FROM DANCE SPETACULAR

Innovate, Unleash, Inspire

A highlight of the Brigidine year for the school is the Dance Spectacular production held annually in September. This event showcases every class as well as individual and Eisteddfod performances. Our Dance Spectacular highlights a wonderful opportunity for students to experience quality teaching and learning in the performing arts whether as part of their academic course work or as part of our cocurricular program

BALLET

SALSA

SOLOIST CAITLIN WALLEY

CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE

SOLOIST CARMELITA BUAY

News

Make it Happen Girls in Black

Girls in Black is a cocurricular group open to girls interested in learning technical theatre skills and provides backstage and technical support for College productions. The girls learn and practise in the areas of theatrical lighting, sound production and stage management

Whilst 2020 has seen so many of our face to face College events cancelled it has given our Girls in Black more opportunities for involvement than ever before. We have had to be more creative and think outside the box meaning many school events have become live streamed events which in turn has allowed for larger student crews to be involved in each one, and the girls have been able to really put their skills into practice. As a result, the Girls in Black have been learning new skills in filming and live video production, such as multi-camera streaming, lighting for cameras and producing audio for video. They have developed a much needed skill set which could prove to be incredibly useful in the workforce. As this issue of the Bridge goes to print the Girls in Black are now beginning to prepare for the upcoming Year 11 play. It will be the first time they have lived streamed a full-length play. Although traditionally our Girls in Black have been working hard behind the scenes this year they have most definitely been centre stage.

GARETH EDEY MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST

News

Women In English Webinar

With three inspirational panellists, all outstanding women in their field our first ‘Women In’ event was a huge success. The series will continue in 2021. Stay tuned

We are living in a time in which the media, publishing and social landscapes are rapidly changing. Only earlier this year we saw the closure of news outlet AAP after 85 years and other traditional news media sources and publishing houses are also facing unprecedented challenges. An event originally scheduled to be held at the College we were pleased instead to hosts guests and our panellists in a live webinar ‘Women in English’. The webinar aimed at those interested in a career in an English-related field was held on the evening of Tuesday 2 June and was enjoyed by students, parents, English teachers, and mentors alike. Our panel was made up of three inspirational women, Amanda Hooton, Bridget GriffenFoley and Alisa Piper, all outstanding in their fields, to discuss their own careers and the future for careers in writing. They were engaging and shared some great experiences and advice with the audience. The panel was welcomed by Laetitia Richmond, College Principal and Janet Walker, Head of English and questions were posed to them by Year 11 students Tara Thai and Flora Tucker. In collaboration with our Careers Centre and Shelley Cooper, Careers Counsellor, this was the first in a series of faculty based “Women in” events. Look out for the next one in early 2021! We heard from some of our community and they told us: ‘‘Thank you for organising and hosting the “Women in English” webinar last night. It was one of the most entertaining, informative, and best run Zoom Webinars I have attended.’’ ‘It was an interesting, informative and inspiring discussion, providing a unique glimpse into a variety of careers within this subject area.’ ‘That was a fantastic webinar. Very inspiring! I thought the evening went from strength to strength and in the end, found myself taking copious notes’

PIP INMAN ALUMNI / COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR

News

Student Highlights

2021 STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Congratulations to the new Senior Ten Captains and all of our new Year 12 leaders: (left to right) Mia Ferguson, Jennifer Loke, Tara Thai, Sophie Tunks, Stella Hall - Senior Vice Captain, Flora Tucker - College Captain, Georgia Bonadio, Caitlin Fletcher, Emily Ambrogio, and Courtney Wilkinson.

THE NSW SCHOOLAEROBICS STATE FINALS

This year Brigidine entered 15 teams across 6 categories. We achieved 12 medals, an excellent result for all of our girls and their coaches. The results were: Stage 1 Gold Rockstars (Year 8) Stage 1 Bronze Electrify (Year 8) Stage 2 Gold Backstreet Bling (Year 9) Stage 2 Silver Electrify (Year 9) Stage 2 Bronze Intensity (Years 9-11) Stage 3 Silver Brigo Boogie (Year 9) Stage 3 Bronze Pump it up (Year 10) Aerobics Gold Aftershock (Year 12) Aerobics Silver Vivacious (Year 12) Aerobics Bronze Electric (Year 11) Open B Gold mixed (Years 9-11) Open A Gold Fierce Four (Years 9-11)

BRIGIDINE AWARDS

Brigidine College was nominated for two awards this year, The 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards for our involvement with Dignity Dishes and for Letter Writing to the elderly during lockdown. Well done and keep up the good work !

BARISTAS@BRIGO

Wednesday morning at Brigo now brings the aroma of fresh cinnamon donuts, hot chocolate and coffee. For Term 3 as a part of their required service periods the Hospitality students offered an early morning cafe service. Students and teachers preordered online and then picked up their breakfast from the hospitality rooms. Through this simulated cafe environment Hospitality students gained essential industry based skills. While working as a team they liaised with customers, made, packaged and delivered orders to industry standards. Throughout the term we saw the confidence and leadership skills of the girls develop and as an added bonus all our profits were donated to the Year 12 Charity - Feel the Magic. We plan to make the Baristas@Brigo cafe a permanent service and hope that once the College is open up to visitors again so the wider community can also experience the culinary skills of our Hospitality students.

THE DOROTHEA MACKELLAR NATIONAL POETRY AWARDS

Congratulations to Abigail Mills and Alexis Pridgen (Year 9) and Margot Pittman (Year 10) who received Highly Commended awards in the Dorothea Mackellar National Poetry Awards. Commended and Highly Commended awards are difficult to obtain in a competition that receives over 7600 entries a year, so the achievements of our students is very impressive. Brigidine was also only one of nine secondary schools nation-wide to receive a commendation for in the ‘Schools Award’ section. We were thrilled with the number and the quality of entries from Brigidine students this year. All students who entered the competition will receive a Certificate of Participation.

THE MOCK TRIALS

The Mock Trial won Round 3 of the Mock Trial competition against Knox last Term. Courtney Wilkinson, Micaela Mulholland, Katy Prins, Zoe Bellenger, Charlotte Price, Tara Thai (Year 11) and Georgie Bickerton and Genevieve Kelly (Year 10), found it an invaluable experience. Good work girls !

NSW ART GALLERY ART AWARD FINALIST

Congratulations to Alessia Marrocco (Year 9), who has been chosen as a finalist in the Young Archie 2020 competition in the 13 to 15 years category. There were over 1800 entries from Australia and New Zealand and she is one of 10 finalists for her age category. Her Portrait of her father is named “Papa Alf” and will be on exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW until February along side the Archibald Prize.

YEAR 11 HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

Year 11 Hospitality Students started Term 4 early by making lunch for the Brigidine Staff. The girls were privileged to work with the chefs from Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School to design, plan, make and serve a selection of multicultural lunch box treats. The menu included Katsu chicken with egg fried rice bundles, lamb kofta, quinoa tabouli, tzatziki and flat beads or a burrito box featuring a black rice salad, pulled pork and fresh garden salad and guacamole. Each box was served with a diplomate cream and strawberry shot! This community partnership was facilitated by NBBBEN and enabled the girls to get real life skills from local industry experts. The young Brigidine chefs will feature in a video to promote the benefits of studying Vocational courses such as Hospitality in schools.

TILDESLEY TENNIS

Last Term, Brigidine had a team of 15 girls represent the College at the rescheduled Tildesley Tennis Tournament. We had two Year 7 players who played their first Tildesley match, our three Year 12 singles players successfully progressed to Round 2 and Isabella Encina went on to the 3rd round, where she played an excellent match but was not able to overcome her opponent. On Sunday we had 5 doubles pairs take to the court under sunny skies. All our pairings played well and won valuable games towards our overall point score. Our top doubles pairing of Caitlin Fletcher (Year 11) and Isabella Wilson, our Tildesley Captain (Year 12) played some exceptional doubles against pairings from Roseville, Abbotsleigh and Kambala to progress to the 4th round, which is an amazing achievement at Tildesley. In the fourth round they faced a pairing from Meriden. They had their opportunities throughout the match to take games off the Meriden pairing and continued to play some excellent tennis! Well done to all our Tildesley players who were: Isabella Encina, Isabella Wilson, Sally Heffernan, Emily Todd (Year 12), Caitlin Fletcher, Alessandra Re, Sophie Tunks, Jamie Chung (Year 11), Zoe Ellis, Alyssa Parkinson (Year 10), Chloe Nemeth De Bikal (Year 8), Sofia Encina, Emilea Wallis, Olivia Carson and Freya Lugg (Year 7).

UNPLUGGED Congratulations Natalie Theodore and Julia Manias (Year 11) who won the Northern Beaches Composure Unplugged song writing competition recently with one of their original songs. They won $500 and $600 for studio recording time.

OOH LA LA ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA

Congratulations to the Brigidine girls who competed last Term and received: Company Contemporary – First Place, Company Jazz – Second Place. Congratulations also to the Brigidine Eisteddfod Company Troupes. BRIGIDINE’S GOT TALENT Last Term we all laughed and cried when we had the opportunity to witness Brigidine’s amazing raw talent. We had a virtual Brigo’s Got Talent, where the brightest and most talented of our school danced, sang, joked, acted and played. SURFING STAR ZANNAH DIXON Zannah (Year 8) recently competed in two surfing competitions and was selected to represent Sydney North in the NSW High School State Titles in Coffs Harbour. She competed for Brigidine in the U16’s ‘All Stars’ event. Due to the east coast low there were some exciting 2m+ swells. Zannah made it to the Quarter Finals in really tough conditions. CREATIVE WRITING FLASH FICTION

Congratulations to everyone who entered the Creative Writing Flash Fiction competition. The entries were of a high standard and the following students received awards: Senior Section Winner: Isabel Hopping (Year 11) Senior Section Runner-up: Sarah Matthews (Year 11) Senior Section Highly Commended: Micaela Mulholland (Year 11) Junior Section Winner: Poppy Kopelke (Year 7) Junior Section Runner-up: Alex Lawrence (Year 9) Junior Section Highly Commended: Tillie East-Lee (Year 7) Junior Section Highly Commended: Romani Sprigg (Year 8) Junior Section Highly Commended: Summer Woods (Year 7)

TOURNAMENT OF MINDS

This year as a component of the Tournament of Minds, the students were given the challenge of brainstorming a huge discovery which would have implications for both the past, present and future. They had to explain the significance of the discovery, how it was discovered and the discovery itself. Within this, they created props, answered the challenge questions and then acted it out ! Well done to the three teams who competed in the recent Tournament of Minds competition and congratulations to the team ‘Kilty Pleasures’, Lucien Cuda, lara Veidners, Lisa Baker, Taylor Rondeau, Ella Hemens, Molly Fileman and Eva Ossowski, all from Year 10, who received a Merit Award.

(Missing girls from below are Luisa Baker and Ella Hemens)

ASCA SPEECH COMPETITION

Tara Thai (Year 11) was awarded the ASCA National Scholarship at the end of Term 2. Congratulations Tara !

OUR FIRST VIRTUAL CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

We had a good level of participation in what was a very different format to our usual carnivals ! The results of our virtual Cross Country Carnival were 2000m Results: 1. Keeley Holmes (Year 9) Fatima 2, Ella Marks (Year 9) Lourdes 3, Lola Meikle (Year 9) Lourdes 3000m Results: 1. Keeley Holmes (Year 8) Fatima 2, Hannah Thonell (Year 9) Prague 3, Ella Marks (Year 9) Lourdes

MANLY JAZZ FESTIVAL ONLINE

The College was very excited to be invited to perform in the online version of The Manly Jazz Festival this year. We were one of only a small number of schools to submit our performance and this is our 3rd year as part of the Jazz Stars of the Future. Well done everyone involved !

FLORA TUCKER SECOND IN THE PLAIN ENGLISH SPEAKING CCMPITETION

Congratulations to Flora Tucker (Year 11) who placed 2nd in the Plain English Speaking Competition. This year the competition was held over Zoom and Flora presented and prepared an impromptu speech with only 3 minutes to do so. The competition is open to all secondary schools in Sydney, so an impressive result for Flora to achieve 2nd place.

AHIGS (VIRTUAL) FESTIVAL OF SPEECH

The festival has approximately 27 schools attend and students have the opportunity to perform in the areas of drama, debating, poetry, prose readings, current affairs and religious and ethical questions. The Festival is for girls in Years 7-11 and offers an important focal point for skill development, personal expression, teamwork and friendship. Congratulations to the students who represented the College and thank you to Mrs Walker, Mr Rutherford, Mrs Abercrombie, Ms Boyd and Mrs Cimen for their help in preparation. The categories were: Current Affairs: Abigail Mills (Year 9), Alexis Pridgen (Year 9), Chloe Nemeth de Bikal (Year 8) Junior Public Speaking: Alex Lawrence (Year 9) Senior Public Speaking: Flora Tucker (Year 11) Junior Poetry: Summer Woods (Year 7) Senior Poetry: Stella Hall (Year 11) Junior Reading: Lila Barnard (Year 8) Senior Reading: Tara Thai (Year 11) R & E Ella Hemens (Year 10), Lucienne Cuda (Year 10), Lara Veidners (Year 10)

News

Staff Highlights

2020 ANNUAL DINNER AND AWARD PRESENTATION EVENING

Congratulations to our fine teachers, Sherryl Bremner and Chloe Vardy who have both received a World Recognition of Teachers Award by The Teacher’s Guild of New South Wales. Sherryl was acknowledged for making an outstanding contribution to the profession for many years. She has served Brigidine College with distinction, a passionate historian, and has consistently given back to the profession. Sherryl has mentored a number of earlycareer teachers and is always willing to act as a supervisor for preservice teachers. Sherryl is a woman of integrity who has a kind and generous heart, always engaged with the profession, she is a regular presenter at the History Teachers Association conferences, is a Senior HSC Marker and a member of the CSSA examination committee. A worthy recipient of this year’s World Teachers Award, Sherryl inspires and ignites in her students a passion for life-long learning. Chloe Vardy is recognised as an outstanding early-career teacher. Since she started at Brigidine a year ago, and since her first day on the job, she has demonstrated the ability to adapt to the everychanging teaching environment – especially during our remote learning period! Chloe has a passion for her subject area and also works hard to understand how her students learn best and is always open to reflecting on her practice so that she can improve. It is evident that Chloe has the ability to motivate, inspire and encourage her students to aim high and achieve her personal best. She is an excellent role model for our students and we know that she has a very bright career ahead of her.

News

Staff Farewells

FAREWELL NOELA KING

Noela began teaching at Brigidine in Term 4 1988, employed by Sister Anita when the Brigidine Sisters still lived in the Convent and the standard classroom equipment included chalk, overhead projectors and fordigraph worksheets. She finishes her amazing teaching career having embraced how the delivery of education has changed through the inclusion of technology, including remote learning this year via zoom, but recognising that the relationship of the classroom and beyond remains as essential as ever. Through her teaching of English and History, as well as her involvement in cocurricular activities such as Public Speaking, Year 11 Play and musicals, Noela has supported girls to build their confidence and engage their curiosity and desire to learn. Noela’s choice to be a Year 11 Mentor for many years enabled her to work with young women as they transition to being College and community leaders. The girls have benefitted greatly from her passion for the Year 11 ‘Street’ retreat as she was instrumental in the development of a program that could inspire a sense of mission to make a difference in our world. Such is her passion that Noela’s wish in retirement is to continue as a volunteer with some of the groups that the College has made connections with such as Key College, a YOTS school for struggling youth. Noela is a woman of strength and of gentleness and has led her students to understand the importance of this motto in their everyday lives. Whilst the direct teaching connection finishes with retirement, the ongoing community relationship that Noela holds with the College will remain strong. We wish Noela all the best and thank her for her wonderful contributions to the College and the life of her students.

FAREWELL KIEREN VALENTINE

It’s wonderful to honor and acknowledge the commitment and teaching service of Kieren Valentine at Brigidine College. Kieran has worked at the College for 15 years and during this time she has been a valued member of the Visual Arts department. She has taught all Year groups from Year 7 through to Year 12 and was instrumental in establishing and developing the teaching of Photography and Digital Media in Stage 5. Her caring and good humored approach has been greatly appreciated by her Mentor groups, Visual Arts/Design and Technology classes and also Brigidine staff. We thank her for her years of service and wish her well as she embarks on her ‘tree change’ with her family in the beautiful Hunter Valley region.

FAREWELL ANNE-MARIE MITCHELL

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my gratitude to Mrs Anne-Marie Mitchell, a brilliant bilinguist and first-rate educator, who has retired from her position as Head of Languages. Anne-Marie commenced her time at Brigidine College in 1992, initially, as a teacher of LOTE. She has been a French, Italian and Religion teacher as well as a Year Co-ordinator. In 2003, she became the Acting Head of LOTE and was then afforded this role permanently from 2004. For numerous years she organized and ran the most exceptional Food Fair. Together with Jan Whiddon, she ran the Club Women’s Issues and Languages Club as well as volunteering her time to Tournament of Minds. She has inspired generations of students to experience exchange programs and remain committed to their language studies. Even when the trend for languages have had less-uptake in schools, the numbers at the College were significantly high. This is because of her vibrant personality and because she was able to connect with each of her students and execute personalized, inspiring and customized teaching. Anne-Marie has nurtured generations of students through to the end of the rigorous Continuers and Extension courses. Students have commented on the positive impact that languages study at Brigidine has had on their lives and how Italian and French have enriched their perspective on the world. She has also led her staff through immense educational change, recently overseeing the implementation of new syllabuses across the learning continuum. Anne-Marie is also renowned for her European style, always wearing beautiful Italian shoes; her easy and sophisticated style reminds us that Italians have an innate sense of timeless fashion. Anne-Marie truly lived the saying “fare bella figura” (to make a good impression). We will dearly miss her bruschetta, antipasto and tiramisu! We will also miss her warmth, friendship and the kindness she shows to everyone she meets. Whilst it is very hard for us to say arrivederci, we know that she will enjoy being able to devote more time to her beloved grandchild. It is evident from the positive culture of the languages department that Anne-Marie Mitchell leaves her Faculty in a strong position, and we thank her for serving our community with distinction.

Brigidine Alumni Connect

Alumni Connect is the home of Brigidine College St Ives alumni community. We are extremely proud of the almost 7000 young women who have passed through our gate during the College’s 65 year history. With strength and gentleness each of them has gone on to make a difference in an ever-changing world. Our alumni are an integral part of our wider College community. Often alumni choose to enrol their daughters or granddaughters at the College to carry on a tradition started years before. Being part of this community means you can come together, celebrate, and remember your College days. To ensure you receive news of College events and invitations to Reunion Days we encourage you to register on Alumni Connect, where you can make sure the contact details we have for you are up to date. Take a trip down memory lane in the Photo Gallery or read about the Principals who have steered the College through the decades in the Principals Hall of Fame. You can stay in touch with one another and share your stories with us. We love to hear where life has taken you since your graduation!

To register simply go to https:// alumniconnect.org.au/ and enter your details under ‘First time users’. Your ‘Peer year’ is the year you graduated.

From the Alumni and Community Relations Coordinator

Alumni

Welcome to the Alumni section of The Bridge. I hope you enjoy the profile stories we have featured and encourage you to read the Alumni survey results found on page 31

I have been asked before how we find the stories for the alumni section of The Bridge. The heart and soul of them come from the alumni who allow us to share stories about their passions and pursuits, and the purpose they have found in their lives since leaving the College. The theme of the stories is often connected to the skills and values they learned as a Brigo Girl. Skills and values, they have been able to use in a meaningful way as they journey through life often making a difference to others lives along the way. The stories come from every walk of life and each one is unique but what I am most struck by is the passion each one has for their chosen path. Once a Brigo girl walks through the gates of the College for the last time as a student our relationship with them does not end, it simply changes, and they become part of the bigger Alumni community. They are embedded in the history of the College but more importantly they are part of its future too. I hope you enjoy reading the stories we have included in this issue and that they serve as a reminder of the way in which our alumni community is making a difference around the world. In a year where terms like ‘the new normal’, ‘social distancing’, ‘lockdown’ and ‘pandemic’ have become part of our daily conversation’s, now more than ever it is important we choose to live by our school motto “fortiter and suaviter” strength and gentleness. I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and well as 2020 comes to an end and I look forward to meeting many of you in person in the coming year!

PIP INMAN ALUMNI / COMMUNITY RELATIONS

TO THE COMMUNITY FROM KATRINA TUCKER, P&F PRESIDENT

There would be no debating the fact that 2020 has been a year of adapting and being flexible to whatever is thrown at you. One of the distinguishing traits at Brigidine is the importance of the greater community and the opportunity to feel connected and valued. Your Brigo P&F will always strive to maintain and foster the community and we have been working behind the scenes to try and develop events that meet regulations. We soon realised, however, that 2020 was not going to be the year for P&F activities. Rest assured we are looking towards 2021 and where permitted will bring the parent and friend community together. In the meantime if you would like to reach out to the committee we would love to hear from you, either as help with future initiatives or you may have a suggestion, our ears and minds are always open. The P&F sends out our best wishes to the community and strength to tackle the rest of the year with the knowledge that the whole is greater than the parts.

Alumni

Profiles and Vale

Alyce Kassis

ALYCE KASSIS CLASS OF 2016 With a passion for the fashion industry, I knew the career path I wanted to take after graduating from the College

Since then I have travelled, worked in the industry and whilst working I studied at ORANA Fashion Business College. I began by working in retail and interned at various fashion companies covering ecommerce and Public Relations. After interning at The Iconic I became a stylist, shooting with models for the website and assisting on campaign shoots with senior stylists. The Iconic was such a great experience, it gave me an insight into the many elements of the industry from styling and buying, to photography and marketing: a great opportunity to learn and an exciting company to work for. After The Iconic in 2018 I pursued my own venture and opened my own clothing boutique in St Ives, Alyzz K Boutique. We stock a variety of versatile Australian and International brands, both instore and online, including clothing, footwear and accessories for everyday wear as well as for more formal occasions. I love being able to cover all aspects of the industry, I do the buying, marketing, sales and run the social media and online platforms. It has been such a great experience to be running my own business in an industry I am so passionate about. I think my time at Brigidine gave me the confidence to take risks in my career path and to give everything your best shot!

Verity Paton

VERITY PATON, CLASS OF 2008 Verity moved to LA in 2013. She believes her time at Brigidine taught her how to be an independent woman. Since 2015 she has been in a Marketing and Communications role at a K-12 private school in Calabasas. This is her very personal COVID story.

I write this note on day 167 in lockdown, quarantine, isolation, safer-at-home, honestly, I have lost track of what we are calling it. I am in Los Angeles, California. Lockdown started on March 13, 2020. Six long months it has been. I have seen the seasons change and my vocabulary gain words like pivot, mask, zoom-fatigue, and social-distancing. Time has ebbed and flowed, weeks felt like months, others have passed more quickly, and I have thought to myself “oh this week wasn’t terrible”. I am the Marketing and Communications Manager for a large K-12 Private School in Calabasas, and these past months have been some of the hardest of my life. No in-person school is made for an online experience. We had four days to switch on Remote Learning, for what we thought would be two weeks max. Then the numbers grew higher, USA shot to the top of the cases list, and my stomach began to churn in concern. I was forced to get used to my new commute from my bed to my desk, working what felt like all the time, because what else was there to do? Finding a new way to do my daily walk, watching sourdough bread feed as the star on Instagram, and purchasing masks like they were underwear - you can never have enough I kept thinking to myself! Remote Learning soon became Remote Learning 2.0. We were pressured to move the $40,000 (USD) a year education to online for the remainder of the American school year. Another 10 weeks. I felt like the rug had been pulled from beneath my feet. The team worked hard, not wanting to cancel but recreate, it took a toll on all of us. We turned an in-person 400 Gala event, online in just under two weeks. Four locations, 30 media pieces, and my debut as a live stream producer to what I found out later were 3000+ viewers from around the world. We raised over half a million dollars for our families who like many, had come into unforeseen economic hardship. In the months from March to June, I see Los Angeles improve their numbers, things are opening however, the signs that it was safe were not there. Mixed signs from the local government, “it’s safe to eat out, but stay at home only with your household”. “Don’t go outside without a mask, but if you’re exercising, be smart and don’t wear one - we don’t want you to pass out”. Amongst all unknown, was all confusion. Then came that fateful day, the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The horrific

images were angering people who had been in their houses for the last three months angry about the state of the world. People had time, time to reflect, listen, and learn why this image was so wrong. As I turned on the news and watched streets 20 minutes away, cars were on fire, people were smashing through shop fronts, and the national guard was walking down streets like this was WWIII. Many will argue that this was wrong, it was unjust and created an unnecessary scene. Well, for those people, that was the point. For a few days, I felt unsafe, I felt vulnerable as a white woman in Los Angeles, this was the pain that the Black community was fighting against in reaction to, because this is how they feel every day in this country. The more I read, watched, and listened, the more I understood the depth and extent of the racial injustices and inhumane actions towards each other. This moment in history has given me an opportunity to pause, reflect, and work towards an end in racial inequality and white supremacy. So, to end my reflection, I cannot really say I’m yet to have a “happy ending” to COVID. Despite feeling the distance between my family more than ever, we’ve shared joy like watching my niece crawl for the first time, my 97-year-old Oma working out how to answer a facetime on her iPad, to hosting a large family reunion from five different cities on ZOOM. This time has shown me how important it is to connect with your family more often, despite the distance. Since June, the cases in Los Angeles have only got higher. I am now preparing to start a new school year, this time with Remote Learning 3.0. I do not know when I will see the smiling faces of our students in-person again. We have a historic election on our doorstep. I have given up trying to see the end and just take it one day at a time. Everyone’s COVID story is different, I am aware of the disparity in people’s economic and health issues during this time. It will take time for the world to heal from “the COVID era”. I just remind myself every day I am lucky to have a job, my family and friends are well, and ultimately knowing the Los Angeles sun will continue to shine even when there’s darkness.

VALE JULIE ANNE PASCOE (LAMBERT) 20/2/1961 - 31/3/2020

My sister Julie was at Brigidine for only a year and a bit, but in that short time she was able to achieve a high enough HSC mark to qualify for Sydney University, help the school win its first trophy in the 1978 Cardinals Cup tennis competition (Sister Anita was so pleased she gave the whole school a day off to celebrate), and form a friendship group from the Class of 1978 that is still going strong. Julie passed away in March this year during the height of the Sydney Covid-19 lockdown, 15 months after being diagnosed with cancer. Although only 10 people were allowed at the funeral, a lasting memorial by extended family, friends and community and a reminder of her impact on so many lives has been created with hundreds of messages of respect, love and support from all around the world. The memorial site and a short video commemorating her life have helped enormously in navigating the intensity of emotion for both the small group in attendance and for those who would have been there had we not been in lockdown. Julie had a very clear view of who she was and what she stood for. Her philosophy, education and strategic skills served her well in her career, and she was highly respected as marketing director for a multinational organisation, qualified expert witness and company director. Her board portfolio included ASX, unlisted, and not for profit organisations, and she was most recently chair of the health fund rt health. She played tennis up until January this year, with her highest achievement winning the World Masters Doubles in 2013 with Wayne, her husband of 33 years. She played netball until she was 57, in the same team as her daughter Jess from the age of 44. She was on the sideline cheering at almost every AFL game her son James played. She set high goals, expecting the best of people and giving the best of herself. She prioritised family and was a great believer in traditions. Her kitchen bench always had a full jar of home-made cookies and she loved to entertain, especially at Christmas. With many classic sayings like “don’t peak in high school”, “be interested and interesting”, “have a happy resting face”, she loved to be joyful and she was always fun to be around. She lived her best life on the way through and was a huge presence in many lives. The plaque on a bench installed in her name at Spit Park Mosman, a favourite walking spot, sums it up: Millions of steps with a cheerful smile and a warm hello. Julie is sorely missed by her family, her community, and her lifelong Brigo friends. Karen Doyle (Lambert) Class of 1980

If you would like to visit the memorial site or watch the video by her family and friends go to https://remembr.com/julie.pascoe and at https://bit.ly/3jjiV5X

Right: Madeleine Julian

MADELEINE JULIAN (NÉE HILLIER) CLASS OF 2006

Since graduating from Brigo, which seems like yesterday, life has been busy! I took a year off and travelled. I worked in a summer camp for disabled children in the US and then travelled around Europe. I then moved down to Canberra to study a Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in English and Film Studies at the Australian National University. This is where I met my husband Sam. We have been together for 12 years and this March we celebrated our 4-year wedding anniversary. After becoming quite ill in 2009 I was inspired to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. It was a long road, especially as I did not study science after year 10! However, I am proud to say that I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery in 2016. I worked as an intern doctor at St George Hospital in Kogarah. I then moved to Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick to start training in psychiatry medicine which I am absolutely loving. I hope to become a child and adolescent psychiatrist. I gave birth to my first baby, a son, Richard “I have very fond memories of Brigidine. It was such a wonderfully vibrant and welcoming school. I was a part of so many musicals, plays, sporting teams and the self-discipline I learnt with my studies set me up to be able to pursue a degree in postgraduate medicine”.

Hugo Julian on 21/11/2019. He is known as Hugo. I have very fond memories of Brigidine. It was such a wonderfully vibrant and welcoming school. I was a part of so many musicals, plays, sporting teams and the self-discipline I learnt with my studies set me up to be able to pursue a degree in postgraduate medicine. Most of my best friends remain those that I met at Brigidine. I would like to share with you a photo of myself and Bronya Metherall (née FraserHills) Class of 2006. This is us introducing our babies to each other, born just under 2 weeks apart. We remain close friends since high school and we hope our babies grow up to be as close as we have been.

Alumni

Past staff

MAREE FLETCHER MATHS TEACHER AND YEAR 12 COORDINATOR

I left Brigidine at the end of 2016 after 20+ years and moved to Melbourne as the Year 12 Coordinator at Loreto Toorak teaching Mathematics and Positive Education. From there, I began studying a Masters of Positive Psychology at Melbourne University. I will graduate from the MAPP at the end of this year and will miss the joy of sharing a room with impressive academic and passionate practitioners. Recently, I started as a House Pastoral Leader at Star of the Sea College in Brighton with Year 10-12 under my care. Star is part of the Kildare Ministries, and it feels like I have come home in some small way. They tell me there is a staff dance as well, so of course, I am in! Melbourne is a great city and, for the Class of 2015 - I love the number of people from my Brigidine family who catch up when they are in town! My Melbourne friends can’t believe I know so many people, I tell them that is just the Brigidine way.

Issue 1 Correction: Cayleigh Hosking (nee Timm) Class of 2007 On Sunday 17 November 2019, the christening of Sierra Hosking took place in St Brigid’s Chapel. In the photo was former College Principal, John Bowie and his wife Patty who were guests at the event. Correction: Anne Baillie (nee McElhone) was a member of the Class of 1980, not Class of 1989 as previously shown in Issue 1 2020

Alumni

Survey

Did you know our alumni community spans across almost 7000 past students? That is a lot of them to keep in touch with! In June 2020, the College conducted a detailed survey of the community.

The purpose of the survey was for the College to analyse how best to communicate with the alumni community, to review current alumni activities, to understand what being an alumnus of the College means to its members and to encourage the members to update their details with the College. The survey was distributed by email, using the details we have logged for each alumnus on our database. The email provided a link to the survey which contained 16 questions. Responses were completely anonymous unless the alumnus chose to enter her details.

TOP 3 REQUESTS TO STAY INTOUCH

25% CONTACT THROUGH REUNIONS

27% CONTACT THROUGH EMAIL

21% TRHOUGH ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS LIKE

1

FRIENDSHIPS

2

FEELING OF BEING PRIVILEGED

SURVEY RESPONSES BY ALUMNI

49%

ALUMNI DAY ATTENDANCE ALUMNI SPREAD ACROSS 14 COUNTRIES

CONNECTION TO THE ALUMNI 53% STRONG OR SOME CONNECTION

70% OF ALUMNI RECEIVE EITHER A PRINTED OR ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE BRIDGE

26%

BIGGEST RESPONSE TO OUR SURVEY WAS FROM THE 1990-1999 YEAR GROUP

MOST POPULAR CHOICE OF ALUMNI EVENTS THE BRIDGE

35% REUNION AT THE COLLEGE

21% OFF SITE REUNION

21% MOST POPULAR WITH THE 18-24 AND 25-34 AGE GROUPS NETWORKING EVENTS[ [

BREAKFAST SLIGHTLY MORE POPULAR THAN A LUNCH

OVERRIDING MEMORIES OF TIME AT BRIGIDINE

3

FEELING OF SUPPORT

4

THE SCHOOL SPIRIT

5

FUN

HELP FIND “LOST ALUMNI”

The success of our strategies to engage alumni relies on our being able to communicate with you all. We have records for all our alumni but are only in regular contact with a small percentage. Some may have changed jobs or moved to another city or country, and we are no longer able to communicate with them. Every small effort to help us find “lost alumni” goes a long way. If every alumnus we are currently connected to helped us reconnect with only one of the “lost alumni”, suddenly we would be able to reach a far greater percentage. This would have wonderful repercussions in every alumni engagement initiative we run. You can support this effort to reconnect in several ways: make sure we have the most up to date contact details for you and encourage your fellow classmates to update their details with us too. Contact Pip Inman – Alumni and Community Relations Coordinator at alumni@brigidine.nsw.edu.au or on 02 9988 6254.

Archives

New mission, new life, new world

At Brigidine College we are led by our Mission statement, ‘We inspire girls to value learning, to be true to themselves and to honour their spiritual heritage. We challenge young women to act in the world with strength and gentleness’

We are inspired by the pioneer Sisters who through their strength and courage, journeyed abroad never to return home to undertake the glorious labour in God’s name for the religious education of young Australians. In 1881, Bishop Dr James Murray of Maitland, Australia visited Ireland and the Sisters of St Brigid at Mountrath Convent. Concerned for the spiritual welfare of the remote Australian communities, Dr Murray requested the help of the Brigidine Sisters and after much thought, prayer and reflection, six sisters were chosen from the sixteen who volunteered for this mission. Lead by appointed Mother Superior Mary John Synan, her accompanying party were Gertrude Banahan, Stanislaus Hayden, Catherine Bergin, Ignatius Fitzpatrick and Mary de Sales Maher. On 16 April 1883, the Sisters began their journey from Mountrath to London, pausing along the way to visit various churches, convents and monuments. Their last Mass on Irish soil was held at the Convent of the Dominican Sisters at Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) before they boarded a train from Holyhead to Gravesend, opposite the Tilbury Docks. Here they were met with an imposing vessel, the two-masted, iron-built 109 metre Orient Line steamer, SS Chimborazo, which would be their home for the next six weeks. All of the Irish missionaries travelled in first class at a fare of only 47 pound 5 shillings, however conditions were still cramped and uncomfortable. Their luggage squeezed into the small cabins along with statues of Our Lady, St Joseph and St Patrick and the altar requisites. On 19 April 1883, the SS Chimborazo departed for Australia. The Sisters were farewelled and blessed by their Bishop and Vicar-General them on their journey. Mother John Synan wrote in her diary of the voyage that upon the ship’s departure she had never felt more lonely and added: ‘When we had said goodbye, we went to our cabin and had a nice cry. We dined at 6 and indeed we mingled tears with our dinner.’ It is hard to imagine the emotional state of the Sisters who voluntarily chose lifelong exile from their beloved Ireland, the greatest sacrifice they could make to serve God. Aboard the vessel, their dedication to their mission and faith was unwavering. As the conditions allowed, Mass was celebrated each day administered by accompanying clergy, the Rosary was recited daily in their cabins and May devotions were observed. The singing and musical talents of the Sisters were most popular with fellow passengers. The voyage was broken by docks at major ports where the Sisters explored the cities and cathedrals and visited convents. The ship finally arrived in Sydney on 7 June 1883, but the journey was far from over. Travelling by boat to Newcastle, then train to Gunnedah and finally by a horse-drawn cart to Coonamble, the Sisters finally reached their new home on 21 June 1883.

Top right: Image of the Chimborazo ship courtesy State Library of Victoria, H31030, Public Domain. Right: Image of The Australian Brigidine Pioneers

JESSICA MOORE ARCHIVIST

VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE DRAWN BY ZARA PITTIONI

This year has been unique! Thank you to those whose gifts have made it possible for us to provide a Brigidine education to girls whose families are suffering, through loss or hardship, whatever the cause. Many have given to the Scholarship and Bursary Fund in the past. Those funds are helping us to help girls today. If you can help us continue to offer this support please do so. Your gift can be given through the College website and will be greatly appreciated by us all. brigidine.nsw.edu.au/support/annual-giving/

facebook @brigidine.stives instagram @brigidinecollegestives find us on YouTube