Message from Old Girls Association Foundation Board Representative

When I reflect on the past five years that I have served on the Foundation Board, I am often in awe of the generosity and giving nature of our community in building our School’s future together. The journey has not always been easy, especially given the volatility and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has cast upon us over the past few years. Still, it has also been one where the strength and support of our donor community has kept us pushing on towards our initial goal of reaching $30 million in corpus by 2028. This has always been to ensure we can build our funds from a position of strength and increase our ability to support initiatives that will continue to ensure our School is one of excellence for the generations to come. The year 2022 also marked the tenth year since the Foundation was reinvigorated and to see the significant progress it has made has been truly special.

In many ways, the seeds of opportunity that we sow for our students today can yield endless possibilities that may even be beyond our imagination. That’s how I feel when I think about my relationship with Perth College. Being raised by a single mum and being the first person in my family to attend high school, Perth College essentially opened up my world when it provided me with lifelong friends, a supportive learning environment and a whole array of extra-curricular opportunities that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. It has also helped mould us into capable, courageous and caring members of our community. However, in our world, gender equality has been and is still an issue that we are battling with, and I feel that even though many Schools have aimed to equip their students until their schooling has finished, this is a journey that Perth College continues to walk with its students long after their schooling. This was shown to me when I was invited to be part of the governing body for Perth College Foundation only 10 years after graduating from the School, an opportunity that has allowed me to oversee and steward our funds for the past 5 years. Perth College really represents a place that not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. During this time, I have also witnessed so many life-changing stories amongst our students and for that, I am truly grateful to our community of donors and supporters that enables this to continue.

My thanks do not only go towards our donors and supporters but also to the incredible Board that I have had the privilege of serving amongst for the past several years and who have since left the Board. I wanted to give special thanks to our past Chair, Karen Field, who resigned in March 2023. As we all know, Karen has been a core pillar in driving our Foundation from its humble beginnings to where it is today. Karen - your commitment, integrity and dedication towards the School have been second to none, and the gravitas you brought to all components of your role as Chair has been evident time and time again by our standard of governance and confidence that our donor community has often voiced back to us. It’s been an honour to have served with you.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank our other non-executive directors, Tracey Dembo and Andrew Harrison, and our Council representative, Jane Scott, the latter of whom I have had the privilege of serving together with on the Old Girls Association, for their contributions to the Foundation. Thank you for leaving your positive imprint on the Foundation. I am now looking forward to the 2022-2023 period as we embark on our transition and recruit for the vacant seats on the Foundation Board.

Although this year has been like no other, I deeply believe that the good work of the Foundation to date and in the years to come will continue to provide opportunities for many students to shape their own futures and positively influence society. So, a huge gratitude towards our community for their ongoing generosity and support. I look forward to continuing this journey together.

Angel Chen

OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVE TO PERTH COLLEGE FOUNDATION