l o o h c S a oK row Council By Helen Carmody, Principal
Julie Catanach – Outstanding Service to Korowa Julie has been associated with Korowa since 2005, when she and her husband, David, enrolled their daughters: Amelia (Class of 2016) in Year 1 and Annabel (Class of 2019) in our Early Learning Centre. Since then, Julie has worked tirelessly for the good of the School. She has always recognised the benefits of a strong community, and this has been central to her desire to enhance connection at Korowa. She has been Class Representative a number of times, building connections between parents in her daughters’ year levels and welcoming new parents to the School. Julie was a great contributor to the Korowa Parents’ Association; she became its President in 2012 and retired from the KPA Committee in 2017 as Vice-President.
As Julie said: “I saw serving on the School Council as an opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to our daughters and our family. I also saw it as an opportunity to contribute to Korowa’s ability to provide diverse and innovative educational opportunities for girls well into the future, honouring those in the past whose generosity had afforded the same opportunities for my own daughters.” The School gratefully acknowledges Julie’s years of service and commitment. I have enjoyed a close working relationship with Julie and she has been a tremendous support to me in my five years at Korowa. She has truly lived up to our School motto: “No reward without effort”.
Julie and David have been generous benefactors and, as a result of their philanthropic support, they are Associate Fellows of the Korowa Foundation. They have also generously donated many items from Catanach’s Jewellers to be auctioned at events such as the Korowa Parents’ Association Balls. Both Amelia and Annabel became involved in rowing. Julie and David, true to form, became very committed parents in Korowa Friends of Rowing, giving enormous support over seven years. In 2015 and 2016, Julie was Junior Rowing Co-ordinator; David was Logistics Officer for seven years. Catanach’s Jewellers also generously contributed to the introduction of a Rowing Medallion, presented to all Year 12 rowers. In honour of their enormous contribution, the School named a quad The Catanach Family. Julie was invited to join the School Council in 2013 and became Deputy Chair in 2019. She not only brought her financial and management acumen, but also her passion for Korowa and her strong belief in the benefits of girls’ education. She chaired the Audit and Risk Committee and was a member of the Leadership Committee that was involved in my appointment as principal. Julie became a Director of the School to contribute her knowledge and skill to ensuring that Korowa remained at the forefront of educational practice. 17
Richard Tan – Farewell 2020 was Richard Tan’s last year as a Director on the Korowa School Council. Richard commenced as Director in 2018 and has been a significant contributor to School Council’s strategy and planning for the future development of Korowa. Richard’s experience as a Project Architect and Project Manager was particularly helpful during the development of the new Sports and Wellbeing Centre. The School and wider Korowa community are very grateful to have had someone of his calibre serve on our School Council. Richard will continue in his role as a valued member of Korowa School Council’s Building Committee.
