SHARING OUR COMMUNITY

A lifetime of service in nursing | Josephine Lannan ('49)

Miss Josephine (Jo) Lannan OAM (’49) knew she wanted to be a nurse from the minute she left school in 1949. “My father tried to talk me out of it,” she says. “He thought it wouldn’t be suitable, and suggested physiotherapy instead. But I won out, and did nursing.” And so began a remarkable career in nursing. Jo trained in midwifery with the Sisters of St Joseph at St Margaret’s Hospital, Darlinghurst; worked in general nursing at Royal North Shore Hospital; completed a Diploma of Nursing Administration; and was for many years responsible for training young nurses. She continued to care for patients until, after 40 years, arthritis forced her retirement. Even in retirement, the doctors wanted Jo back! So she returned to Royal North Shore as a volunteer at the Pain Clinic for a further ten years.

“I had a passion for easing pain,” she says. It was this passion, and Jo’s unstinting dedication to nursing, that led to her being awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for Service to Nursing in the 1992 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Jo remembers the day she received the medal.

We had the ceremony at Government House, with the Governor and his wife. It was a lovely ceremony, and a very special day.

In retirement, Jo has not slowed down, working as a guide on the HMB Endeavour, and raising money for disadvantaged children as a member of the VIEW Club (Voice, Interests and Education of Women). While it is more than 70 years since she was at Loreto Kirribilli, Jo remembers her school days fondly. “We were taught to be ladies,” she says. “You had to leave the room to use your handkerchief. We had an Italian singing master, and an elocution teacher, we wore hats and gloves, and we had to walk in a ‘crocodile’ up to the railway station.

We didn’t have any of those things they do now - swimming, and drama, and catering, and travelling overseas! We studied geography, history, arithmetic, and art - my worst subject! We played cricket and basketball at lunchtime.

“I remember one of the nuns who taught us, Mother Consiglio, was leaving to go down to the convent in Toorak. I had to hurry back from riding school to say goodbye. We kept in touch, and she would write to us whenever she needed anything, like a pen, or eau de cologne, or an alarm clock, and my mother would send it down.”

Jo keeps up to date with the life of the school through Spirit magazine, and has returned to the school for afternoon teas. She still keeps in touch with her old school friends, meeting twice a year for lunch.

“Oh, my life’s not very interesting,” says Jo modestly. On the contrary, Miss Josephine Lannan OAM (’49) is a shining example of a Loreto Kirribilli student making a positive difference in the world, and exemplifying Mother Gonzaga Barry’s ideal of the “wise, loving, well-educated woman.”

Sharing our Community

OLYMPIC FEVER | Tara Rigney ('17)

The entire Loreto Kirribilli community was buzzing with excitement during the Tokyo Olympic Games this year as ex-student Tara Rigney (’17) rowed for Australia in the 2000m Women’s Double Scull. Tara and her teammate Amanda Bateman qualified for the semi-final, crossing the line in 5th place to reach the B-Final and compete for world rankings 7 to 12.

With great anticipation from our remote locations, the school community watched on to see Tara and Amanda inch their way into the lead in the last stretch of the race to win convincingly, earning the ranking of 7th in the world, an amazing achievement. Tara Rigney attended Loreto Kirribilli from Kindergarten to Year 12, making her mark as Captain of the Junior School, and excelling at sport including netball, athletics, cross country as well as rowing. (Pictured above in 2016 rowing for Loreto Kirribilli with Sophie De Angelis ('17)).

Following her graduation from Loreto Kirribilli in 2017, Tara was selected for the Under 23 National Rowing Team in 2019, racing in the Women’s Pair that finished 10th in the world. Domestically, she won the Under 23 Women’s Pair at Nationals, while in 2020 she won the Under 23 Women’s Single Scull title at the NSW State Championships.

When the Australian Olympic Committee announced the Australian Olympic rowing team in June, Tara was selected to race in the Women’s Double Scull alongside Amanda Bateman. Now ranked 7th in the world, these young rowers clearly have a great future ahead of them.

The Loreto Kirribilli community sends Tara, her teammates and coaches our heartiest congratulations!

Sharing our Community

kicking goals in ACT | HOLLY CASPERS ('17)

Talented midfielder, winger and forward Holly Caspers ('17) is kicking goals this year, signing to the A-League team Canberra United for the upcoming soccer season.

Holly’s journey to the A-League began when she was five years old, playing soccer with the boys from her pre-school for the Marrickville Red Devils. In her senior years at Loreto Kirribilli she played for Northbridge FC and represented the school in soccer at NSW All Schools and National School Girls competitions.

“During the winter season I was also in the Loreto cross country and Athletics team,” she recalls. “The trainings definitely helped my soccer with fitness and sprint trainings.”

Holly then went on to play for Sydney University in the National Premier League while studying Commerce at the same time. Having finished her degree this year, she now works full time at a marketing agency, working remotely from Canberra. Her training sessions are keeping her very busy. “We usually do three morning gym sessions and four afternoon trainings per week, plus game day on the weekend. I am fortunate my work is really supportive and have given me flexibility with my hours to work around the football commitments!”

Holly says she misses her Loreto Kirribilli school days. "I miss seeing my friends every day and being in classes with them - at uni, I knew only a few people in a lecture of over 200 people. My favourite memory would have to be Year 12 and the enthusiasm of my year group given everything would be “our last” - last Music Festival, last Athletics Carnival etc.”

Holly’s advice for young Kirribilli footballers today?

There are a lot of great things that come along with playing football, but the biggest one for me would be the resilience that soccer has taught me, not just in the sport but in life. Things like starting on the bench or having an “off " you can turn around and use as incentive to train harder. Even injuries - the year long journey of my ACL rehab really tested my resilience. So my advice would be to keep going even when things don’t seem to be going your way. It’s super cliched, but I really do believe that everything happens for a reason.

Sharing our Community

Captain of Boats Harvard University | Sophie de Angelis ('17)

Sophie de Angelis (’17) was recently appointed Captain of Boats at Harvard University – the latest milestone in a rowing journey that began with her rowing days at Loreto Kirribilli.

After the Australian National Rowing Championships in 2016, when the Loreto Kirribilli Schoolgirl Four (4+) comprising Sophie, Tara Rigney (Tokyo 2020 Olympian), Lucy Lennon, Olivia Jackson, and Charlotte Shackley (cox) won gold, Sophie was then on the radar of a few American colleges.

“Coaches from Harvard and Yale contacted me, and I began the recruitment process. I had to sit the SATs in Year 12, and I was lucky enough to be admitted with a recommendation from the Harvard-Radcliffe Rowing coaches.” She has since been appointed Harvard Captain of Boats for the 2021-22 season.

On top of her rowing schedule, Sophie is studying a Bachelor of Arts, with a Major in Psychology and a Minor in Italian. After graduation, Sophie hopes to study Medicine in Sydney. “I am not sure what specialty I will pursue, but I am keeping an open mind. It has always been a dream of mine to volunteer for Médecins Sans Frontières, which I will hopefully be able to pursue later down the line.”

Sophie was influenced to take up rowing after watching two of her older brothers row for St. Ignatius’ College, Riverview. “I always enjoyed watching my brothers compete at the Gold Cup Regattas and Head of the River. I wanted to experience that same team camaraderie, so I started rowing at the end of Year 7.” The friendships I made through rowing at Loreto are lifelong, and the opportunities for learning and growth are something I will forever be grateful for. I was lucky to be supported by amazing coaches, who helped me develop and excel in many ways - both in and out of the boatshed. I am thankful for their ongoing support - in particular, the support of Locky Allen. I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to return to Loreto Kirribilli as a rowing coach in 2020, and to be able to pass on some of the wisdom that was shared with me during my time at Loreto Kirribilli Rowing.

We wish Sophie all the best for her endeavours and look forward to seeing her back in Sydney.