PLANNING an ANNIVERSARY
Celebration
Wendy Johnston Director of Marketing and Communications
This is a story about the celebrations we planned to have (and how we planned them); however, much like weddings in the time of Coronavirus, our celebrations have been duly diminished in size or have disappeared entirely from the calendar. Nevertheless, it is still an exciting time in the life of the school to look back at all that has been achieved and pause to celebrate those who have made it what it is – from its founders, to the teachers, parents and students who have passed through the school’s gates – how they have added to its rich fabric and how our past students in particular are living their lives after a St Margaret’s education. One of the first and earliest considerations we had to make was to whether to commit to a 125-year anniversary book, what form that book should take and who should write it. We gathered up a considerable sample of recent school history books which examined the past through many different lenses – from a predominance of historical facts, to celebrations of people, to a blend of both. Some were very text heavy, others more like coffee table books. Their production expense would have varied widely. The challenge was how to tell our story, appropriately, without spending an inappropriate amount of money, but ensure it was worthy of the 125-year milestone as well as being readable and not relegated to a tomb of dusty history volumes. It also had to be achieved in timeframe we had given ourselves – not ungenerous, but the economics and time constraints of offshore printing meant we had little luxury to ponder the matter for too long. The key was in the word itself: ‘story’. The stroke of brilliance came from the Principal Ros Curtis when she put forward her suggestion for our storyteller – prominent journalist and writer Madonna King – and the rest, as they say, was history – our history, told in an engaging and highly readable fashion. We chose UQP as our publishers – not just for a commercially appropriate considerations, but as well-respected Queensland publishers we believed it would add weight to our very worthwhile story and our meetings with them had been considerate and respectful of our thoughts and wishes while bringing the benefit of their vast experience to the table.
SUNATA
Madonna was given access to a wide variety of people to interview and historic publications to view. Our archivist Bronwyn Perry was key to giving Madonna a window into the school’s history. The editor, Joanne Holliman, worked well with Ros, Bronwyn and I in choosing photographs, debating grammar, and selecting quotes and captions. The manuscript was pored over about six or seven times each by us all before the print button was finally hit.
In the meantime, we had earnestly begun to plan how we could celebrate 2020. Much like the book, our focus was on getting the right balance. 125 years is a significant celebration but it’s not a centenary or sesquicentennial. Schools are busy places with already crammed calendars; how much more celebrating can a community commit to we asked? We formed a committee that crossed over our major stakeholder groups, including the primary and secondary schools, Parents and Friends’ Association, current and past staff, and Old Girls’ Association (OGA). With invaluable assistance from Media Officer Pru Reed, who has a wealth of events experience, we listed the events we hold annually and possible additional 125-year celebrations. Our preference was to have only a few additional events and flavour, where appropriate, the usual annual events with a 125-year celebratory theme; in fact, leverage the celebrations to maximise engagement over this time, trusting that sentimentality may prompt a few more people to reconnect with the school. The other consideration was how to brand and market the occasion. Our graphic designer, Pam Smiles, produced a suite of logos from which to choose and we also produced a small selection of branded merchandise. Again, the theme here was all about balance. We thought it inappropriate to aim for higher-end merchandise, instead selecting moderately priced items that would be accessible to all should they choose to purchase a memento. The final selections were a 125-year badge, teddy bear, boxed stemless wine glasses and mugs, a set of four coasters with historical images, a tie, and of course the book – the most expensive item at $55 each. We ordered modestly as well, not wanting to be left hawking 125-year souvenirs when we are 127 years old!
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We also elected to construct a microsite to promote the celebrations, sell the merchandise, have a dedicated historic gallery of images and also as a vehicle for our Notables project. In 2014, the OGA launched the project with the first 25 notables. The school took up the challenge with the ambition of naming 125 notables by the end of the 125-year celebrations. Halfway through the year and we are on track to have the 125 notable profiles on the website by the end of August. Again, Pru Reed’s work compiling the profiles must be acknowledged here. The criterion was straightforward: Old Girls who have had great success in their lives and careers and are inspirational role models to the current generation of St Margaret’s students and wider community. We also wanted to ensure that their success was by the standards of the era in which they lived. The next consideration is whether these profiles remain just on the website or we find some appropriate space in the school to frame each notables story as ongoing inspiration to the student body.
