Inspired to give

One of the first donors to contribute to the Going for Bold Campaign was the Burdon family. Isabella Burdon attended the school from 2014 to 2017. Below, Isabella and her mother Rachel share their stories and why they were inspired to contribute so generously to the campaign to build the St Margaret’s Sports Precinct and what St Margaret’s means to them.

Isabella Burdon (’17)

At fifteen my family was on the move south, from the Sunny Coast to the Gold Coast, and so it came time for me to choose a new school. I had recently met a Maggies girl, Lucinda Crouch, at national athletics in Townsville and, as if catalysed by the blistering summer heat, we became fast friends. She spoke so highly of her school community and upon hearing about the athletics and netball programs, I was hooked. As a student at St Margaret’s, I soon learned just how unique and special the experience of being a Maggies girl is. As Maggies girls we are all on the same team, working to bring out the best in one another. Here, I felt truly valued for my differences and not judged because of them. It is exactly this culture – so carefully cultivated by the leadership of Ms Curtis and permeated by the kind and engaging staff – which fosters excellence and frees young girls from the pressure to conform which is so pervasive at this age. This is the culture that drove our Maggies team to win world school’s cross-country and the spirit that motivated me throughout my final year of study to finish as proxime accessit to the dux. In my final year, I also had the great pleasure of representing our school spirit as Sports Co-captain with Lucinda. Sport brought me to St Margaret’s, the strong school community supported me throughout my education and, upon graduation, I felt a strong desire to give back to a school that has afforded me so much joy and many incredible opportunities. Fortunately, my graduation coincided with the inauguration of the Going for Bold campaign. I am so excited that my family is playing a part in helping future Maggies girls foster a love of sport and that many generations of students will enjoy these inspiring new spaces where they can be active, competitive and courageous. Thanks to St Margaret’s, my love of sport has stayed with me and exercising is my favourite way to break up big days of study as I approach my end of third year medical exams at the University of Adelaide (MBBS).

Rachel Burdon (Mother)

The final few weeks of school life generate a combination of feelings for students and parents alike. There is joy, relief, pride and trepidation. At the forefront, Andrew and I felt an overriding sense of immense parental gratitude for the pivotal role that St Margaret’s had played in shaping Issy as she embarked on her future quest to receive an offer to study Medicine. At the completion of Year 12, 2017, we arranged to meet Ros Curtis to offer scholarship funds to ensure another young woman could thrive and have their horizons expanded as Issy had experienced. However, there was a more ambitious concept to launch, the Going for Bold campaign. The enthusiastic invitation to contribute to the Sports Precinct was infectious. This monumental proposal would create a legacy for multiple generations of St Margaret’s students, visitors and families. The state of the art features would enable a lifelong connection to health, wellbeing and pursuits of excellence. Ros’s passion, her attention to functional detail and tireless drive to plan big, bold and beautiful filled us with excitement. In less than three years we now see this multi-modality space literally expanding the heart of St Margaret’s infrastructure, education capabilities and our community. The professional and collaborative approach behind this vision was innovative with regular updates and opportunities to attend key events, such as the Turning of the Soil, Hard Hat Tours, the naming wall video links and the Opening Ceremony. This hands on inclusive approach has enabled us to celebrate each milestone and enjoy the many ways that this investment will benefit and enrich so many young multitalented women of the future. We have derived much pleasure in supporting the completion of these incredible facilities that will continue to create capable, compassionate and confident young women who aspire to contribute innovatively and enable our modern world to develop solutions for sustainable progress. Congratulations to the entire St Margaret’s community and partners.