GHS & ST HILDA'S OLD SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION | M ar ch 2019
Issue 2 | Date: March 13, 2019
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Tref f ina Dowland(Lidbury 1983) OSA President'sLetter Church Grammar School, before starting at the Australian International School in Singapore in 2012 as the Head of Secondary Education. We look forward to working together with Fiona to ensure that St.Hilda?s remains a leading girl?s school in Western Australia. On Thursday March 14 the OSA will be hosting an event to welcome Mrs Johnston as the new Principal. The OSA committee would love to see many old scholars support this event as it will be a great opportunity to meet Fiona. Please come along and enjoy refreshments in the Performing Arts Centre Foyer at the Bay View campus from 6.30pm. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Tickets are available through trybooking.
Welcome to the first edition of the Chronicle Post for 2019. The Old Scholars Association (OSA) warmly welcomes the graduating class of 2018 as our newest members and congratulates them all on their high achievements in the ATAR and VET results. Of the 141 students eligible, 97.9% achieved the W A Certificate of Education and six students were awarded a General Exhibition. We wish our new members all the very best in the future as they pursue their career paths.
Throughout 2019 the OSA committee will be organising many more events which I hope all members will support. Our pledge is to continue connecting old scholars to one another and with the school and to raise funds to provide scholarships well into the future.
I would also like to congratulate our 2019 School Officials with OSA connections as a mother or grandmother. Arts Captain Charlotte Harkins, daughter of Melissa Harkins (Carter ?81) and Head Border Adele Prosser, Granddaughter of Kaye Prosser ('61), Sports Captain Elizabeth Fowler, Granddaughter of Lesley W inning (Lamb ?53), House Official Blackwood Amy Hannaford, daughter of Emma Hannaford (Ashby '87), House Official DeGrey Findlay Roe, Granddaughter of Fiona Roe ('63 dec), House Official Fitzroy Nieve W alsh, daughter of Rowena W alsh (Keall '85), House Official Gascoyne Alicia Sewell, Granddaughter of Sally Campbell (Vincent '58), House Official Gascoyne Phoebe Browne-Cooper, daughter of Nita Peploe ('88), House Official Gascoyne Samantha Lee, daughter of Anna Lee (Trott '88) and Granddaughter Beth Trott (Downing '60). On behalf of all the OSA members we wish them a very successful and fulfilling year ahead.
The 2019 calendar includes the traditional events such as the Bridge and Mahjong Day, the 70+Morning Tea, Social Golf Day and Country Lunch just to mention a few. Our biggest event of the year is the very popular OSA Bazaar which will be held at the Bay View Campus on Saturday 11 May from 10am-3pm. Every year this event gets bigger and better, and we will also be introducing some yoga lessons on the day. We are very excited to also be showcasing some wonderful artists and their work, and hosting a Champagne Opening Preview on Friday 10 May from 5.30pm. Make sure you SAVE THE DATE! I am looking forward to all the wonderful changes happening at the school and catching up with as many Old Scholars as possible in 2019. Best wishes to everyone.
The OSA warmly welcomes Mrs Fiona Johnston as the 13th Principal of St.Hilda?s Anglican School for Girls. Mrs Johnston, originally from Brisbane, completed her tertiary qualifications in Queensland and Victoria. She taught in the UK and Queensland, including at Stuartholme School and the Anglican
Treffina Dowland (Lidbury ?83) OSA President
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advocate for cultural heritage survival and protection of knowledge of Aboriginal sites, being one of the last of her generation to transition from the hunter gatherer way of life to living on the frontier of ancient Aboriginal culture and modern Australia. W hile on break from her university studies, Ammbi has created a body of works in ceramic based sculpture pieces drawing on the artwork left behind by Dolly. Ammbi has taken her grandmothers painting, Seven Sister Rockholes and created a three dimensional representation of mixed media work that uses ceramics and acrylics in a sculpture piece that she hopes will be entered into prominent art awards and exhibitions. Ammbi explains the story of her current piece : "Nanna's Seven Sisters painting shows an important dreaming site in the desert, linked with women's dreaming, but her painting also tells an amusing story of my dad and my uncle as small children when Nanna dug some bardie grubs to bring home to my dad who was boarding at a hostel in Leonora to attend school. She dug the bardies to bring home, but my uncle who was a toddler at the time ate all the bardies so my poor dad never got to eat any bardies! I added my bits to the story by including images showing the personal dreaming totems of my family, Dad the Dingo dreaming, my eldest brother is Galah dreaming, second brother Karlkula fruit and myself Emu Egg dreaming".
Ammbi Muir (2017) Sculpturesby theSea Ammbi Muir, graduate of the Class of 2017, is currently studying Social W ork at the University of New South W ales. Ammbi, who is from Leonora in Western Australia, is the next generation of Aboriginal artists seeking to explore the scope of their cultural expression by adjusting new practices to tell their stories. Ammbi?s work seeks to develop continual learning about her country and culture through an exploration of her grandmother?s work.
The W alkatjurra Cultural Centre is supporting Ammbi and other artists through a mix of state government Aboriginal Art grants, mining company in-kind support and their own resources, plus working closely with the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of W A. Support for small projects such as these provide funding for innovative and unique art projects across Western Australian art centres.
Ammbi?s grandmother Dolly W alker passed away almost ten years ago leaving behind a wide array of artworks, genealogical family trees, language recordings, family histories and four self-published books ? The Ngalia Collection. Her body of work has communicated ideas, concepts, knowledge and perspective of the old ways that descendants such as Ammbi, can continue to draw influence off ten years after her passing. Dolly was also a fierce
Clay Make Studios in Maylands with Andrea Vinkovic is mentoring Ammbi in ceramics and sculpture design. Her work is currently being exhibited at Sculptures by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach which will run until March 18.
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Barbara-DeneJones(1975) A First f or RFBYC
Barbara-Dene Jones attended St Hilda?s, graduating in 1975. She gained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia and began her working life at a Chartered Accounting firm. She stepped into a role as a retail trainee manager before travelling to Europe. W hen she returned to Perth she worked as an Investment Analyst for Parry Corporation. This was followed by an appointment to Competitive Foods (Hungry Jacks and KFC) before taking a role at the advertising agency Marketforce as an Account Manager.
designers to revolutionise small boat ownership and came up with a low cost craft large enough for one adult and a couple of children to sail yet small enough to fit on top of a family car. Now over 55 years old, more than 70,000 Mirrors have been sold worldwide. Neither Barbara-Dene nor her father knew how to sail, but discovered a love for the sport. Living up the road from the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club gave them both an introduction to the club. Many years on, Barbara-Dene has become Rear Commodore of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and first and only woman in 122 years to hold such a position. She is responsible for all the activities of ?off the beach boats?? Dinghies for Junior and Adult Members.
W ith inspiration from Barbara-Dene?s father David Jones, a local business owner and gathering enough experience along the way, she found herself at the age of 27 as the proprietor of her own city lunch bar which she named Famish and she ran for nearly 2 years.
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club has one of the best training schools in Australia with 11%of Australia's training for sailors happening at the Club. There are terrific courses for women. W omen's Sailing is very popular and you don't have to be a member to participate, although the Club encourages women to join and actively participate.
Barbara-Dene with her entrepreneurial spirit established a clothing manufacturing business ?Aussie Gold?and supplied large quantities of T-Shirts to the tourism and school markets in Western Australia. Some years later, she added to her business portfolio, purchasing a screen printing business and opening two childcare facilities, one of which she still operates in Technology Park, Bentley.
Barbara-Dene has witnessed many changes at the Club: Years ago, there were no female members, and certainly no women were allowed at the bar, except in a segregated area with access through the back door. W ith now over two thousand members at the club, anyone can sail and anyone can be a member. RFBYC won Australian Yacht Club of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and was a finalist again in 2018. Their successful sailing programme for women has contributed to their National success. Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club embraces all of its women members and encourages the women to achieve in exactly the same way as it supports its male members.
Barbara-Dene has had a diverse business career and at the same time been involved in a lot of volunteering: on the committee or board of Zonta, Rotaract, Perth Zoo, Variety Club of W A, Mosman Park Golf Club, Rottnest Festival of Sail and as a Justice of the Peace. From the age of 14 she learnt to sail ?Mirrors?with her father. Mirrors are little plywood dinghies which launched the careers of top sailors. The Daily Mirror signed up 4
LouiseMomber (1997) "Women of Influence" Shared Stories, Shared Lunch In a new lunchtime speaker series ?W omen of Influence?, 2019 Drama Captain Lilly Kelly and Service Captain Shani Chalumuri introduced Old Scholar Louise Momber (1997) Channel Nine News Presenter and Journalist who shared her experiences in media with the Year 7-12 girls. Louise reflected on a similar visit from a journalist when she was at school which together with her inspiring Media teacher Mrs Bull influenced her to chase her passion to work in the industry. After graduating with a degree in Journalism and Public Relations, Louise worked at the West Coast Eagles in the area of Marketing and Events and believes that her position as DeGrey House Captain helped prepare her for aspects in this role. Louise continued her studies in Broadcasting at the West Autralian Academy of Performing Arts (W AAPA) and has been working as a journalist in Radio and Television ever since. During her career Louise has interviewed a range of high profile personalities in different industries and has hosted numerous award and charity events.
SA VE THE DA TE
The girls had an opportunity to ask Louise questions, one of which was "W hat challenges she faced as a woman in the industry", but Louise said she has been fortunate to have good role models and mentors. Today, Louise starts her day very early as she presents on-air for the morning 'Today Perth News'. She balances her work and home life with her husband Rob Scott and two young girls and is still a keen West Coast Eagles supporter.
Champagne Opening Preview
ART SHOW
Friday 10 M ay 5:30pm - 7.30pm
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Lisa Montgomery (Smith 1992) International Women'sDay In celebrating International W omen?s Day, Old Scholar Lisa Montgomery spoke to Year 10 girls and their mothers, sharing her experiences and her path to her current role in Urban Design, working as the Principal of Place at Element.
engineering and environmental issues are a challenge for her, she states that ?It?s not that different to being at school ? I have to work harder at the things that don?t come easily to me.? Connecting with people, finding out what they want and using that information to make places more active and attractive are key components to her role. Lisa concluded her talk in highlighting that differentiating your heart space and inner health verses your headspace and the constant activity in your mind is fundamental in maintaining strong mental health. As a young girl, Lisa suffered anxiety, however, today manages this through daily meditation, exercise and positive self-talk. A wonderful affirmation for the girls in concluding Lisa?s journey and celebrating International W omen?s Day.
Graduating St Hilda?s in 1992, Lisa completed a degree in journalism and discovered a world of opportunities. She moved into the area of community development working as a destination manager in Tourism and later as a communications specialist. This led to her current passion in urban design, a job which was non existent in the early stages of her career. Today, her work brings people together, creating a vision and developing strategies which can be seen across Perth at Yagan Square, Elizabeth Quay and Perth Cultural Centre. She is changing the face of the urban landscape in her work which enriches the city and community life. Addressing a room filled with 15 year olds, Lisa noted that this is ?Generation Z,?a diverse, inclusive and informed generation who have grown up with unprecedented information and technology at their fingertips. ?As a result, you will perhaps be the most savvy and worldly generation of our time, but while you live in a world of fast communication, you value transparency and have the ability to cut through clutter. This is important and it will set you apart.? Leaping out of school and working alongside people of different world views can teach you a lot, however, it is the common threads that can bind us together in a world that never stops changing. Lisa reflected on first 5-7 years of her career as formative, though stressful and that without much life experience was often ?out of her comfort zone.?Despite this, she has and continues to stand by the belief and understanding that ?Change begins at the end of your comfort zone.?This belief was preparation for her great journey over the last 10 years. Lisa believes that creative thinking, developing strategies and plans are all aspects that come naturally and easily to her. Although other components such as managing budgets and resolving technical issues such as traffic
Principal, Fiona Johnston, Lisa Montgomery (Smith 1992) and Chair of Council, Nita Peploe (1988)
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DaphneFoulkes-Taylor (1942) Flying, ShearingandTeaching Daphne Foulkes-Taylor (1942) attended St Hilda?s during W W II. W hen attacks on the Australian mainland broke, the developing concerns for the safety of the students found the Council urgently relocating the School to Bencubbin as part of the air raid protection and evacuation plan.
the first all girls?school to run a female cadet unit in the country. The Australian Army Cadets is a youth development organisation that aims to develop skills in decision-making, leadership, planning, public speaking, resilience and working in a team environment. The Bindoon Training Area used today is located approximately 20 kilometres from where Daphne?s family homestead of ?Carrievale?once stood. Sadly, after Daphne?s father, Cunliffe Foulkes Taylor sold the property in 1975, the homestead was destroyed twenty years later in 1995 when a fire swept through the area.
W ith the events of the war, the student numbers declined and many boarders did not return from the country, choosing to remain with their families. This was the case for Daphne and her twin sister Caroline who returned to Bindoon and took up the hard physical work on the family farm in the absence of many men who had enlisted in the services.
W hen Daphne left the Army, she decided she wanted to continue with further education and enrolled at the Graylands Teacher?s College. W ith the money she had saved in the Army, she bought herself a motorbike and rode to college every day from Scarborough to the campus in Nedlands. Once she received her teaching certificate, she continued onto UW A and obtained a Degree in Primary Teaching.
As much as she enjoyed her time at St Hilda?s, Daphne found herself thrown into shearing sheep, classing wool and even mustering, but her ability to problem solve even at a very young age and think quickly was invaluable on the farm. She recalls a childhood memory of returning home, one afternoon, to find her dog lying on its side frothing at the mouth. One of the workers claimed that it had eaten fox bait and would probably die, but Daphne wanted to save the dog so she grabbed the animal and spun around as fast as she could until she made herself very dizzy. Previously, doing this made her throw up and while her head was spinning this time, she successfully made the dog vomit. The dog remained ?under the weather?for over a week, but survived.
Daphne commenced a long career in education, working at various primary schools, which included Doubleview Primary and Kapinara Primary School in City Beach where she was Deputy Principal and Relief Principal before finally retiring. She reflects fondly back on her teaching days. Years later, Daphne has been recognised by the Perth City Council in 1979 for her work in the local community. Her work in developing a small museum in North Beach resulted in acknowledgement from the Stirling Council, and until only recently, Daphne was involved in the Harvey Shire Historical Society but now spends time documenting her own family?s history.
At 18, Daphne was recruited in the Royal Australian Air Force and proved her ability to process technical aerial photos from reconnaissance flights. These were vital in order for surveyors to make maps of the area. Five years on, she was discharged when peace was declared. It was discovered that Daphne had a very high IQ, and she enlisted in the Army to sit the Instructor?s Course on the use of technical equipment passing with top marks. She became the first female sergeant in Western Australia and remained in the Army for the next 10 years. It is fortuitous that St Hilda?s is
Daphne attributes her longevity to keeping her mind active, eating healthy food, waking early and getting regular exercise. She has recently celebrated her 92nd birthday. 7
Conchita Pang(2005) BehindtheScenes Conchita gr aduated in 2005, and has since embar k ed on an inter national enter tainment car eer , w or k ing as a TV pr esenter , documentar y pr oducer , and now fil m accountant in six differ ent countr ies acr oss the year s. Now based in London, she shar es her per sonal ?behind-the-scenes?.
early. I interned in every aspect of media and entertainment interstate and internationally ? print, radio, film ? until I landed at National Geographic Television while on exchange in America. This is the internship that really opened doors for me.
I blame my father for my career choice. W hen I was 4, he quarantined my Chicken Poxed-self in a room with Mary Poppins on the loop. The only thing I remember from it is wondering how umbrellas made people fly. A year later, he brought me to the cinema for the first time, to watch Jurassic Park. I wondered how an extinct animal could come to life. But, it was The Lord of the Rings trilogy that did me in. I watched each one more than 20 times. My Dad stopped coming with me after the third round. I sat through the entire credits every time, wondering how on earth thousands of people could work on these films. W hat did they do?! Now, I know first-hand.
In short, my educational, personal, and professional experiences abroad spawned opportunity after opportunity. W ithin each, I saw the potential to take advantage to get closer to where I wanted. I have lived and worked in front of and behind the camera in Beijing, Singapore, Bangkok, Santa Barbara, W ashington DC, Adelaide, Sydney, and now London, and have been on shoots underwater, on military bases, and in rural chateaus. The present and future I am currently a 1st Assistant Accountant, which is a mid-level role, and move between film and TV on all sorts of genres, sets, and budgets. Eventually, I would love to become a scripted producer, especially on productions that encourage the inclusion of women and minorities, a movement that is finally gaining some momentum in the industry. I am often one of the only, if not the only Asian woman on a production. Productions I have recently worked on include: Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel and Armie Hammer; Pacific Rim: Uprising starring John Boyega and Scott Eastwood; Patrick Melrose starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Hugo Weaving; Pokemon: Detective Pikachu starring Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith. In addition to my production work, I continue to grow ?Incredible Photo Tours?, a photography tour company I launched with my brother in 2015 when I had a mini career crisis!
Overview of a film crew There are two aspects (business/ creative) and two bases (office/ set) that make a film come together. Numerous departments wrangle specific requirements, working on a mixture of permanent studio sets and live location sets. The office (mainly production and accounting) deal with the ?business?side ? administrative, logistical, and financial tasks that keep a production running smoothly and afloat. The ?creative?set deal with the technical shooting ? makeup, camera, lighting, etc. Much of what happens on set is actually very mechanical, deliberate, and minutely planned. After all, films cost millions to make, and the best way to reduce financial risk is to plan plan plan! The hours can be gruelling ? minimum 60 hours plus a week, including public holidays, weekends, and night shoots, is not uncommon. Film crew are also freelancers, meaning you are only employed as long as the production runs. And yes ? I do get to meet the actors!
Pictured with a fellow film friend and Frank Spotnitz, writer on TheX-Files and producer of TheMan in theHigh Castle. Photocourtesy of Fiona Hanson
How did I break into the industry? Film work is a ?silent?job market, almost all are referrals by internal word of mouth. Nepotism runs high, so if you don?t have friends or family in it already, there?s only one other way: internships. And this is how I got my break. For three years, I worked six consecutive unpaid internships, whilst studying at university overtime and working part-time to fund these endeavours and graduate
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Newsof OldScholars DAVINA BELL (1999) Davina Bell is an Old Scholar from the Class of 1999. Her latest picture book, All the W ays To Be Smart, is a joyful exploration of intelligence in all its forms, and encourages kids to celebrate all the clever things they do that fall outside traditional academic testing. It has sold over 11,000 copies since its release in November last year and has been reprinted multiple times. The book has been shortlisted for the 2019 Indie Book Awards and is soon to be published internationally, with deals in France, Italy, the Netherlands and the US. She recently presented a storytelling session at the Perth Festival.
ALEXANDRA READHEAD (2004) Congratulations to Old Scholar Alexandra Readhead (2004), Advance Mining and Resources Award winner for 2018. Alexandra works with governments of developing countries and was named one of the top 50 most influential individuals in the tax world by the International Tax Review in 2017. Alexandra is an independent advisor on international taxation and the extractive industries. Her work is focused on issues of tax avoidance, and other forms of illicit financial flows, by multinational extractive companies in developing countries. She has authored and co-authored a range of policy reports and guidelines, including the first reference book for tax practitioners on transfer pricing in mining; and directly advised numerous developing country tax authorities, Parliamentary Committees, and regional assemblies, on strengthening legal frameworks against abusive transfer pricing in the mining sector, and has worked with a range of international organisations.
LEIGH MACKAY (1970) Congratulations to Leigh Mackay (1970) who was awarded an OAM in the General Division of the Australia Day 2019 Honours List for service to the Anglican Church of Australia. Leigh Mackay graduated from St Hilda?s in 1970 completed a degree in law, working in private practise and as in-house lawyer in major companies and Victorian statutory authorities (NGV and MFB). She has over ten years? experience in Corporate Governance with two major Victorian statutory authorities, and has extensive experience in finance and audit, risk management and executive and asset management working with the Anglican Diocese for over 6 years. Her professional work and experience in providing high order legal, analytical, strategic and project management advice is drawn from roles in Australian business, government and the not-for-profit sectors. Leigh currently sits on the board for The Lyceum Club, Heritage Council of Victoria and Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT), and is actively consulting with her most 9
Newsof OldScholars ENGAGEMENTS Congr atul ations to: Alexandra Rowell (2002) and Andrew Lane Elise Barrymore (2010) and Harry Pickworth Stephanie Fahie (2012) and Oliver Hughes MARRIAGES Congr atul ations to: Eloise Fardon (2002) and Showhey Matsui Fiona Digney (2002) and Michael Lee Parker Jnr Indi French (2002) and Ben Swan Kitty Hamilton (2002) and Paul Moffatt Crissa Ballios (2007) and Harry Garland BIRTHS
Pictured: Crissa Ballios(2007) and Harry Garland married at the Chapel of St Hilda of Whitby, located at theBay View Campus.
Congr atul ations to: Jacqui Bradley (Rowell, 2004) on the birth of Frederick W illiam Mitford Bradley Rachel Buckley (2002) on the birth of identical twin girls Isla Frances and Vanessa Leone Properzi Emily Riddell (Rooke, 2002) on the birth of Amelia Jane Riddell Elisia Taborsky (Doucas, 2002) on the birth of Alexander Barry Taborsky Rebecca Erceg (Tucker, 2002) on the birth of Briar May Erceg Alexandra Bentley (Pickup, 2002) on the birth of Margaret Rose Bentley Lalin Manado (previously Isabelle O'Sullivan, 2016) on the birth of twin boys Manawanui and Temepara Duke
DEATHS It is w ith gr eat sadness that the School has l ear ned of the passing of the fol l ow ing Ol d Schol ar s. Sabina Dempster (Malcolm, 1964) Audrey Horley (Burt, 1937) Sincere condolences are extended to their family and friends.
STAY CONNECTED AND FOLLOW USON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND LINKEDIN AsOldScholars, you arepart of theSt Hildas'sglobal community. Pleasestay in touch andlearn moreabout scholarships, mentoring, networkingandsocial events. Pleaseforwardyour newsof OldScholarstooldscholars@sthildas.wa.edu.au
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