The Penrhosian No. 69

No. 69 Winter 2018

Maths Mentor celebrations Successful Maths program celebrates 10 year anniversary

Junior School spreads JOY Pre-Primary students aim to be change-making global citizens

We respectfully acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation as the traditional owners of the land on which we stand and pay our respects to elders past, present and future. Together, we acknowledge the contributions of Aboriginal Australians and nonAboriginal Australians to the education of all children and people in this country we all live in and share together – Australia.

Contents

No. 69

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Welcome from the Principal

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A new era for Penrhos Rowing

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Congratulations to the Class of 2017

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Winter reflections: Rev Claire Pickering

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Maths Mentor turns 10

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Leading the way to Laos

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USA Space Camp and STEM Tour

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Junior School spreads JOY

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Morning tea with the Governor

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Stolen Generation artwork goes global

Winter 2018

Abseiling for Abby

World’s Greatest Shave

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Shaping our cultural identity

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Boarding perspectives

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A Choral Celebration

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From the Foundation President

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Year 6 Street Art Portraits

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Photo gallery: Penrhos College events

COVER PHOTO Genevieve Matthews (2018) from our Learn Strong: Slaying Stereotypes advertising campaign — photo by Joanne Yong TEAM Editors Emma Cornwall and Heather Pearson

Proofreading Judy Fildes

Contributors and Photographers Meg Melville, Emma Cornwall, Heather Pearson, Paula Barrow, Shannon Brunalli

Print and distribution Scott Print Design Joanne Yong

Welcome from the Principal Meg Melville Principal

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elcome to the Winter Edition of The Penrhosian. We are very excited to be launching our new marketing campaign, which will also feature on our refreshed website. You may remember our 2016 Penrhosian Summer Edition and our theme of Unleashing the Red Dragon which was based on the red dragon having always been synonymous with the Penrhos spirit of bravery, intelligence and ambition. Our new campaign focuses on Learn Strong: Slaying Stereotypes. We absolutely love this portrayal of young women challenging gender stereotypes and we hope you do, too. Throughout the pages of the Winter Penrhosian, you will see evidence of how our educational philosophy of engaging mind, heart, body and spirit is realised - by engaging, challenging and exciting our students’ thinking, doing and being; through the phases of their educational journey at Penrhos, we are constantly empowering them through opportunity.

about female and male roles, long before they receive career advice. In the campaign, primary school children aged five to seven were asked to draw a firefighter, surgeon and fighter pilot. Only five of the 66 pictures featured women. The remaining 61 were drawn as men with names like Gary or Simon. When the children were asked to describe their pictures, the children said: “He is big and strong”, “He rescues people”, “He is a brain surgeon”. The children were then given the opportunity to meet these people in real life and were surprised to discover that they were in fact women, named Tamsin, Lauren and Lucy. A great video to watch!

We are working hard to break down the gender stereotyping of girls and young women, but unfortunately the environment into which they venture beyond Penrhos still lags way behind. The whole gender equality debate has nothing to do with capability and everything to do with opportunity.

The Invergowrie Foundation Report, Girls’ Future, Our Future2 stressed that parents, carers, teachers and career advisors should learn to avoid the stereotyping of girls’ interests and abilities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Girls may be steered away from the advanced level mathematics and sciences, where boys of lesser ability may be encouraged to take these subjects, on the false assumption that boys possess natural ability in these subjects and girls will need to work harder.

Gender stereotyping begins early in the lives of young children through their interactions with their parents, caregivers, teachers and the influences of media and marketing. These influences are cultural, not biological.

The Inspiring the Future, Redraw the Balance campaign1 shows us that girls from a very early age are socialised to act in a certain way, which ultimately affects their beliefs

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Australian trends show that unfortunately the bias to which girls may be subjected, be that conscious or unconscious, is impacting on their course selections in Year 10 for senior secondary study, university pathways and ultimately their career pathways.

Women still dominate the lower paid professions of aged-care and child-care, whilst men dominate the higher paid professions, notably STEM. Women are

Welcome from the Principal

“The whole gender equality debate has nothing to do with capability and everything to do with opportunity.”

seriously underrepresented in the STEM workforce; with 75% of the fastest-growing occupations requiring STEMrelated skills, young women will not only be progressively shut out of many of these jobs, but also potentially many of the highest-paid careers, leading to further stratification of the workforce as men continue to dominate these professions. The gender stereotyping and gender pay gap consequences flow through to how women fare at retirement with their superannuation.

So, how do we ensure that our Penrhos students don’t fall into the gender stereotyping mindset? The answer lies in providing diverse opportunities to capitalise on their capabilities, across the performing and creative arts, languages, humanities, STEM, sporting, community service and leadership pursuits in an environment free of gender expectations.

Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, once said, “As you go along your own road in life you will, if you aim high enough, meet resistance… but no matter how tough the opposition may seem, have courage, be strong and persevere.” Ms Albright is a graduate of Wellesley College, a private college founded in 1870 to provide young women with opportunities equal to men. Penrhos College was founded to provide girls and young women with opportunities equal to men, so that they too can take their place in the world beyond Penrhos, in whatever field they choose. I hope you love our Learn Strong: Slaying Stereotypes campaign as much as we do.

Redraw the Balance — Inspiring the Future: www.inspiringthefuture.org.au

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Girls’ Future, Our Future, The Invergowrie Foundation STEM Report: www.invergowrie.org.au

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Congratulations to the Class of 2017 These accomplishments are the result of our girls’ incredible commitment to achieving their academic personal best throughout their senior secondary years of schooling.

The foundations of the students’ learning are established from the very beginning of their Penrhos journey and we are thankful to all those who have directly or indirectly influenced these outcomes.

Our academic staff worked extremely hard with the students both in and out of class, as teachers and

mentors, to enable the girls to reach their highest potential. We know that high expectations are something that all members of our community hold — parents, staff and students. We acknowledge the support of the Year 12 parents in contributing to these excellent results.

2 017 LEAGUE TABLE RANKING of West Australian Certificate of Education (Graduation)

YEAR 12 138 students

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) PATHWAY 19 students

2 017 WACE RESULTS

ATAR PATHWAY 119 students

7 of Vocational Education and Training (VET) students

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10 29 31

Top 50 students in Western Australia

students awarded Certificates of Excellence Top 0.5% of students based on their examination score

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2013

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2015

2016

2017

*ATAR – every student sitting the WACE Examinations is awarded a ranking; the students achieving the highest score being awarded a ranking of 99.95.

students achieved ATAR scores of 99.00+ students attained General Exhibitions

students awarded Certificates of Distinction students awarded Certificates of Merit

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2012

<60 60 – 69.99

>95

70 – 79.99

2 017 ATAR ACHIEVEMENT of 119 students

80 – 89.99

90 – 94.99

Performance of the Year 12 students with an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) who applied for university entrance.

This data is sourced from the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) 2018 University Admissions Qualification Register.

PRINCIPAL’S LIST Congratulations to the following Class of 2017 graduates who attained a place on the Principal’s List for achieving an ATAR of 95 or higher:

2 0 1 7 L E AVE R S ’ S U R VEY Each year we survey our most recent graduates to determine the career paths they have chosen post-Penrhos. This insightful data is used to identify trends and inform planning at the College.

We are pleased to share the results of this year’s survey below.

Anna Adkins

Angelina Lim

Bronte Annear

Sammi Looi

Alex Balsarini

Vanessa Ma

Isla Barlow

Adelle Masters

Ellen Beard

Lauren McGrath

Madelene Booth

Bianca Palm

Holly Boyd

Chelsea Peck

Vocational Training 5%

Amelia Davies-Waddell

Megan Petty

Travelling 1%

Moushami Desai

Kara Phipps

Sophie Drake-Brockman

Kate Pickerill

Olivia Gardiner

Olivia Rimmer

Emily Gordon

Megan Rundle

Hailee Katsamakis

Shreya Samanta

Sally Keeffe

Julia Schwab

Hannah Klein

Amberli Smith

Bethany Knight

Yihe (Alice) Wang

Raneen Kousari

Grace Wholley

Porsha Krajancich

Felicity Wu

Nicola Lachenicht

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2018?

Deferred Study 9% Tertiary Study 80%

Work 4%

WHERE ARE YOU STUDYING?

Deakin University 1% Edith Cowan University 3%

Curtin University 43%

Converse College, USA 1% Charles Sturt University 1% Bond University 1% University of Sydney 1% Whitehouse Institute of Design 1%

RANKED IN WA’S TOP 18 COURSES In 2017, Penrhos was ranked among the top schools in WA in 18 courses, based on the percentage of students whose marks were in the top 15% of all students state-wide

Exchange 1%

Murdoch University 5% University of Notre Dame 14%

University of Western Australia 28% University of Melbourne 1%

Architecture/Design 4 Arts (Languages, History, Politics) 6 Visual or Performing Arts 3 Commerce, Accounting and Economics 14 Marketing and Communications 7 Law 2

WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING?

Education 7 Information Technology 2 Biological/Environmental Sciences 3 Biomedical Science 6 Engineering 6

Health Sciences (Exercise/Sports Science, Human Biology, Nutrition) 11 Medicine and Dentistry 4 Nursing 12 Occupational Therapy 4 Pharmacy 2 Physiotherapy 5 Psychology 3 Science (Physics, Chemistry) 3 Speech Pathology 3 Veterinary Science 2

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Maths Mentor turns 10 Who would have imagined over 100 past and present students turning up to a celebration of maths?

Yet that is exactly what happened on Friday, 29 June when Penrhos College celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Maths Mentor program. Mentors, teachers, alumni and current students came together to mark a decade of Penrhos girls receiving mentorship from talented mathematicians.

Among the guests were four of the original Maths Mentor students: Anna Surla (2011), Clare Belford (2012), Jane Gao (2012) and Alex White (2012). Alex gave an inspirational speech about the challenges she faced after leaving school and how she dealt with them, while Anna spoke of her time as one of the first Maths Mentors.

“The Maths Mentor students are actively encouraged to dream and learn beyond the restrictions of the classroom,” said Mr Peter Chandler, Maths Mentor Coordinator.

“With opportunities ranging from maths competitions to science experiments and real-life lab experiences in workplaces such as the Harry Perkins Institute, the chance to collaborate and learn in such a diverse and engaging environment enables both the Maths Mentor students and their peers to flourish.”

The current Maths Mentor Captains – Huiwen Tan, Klaudia Oey, Vivienne Holt, Libby Arthur and Rebecca Gething – say they have had life-changing experiences because of the program: from

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National Youth forums in maths and science to intriguing biotechnology workshops, career experience in workplaces, and working with younger girls.

The success of the Penrhos program was acknowledged in 2016 when it won the CHOOSEMATHS Award for the Best Maths Mentor Program in Australia.

Anna Surla (known as Bojana Surla while a student at Penrhos), who won a General Exhibition when she graduated, was the inspiration behind the Maths Mentor program.

Anna completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Pharmacology at the University of Western Australia and is now in her final year of medicine. Anna was the first university Maths Mentor here at Penrhos.

“In one way or another, I have been involved with the Maths department at Penrhos since 2008,” said Anna.

“Up to 2011, I was a student. I lived and breathed mathematics.

I had an insatiable desire to learn more than my course allowed and I was lucky to have teachers who accommodated me and made every effort to find things for me to do.

“I have tutored Penrhos girls who have as much passion for mathematics as I did. Each year, I watch Maths Mentor grow and take in more girls than it did the previous year. Each year I keep coming back!

I’m so excited to see what the future of the program holds.”

“I had an insatiable desire to learn more than my course allowed and I was lucky to have teachers who accommodated me and made every effort to find things for me to do.”

Anna Surla (2011) PROGRAM PARTNERS OVER THE YEARS MATHS MENTORS Charlie Woolford, Peter Chandler, David Hunter, Neesha Copley, Christine Lee, Cara Lithgo, Bruce Seymour, Sandra Rowden, Annemarie Moyle, Heather Wotherspoon ACADEMIC EXTENSION Nicci Johnson UNIVERSITY MENTORS Anna Surla (2011), Kyle Chow, Jack Dewsbury, Brooke Krajancich (2013), Rose Belford (2016) HARRY PERKINS INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH Pauline Charman VISITING MATHEMATICIAN Dr Lloyd Dawe

“I believe being involved in Maths Mentor and maths extension classes in Junior School defined my choice of career. It is from these classes that I discovered I love maths and science. Engineering is really the combination of these subjects!” Cassandra Ma (2015)

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“Maths Mentor isn’t just maths. It challenges you and helps you develop team work and communication skills with others. These are things that are super handy in real life. I also formed some great friendships while I was in the program.”

Kristy Lieu (2015)

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1 Our original Maths Mentor students Anna Surla, Jane Gao and Alex White celebrate with Mr Chandler 2 Coordinator of our Maths Mentor program, Mr Peter Chandler 3 Members of the 2018 Maths Mentor program

“If you’re in Maths Mentor, you’re good at maths, and you’re allowed to say it!”

Gillian Rackham (2016) “Maths is amazing! There are so many different avenues to explore using maths and it’s so worth pursuing to see where it can lead you.” Ruhi Shah (2013)

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USA Space Camp and STEM Tour During the Term 1 holiday break, 37 students from Years 10-12 were joined by teachers Mr Nathan Ducker, Mr Peter Chandler, Mrs Shannon Armitage and Mrs Sue Power on the 2018 USA Space Camp and STEM Tour.

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The group toured a number of STEM-related venues including Berkeley University and the Exploratorium in San Francisco; the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC; and NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral. The highlight, however, was a five-day Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

On their travels, the girls also visited Alcatraz, the White House, the Capitol Building, and finished the trip in Florida with a visit to Universal Studios and a Boggy Creek airboat ride. Needless to say, the experience was ‘out of this world’.

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Morning tea with the Governor Penrhos College is proud to be recognised for our comprehensive and integrated STEM program, as well as for its growing leadership and engagement on STEM matters across the education sector.

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1 With Space Camp coordinators in Huntsville, Alabama 2 At the Kennedy Space Centre in front of a piece on the history of space travel 3 Simulating a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station 4 Catching up with Dr Lloyd Dawe whilst on stopover in Sydney 5 Sightseeing the Capitol Building, Washington DC 6 Space Camp graduates 7 Visiting the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida 8 Scuba-diving training at Space Camp 9 Coordinating a mission to Mars

On Friday, 2 March our Junior School and Secondary School STEM students and staff were invited to morning tea and a tour of Government House with the then Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC. The invitation was extended in recognition of Penrhos winning the Governor’s School STEM Awards in both the Primary and Secondary categories late last year – the first school to do so.

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1 Junior School staff and students with the Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC 2 Secondary School staff and students with the Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC

Science Innovation Centre In line with our ongoing and award-winning success in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, we are committed to engaging our students in STEM projects that are designed to pique curiosity and stimulate ideas. Subject to College Council approval, the development of a new Science Innovation Centre will be the next stage of the College Master Plan, following our significant investment in the Creative Arts and Design Centre, our Performing Arts provision in the Rixon Theatre and the enhancement of our facilities in the Fandry Centre for Sporting Excellence.

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This project will be integral to the provision of the first-class teaching and learning facilities we need to ensure we remain at the forefront of STEM, as a nationally recognised priority in education – particularly, in the education of girls. We will provide a versatile and flexible STEM space that is both high-tech and future-proof. We will develop a landmark Science Innovation Centre which is recognised as a beacon for best practice in single-sex STEM education in WA. To find out more about this next exciting project and the many ways in which you can contribute, please contact the Development Office at giving@penrhos.wa.edu.au or (08) 9368 9539.

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Shaping our cultural identity A suite of striking Indigenous artwork, currently hanging in the College’s Colwyn Centre, is helping to shape our cultural identity whilst actively demonstrating our long-term commitment to Reconciliation.

These paintings were created in 1993 by Junior School students working in collaboration with Nyoongar artist Alma Toomath and her husband John. Forming part of the girls’ cultural awareness program, Alma and John developed the activity as an introduction to the Papunya Tula Artists painting style and students chose to paint motifs such as sea creatures and insects.

Prior to their current home, the paintings were in residence in the Junior School Hall for many years.

In 2013, to coincide with the re-opening of the Colwyn Centre, the artworks were framed and repositioned to be featured on the walls of the Colwyn Centre open area.

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The artworks form part of the College’s Art Collection, a growing cultural asset physically woven throughout the College campus. The Collection is readily accessible and can be interacted with daily.

It enhances the school’s physical environment, whilst stimulating minds and contributing to the girls’ learning experiences. Many of the Collection’s pieces have been kindly gifted to the College by our generous supporters.

If you would like to find out more about our Art Collection, or are considering donating, please contact the Development Office at giving@penrhos.wa.edu.au or (08) 9368 9539.

ABOVE:

These paintings were created in 1993 by Junior School students working in collaboration with Nyoongar artist Alma Toomath and her husband John Toomath. Alma and John developed the activity as an introduction to the Papunya Tula Artists painting style and students chose to paint motifs such as sea creatures and insects.

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At the end of June, Penrhos’ choral and orchestral secondary students were part of a massed choral performance that brought 250 students from across three colleges to the stage of Winthrop Hall at the University of Western Australia.

‘A Choral Celebration’ joined the choirs and orchestras of Penrhos College, Wesley College and Aquinas College in a contemporary choral program under the direction of renowned US choral conductor and teacher, Mr Andrew Eisenmann.

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A Choral Celebration A world-renowned conductor is the latest contributor to our Artist-in-Residence Program.

1 Mr Andrew Eisenmann conducts the combined Penrhos, Wesley and Aquinas Colleges Chorale and Orchestra 2 Penrhos soloists perform with the Combined Chorale and Orchestra

The concert was the culmination of a week-long choral residency with Mr Eisenmann at Penrhos.

“To work with a musician as distinguished as Andy Eisenmann was such a privilege for those fortunate enough to perform with him,” said 2018 Captain of Music, Emily-Grace Yuen.

“It was truly incredible to watch him helm three student choirs with just two weeks preparation for the choral extravaganza. It was Andy’s patience and passion for music that ultimately led to the success of the performance.

“Andy has taught us all so much during his short tenure at the College.”

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Year 6 Street Art Portraits

Street art, and stencil art in particular, represents a reintroduction of the ‘recognisable’ and ‘common’ in art. Similar to pop art, it communicates ideas without a specific art-language. Stencil art is emblematic or symbolic and the silhouette style of imagery is recognisable and relatable.

Inspired by traditional pop artist Andy Warhol and contemporary street artists, our Year 6 students created stencil images based on photographs of themselves. They then used digital technology to manipulate the original image to create a stencil. Students used scalpels and their established paper cutting skills to cut out the stencils and then printed them on canvas. The end product — simple, soulful and identifiable.

BELOW:

Street Art stencil images created by Year 6 students

Have you left your mark?

There are still opportunities to have your/your family name featured on a seat in the impressive Rixon Theatre.

• All seats are fitted with an engraved plaque with the chosen wording of the sponsor • All sponsors are recognised on the honour board and enjoy special benefits, including early access ticket booking to College productions To find out more, please contact Development Coordinator Emma Cornwall at giving@penrhos.wa.edu.au for further information.

The Penrhos College Foundation sincerely thanks the following donors, who have taken seat plaques in the Rixon Theatre, since the last edition of The Penrhosian.

• Sandrine Burgess • Penny Wilberforce-Jones

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A new era for Penrhos Rowing At the end of 2017, Penrhos Rowing farewelled their training base of 25 years at Canning Bridge. The squad moved to the Coode Street Boat Shed on the Swan River with brother school, Wesley College.

This season the Penrhos squad of 70 punched well above their weight, competing against other schools with more than twice as many rowers. Our girls put in approximately 250 hours of training over the season, a commitment which paid off in the third and fourth regattas where Penrhos rowers made podium finishes in 11 races â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an outstanding result.

Another very pleasing aspect of the Rowing season was the dedication of our Senior Crews as, unlike in recent years, we registered and raced two Senior 8s in competition.

Highlights of the season included the annual Year 12 Melbourne Rowing Tour in March, giving the senior girls the opportunity to row out of various rowing clubs at Princess Bridge in the heart of Melbourne; the preseason training camp for the entire squad, held at Eaton

in April, to increase fitness and enhance teamwork; and the Head of The River at Champion Lakes followed by the Head of The River Dinner in June.

The Friends of Rowing support group was instrumental in ensuring our girls had every opportunity to succeed.

The group has been running their Annual Rowing Manure Drive since 1989, raising over $300,000 for rowing boats and equipment in that time. With their 30th Drive this year, the team of students and parents prepared and delivered 1200 bags of sheep manure to the Penrhos community, raising over $10,000 to support the Penrhos Rowing program.

It was fantastic to see so many Penrhos families and community members cheering on our squad at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regattas and we look forward to increased success in 2019.

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1 Loving our new home at the South Perth Foreshore 2 That winning feeling at Champion Lakes 3 Winning HOR team - Freshman A Coxed Quad with coach Lauren Ford

4 Support crew 5 Prepping the boats at Champion Lakes 6 Head of the River Send-off in Margaret Way Courtyard 7 Manure drive success!

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Winter reflections

by Rev Claire Pickering Chaplain Stereotyping… does happen. A stereotype is a familiar and shared, over-generalised and over-simplified image or belief about a group of people – spanning nationality, race, religion, politics, class, age, gender, appearance, marital status, sexuality, education and profession.

processing new and unexpected information, and bolstering delusions about self, others and the world.

And stereotyping can become a bias, leading to discrimination, oppression, marginalisation, neglect and mistreatment.

Examples of stereotyping are: Australians are laid-back.

Black people are athletic. Young people are entitled.

Men are more rational. Obese people are gluttons.

Blonds are unintelligent. Single women are lonely. Gays are flamboyant. Gamers are geeks. Lawyers are ruthless.

“When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” Rev Dr James A. Forbes

Frequently, we use stereotypes to make sense of the world — to justify events and current affairs, to explain behaviours and actions, and to differentiate ourselves from others (our groups from other groups). And we use stereotypes to make decisions and respond — to quickly and more easily identify, categorise, predict and react in situations.

Stereotyping… can be challenged. A stereotype collapses when we learn to recognise, question, discuss and reject entrenched images or beliefs about ourselves, others and the world, and confront their possible sources – including the media, political and religious institutions, the workplace, the classroom, social settings, the household and relationships.

However, the danger in stereotyping is that it can become a ready substitute for mindful observation, critical thinking and meaningful action – a convenient shortcut that can reinforce misinformation and an overly simplistic representation of an event, action or identity.

A stereotype can become the reality and truth. “...the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

And a stereotype collapses when we truly realise and inhabit the reality that me and she and he and they are more complex, exceptional and incomparable than any stereotype could suggest. “I am a rare species, not a stereotype.” Ivan E. Coyote

In this way, stereotyping can become a barrier – preventing a person from recognising and

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Looking for opportunities to challenge stereotypes is a shared, pressing and prevalent responsibility — essential for enduring diversity and inclusion. The question is: Are we willing and ready… for the challenge and for change — to deconstruct, discuss, appraise and re-educate — to slay stereotypes?

Leading the way to Laos

by Tanya Lee Art Technician and Laos Tour Group Leader Flying out of Perth last November marked the third time I’ve travelled to Laos as a Penrhos staff member accompanying a group of amazing young women. I love this tour and the ideas behind it. Each time I’ve gone it’s always been as challenging as it is inspiring. It goes from highs to lows and everything in between.

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The Laos Tour is a student-led tour. Our girls are in charge of our food, transport, budget, accommodation and activities.

They learn from their successes and quite often their failures too.

The girls are resilient, hilarious and grow so much as we go along on boats, rafts, trains, tuktuks, bikes and my personal favourite: buses that look so disco, the bus from Priscilla: Queen of the Desert seems drab.

The community project is a major ‘moment’ underpinning the tour and involves us travelling to a few small villages along the Seung River Valley. Our girls are billeted out to different families in a village and work to build some infrastructure that the district desperately needs for its exploding population, such as a new classroom at the high school, a toilet block for the hundreds of students who board there during the week, or a water tank.

We spend close to a week along the Seung River working on the project

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as well as just taking in what it is to live in a small village in Laos; cooking with our families, teaching songs to the children, playing games and giving impromptu English lessons.

The outcomes of the village project are of far greater value than the sum of its parts. It’s also a reason for cultural exchange, friendship and a deeper understanding of one another.

1 Classroom along the Mekong River 2 Play time in the village 3 Working on the project 4 Student accommodation at Seung River high school 5 Beach time Koh Samet

Penrhos students graduate from our school as some of the most empowered young women in the world; they are educated and liberated, well resourced, loved, heard and seen. They have access to platforms that many other young people can only dream about. I believe experiences like the Laos Tour are vital to them understanding the context in which they live and even have the potential to change.

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Junior School spreads JOY As part of Lee Watanabe Crocket’s Global Digital Citizenship Program, our Pre-Primary students have been developing critical thinking and problemsolving skills necessary in the 21st century.

ABOVE:

Pre-Primary students visiting the Juniper Rowethorpe Aged Care Village

Pre-Primary teachers Mrs Amber Chrystal and Ms Jocelyn Field are using the program to help their students develop values with the vision of creating a better world for themselves and for others.

“We believe if we are helping our girls to become global citizens, to be change-makers in the world, and to be leaders in kindness, we need to help them to develop empathy,” said Mrs Chrystal.

Using the program’s Solutions Fluency Model, the students identified a problem they wanted to solve in the community: to ‘help people who need kindness in our world’.

This led to an investigation into who might be in need of kindness. The students came up with the idea of the JOY program to visit the elderly in

the community to spread ‘happiness, love and kindness’. The girls then brainstormed activities that would bring joy to elderly people and set about developing them. The project provided many purposeful writing opportunities such as writing jokes for a Joke Book and ‘happy’ messages for the ‘Happy Jar’.

In May, the students visited Juniper Rowethorpe Aged Care Village in Bentley where they entertained the residents by reciting poetry, singing songs, dancing the waltz, telling jokes from the Joke Book, performing magic tricks and giving out handmade gifts.

The Rowethorpe residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves and all agreed that our girls had achieved their goal: ‘To spread kindness, love, joy and happiness’.

Abseiling for Abby In April this year, Year 4 student Abby Fitzgerald cheered on a team of 12 adventurers abseiling 40 storeys off the QV1 building in Perth, to raise awareness and funds for childhood brain cancer research.

Eight-year-old Abby was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and is due to have further scans before being given the all clear.

Our 2018 Penrhos College head girl Stella McLaughlin and Old Girl Sharni Reidy-Crofts (2013) were among the abseiling team who supported Abby’s fight on the day and raised close to $19,000 toward the cause.

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Sharni Reidy-Crofts (2013), Abby Fitzgerald, Stella McLaughlin

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Stolen Generations artwork goes global Congratulations to our Art/Photomedia Teacher and Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Jess O’Donnell (Johnston 2007), who was part of the John Curtin Gallery team that won the 2018 Museums and Galleries National Award in the Indigenous Project or Keeping Place category.

Mrs O’Donnell’s Skype in the Classroom project, created in partnership with John Curtin Gallery at Curtin University, involved more than 100 virtual field trips to connect over 2,000 students from 19 countries with the story of the Carrolup Collection.

Hidden away in the United States since the 1960s, the Herbert Mayer Collection of Carrolup Artworks features pieces by children of the Stolen Generations based at the Carrolup Settlement near Katanning in the late 1940s-1950s. The Collection was repatriated to Curtin University from Colgate University, New York in 2013.

As the pieces are very fragile and cannot be constantly exhibited, the Skype in the Classroom project enabled the Gallery to share the story of Carrolup and the artworks with thousands of people who would otherwise not have had access to this culturally significant collection.

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1 Skype sessions with students from around the world 2 Mrs O’Donnell with partners from the John Curtin Gallery

World’s Greatest Shave In March, a group of Year 12 students sacrificed their flowing locks to support the Leukaemia Foundation and more specifically, a fellow Year 12 student who is currently battling a recurrence of her cancer after 13 years in remission. Vivienne Holt, Abby Marshall, Stella O’Hara and Genevieve Matthews braved the total head shave and Laura Davenport went for a shorter style.

Abby said, “We all have slightly different reasons but they all revolve around us wanting to raise awareness for cancer, raising money to help families and individuals dealing with cancer and for a friend in our Year group who is fighting cancer as well.” With the support of the Penrhos community, the girls raised $10,152, smashing their target of $8,500.

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Abby Marshall, Stella O’Hara, Genevieve Matthews, Vivienne Holt, Laura Davenport

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A boarding parent’s perspective

by Carlia Nield Mother of Ella-Rose (Year 7 boarder)

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What a fabulous experience it has been to be a mother of a new Year 7 boarder at Penrhos! My daughter, Ella-Rose, moved into her very own room in the beautiful and new Boarding House with 10 other new Year 7s at the start of Term 1 this year.

From the very minute we arrived, we worked out that while the house might well be close to full of girls, it was also most certainly FULL of LOVE! Who could have imagined that boarding in 2018 would be so good, so kind, caring and even personalised?

We loved decorating Ella-Rose’s room together and meeting our specially allocated and gorgeous Big Sisters. Admiring the rooms of our new neighbours was like a real-life ‘House Rules’ tour and in doing so we got to the best bit – meeting our new besties! We couldn’t have hoped for a lovelier group of girls to be part of our boarding cohort and the size of the group has been just right to get to know everyone well, yet always having someone to hang out with.

Ella-Rose has regular reports of super-delicious food and house mothers who wear cool clothes, let you look at the stars before bed and give you a hug as your mum and dad drive away. Not to mention that the school work has opened up a whole other level of engagement, and prep has been quite manageable.

As luck would have it, these lovely boarding girls also happen to have very lovely mothers and fathers!

We’ve managed to numb the pain of having our daughters away from home by getting to know each other at dinner catch-ups, ice cream dates with our

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1 Carlia and Ella-Rose Nield 2 Year 7s with Michele Hay in the Boarding House 3 Year 7 boarders Reegan Marshall, Ella-Rose Nield and Sienna Beeck with Year 7 day girl, Jessica Maitland 4 At the Nield farm

girls and over some hilarious text conversations... nothing like sharing tips regarding tweenage daughters! Mrs Michele Hay, Head of Boarding, was even kind enough to open the Boarding House to our fellow Year 7 day mums for a morning tea and tour. We had a beautiful time showing off our girls’ second home and over the holidays we’ve even had some of our new Penrhos friends out to the farm for a visit.

The first semester has flown by. Good-byes are still a bit hard but the awesomeness of everyday school and boarding life makes the sad bit short-lived, especially as days as a Penrhos girl just keep getting better. I can’t dwell on that for long though, as there are mothers to meet, cafes in South Perth we haven’t been to yet and conversations about this magic our girls are immersed in still to have!

In our Boarding House…

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1 Year 11 girls off to a 90s Disco 2 Boarding parents host Day Girl mums for morning tea 3 Cooking – a favourite pastime 4 Year 7 girls take the ferry to Elizabeth Quay 5 Fun at Adventure World

6 Year 8 girls enjoying morning Tea at David Jones in the City 7 Saturday morning boarders Netball at Fremantle 8 Year 12s hosting the Day Girls 9 Year 9 River Cruise 10 Year 7 girls running a beauty salon

Life as an international boarder Year 11 student Helen Huan, from Jiangsu in China, started boarding at Penrhos in Year 9. Here she describes her experiences as an international boarder: Why did your parents decide to send you to Penrhos?

One of my cousins is currently in the Junior School so my aunt and uncle introduced my family to Penrhos. They told us that Penrhos is an excellent school with great facilities and teachers.

When you first came to Penrhos, were there special challenges you faced as an international boarder?

It was a bit hard at the start being away from my parents and family; I think homesickness was the major challenge I faced. However, everyone in the Boarding House comes from either regional WA or another country so we all come together and look after one another. I still remember my first day of boarding — all the girls and the house mothers were so nice and friendly, they gave me a Boarding House tour and showed me around.

How often do you travel back to China to spend time with your family?

The long flight from Australia to China means I can’t travel back every school holidays. I only travel home once or twice a year, and it’s mainly during Term 2 break or the end-of-year holidays.

What do you feel are the benefits of being an international boarder rather than attending school in your home country?

I think being an international boarder has helped me build my independence. I’ll be honest, if I chose to attend school in my country and stay with my parents, I would never learn to look after myself and make friends with others from diverse backgrounds. It has also helped me with time-management and being more organised.

The benefits of being an international boarder at Penrhos are profound and far-reaching — it has changed me for the better.

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From the Foundation President

by Tony Connors Foundation President

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n preparation for a potential fundraising campaign to support the next exciting phase of the College’s Estates Master Plan, the Foundation approved the College’s request to fund an initial external feasibility study to establish how much we can reasonably expect to raise.

Considerations included both the current economic climate and the fact that there is not yet an established culture of giving here at Penrhos, as already experienced in many other schools — especially boys’ schools. To undertake such feasibility studies is standard practice in the professional fundraising sector, the aim is both to deliver indicators for target-setting and to establish evidence-based context as part of a diligent risk management framework. The results provided us with several important points of reference, which will inform our next stage of planning. We were also pleased to discover that many community members have made, or are intending to make, a provision for the College in their Will. For further information on leaving a bequest to the College, please see the following page.

We continue to work closely with Director of Marketing and Development Paula Barrow and Development Coordinator Emma Cornwall, to establish and grow a

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healthy culture of philanthropy for both the Foundation and the College. You will continue to notice increased reference to giving across events, publications and digital platforms – not only does a first option to give now feature in enrolment packs for new families, but the College’s new website will include an area which is dedicated to the many ways in which our community can support the College, together with a prominent ‘Donate’ button on the main navigation bar.

years of tremendous leadership, professionalism and service in the position of President of the Penrhos Foundation. Sondra will continue to serve the Foundation in the role of Vice-President.

In other news, the Foundation is currently considering supporting various initiatives, including the sponsorship of Art scholarships for Aboriginal day students, to complement the College’s ongoing partnership with Madalah (an organisation which offers bursaries to boarding students from Country WA.), to celebrate the natural talents of our Aboriginal community and to balance the College’s ongoing investment in STEM. We are delighted to have already received expressions of interest from several Perth schools.

Throughout the year, we will continue to revise our Scholarships and Bursaries strategy in line with the needs of our community.

You are warmly encouraged to approach our Board members with any ideas you may have – in particular, we are looking to invigorate dads’ participation in the Menrhos network this year via Alistair Baron and fellow Board member Simon Woods.

Board membership Firstly, I would like to thank Sondra Anderson for her four

I would also like to farewell and thank Tom Esze and Camilla Holt for their expertise and dedication to the Foundation Board over recent years.

We welcome current parents Chris Gee and Simon Woods as Board members for 2018.

Thanks to our donors The Penrhos College Foundation sincerely thanks the following donors, who have generously given to the College since the previous edition of The Penrhosian.

• Danielle & William Harvey • Alan & Susanne Senior Looking ahead Throughout the remaining months of 2018, we will continue to explore and invest in a range of new opportunities and initiatives as we prepare for the major capital campaign which will be

A lasting legacy Our students are incredibly fortunate to benefit from the generosity and support of previous generations of the Penrhos College community.

our primary focus through 2019 and 2020. We are committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to give back in a way that is individually meaningful and we remain evergrateful to you, our generous community, for your ongoing support.

Thanks to all who support us I would like to thank my fellow Board members and Representatives from the College for their contribution and efforts. All give significantly of their personal and business time and I value their expertise.

Meet the Board 2018 Board members • Tony Connors, President • Sondra Anderson, Vice-President • Sally Audeyev • David Wallace • Chris Gee • Alastair Baron • Helen Jones • Simon Woods Representatives from the College who sit on the Foundation Board: • Meg Melville Principal • Stephen Cooper Director Finance & Administration • Paula Barrow Director Marketing & Development • Emma Cornwall Development Coordinator • Karen Ambrose Board Secretary

A bequest is a special way to leave a lasting legacy and support future generations of Penrhosians. Should you choose to make a provision for Penrhos College in your Will, please know that all gifts — ­ regardless of size — leave a lasting impact and create a permanent bond between the donor and the College. We seek to work with our benefactors to ensure we understand your wishes and can direct your gift appropriately.

Bequests can take many different forms, the most common being an unrestricted gift that allows funds to be directed by the College Foundation and Principal to areas of particular need. Alternatively, donors may choose to direct their gift to a particular area of the College or scholarship that has significant meaning to them. Every gift is unique to the donor, and we encourage you to make contact with the Development Office to ensure we understand your wishes, and that your gifts can be used in the way you intend.

By making a bequest to Penrhos, you will be invited to become a member of the Betty Harman Bequest Society; a unique opportunity for those pledging a gift in their Will to be acknowledged in their lifetime and to maintain an active role in the life of the College.

Informing the College of your intentions It is helpful to us if you advise us of your intention to recognise the College in your Will. If you have already made a Will and you wish to leave a gift, you may be able to make a simple change by adding a codicil, which includes Penrhos College as a beneficiary.

Once you have finalised your bequest, we will invite you to join the Betty Harman Bequest Society.

If you have any questions about creating your bequest, please contact our Development Office on: Phone: (08) 9368 9539 Email: giving@penrhos.wa.edu.au Please be assured that all enquiries will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

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Photo gallery: Penrhos College events

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Welcome Sundowner 2 February 2018

1 Our Junior School girls with stilt walkers 2 Trying out the Ergo with Head of Rowing, Keith Reynolds

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Penrhos Auxiliary: Andrea Esze, Carol Unger, Neesha Hanna, Lorella Pruiti-Ciarello, Lesley Unger 4, 5 Face painting fun

6 Our Penrhos community celebrates the start of the school year

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Amanda Young Fair

Star Day

16 March 2018

1 Secondary School girls 2 Junior School girls 3 Our organisers — the Year 12 cohort

10 May 2018 4 Head of Year 12 Jonathan Hunt as ‘Mick Dundee’ with our 2018 Heads of Year as ‘Steve Irwin’

5, 6 Face painting by the Year 11 students 7 Our organisers — the Year 11 cohort

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Photo gallery: Penrhos College events

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High Tea

Junior School Parent Picnic

31 May 2018 1 Tamara Challenor, Rebecca Meyerkort, Penny San Martin, Sharon Szczecinski, Sonia Thomason, Hailee Cook, Dehanne Baron 2 Penrhos College High Tea

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Term 1 and 2, 2018 3 Sally Matthews (Smith 1988), Fiona Schwab (Smith 1985) 4 Alumni organising committee Camilla Holt (Spickett 1990), Amanda Yaksich (Watson 1976), Margot Michailides (Gardner 1978), Helen Carr (1995)

5-7 Photos from Terms 1 and 2 Junior School Picnics

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Mother Daughter Dinner 9 June 2018 1 2

Our Year 12s enjoying the evening Our Year 12s receiving their Alumni welcome gifts from Mrs Melville 3 Dancing the night away 4, 5 Girls with their special guests

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Extraordinary Women

Alumni Memorial Garden A space to honour and remember loved ones

Joanna Hayter AO (1977) Old Girl recognised for life-changing work

From the Alumni President Amanda Yaksich Alumni President

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hat does it mean to be a part of the Penrhos Alumni? For me, it means being within a network of accomplished, capable women, many of whom are life-long friends. It also means being connected to a community to which my two daughters now also belong. I am proud to share this life-long connection with my girls — and I hope that one day in the future, their daughters will be Penrhosians too.

This year, the Penrhos Alumni Committee is honouring Old Girls by creating an Alumni Memorial Garden. This dedicated space will allow family and friends to honour a loved one who is no longer with us. Please read the full story on this special project on the following page.

The Alumni has enjoyed a great start to 2018: we had record numbers turn out for our Shakers and Stirrers networking event with the Wesley Old Boys; our High Tea raised over $4,000 for the Alumni Endeavour Award; our Alumni team of tennis players did Penrhos proud in the Combined Independent Schools’ Tennis Day; and we welcomed the Year 12 girls into our Alumni community at our Mother Daughter Dinner.

The Endeavour Award, presented at the end of each year, was set up by the Alumni to foster community service in our youngest members. It offers a Year 12 student the opportunity to make a difference in the world beyond school. Last year’s winner, Amelia Davies-Waddell, spoke at the High Tea about how her volunteer work was helping the fight against skin cancer in young people.

Applications for this year’s Endeavour Award will be issued to the current Year 12 cohort soon.

I would personally like to thank the many Penrhos Alumni who offer their time to help out at the various functions throughout the year — we couldn’t continue our good work without you.

Don’t forget to keep in touch, whether by email or in person — we love hearing from you!

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Biannual magazine for the Penrhos Alumni community

Extraordinary Women… and a few good men In recognition of the members of our Alumni who studied with us as boys (1952– early 1980s)

Contents

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From the Alumni President

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Alumni Memorial Garden

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Alumni profile: Joanna Hayter AO

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Vale: Dudley Bastian

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Out and About

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Photo gallery: Alumni events

COVER PHOTO The Penrhos Dragon Charm — photo by Shannon Brunalli At the annual Mother Daughter Dinner for the graduating cohort, each Year 12 student is presented with a beautiful silver dragon charm to commemorate their Penrhos journey and to welcome them into the Penrhos Alumni community.

Alumni Memorial Garden A purposeful garden, created and maintained as a place to honour and respect those Alumni who are no longer with us.

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arlier this year the Penrhos Alumni Committee flagged its desire to develop a dedicated space for honouring the College’s deceased students, in the hope it would provide comfort to their family and friends. The Committee has worked tirelessly alongside the College staff to bring this special project to fruition.

“It is a privilege to be collaborating with the Alumni Committee and Grounds Staff team to create this Memorial Garden — an enduring, dedicated and peaceful space where family members and friends are free to come, to wander, to contemplate and to commemorate a loved one who has passed away — a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, a peer, a student,” said Rev Claire Pickering (1996), Penrhos College Chaplain.

A peaceful and serene space, the Garden will feature two water features, seating, and a variety of specifically selected flora which will bloom throughout the year (artist impression featured below).

The Memorial Wall is set to be the cornerstone of the Garden and will provide an opportunity for Alumni family and friends to place an engraved plaque in memory of their loved one.

Located just behind the Chapel vestry, our hope is that the space will provide family members and peer group friends with a place of reflection for many years to come.

“The Committee is so pleased to be involved with this project, which will provide an opportunity for family and friends of our members to

reflect and remember a loved one,” said Amanda Yaksich (Watson 1976), Alumni President To date, we have received very generous support from two Foundation Penrhos families; the Strapp family and the McPherson family. We are seeking further support from our Alumni community to join with us in establishing this legacy development.

If you would like to donate to the Alumni Memorial Garden project, are interested in purchasing a plaque to place on the Memorial Wall or if you would like to find out more, please contact Emma Cornwall, Development Coordinator at giving@penrhos.wa.edu.au or (08) 9368 539.

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Draft landscaping plan of the proposed Alumni Memorial Garden

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National Recognition for Old Girl Humanitarian

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Joanna (second from left) with the Hon. Linda Dessau, first female Governor of Victoria with Joanna’s guests Felicia Yip and Alisha Fernando

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n Australia Day 2018, Penrhos Old Girl Joanna Hayter was appointed an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia Honours List. The award was cited for ‘distinguished service to women in the areas of gender equality and individual rights through leadership and policy development roles, and to the promotion of global health, peace and security’.

happy years as the CEO of the International Women’s Development Agency when she heard the news, so it seemed like the icing on the cake to finish this chapter with this award. Joanna commented that too few women receive Honours and the system is now working harder to ensure these awards truly represent the breadth and diversity of Australian society and the contribution nontraditional leaders make.

Joanna graduated from Penrhos with the Class of 1977 and remains very close to many of her school friends to this day. She told us she was absolutely thrilled to receive this honour, which came at a milestone moment in her professional life. Namely, 30 years in international development and 40 years in the workforce. She had just resigned after seven very

Joanna is now working independently with a mixed portfolio of roles including Victoria’s Ministerial Council on Women’s Equality, company directorships, advisory and lecturing roles on global feminist leadership, public speaking, and her greatest love — inspired by her mother Jane — gardening, for which she is now being paid and is thrilled to have a trade card at last.

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Joanna Hayter AO A snapshot Service to date

Awards and recognition

Chief Executive Officer, International Women’s Development Agency, 2010-2017.

Induction to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, 2016.

Board Director, Australian Council for International Development, 2013-2017.

Board Member, Diaspora Action Australia, 2014-2015.

Senior evaluator, policy adviser, management trainer and communications strategist with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and the United Nations AIDS Program (UNAIDS), 2007-2010.

Named one of Australia’s ‘100 Women of Influence’, Australian Financial Review/Westpac Corporation, 2013.

Recipient, Medal for Service to Vietnam, Ministry of Social Welfare, Hanoi 2000.

Recipient, Donald Groom Fellowship, Japan, 1986

Organisational Development Adviser, Myanmar AntiNarcotics Association, Myanmar 2005-2010.

Project Director, Asia Illicit Drugs Initiative, AusAID 2007-2009.

Country Director, Myanmar (in-country), Burnet Institute, 2004-2006.

Founding Member, Australian Civil Society Coalition on Women, Peace and Security.

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Founding Member, International Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Consortium.

Director, Policy and International Program Development, Australian International Health Institute, 2002-2004.

Country Director, Vietnam (in-country), Save the Children UK, 1998-2000.

Regional Director, Africa Programs, Overseas Service Bureau, 1987-1994.

State Coordinator, People for Nuclear Disarmament, Western Australia, 1980s.

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1 Joanna with Myanmar female parliamentarians linked to the first international mentoring program via International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) 2 Elizabeth Tongne, Joanna, Alice Pollard: Papua New Guinea, Australian and Solomon Islands women leaders 3 Joanna in Cambodia with the women of Banteay Srei discussing feminist economic transition strategy

Former International Coordinator, Pacific Campaign to Disarm the Seas.

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Vale: Dudley Bastian

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It is with great sadness that we inform the community of the passing of much loved Director of Music, Dudley Bastian. Mr Bastian passed away peacefully in April this year.

Mr Bastian was the first Penrhos College Director of Music (1974–1987) and is remembered by many past staff, students and parents.

Recently, the College was the grateful recipient of Mr Bastian’s WRAGG Pipe Organ. Upon gifting the organ to the College, it was moved from Mr Bastian’s home in Mt Lawley to take pride of place on the upper level of the College Chapel.

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The organ was built in 1905 by Edward Wragg, in the United Kingdom for St Anne’s Congregational Church in Nottingham. It was removed in 1969 to storage in London by Mr Bastian and imported to WA from Nottingham in 1972.

Mr Bastian will be remembered very fondly by the past students and staff of Penrhos College, and will be forever connected to the College because of his service and recently, his most generous gift.

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1 Dudley Bastian: Photo courtesy of Erica Lorimer (1984) 2 Directing the Penrhos Orchestra, 1976 3 Directing the Penrhos Choir performing on a hay truck at Walkers’ Farm, Brookton, 1980 4 The WRAGG Pipe Organ gifted by Mr Bastian to the College, located on the upper level of the College Chapel

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Out and About

Alumni members are invited to contribute to The Penrhosian magazine by emailing news items to alumni@penrhos.wa.edu.au. We publish Alumni submissions in good faith, with a view to sharing and celebrating good news.

After many years spent travelling, Linda Bottrell (1978) now owns and runs South Perth Travel opposite Wesley College.

Linda, who has daughters in Years 9 and 11 at Penrhos, says she is looking forward to her 40th reunion later this year.

a finalist in the Women in Wine Awards in the Owner Operator section. Galafrey Wines was established in 1977 by Kim’s late father, Ian Tyrer (1946-2003). The winery is now run by Kim, her mother Linda and Kim’s husband, Nigel Rowe.

Rhonda Riachi (1981), a consultant in health education in the UK, is helping to set up community support groups for people with dementia and family carers in Oxfordshire, focusing on arts activities and well-being. Last year Rhonda had her first article published in a peer-reviewed journal. The article, Person-centred communication in dementia care: a qualitative study of the use of the SPECAL® method by care workers in the UK, is a summary of the Masters research Rhonda completed in 2014 and is available in the Journal of Social Work Practice.

Rhonda is happy to share the article with any researchers or teachers: dx.doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2017.1381948

Dr Kerry Manera (1997), who completed undergraduate and postgraduate psychology degrees at Curtin University, has been living in London for nearly 16 years. Now qualified in the UK as a counselling psychologist, she works both in private practice and for the National Health Service. She is married with an eight-year-old son and says she is “still playing the trumpet!”

Director/producer/arts consultant Sally Richardson (1983) is currently Artistic Director of MAXIMA Circus, based at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, and the performing arts production company, Steamworks Arts. In September, Steamworks is showcasing a new work, Gui Shu, at the 2018 Asia Discovers Asia Meeting in Taipei and is scheduled to premiere the work in 2019 in both Perth and Taiwan. Sally is undertaking arts residencies this year in Iceland and with the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). She is also currently a PhD candidate at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. Sally is on the boards of Community Arts Network WA and the Helpmann Awards, and is a peer assessor for the WA Department of Culture and the Arts, amongst other industry advocacy roles.

After a stint in London, Tracy Davies (1991) has been living in Singapore for the past nine years.

She has two boys, Will (aged nine) and Josh (aged six). She is working as an independent HR consultant and enjoys the travelling opportunities that Asia has to offer.

Kim Tyrer (1995), CEO and owner of Galafrey Wines in Mount Barker, was named in the Australian Top 50 Young Gun Winemakers for 2018.

After recently completing her advanced course in wine assessment, Kim has been invited to be an associate judge at the Wine Show of WA. In 2016 she was

Chloe Gavalas (Christou 2000) and her husband George welcomed their second son, Andrew Mathew Gavalas, on 10 October 2017. Chloe says that big brother Vangeli is smitten!

Catherine Commander (2000), who now lives in Los Angeles, is undertaking a Masters of Fine Arts in Film and Television.

Her thesis, which she is currently preparing for submission, is an anthology of six short films titled Six Degrees of Illumination.

Elaine Bellamy (Miles 2001) retired from her role as Senior Mining Engineer/ Deputy Underground Manager at Telfer Gold Mine in 2014 to become a full-time mum. Her first daughter Sophie was born in June 2014, with younger sister Abigail completing the family in August 2017.

Samantha Squire (Lake 2001) married Andrew Squire in April 2017 on the waterfront in Townsville. Her sister Kim Kennedy (Lake 2004) and fellow classmates Jacinta Wilson and Natalie Churn made up her bridal party, while Chloe Cooper (2001) also travelled to join the celebrations. Samantha and her new husband honeymooned in the USA, a trip which she described as “amazing and great fun”.

In May, Anne Benthien (Venter 2004) welcomed her second son, Thomas, into her family. Anne says her two-and-a-halfyear-old son Jack loves his baby brother and she now has a happy family of four.

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Cinmy Davidoss (Cheung 2005) is delighted to announce the birth of her first child, son Aaron on 5 May 2018.

Emma Reid (2005) works FIFO as an Environmental Advisor at Sunrise Dam Gold Mine near Laverton in WA. She described the photo of her tending an orphaned joey: “I never know what my days in the Goldfields will bring!”

Amy Vitale (Calneggia 2005) married Wesley Old Boy, Stephen Vitale in July 2017. Amy met Stephen at the Year 8 social in 2001 and they have been together since January 2002. They celebrated their wedding in Positano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy with 55 of their closest friends and family, many of whom also went to Penrhos and Wesley. They both have very fond memories and an amazing network of friends from their time at school.

Shannon Whitwell (Golding 2005) and Matt Whitwell got engaged on New Year’s Eve last year and then married on 28 April 2018. Her sister Kelsey Golding (2009) and school friend Emma Sweetman (2005) were both bridesmaids.

Fellow classmates Maddy Thompson (2005) and Sarah Burnell (2005) also attended. After honeymooning in Mauritius and South Africa, Shannon returned to Perth to start a new role at Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation as the Director of Fun on Four (the family recreation area for patients and their families) overseeing operations, staff and aligning activities with children’s care plans.

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i 2009 Penrhos graduate and sister of the bride Kelsey Golding, the mother of the bride Kay Golding and Shannon Whitwell (Golding 2005) ii 2005 graduates Sarah Pownall (Burnell), bridesmaid Emma Malik Sweetman), Shannon Whitwell (Golding) and Maddy Whife (Thompson).

Brodie Thorpe (Stewart 2006) and her husband Sean welcomed their daughter Cassandra Lee Thorpe, who weighed 2.33kg, born on 21 August 2017.

Regan Housley (2007) graduated with a PhD in Psychology from UWA last year.

Her thesis was titled The Objectified Self(ie): Manifestation of internalised sociocultural body ideals via the visual presentation of self on Facebook.

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Old Girl’s star turn Shubshri Kandiah (2012) is currently starring as the lead role of Jasmine in the Perth season of Disney’s Aladdin The Musical. Shubshri also performed the role in Brisbane earlier this year and will tour with the show to Adelaide in 2019. At Penrhos, Shubshri took Music and Drama through to Year 12, and was a member of the Chorale, Jazz Voice Choir and Chamber Choir. She performed in the annual Dramafests and school productions, taking the roles of Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical the Musical. She also played the role of Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, performed by the Year 12 Music students.

Penrhos Dux wins inaugural US scholarship Brooke Krajancich (2013) is the only Australian and one of 49 people worldwide to win an inaugural Knight-Hennessy scholarship to study for five years at Stanford University in the US. The scholarship aims to attract the best young minds and teach them to work across disciplines to solve global problems.

Penrhos College’s 2013 dux, Brooke will pursue a PhD in electrical engineering whilst at Stanford.

Brooke already has a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and mathematics from UWA, and currently works as a research assistant at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Nedlands.

Telisha Norrish (Pallot 2007) describes getting married to Aaron Norrish on a family friend’s farm in Harvey on 22 April last year as “the best day ever!” Three of her bridesmaids were Old Girls and most of the bridal party went to either Penrhos or Aquinas. Last year Telisha and her sisters, Annalyce Pallot (2010) and Shelana Pallot (2014), started a business called XO Boards that delivers gifts of cheese and meat boards.

Jessica Penna (Green 2008) married her husband Bruno Penna in September 2016 and is delighted to share that they recently welcomed their first child, son Lucas Oliver.

Charlotte McDermott (2009) recently opened her own gym called The Functional Living Co. in Queens Park. She and her partner Ben specialise in using gymnastics and resistance training techniques to help people improve their mobility and overall function as well as achieve their fitness/health/lifestyle goals (functionallivingco.com.au).

After graduating from Penrhos, Maddie Phillips (2012) moved back to Vancouver, Canada, where she successfully auditioned for the Acting for Stage Screen program at Capilano University. However, after signing with an agent and being offered acting work, she decided to defer her university course. Maddie now works in film and television in the US and Canada.

Claire Gillam (2014) was selected to participate in the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts’ Hatched Nation Graduate Show 2018. This exhibition of emergent talent in current contemporary art practices ran for two months from May to July.

Rachel Rintoul (2014) gained early entry to Murdoch University and has completed a double degree in Marine Science and Environmental Science, graduating in 2017 with first class Honours. Rachel has been offered a position working off Keppel Island for Fisheries Queensland.

Laura Hicks (2016) is in her second year of studying Early Childhood Education at Curtin University. While on teaching prac at a local primary school last year, Laura discovered that one of the students in her class was the niece of her Year 10 Penrhos drama teacher, who she enjoyed catching up with. “It really just shows that once you are a part of something as lovely and wholesome as the Penrhos community, it sticks with you for life,” she says.

A year after achieving the WACE ATAR award for Italian at Penrhos, Emma Lathbury (2016) took out the top prize

in a competition organised by Perth’s Italian Consulate which asked contestants to make a short video on ‘Why I’m studying Italian’. Emma won a return airfare to Milan and a month’s tuition at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, which she undertook in December 2017. She is now in her second year of a Bachelor of Philosophy degree at UWA majoring in Engineering Science and Italian Studies.

Tayah Crothers (2017) was selected to perform her WACE drama monologue at this year’s Performing Arts Perspectives, held at the Perth Concert Hall in April. The event showcased the top ATAR dance, drama and music students of the previous year.

Now retired following a distinguished career in Education, Carol Carrigan (White 1966) — called ‘Nanu’ by her grandchildren — writes about her family life.

Ava starts school 2018 Ava Carrigan is my granddaughter. She was born on 4 June 2013 in Sydney. She grew up watching older brother Jack, now 7 years old, going to school each day, doing his homework, practising his recorder and starring on the sports field. The beginning of the 2018 school year was Ava’s turn to shine. Over the 2017/18 Christmas school holidays she rose each day and dressed in her school uniform with hat, ready for school, only to be told ‘not today’ but she wore the uniform all day just for practice. The first day finally arrived and her ‘Nanu’ was there to kiss her goodbye and wave her off on this significant and important journey of her life… the beginning of her formal education. Six months have passed and Ava just loves school. She would attend on Saturday and Sunday too if the teachers didn’t need a break. I am proud to be Ava’s ‘Nanu’ and share her love for school and learning. I look back with happiness and affection for my school years when I wore the Penrhos MLC uniform, played sport, laughed with my friends and sat in the sunshine wishing these days would never end.

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Photo gallery: Alumni events

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Shakers and Stirrers

Leaversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Reunion

9 February 2018

1 Class of 1989: Zoe Johnson (Wilson), Shelley Carter (Brooks), Hayley Lawrance, Simone Cornelius-Moor (Moor), Sally Sanderson (Cole), Jodie Davis (Williamson), Jennifer EgertonWarburton (Bignell), Julie Barratt (Brickwood), Danne Reynolds (Walker) 2 Molly Delaney (2011), Sue Hampson (Edwards 1982), Camilla Holt (Spickett 1990), Kristyn Cronin (2008), Natalie Freeman 10

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16 March 2018 3 David Gee, Danne Reynolds (Walker 1989), Mark Strahan, Matt Garmony 4 Mandie Bloomer (Law 1990), Elizabeth McKenzie (Richmond 1990) 5 Felicity Kermode (1984), Ingrid Croall (Harler 1984), Jodie Everett (Wright 1984), Helen Carr (1995)

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6 Georgia Anderson, Annaliese Smith, Jazmin Reid, Shenae Wiles, Gillian Rackham Olivia Park, Harriet Leavesley, Laura Abbott 7 Emily Pal, Jessica McIntyre, Sarah Gee 11 Shakeeta Kumar, Anneka Gee, 8 Lee Bing Tan, Rose Belford, Jacqui Brenton Marlow, Jacqui Lau, Lau, Keely Gardiner, Jenna Chin, Rose Belford Lydia Gardiner, Adelaide Strahan, Lotte Hanlin 12 Tracy Hosking, Montana Nicholls, Lauren Ellis, Tarni 9 Class of 2016 Shalders, Chloe Gilbert 10 Chloe Gilbert, Suzie Polomka, Jessica Lynn, Lara Thomas, Penny Dewar,

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You’re invited: Great Southern Long Table Luncheon You’re invited to a Long Table Luncheon at Mount Barker in WA’s stunning Great Southern region. Whether you live locally or fancy a girls’ weekend away, this is a Penrhos Alumni gettogether not to be missed!

Join Principal Meg Melville for a sumptuous three-course Long Table Luncheon in the beautiful surrounds of one of Mount Barker’s most awarded wineries, Galafrey Wines.

The Alumni has partnered with two prominent local Old Girls to create a memorable weekend: Kim Tyrer (1995), owner/operator of Galafrey Winery; and Sally Pullin (Hillam 1987), owner/operator of the awardwinning boutique hotel, The Beach House at Bayside.

THE LUNCHEON When: 12.30pm on Saturday,15 September 2018 Where: Galafrey Wines, 432 Quangellup Road, Mount Barker Cost: $65 (includes 3-course meal and drink on arrival) Book tickets online: penrhos.wa.edu.au/book-tickets Please note that we are seeking 30 confirmed guests to ensure the viability of this event. For further information or if you have any queries, please contact Shannon Brunalli on (08) 9368 9539 or alumni@penrhos. wa.edu.au.

GETTING TO GALAFREY Group transport to and from Galafrey Wines will be arranged for guests of the Beach House, and those Alumni based in Albany who wish to utilise this service.

STAY Alumni travelling to the Great Southern for this event are invited to stay at The Beach House at Bayside, Boutique Hotel (33 Barry Court, Bayside Links, Albany).

Old Girl Sally Pullin (Hillam) has generously offered a significant saving to Alumni by applying the Corporate Rate. Simply state ‘Penrhos Alumni’ when booking rooms for this weekend to access this offer. Please book directly with the hotel on (08) 9844 8844 or www.thebeachhouseatbayside.com.au

Upcoming Reunions — Save the date!

Decade reunions are a fantastic opportunity to take a walk down memory lane, rekindle old friendships and catch up with your Penrhos peers. 2018 reunion details are as follows: Class of 1968 – 50 Year Reunion Friday, 10 August Colwyn Centre, Penrhos College Coordinator: Karen Goddard (King) Class of 1988 – 30 Year Reunion Saturday, 11 August Llew Woodford Function Centre, Penrhos College Coordinator: Rabia Siddique Class of 2008 – 10 Year Reunion Friday, 12 October Colwyn Centre, Penrhos College Coordinators: April McCarrey & Adelaide Kohler

Class of 1978 – 40 Year Reunion Saturday, 13 October Colwyn Centre, Penrhos College Coordinators: Louise Webster & Ann Harrison (Boddington) Class of 1998 – 20 Year Reunion Saturday, 3 November Raffles Hotel, Riverside Room Coordinators: Sarah Klahn-Jolley (Klahn) & Maya Kraj-Krajewski Please send any reunion queries to Heather Pearson at alumni@penrhos. wa.edu.au or (08) 9368 9539.

CALLING ALL GOLFERS! The Alumni are looking for keen golfers to represent Penrhos at the Combined Independent Girls’ Schools Annual Golf Day, to be held at the Royal Perth Golf Club on Monday, 8 October 2018.

If you’re interested in joining our team, please contact Pat Tamminga on 0421 187 660.

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