TheJen PetOG’s rie In my two and a bit years of being at Avondale, four words come to mind to describe Jenifer Petrie’s vibe: calm, orderly, sophisticated and composed. If you are a student, you may have seen her around, in Café Rejuve, her office (located in College hall), or just walking around campus – which would have been a result of a meeting she was either going to or leaving from. On a sunny Thursday afternoon during the January break, I was able to catch her in a quiet moment between meetings to ask her a few questions, get to know her a little more, and get her opinions on a few controversial topics voiced by students.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF? Ok, so my name is Jenifer Petrie; I am married to Kevin Petrie and have two children. One of them is married, is a registered nurse, and is starting their life in Coffs Harbour. I also have a daughter –Dana, a teacher at Ipswich Adventist School in Brisbane. Both children came through Avondale College and loved their experience. It is where they found their vocational calling and cemented themselves spiritually. They both had great Avondale experiences.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PASSIONS/ HOBBIES AND INTERESTS? I am passionate about the hospitality area, getting
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people together. I love the food, having people around the table and providing a wonderful dining experience. I love going out walking with my dogs, sunset strolls along the beach, knitting, interior design and reading when I can get the chance.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE SPOT? I tend
to try places like Trinity Point or Newcastle because it reminds me of the Melbourne vibe. Before coming here, we lived in Melbourne for six years, and I just loved the food and café culture. I find that Newcastle is my Melbourne fix in terms of the food and the cafes.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION HERE AT AVONDALE? My position is
Director of Student Life Services. It is a department set up to support and enrich the students by providing a range of nonacademic services and amenities. So for us, that looks like three threads that come out of student life services. These strands are called ‘life after five’, which incorporates social life, sporting life, and another little pocket called ‘learn to thrive’. This consists of counselling, equity, tutors and our new student mentors program. The entire concept around this is to connect the students to the Avondale community, which leads to connecting to the Avondale
experience. While we recognise that academics are essential, we also realise that it is important to have a life outside of that. We feed into these social hubs that we have created, for example, College hall and the study area outside of the bookstore (which isn’t quite finished – but are working towards it). We are working to develop these student hub spaces, and we encourage students to get together, meet and connect. We wanted to achieve a multi-purpose space to help facilitate that community.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR PREVIOUS POSITIONS? I initially came to
College in 2014 as the girl’s dean, I then came back in 2016 to do that same position, and then in 2017 to be the director of student life services. But before Avondale, I was in the public university sector, working in accommodation and student life, which I was a part of for 17 years. I find that this role is familiar territory.
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST WHILE WORKING AS THE GIRL’S DEAN? I loved
working as the girl’s dean for Ella Boyd; I enjoyed being witness to the student’s transformation. Seeing someone coming in as shy, reserved and not too sure what they are capable of, then seeing them blossom and finding platforms where their voice will be
