Stories of Howqua

Memories from our alumnae

Howqua’s impact is long-reaching, with many Howquarians and past staff providing us with an insight into varied memories that remain crystal clear today, and how their experiences shaped who they are.

“It was the relationships formed with the other girls that have really stayed with me over the past 28 years. I remember nights spent in Fitz-Gibbon House singing renditions of the classic 90s ballad by Mr Big, ‘To be with you’… However, the real memories that stay with me from Howqua are the memories of achievement and the sense of pride in completing all that was thrown at me that year. It was an unforgettable experience that I will hold dear to my heart forever.”

“When I boarded the bus to head home for the last time, I thought I would be saying goodbye to Howqua forever, but the fresh air and the country seeped into me without realising it and set me on a path to be a teacher and a future teacher at Howqua. Teaching Howqua girls from 2017-2019 have been highlights of my time teaching so far and allowed me to complete more challenging hikes, ski tours and runs than I remembered as a student! Seeing the top of Cobbler in snow on day one of the six-day and completing 40 river crossings in the heat by day six, skiing to the summit of Mt Bogong and running two mountain summits in the final fitness challenge are my outdoor highlights. But nights in my house by the fire with friends (both when I was a student and then again as staff - the small stuff stays the same) are what I miss most about my time at Howqua.”

“My time at Howqua was incredibly rewarding. I remember the fun and laughter first and foremost. Lifelong friendships were made over Milos by fire! The abundance of challenging activities forced me to expand my comfort zone while fostering resilience and perseverance. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience life at Howqua.”

“My best friend to this day was from sharing a bunk bed for the year together. Before then we didn’t know each other well. It is amazing how Howqua brought me such a lifelong friend.”

“When asked why I chose to send my two girls to Lauriston, I get quite passionate about the incredible life skills Howqua teaches us. Where else do you have the opportunity to really challenge yourself, physically, emotionally and mentally multiple times a day, experience success and failure and ultimately achieve incredible personal growth and learning through these challenges all at the age of 15?

I firmly believe that what Howqua taught me, was to love a challenge and embrace opportunity, and this has shaped my career so far. It is amazing what limitations your own mind can place on you, and it is enlightening when you can understand those limitations and break free of them. This is something that is integral to Howqua, challenging your fixed mindset of not being able to hike up a mountain, or pitch a tent, or my personal one was that I wasn’t a runner, until I was made to run almost every day at Howqua!”

“I have so many happy memories from my time at Howqua. I attended Howqua in the first semester of 1996 when there were only four Houses, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that special experience. Some of my favourite memories include hiking the Cross Cut Saw, canoeing on Lake Eildon, swimming at the beautiful Running Creek, early morning runs around the ring road, and the crisp frosty mornings when on our way to the dining hall. Before my time at Howqua, I had never been hiking before, but now, a group of us who were at Howqua still go hiking and it’s one of my favourite ways to escape city life.”

“It was only a couple of months into 2004 – my identical twin Jasmine and I decided it would be funny to swap Houses for the weekly House meeting, to see if the teachers would notice. Earlier that week, Jasmine was caught speaking to another student on her 24-hour solo (in her defence, she was positioned so closely to this other student that they could see each other!), and unknown to us this was going to be addressed at the Arthur Rob House meeting that afternoon. The teachers came in, and we both went through the meetings completely unrecognised – we had pulled it off! Until I (disguised as Jasmine) was pulled aside by the Arthur Rob tutor to address the minor 24-hour solo infringement. The punishment was to go to the kitchen immediately and help the chef to clean the 50 oily pesto jars from that week’s hike. Clearly, I was not going to take the punishment for Jasmine. So, I came clean about the prank… and Jasmine cleaned the jars!”

“In the summer of 2006-2007 the Campus was surrounded by fires — all buildings survived, though much damage was done to many of the running tracks and the water supply along the Weir Track. There were [firefighting] helicopters drawing water from the reservoir, firefighters and fire trucks on campus and earthmoving equipment based on The Flat.”