CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS COMMENCE CENTENarY BOOK LAUNCH

The School was a hive of activity on Saturday 20 February as more than 200 staff, students, Old Girls and distinguished guests flocked to the Chapel gardens for the first official event of St Mary’s 100th birthday celebrations, the launch of the School’s Centenary book, A Place to Grow. Guests perused stalls adorned with a variety of tempting Centenary-themed items, including stunning silver bangles, scented candles, skipping ropes and cuddly ‘Tom’ teddy bears, before they excitedly filed into the Lady Wardle Performing Arts Centre for the main event, a Q&A with respected Western Australian historian and A Place to Grow author, Richard Offen. Principal, Mrs Judith Tudball, welcomed attendees and commended the efforts of Richard and his team of editorial colleagues: “Our Centenary book, A Place to Grow, is not simply a timeline of St Mary’s history. It captures the essence of St Mary’s, which was and continues to be built on community, service and Anglican faith. It truly acknowledges the thousands of students, staff and families who have shaped the School’s spirit and culture.” Guided by thoughtful questions from Old Girl and journalist, Karalee Katsambanis (Tilvern ’90), who donned her eye-catching leavers jumper for the occasion, the author regaled the audience with a variety of intriguing facts and entertaining tales that he had unearthed while writing A Place to Grow. Following the Q&A, guests returned to the Chapel gardens to enjoy afternoon tea and exchange their favourite memories of St Mary’s.

2021 BiShOP rilEY mEmOrial LECTURE

More than 700 people gathered in Hearn Hall on 23 June for the 2021 Bishop Riley Memorial Lecture, which was generously sponsored by the St Mary’s Foundation and headlined by 2019 Australian of the Year and Star of Courage recipient, Dr Craig Challen SC OAM, one of six cave divers who helped evacuate 13 members of a junior boys soccer team, who became trapped inside Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave in 2018. St Mary’s Centenary Composer-in-Residence, Paul Jarman, set the tone for the event by conducting the Senior School Orchestra and Choir in a moving rendition of his commissioned orchestral item, The Cave of the Sleeping Lady, which was inspired by the 2018 cave rescue. Following the musical performance, Dr Challen had the already fascinated audience in the palm of his hand as he stepped them through every facet of the delicate rescue operation and shared the lessons he learned from that life-changing experience.

CENTENarY muSiC CELEBRATION

Having already forced the postponement of the highly anticipated Evening of Eminence, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to claim another of St Mary’s commemorative events, the Centenary Music Celebration. However, to everybody’s relief, the show went on and a capacity audience enjoyed an inspiring evening of music in the Lady Wardle Performing Arts

Centre on 4 May.

The concert sought to showcase St Mary’s incredible musical talents while highlighting the evolution of the School’s music program, which began in 1921 with only piano and singing lessons. Fittingly, the show opened with a performance by the Centenary

Concert Band, comprising students from Years 9 to 12 and several Old Girls.

The remainder of the evening featured impressive presentations by an array of Senior

Ensembles, including the Senior Concert Band, Voices, Hi Fidelity, Big Band, Senior

Strings, Hale St Mary’s Wind Ensemble, Hale St Mary’s Camerata, and Hale St Mary’s

Symphony Orchestra.

Attendees were also treated to a moving solo performance by Year 12 clarinettist,

Sarah Bond, who executed Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet Movement 1 with aplomb. The

School’s brilliant production team also kept the audience engaged during breaks, taking them on a visual journey through the School’s storied history.

The evening culminated in a stirring rendition of Handel’s Zadok the Priest, which was performed by a combined orchestra and choir. The piece, which has been performed at every British Monarch’s coronation since its composition in 1727, was selected to celebrate the St Mary’s community’s love of and commitment to music throughout the past 100 years.