Myalla OFFICI A L JOUR N A L
MAY 2022 Issue #289
PE R T H COLLEGE OLD GIR L S ' A S S OCI AT I ON
Celebrating 120 years
of the navy blue with Joy (Cowper) Palmer (1940) leading four generations at Perth College
Featuring THE K ANGAROO ROUTE
Sally-Anne Vincent (1989) SWEET SIXTEEN
Heather (Courthope) Drexel (1956) REFLECTIONS OF AN OLD GIRL
Fiona (Marks) Wilkie (1986)
FROM THE EDITOR
Pivot, plod, patience. I've always liked the Albert Einstein quote: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” But if it’s true, then surely that means we're all geniuses. If the pandemic's taught us one thing, it’s the ability to pivot. (Isn’t that the catchword these days!) Living in Melbourne as I do, and the US prior to that, I've seen the pandemic up close and way too personal. I’ve moved countries, home schooled, worked from home, isolated and quarantined. And now it seems, after sitting pretty for so long, it’s Perth’s turn to pivot, with thousands of COVID-19 cases each day. This means masks, social distancing, sanitation, isolation and the big one: cancelation! All those fun things, including many OGA events, that are now online or on the back burner. But how good are we, not just as Old Girls, or sandgropers, or even Aussies, but humanity! Largely speaking, we've all adapted, exercised patience, shown resilience, and just done the right thing. I see this as a sweet silver lining to a terrible time and I salute us all in coping quite well and just plodding along. To help that journey, I hope you love this Myalla! To put it in the words of Robyn (Palmer) Allpike (1972) it really is incredible that there are four LIVING generations of Perth College girls to help us celebrate the 120th birthday of the school, founded in 1902. Representatives from those four generations are our cover girls… the matriach, Joy (Cowper) Palmer (1940), her daughter Robyn (Palmer) Allpike (1972), her daughter Nicole (Allpike) Devereux (1999) and her daughter Madeleine, who’s in Year 5. What a gorgeous PC brood and I must say, it was such a lovely opportunity to gather them outside Perth College for the photo shoot. Seriously, how cool to have Joy, her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter all together to talk about the navy and white. The close-knit family had another reason to celebrate: Joy turned 100 earlier this year! Go on, turn back to the cover and have a look. She is incredible. Joy is our Boarders’ Bush Telegraph girl and tells us what it was like to start at the school in 1933 and why most of the women in her family have attended Perth College.
MAY 2022
Speaking of the bush, I loved having a chat with our ‘Reflections of an old Girl’ talent, Fiona (Marks) Wilkie (1986). She is an artist in Margaret River. I remember Fiona from school. She was funky and fun. And it seems, not much has changed. I stumbled across Fiona while scrolling through Instagram and seeing a reference to an impromptu reunion when some classmates went to an exhibition of hers. As we say, you never escape PC! But have a look at her art… Oh I miss the WA bush. Fi also gives some great wisdom for budding artists. For our 'Sweet Sixteen’ segment, Heather (Courthope) Drexel (1956) gives us some lovely ‘imagery’… living in London in the 60s, travelling through Paris, her family property established in 1898. And I just adore all Heather’s photos. She’s so stylish. I know you’ll all love this edition’s 'Kangaroo Route’, where we talk with an Old Girl who predominantly lives and works overseas. Our joey is Sally-Anne Vincent (1989). Gosh this Old Girl is packing a lot into her life. Sally-Anne is a diplomat and currently lives in the Solomon Islands. Throughout her career, she has witnessed the horrors of riots and terrorism, but admirably says this work is her calling. We celebrate our Olympic swimmer, Brianna ThrosseIl (2013) who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in this year’s Australia Day Honours. We’re thrilled also for Emily Gelineau (2016), who’s a violinist on a Grammy Award winning instrumental. She’ll also finally be travelling to New York soon to participate in her longawaited film score workshops. We have more artistic talent Bella Marslen (2015)… selected as one of a handful of Wesfarmers WA Opera’s Young Artists. We’re also super proud of the work that radiation therapist Emma Thorne (2012) is doing to advance improvements in the treatment of cancer. Naturally there’s a lot more in here, as us OGs are a busy bunch, so while we pivot, plod and show patience I hope this little read provides some small respite as we try and honour Mr Einstein in our ability to change in these strange old times. MIGNON (HENNE) STEWART (1988) mignonstewart@icloud.com
Old Girls' Association 2022 Commitee PRESIDENT STEPHANIE (JENNINGS) FULLARTON (1979) VICE PRESIDENT LINDA (MEYERS) HYLAND (1968) SECRETARY KATRINA (PORT) HARRISON (1988) TREASURER JEN (STEWART-WYNNE) SARRE (1988) BURSARY TRUSTEES PRESIDENT, TREASURER AND FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE
Young Old Girls' Advisory (YOGA) Sub Committee
COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE JANE SCOTT (1975) FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE ANGEL CHEN (2008) MYALLA EDITOR MIGNON (HENNE) STEWART (1988) COMMITTEE MALINDA BLAIR (1996) DENISE (JONES) HALL (1979) YVETTE (WIKLUND) JONES (1996) LESLEY (DUNSTAN) KEEN (1958) TOBY (ROSENTHAL) WHYTE (1992) KYLIE-ANNE (GREEN) DELIC (1987)
COMMITTEE
POSITION VACANT. WE’RE SEEKING A YOUNG OG 18 TO 30 TO TAKE ON THIS ROLE. PLEASE EMAIL OGA@PC.WA.EDU.AU
ANGEL CHEN (2008) HEATHER GROTH (2012) TANYA MOON (2011) STEPH MUNRO (2012) JASGEET SINGH (2013) CHLOE SMOLENSKI (2016) ELLY ZOUNIS (2013) MARGO ZOUNIS (2016)
We want to hear from you
Calling our Old Girl All Stars!
We want to hear what you are up to, what you are doing, who you are in touch with and about the issues that interest and concern you. We’d like to know what you think of Myalla and we’d like to tell your stories. Please be in touch. If you or other Old Girls you know have an interest, a passion or a story to tell, why not Be Brave and share it with your PC OG Community.
We are on the lookout for talented Old Girls to bring to life some exciting projects we have planned for the OGA’s 110-year celebrations in 2023.
Please send in your photos. It is important that these are at least 1MB in a jpg format. Please include captions outlining left to right who is in the photo using full names and PC Year 12 year. For example, First name (Last name when attending school) Last name now (Year 12 year).
Would you be interested in taking part in an OGA netball team? We are seeking expressions of interest from Old Girls who would be keen to participate in an alumni team at Matthews Netball Centre in 2023. Get some friends together and drop us an email and we will be in touch.
Please contact us at myalla@pc.wa.edu.au
Please email Perth College OGA at oga@pc.wa.edu.au
CO-ORDINATOR
Please email Perth College OGA on oga@pc.wa.edu.au
Calling Old Girl Netballers!
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BOARDERS’ BUSH TELEGRAPH
Our centenarian reflects on hardship and happy memories. One word: Wow! Not only did our beautiful covergirl, Joy (Cowper) Palmer (1940) turn 100 this year, but she celebrated her great granddaughter starting at Perth College… representing the fourth generation of women in her family to attend the school. I can see the Hollywood script… a pretty young nurse in her starched uniform tends to the handsome soldier, struck down with malaria after fighting the Japanese in Papua New Guinea.
After her wedding, the registered nurse set up house with John on his sheep and cattle farm in the South East, and in time, the pair had four children, Elizabeth, Geoffrey, Robyn and Rick.
She nurses him back to health and his gratitude and beautiful blue eyes are too hard for her to resist.
"I think I had the best era to bring children up in. I'd hate my children to have to go through what I did as far as domestic duties. I mean we did everything and went nowhere."
Not quite Hollywood. It was the Kojonup Hospital where Joy and John first met all those years ago. "It was love at first sight … we were married for 72 years.”
Joy was just 10 when she became a weekly boarder. She and her sister Barbara Cowper (1938) (dec) would stay at the school during the week before returning to their Greenmount home for weekends where their singlemother raised them. Over the decades, Joy has kept returning to PC for generational education, weddings and christenings. I think Joy’s blood must run navy blue!
MAY 2022
Their wedding was held in the Perth College Chapel in 1947… a return to post-war normalcy after the Chapel closed during the war effort. Joy recalls the wartime as hard but reflects fondly on her days at school. “I have such happy memories. I used to play sport and I loved that side of school, and the girls. "I wasn’t a scholar but I did my nursing training. I didn’t do too badly." When Joy left PC in 1940, she studied nursing at Perth Hospital (as it was known then) and went on to King Edward Memorial Hospital, later pursuing a career in Child Welfare.
Tragedy struck the family when her eldest daughter died from a cerebral haemorrhage aged just 6. "Life was not easy,” she says, "But I managed. I put it down to boarding school. You learn to be independent, do things for yourself, you’re not spoilt. "It makes you grow up and think for yourself. "If you’re getting everyone else to do things for you, well that’s not going to do you any favours is it? “ Joy’s daughter, Robyn (Palmer) Allpike (1972) also went to Perth College, as did her two daughters, Amanda Allpike and Nicole (Allpike) Devereux (1999). Nicole’s daughter, Madeleine started in Year 5 this year, keeping the family tradition alive and well.
"I take an interest in everything and that makes a big difference.”
“It’s an honour and I think it’s amazing,” Robyn says. “The fact we have four generations that went to Perth College and are all still alive. That’s incredible.” Indeed! Robyn says going to PC from the farm in Kojonup was wonderful as it opened up her world, and she made a collection of good friends. She says the school was also great for her daughters and she’s thrilled her granddaughter is able to attend. Robyn tells me her mum received a telegram from the Queen for her 100th birthday. Sadly Joy cannot see it as when she was 80, she was diagnosed with the eye disease, macular degeneration and now has just 5 per cent vision. But Joy doesn’t complain and with a little help, still manages to live independently, enjoying her garden and dog, Molly. "I am a very determined person and if I want to do something, I do it. And I like my own company” Joy says. "I take an interest in everything and that makes a big difference.”
Audio books help, and Joy still belongs to the RSL and a Probus Club. This centenarian also remains connected with her old Melville Glades Golf Club and incredibly, has the claim to fame of FOUR holes in one! Nice one, Joy. When I ask the cliched question, to what does she attribute to her longevity, Joy gives me a very non cliched answer! “Alcohol,” she beams. "I am not saying I’m an alcoholic but I do enjoy a drink, red wine and whisky – but not together. And there’s another reason that I'll leave to your imagination," she says giggling like a school girl. "I've always been healthy. But I've got to pinch myself to know that I am 100! They tell me I don’t look it, but I do feel it at times. I can’t do what I would like to do, but I have to think, am I really that old?" Perhaps Joy, but you’re really young at heart.
Looking back at Perth College, well it's been a good school for me and all the others.
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THE KANGAROO ROUTE
PC friends support ventures into the danger zone She leads the sort of life many of us can only imagine but for Sally-Anne Vincent (1989) her career is her calling. As a senior officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Sally-Anne has worked in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam and is now Deputy Head of Mission in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands. This Old Girl has seen a lot through her career and credits life-long friends made at Perth College for their support and a PC teacher for encouraging her to always question the status quo. When did you attend PC? From Pre-Primary to Year 12. I started in 1976 and graduated in 1989. I am surprisingly normal, all things considered, I think. My brother, Paul Vincent, did his Pre-Primary and a few years of primary at PC too, back in the olden days when they admitted boys, before going to Guildford Grammar. My sister in-law is Karrin Patterson (1998) a PC Old Girl and senior WA public servant. Did you enjoy Perth College? I did. The best thing about Perth College were the lifelong friends I made. They include Jessica Kail (nee Mazzuchelli) who dobbed me in for this column. I am godmother to Yvette Egginton’s daughter, who this year started at PC and shout out to Cath Lawson, Caroline Easton, Melissa Rosenthal, Sam Sharp, Sam Taylor, Jordanna Caine, Kerry Brown (nee James), Liiza Theodore, all 1989 leavers. Also Anne Bennett (1990). Each of them accomplished and all fabulous, doing vastly different things. They are among my closest friends and greatest support system.
The shorthand you have with people who’ve known you for more than 40 years is precious and irreplaceable. I am amazed they still make time for me when I breeze into Perth or Melbourne or Brisbane. I put out a call to see if anyone is free and we all end up catching up and it is like no time has passed. A few global Zooms during COVID has kept us all sane. Each of us had different experiences and, let’s face it, the teen years can be tough, but PC gave me lifelong friendships. These people would drop anything to help each other. That is a gift. It makes the school fees worth every cent! Favourite teacher? At my 30-year reunion in 2019 I saw Mrs Alison Pember. Mrs Pember was my economics teacher in Year 11 and 12. She won’t remember who I am, but she had a huge influence on me. She indulged my questions about economic modelling and whether it was the best lens through which to judge human behaviour. (I expect I articulated that less eloquently in 1988). Mrs Pember wrote in my Year 12 autograph book that I should keep questioning the status quo and that she expected great things from me. No one had ever said that to me before. It stuck with me. She was much too kind. She will be horrified to know I now do quite a bit of work with economists including feeding into analysis and still occasionally question the usual way of doing things. Foreign policy is all about strategic flexibility! Thank you Mrs Pember.
MAY 2022
HANDING OVER A BOAT TO SOLOMON ISLANDS DISASTER MANAGEMENT CHAIR
CELEBRATING SOLOMON ISLANDS GENDER EQUITY PLAN
COX'S BAZAR BANGLADESH DURING THE 2017 ROHINGYA CRISIS
What did you study after Perth College? I did a gap year in Canada immediately after high school. I ended up with a Bachelor of Arts from Murdoch, almost a full year of Law, which was not for me, and then a decade later, Masters in International Social Development from the University of NSW. Your first job after university? What did it teach you? Not counting Movieland, I worked for the Royal Commission into corruption at the City of Wanneroo for a couple of years. It taught me strong public service skills and the value of teamwork. Then I moved overseas, working odd jobs and travelling.
When I returned, I worked for KPMG in Knowledge Management and completed my Masters. I then worked for a small NGO (non-government organisation), including being based in Hanoi for a period, and working on the edges of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami response. In 2007, I joined the Federal public service via what was then AusAID, an agency for international development assistance. AusAID was integrated into DFAT in 2013. With DFAT, I have been posted to Solomon Islands as part of the Regional Assistance Mission, to Afghanistan as Australia’s Head of Aid, and as Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Since early 2019, I have served as Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Solomon Islands. What is it like to live there? Solomon Islands is beautiful, multicultural, deeply interesting and welcoming. All my postings have been a privilege. It is an honour to represent Australia overseas. I oversee citizenship ceremonies for new Australians and make consular visits in prison. Sometimes you see Australians overseas who are having the worst day of their lives. I have spoken to Afghan women targeted in Taliban attacks. In 2016, I met the Rohingya community as they fled Myanmar into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh following vicious attacks. I organised funding to the World Food Programme so that Australia could provide the first food support to the men, women and children who had nothing. You work with communities when you deliver Australian aid. But in my work, I also meet Presidents and Prime Ministers, senior diplomats and public servants as well as heads of international agencies and think tanks. It is amazingly varied and interesting.
MEL ROSENTHAL (1989), SAM SHARP (1989), CATH LAWSON (1989) AND YVETTE EGGINTON (1989) CATCHING UP IN MELBOURNE IN 2017
IN JULY 2019 PC STUDENTS VISITED THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION ON THEIR SOLOMON ISLANDS SCHOOL TRIP
We all saw the Solomon Island riots last year. What was it like to live through that? It was very sad to see the impact of the November 2021 unrest. Solomon Islands is so close to Australia and we are close friends, neighbours and partners. I was leading the Australian High Commission at the time and was involved in activating Australia and Solomon Islands’ 2017 Bilateral Security Treaty for the first time. Since November 2021, Australia has deployed AFP, Defence and DFAT personnel – working alongside those from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand – to restore law and order in Honiara. Australia also responded rapidly to Solomon Islands’ request for assistance during the January 2022 COVID outbreak and at this point we have delivered more than 40 tonnes of COVID medical supplies and equipment to Solomon Islands and 350,800 vaccine doses. People will have different views but ultimately I hope Australians are proud of our support. One of your postings was in Kabul. There must have been some incredibly challenging times? The Afghan people and the international colleagues I worked with were all committed, dedicated people striving for a good outcome. It is a
LISA (YOUNG) MUELLER (1989), JUSTINE WILTSHIRE (1989), YVETTE EGGINTON (1989) AND SALLY-ANNE VINCENT (1989)
complex place. The past six months have been tough to watch. I was in Bangladesh during the 2016 Holey Bakery terrorist attacks. It was just down the road from the Australian High Commission in Dhaka. That was also challenging and very sad. Favourite posting… and why? It’s too difficult to choose. Each has challenges and moments of joy. Meeting people who are generous in sharing their culture means there is never a dull day. You are always learning something and stumbling into humbling experiences. Progressing Australian foreign policy is, I think, an important job. What does your family life look like? Me, my husband, stepkids and grandkids and a cat, are based in Canberra and around the country. They’re all great and very supportive. My family are still in Perth too. Where to from here, Sally-Anne? Working for DFAT appears to have emerged as something of a calling, so I am not sure exactly where I’ll work after Honiara. Likely I’ll be in Canberra. But I am sure there is something interesting around the corner. There always is.
No doubt Sally-Anne and we wish you all the best. 7
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
Trailblazer Assembly 2022 Celebrating the Class of 2021 We celebrate the individual journeys and successes of our 2021 graduates and thank them for the contribution they have made to our School community. In February we welcomed back a number of students from the Class of 2021 to celebrate their significant achievements across their chosen courses last year. We call them our Trailblazers, recognising their performance in the WACE exams and their achievements in gaining an ATAR score of more than 95. During this assembly, Georgia (Year 12) was named as the recipient of the Jill Yelland Art & Design Award for 2022. (See article in Heritage).
Radiation therapy explained on TV We were super excited to see Emma Thorne (2012) then a radiation therapist at a Rutherford Cancer Centre branch in the United Kingdom being interviewed by Julie McCrossin AM. The show, which aired last May, was about was about how proton therapy can deliver targeted dose radiation therapy to minimise the potential harm of radiotherapy to other organs. In speaking to a series of experts about elements of the proton therapy treatment, McCrossin quizzed Emma about her work, patient care and the lengths the Rutherford Cancer Centres go to to ensure that cancer patients and their families understand the treatment, potential side effects, what to expect and how to get the support they need to feel as well as possible. Emma also described a play therapy centre set up for young children to help them scan say, a teddy bear, with a TV screen that explains what is happening to the teddy and how the treatment is making them better. Noticing her accent, McCrossin quizzed Emma about how long she had been in the UK (at that time, three years) and when she might return! Emma said she would love to return to Australia, particularly if she could continue to work in delivering proton therapy. Since the program aired, Emma has moved to Royal Marsden Hospital and been promoted to a Team Lead in her department. Congratulations Emma!
MAY 2022
Brianna Throssell OAM Australia Day Honours We warmly congratulate Perth College Old Girl and Olympian Brianna Throssell (2013) for being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her superlative gold medal winning performance in Tokyo. Brianna credited her coach Michael Palfrey, who she met when she was 18, for seeing something in her "even I didn't see" and "making me the athlete I am today. "I'm forever proud to call myself a WA athlete," Brianna posted on her Instagram account when announcing her temporary move to the Sunshine Coast in November. Brilliant effort, Brianna. Congratulations again.
@briannathrossell
Camellia Pin and Honouring Your Heritage We love to celebrate the depth and diversity of our OGA PC Community. There are so many benefits to be gained from observing ritual and tradition particularly when it comes to building relationships and acknowledging long-held traditions in our community. One way we do this is through our Honouring Your Heritage Breakfast and we were sorry that the pandemic meant we could not hold it this year. However, we were delighted to still be able to welcome our new parents who are Old Girls and their daughters or granddaughters to Perth College with the Camellia name badge and blazer pin. We’ve been celebrating long-term family connections to Perth College because we think it really is a tradition of substance. We are excited to be able to acknowledge the PC heritage of new PC students by giving the girls a Camellia pin, to be worn on the blazer lapel. Over the years, the Camellia flower has become the symbol of the Perth College Old Girls Association. This came about because Sister Rosalie (Principal 1928 -1947), one of the Founding sisters who raised the money to build the school, loved the Camellia bush that grew outside her office window and, in particular, its stunning flowers. In 2002 the OGA commissioned the Sister Rosalie Camellia for the school’s centenary and the camellia has been the symbol of the PC OGA ever since. Camellias signify love, affection and admiration. The camellia pin is given to Heritage students to acknowledge they are the daughter or granddaughter of a Perth College Old Girl. It creates shared recognition of other students who also wear the pin. We hope that our Heritage PC students will wear their pin proudly.
BROOKE (HOWES) BOWMAN (1999) WITH INDIA (YEAR 4)
We are also delighted to present Heritage parents with Old Girl parent name badges adorned with a small camellia. We hope this badge will be the catalyst for starting a conversation and making a connection with another Old Girl parent or student. Maybe even with someone who is curious about what the camellia on the name badge signifies. We were delighted to receive some feedback about the camellia pin:
'Many thanks for the beautiful camellia pin I had the opportunity to give to India at the end of last week. She very much feels a part of the PC community now after hearing years of stories about my time at PC. 'Please pass on my sincere thanks to the OGA for organising a very special way to honour our heritage and start conversations about our school connection.' Brooke (Howes) Bowman (1999), Mum of India (Year 4)
Drawing on inspiration Architecture student Bella Humm (2019) kindly created a beautiful Christmas card of the St Michael’s Chapel. Bella created this masterpiece in a few short hours while sitting on the front lawn in front of the chapel. The Foundation sent it out as a Christmas card as a thank you to all our generous donors.
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WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
From the Perth College Old Girls’ Association President*
FRONT, SITTING: KATRINA HARRISON, STEPHANIE FULLARTON, LINDA HYLAND REAR: LESLEY KEEN, ANGEL CHEN, JANE SCOTT, MALINDA BLAIR, DENISE HALL, YVETTE JONES
It has been a privilege for me to complete my third year as President of the Perth College Old Girls’ Association. I would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our volunteer Old Girls’ Association Committee members: Vice President Linda (Meyers) Hyland (1968), Secretary Katrina (Port) Harrison (1988), Treasurer Jen (StewartWynne) Sarre (1988), Foundation Representative Angel Chen (2008), Council Representative Jane Scott (1975), Myalla Editor Mignon (Henne) Stewart (1988), YOGA Coordinator Jade Guerrini (2016), and Committee Members Malinda Blair (1996), Leslie (Dunstan) Keen (1958), Yvette (Wiklund) Jones (1996), Toby (Rosenthal) Whyte (1992) and Denise (Jones) Hall (1979). These dedicated volunteers, representing a span of PC generations, give freely of their time working as a cohesive team to keep PC Old Girls connected with each other and the School. In 2021, as the challenges presented by COVID-19 continued to affect our lives, the OGA pushed on, holding reunions and events where possible. We even managed to introduce some new initiatives. The OGA would like to acknowledge the support we receive from the School, especially our Principal Helen Aguiar and the Community Relations Team. We are also grateful for the strong relationship we enjoy with the PC Foundation, led by Old Girl Karen (Miles) Field (1965). MAY 2022
We could not operate effectively without our Alumni Coordinator, Caroline Risah who stepped into the role following the departure of Natalie Swannell. Natalie left last year to spend more time with her family and we thank her for her many years of outstanding support of the OGA. In 2021 the OGA successfully applied to become incorporated. This has allowed us to take concrete steps to secure better investment opportunities for management of our funds. 2023 is an exciting year for the PC OGA as we will celebrate 110 years since our inception. We are working on some exciting projects to celebrate this significant milestone and we look forward to welcoming many Old Girls back to join the celebrations. I continue to be amazed at the passion and commitment of PC Old Girls as they support the school financially and with their time; through the OGA, School Council, Foundation, and directly through school initiatives. I feel extremely privileged to represent Perth College Old Girls and am grateful for the support I receive in this role. We are fortunate to be part of such a special community at PC and I encourage you to stay connected to each other and the School. I hope to see you at our 110-year celebrations next year if not before. STEPHANIE ( JENNINGS) FULL ARTON (1979) Perth College Old Girls’ Association President *This is an edited extract from the President’s address to the 2022 AGM on 3 April 2022
Emily’s arrangement wins a 2022 Grammy Award Hot off the press, we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate with Emily Gelineau (2016). She recorded violin on a 2022 Grammy Award winning arrangement of the instrumental Metaknight’s Revenge, which features in Super Nintendo’s gaming series Kirby Super Star games. Congratulations, Emily. When Emily was 16 she received a full-tuition scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, so in 2017 she moved to Boston to start her five-year double degree of Film Scoring and Violin Performance. She graduated with the highest distinction in 2021 from Perth because she was forced to return to Perth in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was while she was living in Boston that Emily became part of the 8-Bit Big Band, a video game full-sized jazz orchestra run and led by Charlie Rosen in New York City. Emily would take the bus up and down to NYC several times a year to record violin in the band and played live shows when the band came to Boston. One of the recordings she made in NYC in 2019 was the arrangement of Metaknight’s Revenge.
“I had some incredible opportunities,” Emily says. It’s been quite an exciting couple of months for Emily. In news too good not to share, she has received a part scholarship, to attend New York University in June 2022 for the Film Scoring Workshop: Orchestral Ensemble and the NYU/BMI TV Scoring Workshop. Emily applied and was accepted in 2020 but was disappointed to have a global pandemic disrupt her plans. Emily was selected for the Perth Symphony Women on the Podium Program, a special conducting and leadership program for female Western Australian musicians. Women on the Podium, which brought world-class mentors from the UK and across Australia is designed to create a supportive and encouraging environment for aspiring conductors and music leaders.
Despite getting selected, Emily had to miss this opportunity because she was required to isolate the day before it started. However, we hope that being a musician on a 2022 Grammy Award-winning instrumental is an exciting and wonderful consolation prize. We are very proud of you, Em Gel!
Siobhan wins 2021 WAM Award Our Myalla 2020 edition cover girl, Siobhan Cotchin (2017), won the Blues/Rock Category for Just The Way It Is and took out the Overall Grand Prize as well!! A huge accolade indeed. The 2021 WAM Song of the Year competition is presented by WA mental health promotion campaign Act Belong Commit and celebrates a mix of emerging and established acts. The winning songwriters represent what WAM describes as “the overwhelming talent, ingenuity and diversity of WA’s contemporary music community. Siobhan, an alt-country/rock singer songwriter was described by Declan Byrne of Triple J as “one to keep an eye on”.
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WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
Sisters Memorial Bursary for 2021 Old Girls Association President Stephanie Fullarton was delighted to award Evelyn James, daughter of Dr Carrie (Davis) James (1997), the Old Girls’ Association Sisters’ Memorial Bursary for 2021. Evie was selected from a strong field of applicants, all of whom impressed the selection panel with their poise and engagement. We continue to host an annual luncheon with our Old Girls’ Association Sisters’ Memorial Bursary recipients who are thriving at PC and contributing positively across school life.
Heritage Scholarship ready to be awarded We are excited to announce that after several years of fund raising among the Old Girl community the inaugural OGA Heritage Scholarship is ready to be awarded. Thanks to the generosity of the OGA community and the support of the PC Foundation this scholarship will offer a 50 per cent tuition remission to the daughter or granddaughter of a former PC student entering the school for Year 11 and 12. We believe this new scholarship will complement our longstanding OGA Sisters’ Memorial Bursary and we are proud the OGA can offer this level of support to honour Perth College’s heritage.
Hayley Plunkett wins Gary Stocks Award Brilliant effort from Hayley Plunkett (2017), who completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Broadcasting at Edith Cowan University. She is the inaugural recipient of the West Coast Eagles Gary Stocks Award, a partnership between the Eagles and ECU. She won a six-month contract working with the footy team in its communications department as a content producer, filming and making videos and all things media related.
'I’ve been working closely with the AFLW team and travelled with them on two occasions to Melbourne, one of which was the hub and we were there for three-and-a-half weeks plus a week of quarantine,' Hayley says. The Gary Stocks Award is named after Gary Stocks, a West Coast Eagles executive, who started his media career in Albany, joined The West Australian as a sportswriter in 1983 (writing about football, cricket and tennis) and joined West Coast Eagles as its General Manager of Communications in 2000.
Wesfarmers Arts Young Artists Program 2022 Bella Marslen (2015) has won a place in the Wesfarmers Arts Young Artists Program 2022, which is designed to nurture the next generation of opera talent. Bella, a soprano, was one of five recipients of the award, which offers mentorship, coaching, masterclasses and performance opportunities for Western Australia’s most talented young artists. The program aims to develop technical skills and stagecraft. Since graduating from WAAPA in 2020 Bella has taken on her first principal role as Lauretta in Freeze Frame Opera’s 2021 production of Gianni Schicchi. Bella, who also teaches singing, says music is for everyone and it’s never too late to start. MAY 2022
2022 Australian Track and Field Championships performance Congratulations to Perth College Old Girl Nina Yeats (2021) who ran a personal best in the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney in March. Nina ran a PB in her U20 1500m heat (4.30.66) and competed admirably in the final in a very strong field.
Combined Independent Girls’ School Golf Day 2021 There may have been a smaller showing and more challenging weather, but we’re pleased to report Perth College OG continued to fly the flag at last year’s Combined Independent Girls’ School Golf Day at Cottesloe. Our spies report that despite our team’s reduced size – just a sweet 16 this year – and bracingly fresh conditions, our PC Old Girls managed a podium finish, a very respectable third place. It was a pleasing result against St Hilda’s, with 24 players, and PLC, with 22. We’re looking forward to expanded numbers this year and we’re keen to hear from Old Girls young and less young in 2022. “I would like to thank the Old Girls’ Association most sincerely for the water bottles,” Pam (Thomas) Gulvin (1959) said. “They were fantastic and were the envy of the other teams. The Perth College Golf Team would like to thank the OGA for their efforts to make the Annual CIGS Golf Day a success. “The advertising in Myalla was successful in recruiting a new player Charlotte Hicks (2020) who received the Scholarship for the day.” PC Old Girls are warmly encouraged to join a fun day of friendly outdoor competition. It’s only once a year but we’ve maintained our annual ritual of awarding scholarships to two new young players (under 25) for each team.
Debbie Borshoff drops in to reminisce Debbie (Farrington) Borshoff (1963) was visiting recently and we managed to get a beautiful photo of her and her granddaughter. Debbie is a great supporter of Perth College and enjoys music, art and loves to spend time with her granddaughter Rylee (Year 8).
The CIGS Golf Day has been going since 1965 and we think it’s a healthy tradition that’s well worth maintaining. We are always on the lookout for new recruits and we’d love you to register your interest at oga@pc.wa.edu.au
Save the date for 2022 OGA Golf Day – Monday 10 October 13
SWEET SIXTEEN
Be present, don’t stress. Seize the Day! I love this segment, ‘Sweet Sixteen' where I get to ask an Old Girl 16 quick, quirky questions to get a tiny snapshot of their lives. I confess to adoring this issue’s subject. Heather (Courthope) Drexel (1956) was my mum Christine (Adams) Henne (1957) dearest friend from Perth College. The two young girls cementing their lifelong friendship on the tram they caught to school together from South Perth in the 1950s.
1. What is your very first memory? Running around the front lawn in Courthope Street, South Perth, with two giant Norfolk Ireland Pines. Courthope Street was on a hill overlooking the city and the Swan River.
2. You’re an only child. What are the pros and cons? My parents were married for 10 years before I was born and they must have been very pleased to see me. It probably made me feel special but I am very poor at competing, there is still time to change.
3. Describe your perfect day. It would be at The Dell, in Dardanup. This has been in the family since 1898. I would go for walks by the river and then hang out and enjoy myself in the lovely homestead with my family.
4. You have been married for 62 years. Tell me about it. Ralph and I share an interest in art, music, cinema, travel and our family. It is not hard to conjure joint enthusiasm with those things going on.
MAY 2022
5. Is fashion important to you? I love good design, especially in local designers such as Aurelia Costarella and Pierucci. I like Country Road and Elk for every day.
6. Where would you most like to go that you haven’t been? I’m going to cheat and say Rome. I went when I was young, but it would be an excellent city to explore with my family. Research is one of my skills and I’d love to head off with my Eyewitness Travel Guide under my arm and conquer the city.
7. Where is your happy place? I love Paris and when our granddaughters Rosie Bates (2006) and Sophie Bates (2009) were 14 and 11 we went to Europe with their mother Tory. It was an enchanting experience for us. They have become expert travellers.
8. What were the 60s like for you? I married in 1960. Two years later, in a Kombi, we drove overland to England. We lived in London and in Aden, where my husband worked as an architect and our son Marc was born. Our friends were army personnel and we had so much fun. Then it was home to Subiaco, then Nedlands, where my husband designed our home.
9. What are two of your most prized possessions? My husband Ralph's 18th century family portraits from Regensburg… and my great-grandmother’s travel drawers from when she went from Calcutta to Scotland to study. Her father, Wallace Bickley owned land on the Canning River and worked for the East India Co.
10. What was your favourite pet? We’ve had many divine dogs starting with Ming the Pekinese. I hate to say it but our kelpie-border collie cross Sidney and our current dog, Edie, a poodle, are our favourites.
11. Do you have fond memories of your time at PC? I love the Chapel, it is so beautiful. My teachers Mrs Deece and Mrs Button were inspiring women. Miss Angul for a burgeoning love of Handel and Canon Henn for our brief glimpse of Latin. Canon Henn later became a family friend.
12. Friendships. Discuss. I have some wonderful long-standing friends. I value friendships and try not to take them for granted. I met my oldest friend Christine (Adams) Henne (1957) at PC, she and her sister Sue (Adams) Litchfield (1960) became true friends.
13. Any advice for getting older? I love reading, music and a fairly gentle life. Where we live in Northbridge, opposite Hyde Park, couldn’t be better in so many ways. Lately I’ve taken up Pilates, which combined with walking our dog Edie around the park should help.
14. You’re a great grandmother. How wonderful. Being a great grandmother has been one of the great blessings life has thrown me. Breeding of any kind is interesting to observe and we have been very lucky. I was lucky enough to have two children, four granddaughters and I have a fourth great grandchild on the way.
15. What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? In 1981 we sold our family home in Nedlands and acquired our classic warehouse in Packenham Street in Fremantle. It was rented for a time by a group of artists. Later we converted the artist studios into apartments.
16. What would you say to your sweet 16-year-old self? Be in the present, don’t stress… that’s what our beautiful 29-year-old granddaughter, Sophie says! I would add, 'Carpe Diem', Seize the Day.
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REFLECTIONS OF AN OLD GIRL
Visual art proves natural and easy It’s funny the little things you remember from school. For Fiona (Marks) Wilkie (1986) it was a ram’s skull in the art room. She thought it was exotic. Perhaps that was the starting point for her fabulous career as a professional artist.
Do you have any particular memories about art class at school?
Fi began at Perth College in Year One and finished Year 12 in 1986, moving to Margaret River in 1992.
I recall meeting my first art teacher and thinking, “Isn’t she fabulous!” She was like someone you’d never met. I was really drawn to her and she taught us all how to shade. I think that was how she identified who was good. She had a ram's skull in the art room and for a Dianella kid that was cool. But I totally found a home and comfort in the art room
In time, this talented Old Girl set up her own art space, Toot Studio and is now on the board of the highly successful Margaret River Region Open Studios. Were you naturally gifted as an artist? Maybe. Certainly there were those around me who were impressed. Throughout school there were lots of gold stars and awards for art, drama and dance. I found my confidence in these areas but significantly I really struggled and suffered terribly in maths and with spelling. That part of school really ate away at my confidence so when I discovered Speech and Drama and Visual Art as high school subjects, I found a real retreat and also a real place that felt natural and easy.
MAY 2022
What did you go on to study after school? I eventually decided to study a Bachelor of Arts at UWA (University of Western Australia) with a major in English and History of Fine Arts. Then I worked in some Art Galleries in London as an assistant to the Dealer, before deciding I really wanted to get back to hands on making art, so returned to Perth and enrolled in Art and Design at Curtin, which I loved. This started to take me into 3D design and I took a job in interior design with Ikea as a summer job and then went down this track for a while. I eventually came to painting again after I had my daughters and was spending more time at home. By the time the second one was at school I was exhibiting and selling and then really it’s taken me about 10 years to figure out how to become a full-time working artist while raising a family.
What are some of the key factors that made you the artist you are today? Probably the most significant part of my art journey came when I was hospitalised for nearly 10 weeks on flat bed rest to prevent a premature delivery of my second daughter. This time trapped in hospital really cemented in me that when I got out and was back in the world again I would make space for more art in my life and just do it – to see where it would take me – despite a sense of fear of failing at something I had held in a very precious place inside me for so many years. Committing to do something you are passionate about and really care about can be incredibly scary. Because if you fail, then what? That time in hospital and then going through the premature baby journey (from 29 weeks) with Elizabeth really changed things. It helped me overcome my own self judgements and self-consciousness. I learned then about what is most important. And I’ve always looked at life differently.
Do more of what you love. It’s pretty simple. I wish I’d learnt that lesson much earlier but there you go. I know it now and I try to spread it. Was it always your goal to be a professional artist? No. I have just found that practicing visual arts has been a great vessel to really survive and thrive. I guess I’ve been really lucky that my work has found an audience. I’ve been driven to discover what ‘my’ art
looks like. To find a way of telling a story that matters to me, and to solve the creative problems that present themselves as I work through my process. I just want my work to look different to everyone else’s and to be recognisable as mine. If not art? God – there were so many things I wanted to try out – for a long time I just wanted to be a ballet dancer then an actress, then an academic, then a graphic designer, then a fine art dealer, then an antique dealer, then a writer, then an artist. In lots of ways the jobs and fields I’ve worked in have all lead to how I do what I do now. I’ve been sniffing around the same tree since I was very young. As long as I feel as though I’m exploring and discovering and experimenting and that my curiosity can lead me, I’m happy. You appear to have a deep connection with Australian flora and fauna? We always lived in Dianella, very close to or opposite the Banksia Bushland on the edge of suburbia. Since I moved to Margaret River almost 30 years ago, I found myself living in a similar landscape and it’s become an important part of my identity. These plots were where I discovered the Bush, first as a young child, then as a young wife, then as a young mum and now as a more environmentally conscious explorer and lover. Since my father died five years ago I started a big body of work that celebrates this landscape and the role it has played in my life.
I read that the quote, “Fear is the enemy of creativity”, is your favourite. Why is that?
What would you say to a young woman aspiring to be a professional artist?
I often look at this quote by Sylvia Plath, “Fear is the enemy of creativity.” I totally understand how it stopped me for so long. Occasionally I still need to be reminded of it if I’m avoiding starting, continuing or finishing something that feels very important. When this happens I just have to say out loud to myself, “Let’s just play – and see what happens.” It always works a treat.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and don’t put pressure on yourself. Too much weight is hard to carry, especially when being creative requires a mindset that is open and ready for a slow burn. Don’t make art for others, first make it for you. Use it as your therapy, your mind dump, your retreat and your regenerator.
You are on the board of the Margaret River Region Open Studios. Tell me about that. Yes. I’m really proud to have been a part of that evolution. I have been on the board for nine years and it’s been great to see people really empowered by it, from hobbyists to established artists. It puts people in touch with artists and with each other. Last year more than 140 artists took part and it doesn’t just bring people together, it also brings many to the region, which is great.
I loved drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon. I was an under-the-table-artist, an only child, entertaining myself.
Check out Fiona’s art on her Insta account @fiwilkietootstudio
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OGA AGM
OGA 2021 AGM We were able to hold our 2021 AGM face-to-face last year.
JILL YELLAND AND JUANITA LADYMAN
LESLEY KEEN AND DIANE BENNIT
YVETTE JONES AND AMANDA GELL
JUSTINE LEGGE, JENNIFER SARRE, KATRINA HARRISON
LYN PURSER, REV. LINDA PILTON AND CAROLINE RISAH
DENISE HALL, OGA PRESIDENT STEPHANIE FULLARTON AND PERTH COLLEGE PRINCIPAL HELEN AGUIAR
JANE SCOTT, AT REAR IN GREEN JACKET JACQUI (SCURLOCK) BARNEWELL (1961) OAM AND JUDY CHARBONNE
MAY 2022
EVENTS
Ladies Long Lunch On Saturday 16 October 2021, we celebrated the Perth College OGA Ladies Long Lunch in style at family owned Pinelli Estate Winery Restaurant in Caversham.
SHELLEY (MARISSEN) ALDRIDGE (1979), STEPHANIE (JENNINGS) FULLARTON (1979), BRONWYN (SERGEANT) LUKIC (1979) AND SALLY (BRIDGWOOD) BILTON (1979)
MARGARET SOMMERVILLE (1966), LYN (CORNISH) PURSER (1947), AFFIE KARALIS (HONORARY OG) AND PHILLIPA (PAICE) WIGGINS (1958)
JUANITA (BROWES) LADYMAN (1965) ANNE (HEPWORTH) HAIRSINE (1956) AND KAREN (MILES) FIELD (1965)
L TO R: GRACE WARDEN (2014), TIYANA KERIMI (2014), GABRIELLA ROCCISANO (2014) AND OLIVIA MORSKATE (2014)
We had a total of 90 guests. Some caught the bus from Myalla House. Those who were able to make it enjoyed the sunshine and all the goodies the silent auction had to offer. The two-course meal was delicious. There were handmade cupcakes for dessert courtesy of the Old Girls.
Weddings
Babies
Taylor (Blott) (2009) Rogalski What better place to tie the knot than in a vineyard in Margaret River. The day and surrounds were perfect for 2009 leaver, Taylor (Blott) Rogalski when she married her love, Brent Rogalski. The two first met on a double date at 'La Cholita’ in Northbridge, set up by their friends in 2016. Nice work friends! They married at Howard Park Winery in 2020.
PHOTO: VARGA MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
Lydia Padgett (2000) is celebrating the arrival of her baby girl, Maisie born October 2021. “Life is amazing I’m LOVING it!! Maisie is divine and we love hanging out together.”
"Our wedding day was truly magical a dream come true,” Taylor says. "We were so fortunate to have the majority of our closest friends and family come together in a weekend of celebrations and memories which I will cherish forever.”
Denyer (Roberts) Piesse (2000) and Richard welcomed second baby girl Vivien Piesse on 2 February 2022.
Three of the bridesmaids were 2009 leavers too… Leah (Zambotti) Bellagamba, Rachel Dawson and Stephanie (Sims) Fielding. Taylor and Brent are expecting their first baby next month and we wish them all the very best at this magic time.
Lauren (Blizard) Moore (2017) married George Sweeting-Moore on 25th September 2021 by Father Phillip Raymont at The Holy Trinity Church in York. Fellow 2017 leaver Kylie Lau was the maid of honour.
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REUNIONS
20 Year Reunion The 2001 Leavers had a ball after meeting at Perth College for a chapel service and tour of the school they then headed off to family owned Upper Reach Winery for a wine tasting and lunch.
2 Year Reunion We invited our 2019 Leavers back to School to introduce them to the various opportunities to remain connected to PC. Through the OGA, the Old Girls can tap into mentoring, internships, tutoring, volunteering, golf days, donating, attending school camps and joining YOGA just to mention a few.
5 Year Reunion Sixty fabulous Old Girls attended their five-year reunion last August at Si-Paradiso. We’d love to see pictures of this event from those who were there. The event was rescheduled, but the turnout was strong evidence of the enthusiasm for maintaining Perth College ties. Send photos to myalla@pc.wa.edu.au
MAY 2022
L TO R: AILIS MCLAUGHLIN, EVELYN RUTTER, NIAMH GUSTAVINO, PRINCIPAL HELEN AGUIAR, RHIANNON SMIT, CLAUDIA AVES
Over 90's Birthday Club Happy Birthday to our Old Girls who are celebrating a 90+ birthday between September 2021 and March 2022. Barbara (Thompson) Anderson
1946
Johneen (Kelly) Anderson
1949
Rebecca (Berinshan) Atlas
1946
Beverley (Cockram) Barrett
1946
Judith (Coombs) Berry 1949 Mary (Smith) Blechynden
1946
Mary (Webb) Bradbury 1944 Margaret (Broadhurst) Brinsden
1944
Yvonne (Maloney) Brooks
1946
Beverley (Vincent) Buller 1949 Barbara (Cooke) Bushell 1943 Elaine (Parsons) Campbell
1947
Barbara (James) Chester 1949 Gladys (Combs) Clark 1944 Mary (Dempster) Colero 1940 Elizabeth (Liddelow) Connell
1944
Frances (Anderson) Dodds
1942
Jacqueline (Furphey) Drake-Brockman
1948
Edith (Priestner) Edmonds OAM
1949
Audrey (Davis) Fairchild 1941 Elizabeth (Battye) Fletcher
1948
Mary (Wellard) Flockart 1947 Anne (Hawson) Fraser 1947 Marion (George) George 1942 Dorothy (Tonkinson) Goulden
1946
Betty (Kay) Lyle 1946 Mabel (Biggs) MacDougall
1948
Irene (Small) MacRobert 1948 Judith (Potts) Mathwin 1949 Margaret (Rohrs) McCart 1945 Hazel (Broad) McPherson
1943
Mary (Morrell) Melot 1941 Elizabeth (Lyall) Merryweather
1947
Kathleen (Smith) Metcalf 1941 Michael Moore 1948 Doris (Roberts) Mossenson
1942
Alice (Nicholas) Oberg 1948 Elizabeth (Lukin) Ogston 1943 Rachel (Percy) Oxenburgh
1947
Nancy (Hansen) Peddie 1947 Margaret (Scott) Philipp 1949 Maida (Drummond) Radden
1949
Jacqueline (Campbell) Ramshaw
1947
Pamela (Bowler) Riessen 1948 Colleen (O'Sullivan) Scott 1945 Allison (Stone) Shanahan 1942 Doris (Finkelstein) Shub OAM
1943
Diane (Holmes) Stafford
1948
Loris (Fowler) Stewart 1948 Barbara (Mann) Stoneman
1946
Margaret (Kellow) Summers
1948
Judith (McCann) Tuckey 1947 Sylvia (Overheu) Wells 1945 Marie-Louise (Johnston) Wordsworth
1948
Sonia (Grant) Grant 1942 Rosemary (Klug) Grant 1948 Myrine (Cattlin) Gray 1948 Betty (Wright) Groeneveld
1946
Betty (Pearsall) Hall 1949 Beryl (Fowler) Haneman 1941 Lynette (Irvine) Harper 1949 Rosemary (Nicholls) Higham
1942
Barbara (Miller) Hill 1949 Louise (Cohen) Hoffman
1946
Helen (Sims) Hutchinson 1950 Shirley (Robin) Jose 1944 June (Gray) King 1950 Irene (Grove) Kirkpatrick 1946 Margaret (Shearn) Lissiman
1946
Over 100's Birthday Club A special CONGRATULATIONS to our Old Girls who turned 100 between September 2021 and March 2022 as well as an even bigger CELEBRATION for those who are celebrating 101 and beyond in coming months! Audrey (Payne) Craddock
1941
Sheila (Wilding) Curlewis 1937 Colin (Crowther) Edwards
1938
Bobbie (Isobel) (Flight-Smith) Hardie
1938
Frances (Russell) Nicholls
1936
Joy (Cowper) Palmer 1940 Shirley (Wright) Willcock 1939 Marion (Fyfe) Wood 1939
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CONDOLENCES
Fondly Remembering Roberta (Bourne) Holland (1937) Roberta was an active and generous Old Girl with a passion for future generations of Perth College students. She loved life, travel, her family and played tennis regularly with fellow Old Girls. She will be sadly missed by her niece Susie Byers (1999) who was a huge support in her later years. Roberta’s mother Edith Joy (Kaeshagen) Bourne (dec) (1929) and her sister Janette (Bourne) Byers (dec) (1962) also attended Perth College.
Julie (Burgess) Wallace (1945) Julie passed away in 2021 after battling cancer for a number of years. She is survived by her husband, three sons and seven grandchildren and sister Ann Neame (1964), cousins Margaret (Burgess) McCrum (1953) and Rosemary Skinner (1956)
Meriel (Cockshott) Flecker (1953) Meriel enjoyed reading Myalla and was grateful for keeping touch. She was in Campion House and was a boarder, she loved catching up with other old girls at the various functions she attended. Meriel died on 13 July 2021 at the age of 86.
Marlene (Eastwood) Michelides (1962) Marlene was a day student at Perth College from 1951 to 1960, and loved her time at PC. She passed away peacefully after a life lived to the fullest.
Serena (Hearn) Rankin (1962) Serena was a Barron House day student and went onto study nursing which she loved. She will be missed by friends and family.
MAY 2022
Patricia (Hockin) Sims (1939) Patricia attended school with her sister Suzanne Wright (1942) and was a keen community member. She was always there for her family and friends and will never be forgotten.
Marielle Sloss (1978) Marielle Sloss "Slossie", Head Day Girl, sadly passed away January 21, 2022, after a courageous battle with cancer. Her bright smile and caring nature will be missed by so many. Condolences to her husband Andrew, children Clementine, Adelaide and Hamish and her siblings Vivian and Melanie.
Kerry (Hudleston) Ray (1961) Kerry passed away peacefully and was a much loved and loving wife of Geoff, mother of Jenness and Nigel, grandmother of Chelsea. Mother-in-law to Anita, Clare and Dave. Truly treasured and will be deeply missed.
Jean (Lockyer) Hankey (1942) Jean was a day student in Barron House and had a great many friends at Perth College. She was 96 and was resting peacefully when she drifted into eternal rest. She will be missed by her god-daughter Diana (Heath) Burgess (1964) family and friends.
Christopher Fyfe (1946) Chris attended Perth College primary school along with elder sister Judith (Fyfe) Anketell (1944). He died peacefully on 15 July and is survived by three children and four grandchildren.
Judith (Henning) Chiffings (1943) Passed away peacefully on 19 February 2022 having lived an amazing life. Thank you for the copies of Myalla and for the cards that have been sent to her over the years. Judith leaves behind a loving family and friends.
Merle (Giese) Best (1942) Merle loved to travel, to read and loved a good joke. She maintained a close connection to Perth College through the OGA and had a close group of friends who met monthly until about two years ago. She passed away peacefully just before her 96th birthday.
CONNECT
Sympathies also to Nancy (Neilley) Mitchell (1955), who recently lost her husband of 62 years. “I am grateful I met him through a PC chum Betty (Mitchell) McGeever (1955) all those years ago. My daughter Susan (Mitchell) Hesford (1978) was Head Girl and her daughter Kate Hesford (2004) went to PC and qualified and works as a lawyer. As she is a new Mum to a girl, it would be wonderful if she could continue the PC tradition.”
Karen (Klem) Bessell-Browne (1958) lost the love of her life Richard, in a car accident late last year. She is comforted by her daughter Kirsten (Bessell-Browne) Piccinini (1994) her sister, Jocelyn (Klem) Cumming (1964) and the extensive family, friends and Old Girls’ she regularly catches up with from Perth College. Richard was a much loved member of the community with a rich history of family attending Perth College.
Do you know a 'lost' Old Girl? If you know someone who has lost touch with the Old Girls’ Association or has changed their contact details, please encourage them to get in touch with the OGA via oga@pc.wa.edu.au or call 9471 2163 as we would love to reconnect with them.
The OGA is on Instagram The Perth College Old Girls’ Association is now on Instagram! Why not follow us at perthcollegeoga and keep up to date with events and news, share photos and articles and submit information or updates.
Myalla is now available digitally Myalla is now available to be received electronically via email. Those without an email, or who prefer to receive their magazine in the post, can still receive a printed edition. Manage how you would like to receive your Myalla magazine at www.perthcollege.wa.edu.au/community/oldgirls-association
Perth College Foundation The Perth College Foundation conducts appeals throughout the year to raise much-needed funds for facilities, programs and scholarships. Your support is warmly welcomed to help us facilitate ongoing delivery of a world-class educational experience at Perth College. If you would like to make a donation of any kind, please visit the Perth College website at www.perthcollege.wa.edu.au. Alternatively, contact Alumni and Foundation Co-ordinator, Caroline Risah, on 9471 2163 or email foundation@pc.wa.edu.au.
Thank you for your generous donations We sincerely thank those that have supported the Perth College Old Girls’ Association through significant and generous donations. All contributions large or small are greatly appreciated.
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