Pembroke School Foundation
“Pembroke School gave us two wonderful gifts. The first was a top-class education for our three children, and the second was a lifelong group of friends for us and our children. Donating to the Foundation is our way of saying thank you.”
Steve Kinnear OAM and Judy Willoughby – Past Parents
I am delighted to welcome you to the Pembroke School Foundation – Pembroke’s philanthropic arm, dedicated to raising and managing funds with the primary purpose of enhancing the facilities, programs and experiences available to our learners of today and tomorrow.
Like all schools, we rely on our community, and we are a true community school. In our recently launched Strategic Plan 2030, ‘Our Service to Community’ stands proudly as one of four strategic pillars. Within this are several strategic initiatives, one of which focuses entirely on the cultivation of our philanthropic culture. We wish to be a school that is known for giving back and fostering public good through shared values of kindness, respect and service.
Giving at Pembroke has never been more important. Like many independent schools, large capital projects are funded separately to the recurrent operating costs that are recouped through school fees. Therefore, we rely heavily on donations from our community to help fund ambitious projects to realise our dreams.
In this our 50th Anniversary year which also marks the Centenary of King’s College, we can be proud of what the Pembroke School Foundation has achieved, and we have bold plans to deliver the absolute best for our student community – now and into the future.
We will join forces and work together, because as our School Motto imparts, we are indeed stronger together. Philanthropy is a tangible example of what can be achieved through the unity of our community in supporting the precious legacy of a Pembroke education.
Mr Mark Staker Principal
I will never forget my first experience of Pembroke. In 2003, my wife Sandra, our eldest daughter Mia and I arrived for a tour of the School. Walking through the gates, all three of us were immediately struck by a palpable sense of common purpose, calm and dignity. It was a feeling that was difficult to define though clearly evident in the physical environment but, more importantly, in the Pembroke leadership, the staff, the students and their families. Simply put, they seemed to share an agreed and accepted set of values: of high educational standards and achievements; of artistic and sporting prowess; and of service, to each other and to the broader community.
That feeling endured in the time that Mia attended Pembroke and was reflected in every facet of her school life. It was an environment which allowed Mia to become her best self. It set her up for life and, to this day, she is nurtured by the friendships and bonds she forged at Pembroke.
Twenty years later, I was honoured to be invited to join the Pembroke School Foundation Board. You can imagine my delight to rediscover that very same feeling upon walking through the gates. Pembroke lives and breathes the School Motto, Ex Unitate Vires – Out of Unity, Strength.
I am thrilled to now be at the School as a member of staff. I have experienced Pembroke’s culture up close, and I have a strong commitment to the values of kindness and service which our Principal Mark Staker champions so passionately.
Pembroke is a unique education environment but also a unique community. I am looking forward to getting to know you and I hope that you will consider joining me in working to realise the inspirational vision for Pembroke – to continue to provide the very best education for young people today and well into the future.
Thank you for your support of Pembroke and for being a part of our community.
Vincent Ciccarello Director of Development and PhilanthropyThe Pembroke School Foundation was established in 1989 to raise and manage funds in support of initiatives and programs that offer opportunities for our students to develop into knowledgeable, engaged and caring citizens. Since its inception, the Foundation has been generously supported by current and past parents, old scholars, staff, friends and other treasured community members.
Today, the Pembroke Foundation Board provides strategic direction and oversight to a dedicated professional services staff team consisting of Mr Vincent Ciccarello, Director of Development and Philanthropy, Ms Amanda Bourchier, Director of Community Engagement and Indigenous Education, Mrs Catriona Neil-Dwyer, Philanthropy Manager and Mrs Angeline Naylor, Finance Manager.
The Foundation Board currently comprises:
Mrs Julia Steele Scott (Chair since November 2019)
Mr David Minns (past Chair)
Mr Nick Ross
Mr Jason Huang
Mr Ben Wilson
Mr Albert Li
Mr Mark Staker (ex officio)
Our inaugural Foundation Patron is the late
Mrs Margaret Bennett (nee Sellars, 1924–2017), Girton 1939 and Life Member.
Since 2001, community donations to capital works at Pembroke School total an incredible $12M+.
Across the School’s campuses, many buildings bear the legacy of gifts from the community into the Building Fund.
Girton Arts Precinct, Senior School
Shipsters Road Building for Middle School Art, Science, Design and Digital Technology
Old Watulunga Environmental Education Centre
Yellow Submarine Too Café
(a social enterprise for the School and community)
John Moody Dining Room for Boarders and King’s Café for Middle School
Our Scholarships Program continues to flourish and we are immensely grateful to all those who have and continue to support this. We offer several scholarships made possible thanks to philanthropic giving:
Pembroke Community Scholarship for students who are experiencing social or financial disadvantage or adverse personal circumstances.
Margaret Sellars Scholarship for students from primary producing communities seeking to board at Pembroke.
Indulkaninna Foundation Scholarship for boarding students from rural locations, awarded on the basis of need – supported by an old scholar/past parent family.
Scholarship for Love of Learning in the IB for students wishing to study the IB Diploma who would otherwise be unable to access a Pembroke education.
“Being surrounded by like-minded peers and devoted staff motivated me to pursue my passion for film and allowed me to thrive academically in a well-supported environment, guiding me towards my future aspirations. By supporting a student at Pembroke, you are not only giving them the gift of education but providing them with the foundations to excel beyond the unknown.”
– Andrea Rodriguez (2022) – Pembroke Community Scholarship Recipient
“Coming to Pembroke was the best thing that ever happened to me. The education I received was outstanding. I felt supported to achieve to the best of my ability and as a result I have gone on to have an amazing career as a midwife which wouldn’t have been possible without Pembroke.”
– Shai Helyar (2014) – Margaret Sellars Scholarship Recipient
“I was fortunate to attend Pembroke on a scholarship myself and am a big believer in paying things forward. The Pembroke experience gave me a strong foundation for life after school, and many benefits and opportunities. I hope to be able to pass that on to more young people. Giving is an effective way to demonstrate the values that we aim toward.
While financial donations are not the only way to contribute, they are an efficient way to make a strong impact in others’ lives when you’re able to.”
Johnathon Mah, Old Scholar, 2003
It is a privilege to be able to offer hardship bursaries and Principal’s bursaries for Pembroke families who may be experiencing short-term need due to disadvantage, health or financial distress. In recent years, the Foundation has supported grants for families significantly affected by COVID-19 and those who have faced challenging circumstances beyond their control.
Awards and Prizes
Awards and prizes have featured in the work of the Pembroke School Foundation, with many donors drawn to the opportunity to reward hard work and commitment. There are several annually presented awards including the prestigious Ross Family Leadership Medal, the Diana Medlin Award, the John Mayfield Award for IB students and the Margaret Meadows Annual Award for exceptional work in the field of Design and Technology.
Our inaugural Patron, Mrs Margaret Bennett (pictured above right), must be acknowledged for her immense contribution to The Arts at Pembroke. Through her passion and desire to see students’ lives enriched and education rewarded, the School has been able to offer opportunities such as the annual Margaret Bennett Year 12 Art Prizes, the Unreel Film Festival and Generations in Jazz.
The late Neil Balnaves AO (1944-2022), King’s 1962 and Life Member (pictured top right with his wife Diane) left Pembroke an immeasurable legacy, as a generous donor in support of the magnificent Shipsters Road Building.Neil was proud to have both the Atrium – Balnaves Place and The Balnaves Enterprise Hub (Artist in Residence studio) named in recognition of his philanthropic leadership. Additionally, Neil endowed the building with a Robert Klippel sculpture, ‘Opus 722’.
Neil generously loaned acclaimed works by Australian artist Ms Tracey Moffatt AO which were housed in the RA Cook Chapel for almost three years. They have now returned to the Chapel thanks to the gracious gesture of Mrs Diane Balnaves to extend the loan of ‘The Moffatts’ to Pembroke to further educate and inspire.
‘Balnaves2’, a second loaned collection of magnificent works currently in residence in Balnaves Place in the Shipsters Road Building, represents deeply held connections between members of the Balnaves family, the Pembroke School community and Indigenous desert artists. We are deeply grateful to Diane and Neil Balnaves AO for fostering The Arts and bringing our young people on the journey.
Inaugural Foundation Patron, Mrs Margaret Bennett, provided non tax deductible funds in support of Pembroke’s long-running exchange program with Marree Aboriginal School. Her initial seed donation enabled the establishment of Pembroke’s Indigenous Education Program following a tradition of Indigenous education at King’s College and Girton Girls’ School.
Since then, the Indigenous Education at Pembroke (IE@P) program has benefited from a growing number of philanthropic donations both tax deductible and non tax deductible.
This provides funding to help manage educational expense shortfalls for Indigenous students who are typically supported by scholarships offered through the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program in partnership with The Smith Family.
Thanks to a generous anonymous seed gift and a bequest left by the late Mrs Margaret Davey, Girton 1933, the Pembroke Academy has been supported with resources with which to deliver its purpose –to support the professional enrichment of staff.
Today, the Academy facilitates leadership development opportunities, professional learning resources, connections with educational experts and more.
Pembroke welcomes pledged gifts in Will from members of our community and recognises that a bequest can become transformational in helping to support the future of the School.
Pembroke is honoured to have been considered in the Wills of several generous benefactors, resulting in gifts that have allowed us to develop buildings such as Dorothy Yates Hall and the DD Harris Wing of the Boarding House.
Girton teacher Mrs Dorothy Loughead generously bequeathed a property to the School, the sale of which allowed for the establishment of the Principal’s Bursary Fund. This fund supports families experiencing financial challenges. This bequest also contributed to the development of DY Hall.
All known bequestors automatically become members of the Claridge Harris Club, established to celebrate the enormous contributions made to Girton Girls’ School by Dorothy Ward (nee Claridge), Girton 1939 and her family, and to King’s College by DD Harris. The club provides an opportunity for the School to thank members during their lifetime.
“As a family includ ing current students, an old scholar and a staff member, we great ly value the influence that Pembroke School has had on our lives and the greater community. The thought of being able to give something back for future generations so the School can continue to thrive has led us to participate in the bequest program. By deferring the payment of our gift to the end of our lives, we can make a meaningful contribution to the School but without impact ing our cur rent financial commitments to our family whilst they are all at school.”
Pembroke School has bold plans and big dreams which rely heavily on the community’s ongoing support through the Foundation. Our current priorities feature a commitment to providing support for continuous facility and grounds renewal and enhancements including:
• New Junior School playgrounds and covered outdoor learning area
• Classroom upgrades that facilitate learning and caring across the School
• A state-of-the-art Food Technology Centre for Middle School
• Outdoor seating and landscaping for the new Middle School King’s Café
• New Science and STEM laboratories for Senior School
• Renovations to the Senior School Library that enhance our unique pre-tertiary, young adult learning environment
We also have ambitious plans for capital building campaigns that will be designed to benefit all members of our community.
Concept images: A. Yellow Submarine Too Café. B. John Moody redevelopment productive garden and sports court. C. Middle School King’s Café. D. John Moody Dining Room for Boarders.
Pembroke has a number of funds into which donations can be made. All gifts, no matter the size, are gratefully received and we welcome all support.
A tax deductible gift to the Building Fund directly supports the School’s Facilities Master Plan to ensure modern and impactful facilities and buildings are developed.
Donations to the tax deductible Scholarship Fund help to allow deserving young people receive the gift of a Pembroke education.
Indigenous education at Pembroke may be supported by donating to the Scholarship Fund. Gifts help to fund educational expense shortfalls.
Supporting the ongoing resourcing of our libraries through books, information management and other resources, including most recently a reading corner for the Senior School. We welcome tax deductible gifts to this fund.
This fund provides an avenue for supporting those in our community who find themselves in extremely challenging circumstances. Donations to this fund are tax deductible.
Donations are invested in perpetuity to provide a future income stream designed to allow the School to go from strength to strength and take advantage of significant strategic opportunities. Donations to this fund are not tax deductible.
A trust where people can donate money, time and/or expertise to support Pembroke Arts and cultural activities. It aims to provide grants for Arts and cultural special projects in support of activities undertaken by staff, students, old scholars, parents, friends and Artists in Residence. Donations are not tax deductible.
Donations, regular gifts and pledges to all of the aforementioned funds can be made through our website by scanning the QR code below:
The School is a member of the Chapel and York international family of foundations which allows taxpayers in the USA, UK and Hong Kong to make tax efficient donations in their country of residence. To find out more, please visit our website by scanning the QR code below:
We are always delighted to welcome new donors to the giving community at Pembroke.
Donors who contribute $1000+ in gifts are automatically welcomed as Foundation Members. Members enjoy many benefits including invitations to special events and opportunities to participate in the wider School community. Foundation Levels are as follows:
Member: $1,000 or greater, but less than $10,000
Fellow: $10,000 or greater, but less than $50,000
Partner: $50,000 or greater, but less than $100,000
Benefactor: $100,000 or greater, but less than $500,000
Guardian: $500,000 or greater, but less than $1M
Governor: $1M or greater, but less than $2M
Patron: $2M or greater
To contact us, please email development@pembroke.sa.edu.au or call +61 8 8366 7094 for a confidential conversation.
Thank you for your kind consideration as we work in unison to pave the way for current and future generations of learners and leaders.
At Pembroke, we are stronger together.