris outlined his journey towards being a pivotal member of the global recovery effort that saved the lives of 12 Thai junior soccer players and their coach from a Thai cave after monsoonal flooding. Dr Harris intoxicated the audience as he detailed being drawn to photography, deep sea diving and anaesthetics as his medical specialty, which combined have made him a household name.
“Following your passion” was certainly Dr Harris’ message as he generously shared heartfelt information to the audience. His impact was felt so much that in a nod to how emotional and warm the evening was, the Walkinshaw Hot Lap auction item from the night’s auction, was generously donated to Dr Harris, who had earlier disclosed his love of car racing, by auction winner, Mr Phil Dreaver, father of Sophie in Year 10 and Carys in Year 5. Thank you, Phil. A special thank you to current and past parent, Mr Andrew Demetriou, father of Mattea in Year 10 and Alexandra and Francesca (’21) who emceed the evening and provided a sense of sporting romance to the event, transporting the audience through the journey of the MCG and marking the spot as a teenager where he was startlingly tackled by the great Leigh Mathews! The Sports Auxiliary was fortunate to provide, and benefit from, auction and raffle items. A special thank you to Mrs Symone Demetriou, mother of Mattea in Year 10 and Alexandra and Francesca (‘21) and Mrs Fleur Heidenreich, mother of Fleur and Stella (’21) for their generous raffle ticket donations, along with Mr Dave Cohen, father of Milla in Year 7 and to Ms Georgie Handbury (Seccull ‘86), mother of Chloe Year 7, who facilitated our Walkinshaw Hot Lap auction with Bathurst winning driver Chaz Mostert. Collectively the Sports Auxiliary raised $4,650 from the raffle and auction with proceeds ensuring our girls’ Sports Program is supported and celebrated with equipment and resources.
Dr Lee Holmes President, Sports Auxiliary
Community Spirit in Action
Despite COVID again attempting to hinder the amazing community spirit that St Catherine’s is renowned for, the 22nd annual PFA Ruth Langley Luncheon was held at Zinc, Federation Square on Friday 17 June 2022.
There was a sense of overwhelming excitement as current and past parents, staff and Old Girls joined together to enjoy each other’s company over delightful food and beverages at this incredible venue. It was also the first time that a few fathers were able to attend in support of this iconic annual event. Following on from last year’s exciting career highlights, Ms Mimi Kwa our very own St Catherine’s parent, journalist, presenter and author was kind enough to accept our request to emcee the Luncheon. The highlight of the Luncheon was the Q&A interview between past parent, Alumnae and St Catherine’s Foundation Board Member, Ms Fiona Menzies (’87) and our Guest Speaker, the Hon. Julie Bishop. The discussion was a fascinating and engaging conversation filled with Julie’s reallife experiences across continents as Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, her insights into the challenges of politics and her career defining moments liaising with some of the world’s most powerful leaders. It was remarkable to hear from this truly incredible and ambitious woman, who represents St Catherine’s core philosophy to nurture confident, independent and globally responsive young women who will make a real difference in our society. All attendees at the Luncheon were provided with a bag filled with various gift vouchers, all from our very generous, greatly appreciated and highly valuable sponsors. A total of 31 penny raffle prizes and six silent auction items were donated from members of our School community. We also thank the following businesses for their generous support: Blinged George & Co Luxico Husk BeetBox Carnival for Kids Habbot Shoes White Story Gaudion Milano Bliss Divine Décor Smile Solutions Living Pure Arthur Galan Lusso Lou Harvey Bank Of China Grace Willow Muck Off Gorman 96 Upstairs The net profit from the Ruth Langley Luncheon will go towards our PFA commitment to provide $25,000 over three years to help fund the construction of The Jamie and Rebecca Gray Theatre, a home for performing arts in our School. A special thank you to all the PFA Committee Members who worked tirelessly to make this event such a great success, not just with their time and amazing talent, but their passion and love for St Catherine’s School which is truly remarkable.
