who teach and care for their daughters. Additionally, at the special welcome evenings, parents were able to socialise with other families. Our whole community is very keen to consolidate their links with the College after the challenges and dislocation of the past few years.
You may have already read that during this year I am highlighting the theme of ‘Treasure’, in its various usages and meanings. As Principal of PLC, I am so aware of what treasure we hold within our College, in particular, our precious students. We treasure and value each girl, and aim to give her a balanced, inspiring and enriching education that will prepare her for the complex and exciting world beyond PLC. As a wise little Year 2 girl said to our Head of Junior School, ‘Mrs Voce, a school without children is like a treasure chest without treasure!’
We are very proud of the outstanding academic IB and VCE results which the Class of 2022 achieved last year, and I thank the girls, their teachers and families for all their commitment and hard work. I know they have the compassion, sense of service and leadership skills to make a real contribution in whatever areas they choose to study and work.
Sai has been a strong advocate for greater diversity in universities as she believes passionately that students from lowincome backgrounds must have access to university. Her honest and humorous account of the many obstacles she had to overcome during her university studies really moved her very engaged audience of students and staff. Sai credited her friends and teachers at PLC for providing her with the self-belief to reach her academic goals. We wish her all the best as she continues her research into public health issues at Oxford University.
We at PLC lean into our strong and distinguished history and always enjoy opportunities to welcome back past staff and students who bring their very interesting and individual stories to share with current students.
Of course the preparation and staging of the House Concerts is a treasured memory for all Old Collegians, and this year the students really threw themselves into interpreting the theme of ‘Hats’ with great creativity, energy and fun.
How happy I am to be writing to you at the end of such a varied and rich first term. PLC students and staff have settled well and made a very strong start thanks to the aid of various orientation programs. It has been wonderful to be able to confidently plan and anticipate the traditional celebrations and rituals that mark the exciting new year at the College. We are so pleased that during the Information Nights, many parents had the opportunity to meet the staff
Sai Campbell, from the Class of 2018, is an inspiring former student and was the guest speaker at our Foundation Day Assembly when we celebrated the founding of PLC in East Melbourne, 148 years ago. Sai, who has received a Rhodes Scholarship for 2023, joins the decades of Old Collegians who have achieved great recognition for their academic achievements and their passion for social justice. While studying for her Bachelor of Philosophy in Science,
I am really enjoying seeing so many students happily wearing the new, smart and contemporary uniform around the College and I am very proud of the agency and choice it gives them while still reflecting our pride in our historic blue, black and gold school colours and tartan.
It has been a full term, with rich learning experiences in the classroom and beyond as the girls enjoyed camps, including some challenging weather, the end of the rowing season with the Head of the River and State championships, sporting and drama activities and musical performances at the Autumn Melodies concert.
We aim to provide encouragement and build confidence in our students through programs such as the recent Year 10 ‘Keep Rising’ program, and the workshops which have helped students prepare for their Work Experience placements later in the year.
Another much-loved event, the Twilight Picnic, with its colourful ‘Garden Party’ theme, was attended by approximately 4,000 members of our community.
I sincerely thank all the parents, students, staff and volunteers who made it such a night to remember.
After four years of planning, work has started on one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by PLC, the construction of a state-of-the art Sport, Aquatic and Fitness Centre (SAFC). Due to open in 2025, this world-class centre will enhance the breadth of sporting, wellness and learning programs for our students and staff for generations to come.
This year we have also continued our important work on the PLC 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. Under the guidance of the wise and forward-looking PLC Council, we are constantly planning ahead so that we can provide our students with the best, most holistic education possible and preserve the treasured and enduring values which have been at the heart of our school culture over the decades.
There are many current and past students, staff and families who value the strong Christian heritage of our College, enjoy fellowship at our weekly Prayer Groups and who attended our recent Connect Night. They live out the message in Psalm 119, ‘Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight’.
PLC continues to be one of the foremost schools in Australia and there is a strong demand for places with waiting lists at all levels. It also has a very positive reputation overseas as my recent trip
to Asia to engage with existing Boarding families and potential students reaffirmed.
This year, we are continuing our planning for the College’s 150th Year celebrations in 2025, working with our community to plan key events to commemorate our unique history and achievements and to celebrate the future of the College.
I look forward to sharing a busy, enjoyable and enriching remainder of the year with you all.
With my best wishes and blessings.
Cheryl Penberthy PrincipalA swimming pool for the new school at Burwood had formed part of the longrange building plans in 1945. By then, only the Junior School had moved from East Melbourne to Burwood. More than two decades passed before a pool was finally constructed in 1969.
The Presbyterian Messenger in 1945 reported: ‘The College Council proposes to establish a complete new school at Burwood, where the pupils will have ample playing fields, sports ovals and courts. There will also be extensive gardens, a swimming pool, and provision for indoor and outdoor hobbies’. But by 1952, because of the enormous cost of constructing essential classrooms and a hall at the new Senior School at Burwood, a swimming pool had to be excluded from the list of priorities.
During the early 1960s, a swimming pool appeared on the wish list for the design of the proposed Physical Education Centre. The Parents’ Association talked about it at meetings and actively lobbied for it. The
pool’s cost – which would have tripled the total budget for the PE Centre – precluded its incorporation into the architectural sketches and so the PE Centre opened in 1965 without a pool. Sympathetically, Scotch College’s Headmaster even asked if PLC would like the services of the cadet corps to dig a hole for a swimming pool.
When the local community’s swimming pool closed in 1967, the need at PLC became more acute. Even an open air and unheated pool would do, it was thought. School Council agreed that an unheated 25-metre pool could be built if it were fully financed by parents. A swimming pool made it onto the list of priorities in 1968 and an appeal was launched with a target of $50,000. Parents were the main contributors to the $23,000 that was raised in only 12 months. It was a significant sum that would easily have purchased a house in Melbourne as well as a car. Amid great rejoicing, PLC’s first pool opened in February 1969.
Boarders particularly enjoyed using the pool. ‘With the completion of the school swimming pool, one wish has been granted — swimming during the
weekends on those hot, humid days’, boarders wrote in Patchwork in 1969. Many new recruits joined the Life Saving Club as it was conveniently able to meet at the school pool. The new swimming pool also fostered greater enthusiasm among members of the swimming team. ‘This year the swimming team was full of budding Dawn Frasers, and it should reach a very high standard in the next few years. The new pool spurred us on and deserves a lot of the credit, even though we had to break the ice before we jumped in every morning’, wrote swimming captain Anne de Boer (1969). Some interschool competitions began to be held at the PLC pool from the year it opened.
In 1994, the pool was enclosed when the current Aquatic Centre was built around it. It was opened on 15 October by Old Collegian, Dame Leonie Kramer AC (Gibson, 1941).
Helen Penrose
Historian PLC 150th History
A. Lindsay Ruddle (second from left), William Mackay (Principal, far right) with Sue Gell, Elizabeth Blythe and Anne Setterfield reviewing the plans in 1992 for the Aquatic Centre that was built around the original swimming pool and opened in 1994.
B. 1969 swimming team standing near the pool. Standing, L to R, Sue Greig, Sally Simon, Jan Steel, Jeanette Chisholm, Anne de Boer (Captain), Meredith Benson, Elisabeth Gross, Heather McKee, Fiona Mackie, Vicky Beaurepaire, Janet Hare. Kneeling, L to R, Sue Hilliard, Anne Webster, Kaye Harvey, Pam Martin, Sue Campbell. Absent, Christine Kellaway.
At the end of 2022, the College proudly announced the launch of a new Sports, Aquatic and Fitness Centre (SAFC). Earlier this year, works began with the new Centre anticipated to open in 2025, to coincide with the College’s 150th anniversary.
The Vision for the New Centre
This project represents the most significant undertaking in the College's history. It has been designed to grow the breadth of the College’s educational and experiential learning programs within a world-class, sustainably-oriented facility.
By promoting wellbeing through sport, health and fitness, the College aims to provide a dynamic learning environment that educates young women who possess the skills, character and passion to face the challenges of the future.
The Centre will feature a 50-metre, 8-lane swimming pool, a 25-metre learn-to-swim pool, diving towers and seating for up to 400 visitors.
The sports arena can accommodate three basketball courts, which can also be configured for badminton, netball and volleyball.
There will also be a gymnasium and spin room, multi-purpose spaces for aerobics, dance, relaxation, table tennis and class teaching as well as staff areas, collaborative meeting spaces and an underground carpark.
Not only will it house the foundations of sport at PLC, but it will also provide an inspirational environment that engages and inspires students for generations to come.
The finished site will undergo significant tree planting and will be home to extensive vegetation. The building itself will feature approximately 700kW of solar panels. Recycled materials are being used during construction. Stormwater reclamation systems will also be installed to filter water for the pool and surrounding gardens, reducing the amount of water drawn from the local network.
We encourage you to visit the SAFC Information Hub on our website via the below QR code to stay up-to-date during the project’s construction period.
*These images are for illustrative purposes only and may not exactly depict the completed project.
The Twilight Picnic enjoyed a recordbreaking turnout this year, marking the first event since COVID. The girls gave fantastic performances on stage and around the grounds. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible. You can watch the highlights video via the QR code.
In the most anticipated event of the year, House Concerts 2023 was an amazing display of creativity, enthusiasm and incredible talent from every girl involved, as well as an absolute joy to watch.
Congratulations to all the girls and Heads of Department across each House for making this year's event such a huge success, including a total of $4,500 raised for Neno Girls' School.
Enjoy the highlights video via the QR code. Watch
In February, five Year 12 girls, consisting of Rachel Langford, Amaya Wong, Lizza Ma, Charmi Kularathna and Katrina Luu, attended the GSV Sports Leaders’ Breakfast held at Lauriston Girls’ School. The breakfast is a yearly tradition, organised to bring together sports leaders and enthusiasts from the 24 girls’ schools involved in the GSV Sport program to form friendships and share their love of sport. The morning began by getting to know girls from other schools over breakfast,
followed by listening to a panel of highlevel sports women, who all competed in the GSV program at school. We had the opportunity to listen to and meet Old Collegian, Cat Phillips (2009), who represented Australia in ultimate frisbee and now plays in the AFLW. We also had the pleasure of being joined by Georgia Griffiths, Olympic 800m and 1500m runner and Rowie Webster, two-time Olympic water polo player, all of whom gave us great insight into their world of sport and their goals for the future, and some valuable advice. We were
encouraged to keep participating in sport and see where it can take us, whether that be the Olympics or local competitions. There were so many great tips; however, the main takeaway of the morning was that your best is always good enough. This opportunity was well worth the early morning and was a great inspiration to girls with sports leadership positions and everyone hoping to continue playing sports at school and in the future.
Rachel, Year 12
Sports Captain
Congratulations to Claire Wu, Ally Choong and Shin Yi Pan who competed at the GSV golf tournament in February. As a Year 12 student, this was Claire’s last opportunity to play in the GSV golf tournament; she was recognised by GSV for competing in every golf event since Year 7. We congratulate Claire on her outstanding efforts and commitment in representing PLC so consistently over the past six years. All girls played outstandingly well, and we are very proud of their efforts. Claire placed second in the handicap event, with Shi Yi also placing second, and Ally placing fourth in the nonhandicap event.
Lexin Zhao in Year 7 won several event medals in the Victorian Metro Long Course Swimming Championships. This included three gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley, three silver medals in the 50m butterfly, 200m medley relay and 200m freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle.
Chelsea Yang in Year 7 (below left), and Angela Zhang in Year 12 (below right), competed in the B-Grade Epee competition in February. The B-Grade competitions are open to any fencer over 13 years of age, except any fencer who has achieved a top 8 result in an AFF Open competition. For their fine efforts, Chelsea won gold and Angela was awarded bronze.
Representing the Victorian A team, Maria Yang competed in the Australian Junior Women Epee Competition (U20) and was placed third individually and first in the team event.
Female School Single Scull Open Division 1
Going into the heat, I could have made better race preparations; it wasn’t my most representative performance. Reflecting upon that, I was determined to go into my final and give it everything to prove to myself what I can do and to make the early mornings worth it for my mum and Mrs Clark. Despite the sudden wind and waves that picked up in the middle of the race (which resulted in two competitors capsizing!), I pushed through and managed to hold on to second place, which I am happy with.
Female School Coxed Quad Scull Open Division 2
The slightly windy and choppy conditions continued throughout the quad’s heat in the afternoon, making it a challenging row, especially through the middle unprotected section. Although not the best performance, it was a solid effort by the team. After a quick change, with Mia coxing and myself rowing, and a slight dash up to the start line, we were 100% ready to bounce. Straight out of the start,
we led solidly for around the first 750m of the race and kept ourselves honest. Although we dropped back towards the end, it was a great row and hinted towards exciting possibilities for HOSG with the shorter 1500m racecourse. Although times aren’t always representative of changing conditions, from heat to final, in the single I dropped more than one minute and the quad dropped more than 30 seconds! Overall, we are all walking away with something to be proud of, and now the last regatta before HOSG is done. We can all look forward to an exciting season finale in less than two weeks and get started on our final stage of training and preparation.
Elaine, Year 12 Rowing Captain
In the Junior School, our year began with a focus on leadership. We started by recognising the exemplary qualities of our Year Six girls, who were officially inducted as student leaders of the Junior School in Week 3. From there, we acknowledged the Years 3-6 Class Captains, as well as our SRC representatives, all of whom have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. These girls have been handpicked by their peers and teachers for their ability to inspire and motivate others, communicate effectively and positively impact their classroom, year level and the entire school community. As student leaders, they have a significant role to play in representing the interests and concerns of their classmates to our Junior School Leadership Team, setting
an example for others to follow, and helping to create a culture of respect and kindness that is an essential part of our ethos. Through their leadership roles, our student leaders will have the opportunity to grow as individuals while making a tangible difference in the lives of others.
While being a good leader is undoubtedly important, it is equally essential to recognise the value of being a good follower. In fact, those who are the first to follow a leader can be just as influential as the leader themselves. Followers are the ones who buy into the leader’s vision and create an environment where others feel safe, inspired and motivated to join in. A good follower is someone who chooses to follow the right things and actively contributes to positive changes. To create a school culture that embodies
values such as kindness, inclusivity, encouragement and excellence, it is crucial to not only lead by example, but be quick to join in when you see someone else demonstrating these positive behaviours - be quick to follow
True leadership goes beyond formal titles or positions. It is a call to action that anyone can answer – an invitation for everyone to step up and make a difference in their own unique way. I look forward to watching our Junior School girls take on the challenge this year of influencing our school community and helping to foster a positive culture that makes everyone feel seen and valued.
Melissa Voce Head of Junior SchoolI am very honoured and excited to be leading this year’s Student Representative Council (SRC) as Junior School Captain. I vividly remember, as an eager little Prep student, curiously peeking through the window of the SRC classroom and wishing that I could help make the ANZAC wreaths. Who would have known that six years later, I would be lucky enough to be part of the SRC team!
To me, being a leader means serving others in any way we can. For example, we can help pack up toys in the classroom even though we didn’t create the mess, cheer someone up if they are not feeling their best or celebrate someone’s uniqueness at every opportunity. All of us can lead regardless of whether we have a badge or not. This selflessness and humility is what the SRC team hopes to embody this year.
School is filled with all kinds of people, just like a galaxy of stars. Some stars are red, some are blue or even orange. Every star radiates light in its own special way. Similar to a star, everyone has a unique perspective and contributes in their own way. These differences are what make it a memorable voyage for us. We may encounter magnificent stars that take our breath away and inspire us to be the best version of ourselves. At times, we may need to escape from a black hole that is sucking our energy or dodge an icy comet hurtling at us as an obstacle to overcome.
This leads me to draw an analogy between the SRC team and the International Space Station (ISS) crew. Both teams operate in a busy, process-driven environment that has many moving parts. Teamwork and collaboration are essential for crew members on board to operate cohesively and create something wondrous. Each
crew member has a unique part to play and brings to the role courage in the face of the unknown and skilful thinking to solve problems that they have never seen before.
Whether we are reaching for the stars literally or figuratively, being an SRC Member helps develop and hone many leadership skills such as:
• listening and being open to ideas
• sharing and collaborating with classmates, friends and family
• seeking feedback on ideas
• using your initiative to help people without being asked
• helping people feel included
• treating your belongings with respect
• designing solutions to problems
• encouraging others to grow and make great choices
• identifying ways to improve the school
‘There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.’
Our Year 6 Investiture was a splendid experience as we were officially presented with our shiny badges as the leaders of the Junior School. After having a few rehearsals just before the special day, we knew perfectly well what we were doing. On the day of the Assembly, most girls were buzzing with excitement, not able to hold it in, as the rest of the Junior School and our parents piled into the hall. I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but my nerves
Our PLC students have been participating in a variety of sporting activities such as Junior Joggers, Huff and Puff, Running Group, Tennis Works, Junior Netters, Saturday Netball, Inter-School Sport, School Sport Victoria Swimming Competitions and the Lower Primary Sports Carnivals. These activities have all been great opportunities for our girls to develop their physical skills, teamwork and sportsmanship, while also having fun.
In Junior Joggers, Huff and Puff and Running Group, our girls have been improving their endurance and fitness levels, while enjoying the fresh air and
were eventually overcome by my excitement. As the booming of pipes and drums filled the air, we entered the hall and marched across to our seats. The moment we had been waiting for, the presentation of badges, came, after an address by Mrs Voce. Students from each class walked onto the stage one by one and Mrs Penberthy presented us with our badges. Once the badges had been given to each student, and we were all back to our seats, we recited the Year 6 Pledge we had been given to memorise. We had a prayer, then we
proudly sang the benediction and School Song, which concluded our assembly. As all the girls streamed out, Year 6 students went to look for our parents, who were comfortably sitting at the back of the Hall. We enjoyed a lovely morning tea together after ALL the photos were taken. Morning tea consisted of delectable scones, brownies, and tea for the parents. This was undoubtedly an amazing experience, and I am sure we all will not be forgetting this soon.
Elaine, Year 6
sunshine. They have been setting goals for themselves and working hard to achieve their personal best, whether it's running a certain distance or improving their speed.
The Tennis Works lunchtime lessons have provided our girls with a chance to learn a new sport and develop their hand-eye coordination. They have been working on their footwork, grip and technique, while playing fun games and drills. Our girls have also been able to socialise with their peers and make new friends on the court.
The Junior Netters program and the Saturday Netball Club have provided great opportunities for our girls to work together and improve their teamwork skills. They have been practicing their passing, shooting and defending skills, while learning about the different positions on the court. Our girls have also been enjoying the challenge of match play and implementing many offensive and defensive strategies.
Finally, our annual Lower Primary carnival was a huge success. The girls had been practising their athletics events during Physical Education classes and were very excited to showcase their skills. Cheered on by parents and friends, the girls participated in sprints, hurdles, weaving, long jump, shuttle relay and many other fun activities. The events were conducted by our PLC Junior School Sport and House Captains, all of whom did an outstanding job. At the conclusion of the day, the girls were delighted that their efforts were rewarded with an icy-pole supplied by the Friends of Junior School.
I look forward to leading our Student Representative Council this year and extend congratulations to the girls who have been chosen to represent their year level.
Isabella,
Our Inter-School Sport Netball and Teeball matches have been a fun and exciting way for our Years 5 and 6 students to learn about the fundamentals of both sports. They have been practicing their hitting, catching, throwing, passing and shooting skills, while playing friendly matches against other Independent girls’ schools.
The PLC SSV Swimming team was made up of our most elite swimmers in the Junior School. They had been training hard to improve their swimming technique, while building their endurance in the water. Our well-trained swimmers swam exceptionally at the District Swimming Competition, earning points for our school and resulting in an exciting and close finish where they achieved equal 1st place for the 2023 Mulgrave District Swimming Championships.
Overall, we are incredibly proud of our girls for their enthusiasm, hard work and dedication to the Sport and Physical Education Program. We believe that these activities not only promote physical fitness and health, but also provide valuable life skills such as teamwork, communication and perseverance. Thank you to all the coaches, teachers and parents who have supported and encouraged our girls in their sporting pursuits. We look forward to continuing to see their growth in Term 2 and beyond.
On Friday 24 February we experienced the Twilight Picnic. There was a big jumping castle with a big slide. It looked like the sea. At the petting zoo you could pat animals. You could pat bunnies, llamas, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and goats. The animals were soft. You could also decorate cupcakes. We added some colours and candy to the cupcakes. The Junior School teachers served ice cream. I remember Miss Conlon served me ice cream. The Melt Down was quite fun. It had an arm to knock you over. You had to jump over or dive under it. The Twilight Picnic was fun and amazing!
'It was so great going on all the rides with my friends. I haven’t been to the Twilight Picnic since I was in the ELC, it was so cool to go as a Junior School girl.'
Sienna, Year 2A
'I loved getting my face painted, I even got both my arms painted! It was so much fun walking around with my friend, Emily.'
Katelyn, Year 2A
'My favourite thing was the spinning ride – I wasn’t afraid to go on it. It was fun and not scary!'
Elyssa, Year 2B
'My favourite thing at the Twilight Picnic was patting the animals. They had such soft fur! It was my first time at the Twilight Picnic and it was awesome.'
Mia, Year 2B
'I loved the Chair-O-Plane, it spun around and around. I loved going with my family and I loved seeing my teacher selling ice cream at the ice cream stand.'
Claire, Year 2C
'It was so much fun. We had the best time at the bouncy castle and the face painting. It was so cool being at school at night-time with my friends.'
Ruby, Year 2C
Young children love to move. There is a rhythm to the way children engage with their surroundings in action and in thought. They learn through their interactions and connections to the physical world and embrace every opportunity to participate in robust, vigorous movement.
With this understanding, ELC teachers ensure that there are many opportunities for children to engage in large muscle activity during the course of each day. Specific periods of time are allocated for energy-expending activities that allow
for free, unrestricted movement in both the indoor and outdoor environments. All areas of the school campus, including the large, obstacle-free, open spaces of the ovals and tennis courts, are utilised to allow children the opportunity to run freely and unhindered.
There is no doubt that ‘big-body’ play is essential to a child’s healthy growth. Brain research indicates that there is a direct relationship between large body movement activities and other areas of a child’s development. Active movement and exercise link directly to brain stimulation in these very early years and is essential to the formation of
intellect. Cross-patterning activities such as crawling, marching and climbing are important movement skills that integrate the left and right sides of the brain. Young children experience the world through their senses and motoric ability. Preschool children’s bodies, as much as their minds, are the organ of intelligence. Their ‘bodyminds’ require that they move and be moved by their surroundings.
Children also need a wide variety of movement experiences, especially through natural play opportunities, to enhance their perceptual motor development. A child who climbs, teeters on a balance board, skips and tumbles on
the grass, has a greater chance of developing good co-ordination than a child who sits placidly in a chair watching television or scrolling on an iPad.
Unfortunately, childhoods are very different from those of 20 years ago. Backyards have become smaller and trips to the local park have become rare adventures for many children. In our hurried lives, there seems to be less time for uninterrupted physical activity.
The ELC curriculum and the manner in which it is implemented, reflect the importance of vigorous activity. The children are in constant motion, whether involved in the more formalised physical education classes and swimming lessons, or when participating in day-to-day activities. Enquirybased learning is a hands-on approach that, by its very nature, utilises and encourages movement and action.
Deborah Hendren Head of Early Learning
sky stuff’, he recalled. ‘We needed to change so much of the campus so quickly that none of us believed that it could be achieved in our lifetimes. It was a hugely daunting prospect.’
The first priority was to rebuild the Junior School whose facilities were seriously outdated and not fit for service. Opened in 2005, the new Junior School, through the vision and support of the Principal at the time, Mrs Elizabeth Ward, was ahead of its time and was achieved significantly faster than envisaged.
This project began in what Andrew’s words was ‘a snowball effect – a growing of momentum like a snowball careering down a mountain slope as each key milestone in that original masterplan was achieved sooner, in more substance and for greater impact on the community and the lives of the girls.’ That original plan was in fact achieved in 15 years, with one of the last pieces being the new Sports, Fitness and Aquatic Centre, now under construction.
The PLC Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Diana Bevington as the new President of the group, following the retirement of Dr Andrew McDonald.
Diana has been an integral part of the Foundation Board of Management for over a decade and has recently served as Vice President and Chair of the Programs and Projects Committee. Her leadership and strategic thinking have played a significant role in supporting the engagement of the PLC community and the work of the Foundation.
Dr Andrew McDonald, who served as President of the PLC Foundation for 15 years and a Member of College Council for 23 years, retired from both roles at the end of 2022.
Andrew’s PLC journey started as many do, as a new parent to the College when his two daughters began in the Junior School. It was during this time that he was selected to be a Group B representative on the College Council.
During this time the College Council was chaired by Lindsay Ruddle and comprised two sub-committees. Andrew joined the Property and Planning Committee. In reflecting on his time at PLC, Andrew recalled that:
‘In those early years, the College campus was in dire need of transformation and change. I vividly recall an inspection tour of the entire school campus that had us face the daunting prospect of needing to replace or expand most of the existing infrastructure.’
A College masterplan was created by the P&P Committee to address what was needed and look to how it could be achieved. However, it was all ‘pie in the
As he reflected on his time, one of Andrew’s proudest achievements was being a founding member of the Council group that led the vision for the revitalisation of the College campus. He was also the last remaining member of that original group at his retirement.
Uniquely as well, as President of the PLC Foundation – his other great passion – his role was both to ‘raise the money and then carefully use it to support the College’s masterplan’.
Andrew's wife, Barbara Brodbeck, is an Old Collegian who graduated from PLC in 1970, and their two daughters also graduated from PLC.
Andrew’s retirement marks the end of an era as the longest-serving President of the Foundation and one of the longestserving members of the College Council in recent times. His dedication and vision will be greatly missed and the significant contributions he has made to the work and life of the College will continue to be felt for years to come.
The College and Foundation wish Andrew and his family all the very best for the future and look forward to welcoming them to the many College and Foundation events and activities held each year.
Diana's personal connections to PLC are strong, with her daughter serving as School Captain in 2013. Diana has long been an active member of the College community, assisting in every aspect of College life.
As the Foundation embarks on this new chapter, we look forward to Diana's vision and leadership in helping drive the Foundation's mission of supporting the education of girls at PLC.
We wish her all the best in her future endeavours in this new role.
On 19 September 2022, former staff member of the PLC Maintenance Team, Lauren Camilleri-McIntosh, sadly passed away at 39 years old, only one year after her cancer diagnosis.
Lauren’s passion for learning and knowledge about gardening, nature and science, the outdoors, travel, animals and cooking, aligned with the work ethos of PLC and her role in the outdoors team.
Lauren married Alex McIntosh in 2016, who descends from a family in Euroa, Victoria who are connected to Old Collegian Katherine Crosbie (Markham 2005). PLC was a special connection to discover that Lauren and Katherine shared in common.
Lauren was a graceful, caring and intelligent soul who will be greatly missed, and whose service to the College is acknowledged with gratitude.
The PLC Foundation’s mission is to support the development of major new facilities at the College and provide students with exceptional educational resources. We are delighted to welcome the following individuals to our community and extend our sincere gratitude to our existing members for their outstanding support.
Members
Mr Haijian Chen and Ms Lisa Zhu
Mr Fraymond Lew and Mrs Jancy Lew
Mr Dean Stanford and Ms Se Se Zhang
Mr Daoyuan Zhang and Ms Dan Xuan
Mr Sugiarto Tjandraliem and Mrs Agnes Paliauhoetomo
Mr Xiang Li and Dr Penny Wong
Mrs Ailsa Wilson (Watson, 1958) and Mr Andrew Wilson
Mr Matthew Duke
Associate Fellows
PLC was saddened to hear of the passing of Reverend Graham Lyman, a former member of the PLC Council, on 28 January 2023. Graham was a member of the Council's Property and Planning Committee and was highly involved in the College's building projects during his time on Council. We send our condolences to his family and friends.
$3,000
$6,000
For more information or to apply for membership, please contact the Development Office at development@plc.vic.edu.au or scan the QR code to visit our Donation Hub online.
Over the past two years, I have been volunteering at Ivy League Academy (ILA), a school located in Thika, Kenya, which was founded by William Ndung’u in 2018. William started the school in a truly selfless act of kindness, funding the school out of his own pocket, with the motivation to provide the poorest children of Kenya with a quality education at no cost.
When I started volunteering with William at the end of 2021, I delivered virtual lessons for primary school students, covering a range of subjects, from English grammar to multiplication and division. More recently, I had the idea to run a School Supplies Drive, which involved the collection of school supply donations at PLC and neighbouring community centres.
Behind this activity lies passion, meaning and purpose. I have been able to forge connections with brilliant people across the globe, push myself outside my comfort zone and, most importantly, reignite a propensity to help others less fortunate.
The IB CAS program has been an essential part of this volunteer journey, as it has encouraged me to reflect on my progress and think about the directions I might like to take for future volunteer work, making my experience only more meaningful. I urge all of you to fuel your passion through volunteering!
For more information and ways to help ILA, scan the ILA QR code below. To start your volunteering journey today, I also recommend browsing the other sites below.
Claudia, Year 12
Heather Barnes
1944 - 2022
Heather Barnes, who joined the PLC staff in 1984 as a part-time teacher in the Home Economics Department, was influenced in her love of cooking by growing up on a farm in Shepparton. She enjoyed imparting her knowledge of food and exhibiting skills in food preparation to her students, who responded enthusiastically.
Heather’s part-time employment varied according to the needs of the school, and she was always ready to adapt to extra commitments, such as with Lost Property where responsibility was her key message to the students.
Heather made a significant contribution to Human Studies and was responsible for organising visits to kindergartens and child-minding centres for all Year 9 students. Through this process, she built up a relationship with the management of these facilities, paving the way for the next group of Year 9 students.
Through the Human Studies program, Heather took on the mammoth task of ensuring all Year 9 students completed a St John’s Certificate in First Aid. This involved up-skilling the Human Studies teachers every three years! The course was then offered to all staff, who were encouraged to participate. This was especially important when it became mandatory for all teaching staff to be involved in the school camping program. Much of the organisation and testing was done outside school hours. While this often caused angst for Heather, she took it in her stride.
Heather was also a passionate member of the Human Relations program and often utilised her own children to trial resources.
Heather was a kind, caring and compassionate staff member who took time to listen to others. Many staff members were recipients of a casserole or home-baked biscuits when the need was there.
Heather retired in 2010. Sadly, she passed away in her sleep on 21
December 2022. Just three weeks earlier, she had joined a group of retired PLC staff for breakfast where they reminisced on all they valued in their years at PLC.
Provided by Dorothy CareyRecently at our Connect Night, I shared on the topic, ‘A Reason for Hope’. This was also the theme of our Christian Union Mustard Day where student groups from other schools came together to spend time and nurture faith.
Here is an extract from the Connect Night.
Attributed to G.K Chesterton is the idea: the result of ceasing to believe in God is not that one will then believe in nothing; it is that one will believe anything.
We don’t want the next generation believing just anything!
So, one of the greatest things you can do to promote hope in your family is to teach and model the Good News of Jesus Christ and to help your children develop a good filter. God has created us with a hunger to know Him. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says:
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
If you present the truth of Jesus with grace, people are hungry to hear.
Along with fear, there is great anger and distrust towards just about all institutions in the west, from churches to police, even to some sporting clubs.
So, there is anger and fear, but the Bible reminds us that God has set eternity in the human heart; some writers refer to this as a God-shaped hole. Until we connect with God, we will always be looking for other ways to find peace, joy, fulfilment and our identity.
The word ‘hope’ in the English translation of the Bible appears more than 150 times. In the Old Testament, there are two main words. One is ‘yakhal’, which implies anticipation. For example, Noah had ‘to wait’ (‘yakhal’) for the waters to recede. The other Hebrew word is ‘qavah’, which implies the feeling of tension and expectation while you wait. If hope is about waiting or expectation, what are people waiting for?
In the Psalms, the word for hope appears over 40 times. What is it that people are waiting for? It is God? Biblical hope is based on God; it is different to optimism. Hope in the biblical sense sees beyond circumstances; it sees the bigger picture. Hope is grounded in God’s past faithfulness.
We can look forward with great joy and anticipation by looking back at God’s character, His faithfulness and what He has done. It is a little bit like when you have to ‘re-joice’. Sometimes in life you have experienced great joy, but, over time, broken relationships, trauma or just plain exhaustion can seem to make joy fade. In those times, you need to revisit joy.
It is a bit like that with hope. When you feel overwhelmed by shifting culture:
• don’t forget to look up and turn to God in prayer
• Don’t forget to open your bible and read about God’s providential, all-powerful, merciful faithfulness
• God is not done with this world, God is not done with you and me; there are more chapters to write and great reason for hope.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for hope, ‘elpis’, was used. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have given us all great reason for hope. The empty tomb, the defeat of death, means that when we turn to Jesus, we can have great hope that death is not the end. 1 Corinthians 15 describes the consequences of Jesus’ empty tomb as a victory:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ resurrection opened a ‘living hope’; people can be ‘born again’ to eternal life. What happened with Jesus’ resurrection is a foretaste of what we can all experience. We can receive forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternity.
• So, hope is in God.
• Hope is on God. God can set us free from what has a hold on us, just as he has done in the past throughout the Bible.
• Hope is for the salvation made possible by Jesus.
Christian hope is also reasonable. N.T Wright points out that the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb demand an explanation from historians and scientists; they can’t simply be dismissed.
• Hope is assured. It is not abstract; Hebrews talks of the certainty of hope.
• Hope is one of the best things for your wellbeing. It will allow you to flourish; it is a compass co-ordinate, like faith, hope and love.
• Hope is described as an ‘anchor for the soul’.
• Hope will require perseverance, but it will lead to great joy. Remember the saying, ‘Joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of Christ’.
• Hope requires patience but it remains unshaken as faith allows us to grow in our understanding of who God is and His love for this world.
• Lastly, I have mentioned that hope is an anchor, it is also described in Hosea as a door (2:15), a helmet in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 – it will protect you – and we are reminded in Colossians 1:5 that hope is stored up for you in Heaven; it is something inside the believer in 1 Peter 3:15 and it is something into which one is born in 1 Peter 1:3.
We are reminded in 1 Peter 1:3-9:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
So, to summarise with some practical application:
Be careful what you take in. Never underestimate the importance of family. Be unified in your voice and keep your focus on Jesus.
May you know the great hope you can have in Jesus, that He is not that far away. As you lean into Him, invite His Holy Spirit in to empower, guide, restore and renew you.
Rev Nick Curtis Director of Christian MinistriesConnecting with each other as fellow Old Collegians throughout our whole lives. Sharing our lives, sharing our PLC experiences and values through challenging times and when celebrating life’s milestones. Being there for each other at milestone birthdays, weddings, when celebrating babies and farewelling family members. Today, there are so many ways that women stay connected with each other, from sharing a walk to participating in a variety of clubs and groups or sharing news and photos. Every time you reach out to a school friend, you enrich our PLC community. As we all emerge from COVID, let’s all make reaching out to our PLC friends a priority. We would love to hear how you connect with each other, so send in your news and photos for the next issue of z or join our closed OCA FB group PLC Melboburne OCA via the QR code below.
Old Collegians are also meeting through work or studies, encouraging and mentoring each other as we take the next steps to build our skills and experience on the firm foundation of our PLC education; running community projects or church groups together, and living out our PLC values in the wider world. We encourage you to reach out and ask an Old Collegian for advice.
Reunions are a great vehicle for connection, with most PLC year groups meeting every 5 or 10 years. They can be a great way to find the school friends you have lost touch with. Many Old Collegians find when they return to the PLC campus years later, they come back with years of life experience and maturity to reflect on their own PLC experience – the challenges, the triumphs, and the fun of House Concerts. As PLC heads towards the 150th celebrations in 2025, it is a great time to come back to PLC and enjoy the new buildings and revisit your own iconic sites.
The OCA aims to run regular events in May (13 May 2023) and November (11 November 2023) each year, and many Old Collegians attend; some bring a school friend or form a table from their year group. At the recent High Tea with Sally Capp, it was great to see a table from the Classes of 1986 and 1978. The Class of 1980 shared tables with their mothers.
Our next event is our 2023 OCA AGM Luncheon to be held on Saturday 13 May at PLC in the BCH from noon. A brief AGM will be followed by a delicious luncheon and our 2022 Women Out There Fellowship (WOTF) Fellow, Rosalie
Lui (2006), will speak about her winning community project, Spur Afrika Kenya Shupavu Girls Conference for Teenage Mothers. The project is designed for 40 teenage mothers in Kenya to acquire knowledge and skills in personal health and safety, and economic independence, and improve their participation in education. Book using the QR code overleaf or by ringing Julie Schroeder on 9805 7889 by Monday 8 May 2023.
We are planning a new event on Tuesday 20 June 2023, the OCA Scholarship Luncheon in BCH Foyer, where you can book in for a light luncheon with the current holders of the Helen Hailes Memorial Scholarship, the OCA Scholarship and the Melba Music Scholarship. These are the scholarships funded by the OCA Scholarship Fund which is invested with JBWere. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from the students about the highlights of their PLC education and to join Old Collegians who have been donating to support these scholarships since 1920. Look out for your email invitation to book or contact Julie Schroeder on 9805 7889.
A. Angela Bailey (Hirschfield 1986) with Shivani Pillai (1986) and her niece Ayla Chetty, Year 10
B. Old Collegians, Asha Chetty (1985) with Priyanthi Milton (1996) and Jacqui Loustau (Chau 1996)
C. 1978 table with past staff, Mrs Marilyn Forde and Mrs Janet Kinsella
D. 1970s mothers and their 2000s daughters
E. Canberra drinks with Scotch College
F. 2022 WOTF Fellow Rosalie Lui (2006) in Kenya
We can take advantage of other opportunities too. In 2022, Scotch College invited us again to join their Canberra drinks at the Commonwealth Club. Katie Head (2009 boarder) now working in Canberra in the Department of Defence, took the lead, encouraging others to attend and proposing the toast to PLC. There was a great sharing of local knowledge and the experiences of working in DFAT, Defence and private law firms.
Ailsa Wilson (1978)
President PLCOCA plc.melb.oca@gmail.com
Wednesday 2 August
Dukes Green Café, 10.30am
Thursday 5 October
The Runaway Spoon, 10.30am
Lunches
Saturday 3 June
Sous le Soleil, 12.30pm
Saturday 25 November
Sous le Soleil, 12.30pm
Contact: Susanne Crotty susanne.crotty@gmail.com
Notice to All Old Collegians
The 119th Annual General Meeting of the Presbyterian Ladies’ College Old Collegians’ Association Inc (PLC OCA) will be held on Saturday 13 May 2023 at 12 noon (AEST) in Betty Caldwell Hall Foyer (BCH). The OCA’s reports for 2022, including the President’s Report and the Audited Financial Statements, will be presented and approved.
Registration and Directions for AGM
MON 8 MAY
To be held at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. All are welcome!
Please contact Robin Collier (Wilson, 1969) at robinjcollier@gmail.com for more details.
Registration is required online, by Monday 8 May. All past students of PLC are Old Collegians who can vote at the AGM. Our Honorary Old Collegians are very welcome but not able to vote.
You are entitled to just attend the brief AGM for free before the Luncheon, or join the AGM Luncheon for a light meal and drinks and to hear the 2022 Women Out There Fellowship (WOTF) Fellow, Rosalie Lui (2006), describe her project in Kenya to improve the lives of single mothers and their children. Register for either the AGM meeting, or the meeting and Luncheon, through the QR code below or by ringing Julie Schroeder on 9805 7889 by Monday 8 May 2023.
Election of CommitteePLC OCA is recruiting!
Nominations for the OCA Committee must be received on the nomination form that is available on request from plc.melb.oca@gmail.com. The form must be signed by the nominee and two other Old Collegians and returned by Friday 5 May 2023 at plc.melb.oca@gmail.com. Forms can be photographed and emailed to PLC OCA.
The OCA is a busy and vibrant committee with up to 19 members who are currently drawn from Old Collegians from 1973 to 2011. The current subcommittees of PLC OCA are:
• Finance and Investment
• Women Out There Fellowship (WOTF)
• Group B Selection
• Communications (OCA FB and Zoom – creating live links)
• Governance
• Mentoring/PLC Women
• Scholarship Fundraising
• Events
Most of our current committee members have offered themselves for re-election; however, we are always pleased to welcome new Old Collegians to join us in building a great future for all Old Collegians, wherever they live in the world. This year we are seeking Old Collegians with skills and passion for fundraising for our OCA Scholarship Fund and further members for our busy subcommittees of Communications and Mentoring/PLC Women. Join now to be part of planning the 150th celebrations in 2025.
Celebrating its 72nd year, the Geelong Branch of the PLC OCA enjoyed a recent meeting on Sunday 26 March at the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Grovedale. We enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea and especially appreciated the warm service offered to us by a young woman from the community.
We also felt very privileged to have Deputy Principal Lisa Saffin share with us a wonderful account of life today at our alma mater, and of how the staff and girls coped during COVID.
The first meeting of North East members of the PLC Old Collegians was held recently at King River Café, Oxley, which was a great success as we were all so pleased to be meeting again for lunch.
There were 25 members present plus two chauffeurs who also joined us.
As usual, Ben and Judy at the café served us a delicious two-course lunch, as well as tea and coffee.
Principal Cheryl Penberthy joined us for lunch and shared of some of the many activities at the school. It’s all so different from the 1950s when some of us were boarders in East Melbourne!
We also welcomed five members who travelled from Melbourne to be with us.
Since our 60th Celebration a year ago, two of the original Benalla members – Robin Sadler (Say) and Thelma Cook (Crilly) have sadly passed away.
We plan to hold two lunches each year from now on and the next will be on 4 October at Shepparton.
If you would like to join us and are not on our mailing list, please email me jcuddon@outlook.com and I will send details at the appropriate time.
The Mornington Peninsula PLC OCA Friendship Group had an extremely well attended lunch at Kirk’s on the Esplanade in Mornington in February. Thirty-two Old Collegians from school leaving years 1950 through to 1979, including eight new to the group, enjoyed a happy, if noisy, time together. We were delighted to be able to launch a book written by Old Collegian Christina Pemberton, formerly Barbara Lawton (1963). Her story tells of the adventures and challenges that she and her husband, Allan, encountered when taking on an unusual opportunity in the South of France. Titled, France on a Handshake, it is a most interesting story which may encourage others to embrace opportunities as they arise. A number of friends bought her book and Christina is generously donating a percentage of the sales to the Helen Hailes Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The photo shows Christina, the author, Jan Kirchner, editor/ typesetter, and Anne Neil, who officially declared France on a Handshake launched.
Our next lunch will be on 22 July 2023. This is on a Saturday to enable those who have commitments on weekdays to attend. If you are interested in joining us, please ensure that we have your contact details so we can keep you informed. Send your email address, mobile phone number, year of leaving school and maiden name to lemonjam.lj@gmail.com and we will add you to our communications list.
The PLC in Canberra group met for afternoon tea on 18 March 2023 at Caphs Café, Bar and Restaurant, a historic dining venue located in the heart of Manuka in the ACT. Caphs is a heritage-listed building and is the only restaurant in this region that has continued trading since 1926. As usual, we enjoyed catching up on news and were delighted to be joined by Julie Schroeder from the Development Office to hear about life at PLC since the lifting of COVID restrictions in Victoria. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list for future events, please email Morag Donaldson (1987) at plcincanberra@ hotmail.com or contact the PLC Development Office.
Morag Donaldson (1987)
The Helen Hailes Memorial Scholarship has been awarded since 1959 to students who would not otherwise be able to attend PLC. This scholarship was set up to honour Miss Hailes, a greatly loved Vice Principal (1933-1954) and Acting Principal, after her sudden death in 1958.
Please join with other Old Collegians who have for many years donated to support this scholarship, helping girls attend PLC in honour of Helen Hailes and the value we place on the importance of educating women. One of the most important offerings by the OCA is the provision of scholarships. The OCA actively encourages the community to give back and donate to support these ongoing scholarships, providing an opportunity to change the lives of the next generation of girls so that they may benefit from all that a PLC education has to offer.
Our Birthday League Governor
Ms Denise Poon (1978) is keen to welcome you into the Birthday League and send you a birthday greeting as you donate each year to support our OCA Scholarships. Donations are acknowledged by the PLC OCA in PLC in Print.
Bank Details for EFT Donations
Bank: CommBank
Account name: PLCOCA
Account BSB: 063 197
Account Number: 00900486
Reference Details: ‘HH’, and the name you wish to be acknowledged by in PLC in Print, or ‘anonymous’.
Denise Poon Contact Details
Address: 499 Neerim Road Murrumbeena Victoria 3163
Email: mimosacarnegie@gmail.com
Phone: (H) 9571 1197 (M) 0438 365 277
The PLC OCA wish to thank all Birthday League Donors for their kind and thoughtful support of the Helen Hailes Memorial Scholarship fund. This fund supports talented students, usually the daughters or granddaughters of Old Collegians, who would otherwise be unable to attend PLC for financial reasons.
Dr Kate Cherry
Mrs Dawn Best
Mrs Deborah Williams
Mrs Roselyn Muir
Mrs Alison Rechner
Mrs Helen Bailey
Mrs Judith Boucher
Mrs Leonore McClintock
Miss Anne Smith
Dr Rosalind McMillan AM
Mrs Lois McKay
Mrs Janet Davies
Ms Robin Perrin
Mrs Helen Haysom
Mrs Natalie Cronin
Dr Tabathia Pettitt
Mrs Bronwyn Tacey
Mrs Joan Andrew
Mrs Wendy Fishley
Dr Bev Hookey
Mrs June Noble
Mrs Yvonne Knowles
Mrs Lesley Falloon
Mrs Helen Carson
Mrs Dorothy Ramsay
Mrs Anne Neil
Miss Joan Montgomery AM OBE
Mrs Christine Wilson
Mrs Alison Kidman
Mrs Helen Guilfoyle
Mrs Elspeth Arnold
Miss Lauris Murnane
Ms Helen Beanham
Mrs Jean Oldfield
Mrs Claire Douglas
Mrs Val Reid
Mrs Claire Macmillan
Mrs Helen Dent
Mrs Peg Randell
Mrs Anne Hoadley
Dr Merrilyn Murnane AM
Mrs Janet Brown
Dr Jennifer Henry
Mrs Diana Cherry
Dr Glenys French
Mrs Belinda Steele
Mrs Christine Gorrie
Mrs Jean Garrow
Mornington Branch
North East Branch
Dr Amanda Shilo (Davis 1991) is engaged to Kyle Mack. The wedding will take place on 27 May 2023 in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. Amanda will be joined by her two sons, Joshua and Alexander Shilo. Amanda recently accepted a new position as Assistant Professor in Healthcare Studies at Salem State University where she specialises in Global Health and Research Methods and oversees the student internship program.
On 26 November 2022, Tran Nguyen (2014) celebrated her wedding with husband Phillip Ho.
Ellen Kenner (Davies, 2009) and Jamin are delighted to welcome Sophie Daisy Kenner to our family, born in November 2022. A much-loved little sister to big brother Sam.
Congratulations to Diana Cherry (Cole 1956) and her husband Edward, who recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Diana worked for many years in the Senior School.
Dr Susan Wise (1989) was recently elected as the President of the Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS). She is the second woman to be President of the RACDS. Susan also co-chairs the Australian Dental Health Foundation Victoria which helps provide pro-bono dental treatment to patients in need, such as victims of domestic violence. Susan is a past president of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch and received the 2021 Australian Dental Association Valuable Service Award for her services to dentistry.
Congratulations to Dr Tania Chambers OAM (1979), a producer with Feisty Dame Productions, who has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Performing Arts honoris causa from Edith Cowan University ‘to recognise her dedication and commitment to the film, television and arts industries’.
During her address to graduates, Tania discussed the creative industries as the meeting point between technology and the arts, science and culture, and business and creativity. She emphasised that these seemingly opposing concepts are not dichotomies, but rather must be fused together to foster innovation and shape the communities we aspire to live in. Tania also noted that the creative industries have the ability to showcase hyper-local stories with global appeal, making them a truly international force.
She stressed the two-way value of mentorship and the importance of seeking out opportunities to be mentored or to mentor. Tania also encouraged students to be bold because, as Goethe said, “boldness has magic in it.”
Tania’s third feature film, How to Please a Woman, was released in cinemas across the world in 2022, and is currently available to buy/rent via streaming and DVD, and is on STAN.
Originally a French teacher in country Victoria, Australia, Jennie’s journey in mission began with a short term of service at Sahel Academy in the Republic of Niger. From there to attending Bible College in France to improve her French and to affirm her faith through solid biblical teachings, her call ended up being for France. A little surprised, she wondered how she was going to fulfil that calling, but when she returned to the Bible College, she met her French husband, Pascal, who received the call to pastoral ministry. Jennie turned back to SIM (Serving in Mission) France and Australia to see if she could be a supported missionary in order to develop her own ministries (Accompanying, Coordinating and Evangelism - her ACE ministry, she jokes; an Aussie expression meaning ‘great, fulfilling, fun, top’). Working through SIM since 2008, she has been in France for 30 years: pastor’s wife, mother of three, trained counsellor and very active in the revitalisation work of their denomination
(The Free Evangelical Church of France). She first completed her Initial Equipping for Healing the Wounds of Trauma with a team in the Netherlands in 2017, then, in Paris, became a Training Facilitator in 2020. The Lord brought together a diverse group of people to begin the development of the Trauma Healing network in France and the Alliance biblique française took this on as a project. Jennie was appointed Team Leader for the French Steering Committee for TH network in francophone Europe. She will also have a wider role as SIM Regional Coordinator for Trauma Healing in Western Europe. Jennie is currently on Home Assignment to meet with supporters and to seek new partnerships with people interested in supporting her work, and returns to France at the end of June.
If you would like to support Jennie and donate, scan the adjacent QR code.
PLC’s Theatre Studies program has played a crucial role in fostering the talents and aspirations of generations of students pursuing their tertiary studies in theatre and related fields. Old Collegians Ellie Chan (2020), Phoenix van Twest (2022), Maddie Garwood (2022) and Helen Zhang (2022) are currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Victorian College of the Arts. While Ellie is studying Musical Theatre, Phoenix, Maddie and Helen are all specialising in Production. Having honed their skills both on and off the stage whilst at school, we eagerly await news of their future successes and achievements.
Isabella Hermon-Randow (2020) and her OTTB (off the track thoroughbred), ‘Crocodile’, (formerly raced as ‘Run for Success’) made a successful debut at Werribee Park's Horse Trials last September. As a member of the Pony Club Association of Victoria (PCAV), Isabella demonstrated her skills in the sport of eventing, an English discipline where riders compete in dressage, show jumping and cross country in one event.
Artist Emma Jennings (1995) recently won the People’s Choice Award for the Burrinja Climate Change Biennale Exhibition with her 2022 painting, Future Fighters. Emma says of her painting:
“The People's Choice is meaningful, as this painting is about the people affected by Climate Change natural disasters. It’s
fitting this award was presented a few days before the 40th anniversary of Ash Wednesday, and a week after the Black Saturday anniversary. The volunteers who respond to natural disasters are muchloved members of our community. Aiden is my son’s good friend from school and is a Junior volunteer for the Upwey CFA, with his sister Lexi. Their dad went with the Strike Team to Mallacoota in 2019/2020 and worked alongside other emergency services after the 2021 storm in the Dandenong Ranges.
Every Wednesday night we hear the siren test and we know they are at the station training – but they are not just training for bushfires. They respond at all hours in all weather, putting their lives at risk to save ours, and their families wait anxiously, selflessly at home for them to return. When five mountain ash trees fall through your house, or you have been flooded four times in one year, it’s impossible to ignore what climate scientists have been telling us for decades. 1.5 degrees is a big deal.
It seems at the moment everyone knows someone who has been impacted by a natural disaster. They are either displaced, have lost a loved one, or have felt the ripple effect of trauma and grief in their community. Maybe looking at the human impacts of climate change will motivate us to think about it with more compassion, and motivate us to pay attention to the years of scientific evidence, with urgency, hope, and action."
Catherine O'Connor (Greene 1976) was nominated at last year’s Phoenix Theatre Company AGM for a life membership in recognition of her involvement in the company for over 12 years. She shares her story below.
“I began as treasurer and now secretary of the company. I have performed for them as well in our musical theatre productions, providing entertainment for the local area in Manningham Shire. We perform
at the Doncaster Playhouse in Doncaster and are a community theatre group. I was honoured and humbled to receive this award as my mother Wendy Greene (Thomsett 1954) (dec.), also an Old Collegian, co-founded the company with Craig Maloney (past president), in 1994 with their first live production of a cabaret in November 1995 and then Godspell later on. I have always wanted to carry on my mother's legacy in musical theatre and have had a lifelong love and appreciation of the performing arts. I performed the role of Rosie in PLC's production of Bye Bye Birdie in my final year of school in 1976 and have performed in musical theatre my whole life.”
When Dr Avi Charlton (See Yan Leung 1994) and Gillian Harvey (1991) connected as presenters of a Women’s Health Summit in 2020, they weren’t aware of being fellow PLC Old Collegians.
Together with other like-minded health professionals, they founded the Low Carb Melbourne (LCM) support group two years ago. LCM helps members implement low carb lifestyle changes by providing information, community and connection.
Low Carb (Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction, TCR) has a growing body of evidence demonstrating benefits for many health conditions including metabolic disease, cardio-vascular disease and polycystic ovary syndrome. Both utilise TCR in clinical practice – Dr Avi Charlton has set up the Melbourne Low Carb Clinic in Wantirna and Gillian Harvey is a clinical nutritionist consulting in Doncaster East.
Avi and Gillian are active in raising awareness about achieving optimal metabolic health, good nutrition, and the harmful effects of sugar and processed foods in the population.
Avi Charlton and Gillian Harvey
The PLC Community was saddened to learn of the passing of the following Old Collegians.
June passed away on 20 March 2023. She will be greatly missed by her loved ones and friends.
Elaine passed away on 7 September 2021. Dearly loved and missed by her family and friends.
Janette, or Netty as she was to some of us, went right through PLC Junior School from 1958 followed by five years at Senior School until 1969, when she specialised in piano at University High for her final year. She was the daughter of Dorothy and Dr Harold Poulton OBE; Dorothy was also an Old Collegian. The eldest of six, Janette had five younger brothers all at Scotch College, and she herself had five sons.
Janette completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne, a Diploma in Education and a Master of Arts in the turbulent 1970s. She worked in the Philosophy Department, and for the Education Department assessing teachers and developing curriculum, and her doctorate in Education was awarded in 2011. Janette was passionate about ideas, music and children and creativity. Co-founding Rhyme and Reason, she ran interactive workshops in early childhood. From her open house and haven in Northcote, in her later life, Janette made a substantial contribution in introducing philosophical thinking through the Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools, the International Council for Philosophical Inquiry with Children and the Australasian Federation of Philosophy in Schools Associations.
In an extraordinarily rich and generous life, Janette was still working when she passed away suddenly.
Julie was a PLC student, a PLC parent and a PLC grandmother. She also volunteered in the library when her daughters were at PLC. She was so capable as a volunteer that she became a library technician in the PLC library, thus becoming a staff member as well. Julie was also acting Head of the Audio Visual Department when staff went on leave. When she joined the library staff, she decided she wanted to study further and obtained a Postgraduate Diploma of Information Management. Her lively sense of humour could easily dissolve tense moments at work.
After school, Julie went to RMIT where she obtained an Associate Diploma of Mathematics. Her love of and talent for mathematics stood her in good stead as a tutor of secondary school students in mathematics and statistics for over 20 years. She also tutored new migrants to speak and read English under the Home Tutor Scheme.
She married Robert Beasley in 1971 and had two daughters, Karen and Lisa, who both attended PLC. When her children were young, she was involved with the Templestowe Valley Pre-school Committee and also classes and activities at the Templestowe Valley Primary School. Julie loved tennis and was a member of the Deepdene Tennis Club mid-week ladies selection committee and a representative for the Eastern District Women’s Tennis Association. Later on, she became an avid and successful mahjong player.
After retiring from PLC, Julie worked in the Loreto Mandeville Hall College library and as the music librarian at Camberwell Boys Grammar School. Later, with another friend, both widows, she embarked on twelve years of travel to many parts of the world. She had decided that as a widow it was good to never say no to an invitation. Her friendship with so many people is a testament to this great lifeaffirming philosophy.
Isabel celebrated her 100th birthday in November 2021 and died peacefully in May 2022. She had been a resident of Caulfield all her life and matured to become one of Victoria’s leading craft and fibre artists.
Her Scottish great-grandfather, James Adamson, emigrated with his wife and four children to Melbourne in the late 1880s. They finally settled in Caulfield where he and his eldest son James became successful builders and carpenters in the North Caulfield area, building and renovating substantial homes in the Federation style. Consistent with Scottish Presbyterian respect for education and knowledge, the second daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie) Adamson was sent to PLC East Melbourne from 18881892. She was published in Patchwork, and went on to study Arts at the University of Melbourne, and became a teacher in the Gippsland area.
As the third generation in this ScottishAustralian family tree, Isabel began her early education at South Caulfield Primary School. As a teenager she thrived on the opportunity to complete her education at PLC East Melbourne (1936-1938).
Photographs of this era consistently show her as a smiling, healthy, fit and optimistic young woman. As a promising student, the school encouraged her to study for medicine, but during those Depression years, family finances could not provide for that. She sang in school choirs with her strong, note-perfect soprano voice, and she was later encouraged to train for the opera, and sang in large choirs for gala productions. At school she played all sports on offer, and this encouraged her throughout her life, playing tennis, baseball, squash, golf and finally table tennis into her mid-80s.
One story from her happy time at PLC is particularly poignant – aside from the traditional handwork skills that she had learned at school and from her mother and aunts, she yearned to learn to weave. Apparently, she would loiter outside the school’s weaving and craft studio, wishing to be lucky enough to learn the skills so that she could respond to a creative urge that was already whispering to her. Again, family finances prevented her from taking these specialised classes.
Following school, she trained in secretarial, dressmaking and millinery skills. In her early twenties she ran a boisterous weekly boys club for the Prahran branch of the YMCA. After a stint in Sydney during WWII, she married a handsome sailor, Garth Foster, in 1947. Her instinctive creativity found modest outlets, in sewing for her young family, and managing a home business for 22 years as an alterations specialist. She used to joke that her annual earnings from this modest business eventually could pay for her own daughter’s (Julie Foster) PLC school bus fees from 1963-1968.
Isabel’s inner self had been thirsting for exposure to the burgeoning crafts scene that was developing in Australia in the mid-1960s. She was eager for training in craft skills and techniques, new ideas and new friends. This finally became possible when her two teenage children had completed their schooling. First came enrolment in Creative Embroidery at RMIT, then she gained membership of the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria. It was here that she could finally develop her curiosity about spinning, weaving and rug making. These experiences literally altered her life.
In 1984 Isabel was one of four different craft artists who were selected as artist in residence at the Caulfield Arts Centre. Rag rug making had become her specialty for workshops that were organised for the wider community. A high-profile group exhibition completed the year-long project, by which time the full force and depth of her creative confidence had become evident.
For many years the Guild and the Council of Adult Education harnessed Isabel’s craft knowledge and enthusiasm. As part of the Guild’s regional outreach program, she travelled hundreds of miles in her car full of equipment, books, materials and examples of her work to give demonstrations and workshops to country people. The Council of Adult Education and the Crafts Council of Victoria also relied on her for a decade to teach wool craft skills in Melbourne classes and regional workshops. For 27 years, and with other Guild members, she was an
energetic and popular demonstrator of wool craft and spinning at the Wool Pavilion of the Royal Melbourne Show. Somehow, there was still time to explore her own craft and make significant work that caught the attention of galleries, the press and a devoted fan base. Between 1970 and 2014 she was invited to take part in over 20 group and solo exhibitions. A survey of her exhibition catalogue shows that she created a wide variety of works, in vibrant textures and colours, and very often in her favourite medium of hand-spun and hand-dyed wool (rugs, cushions, wall hangings, knitting yarn, large embroideries, felting). She was open-minded about experimenting with synthetic dyes to give strong vibrant colours, and unconventional materials; she was dedicated to showing that fabric (old and new) could be creatively and artistically recycled into functional objects, such as rugs, wall hangings, shoulder bags, crazy patchwork and lastly as ultrafeminine draping boas.
The Glen Eira City art collection purchased one of her fibre wall hangings, and rugs and soft sculptures were included in the Gallery’s exhibition The Home Show in 2005. The Council also commissioned a large rag rug wall hanging for the opening of the Rosstown Aged Care Centre in 1985.
In 2013, and at the age of 92, Isabel was honoured with a major career retrospective exhibition, The Challenge of Colour, at Burrinja Gallery, Upwey. The depth and quality of the exhibition was a revelation not only to herself, but to the hundreds of visitors who flocked to the exhibition during its three-month display period.
Isabel spoke often about her life as an only child with indifferent health. Her over-protective mother and maiden aunts strictly instilled the importance of precision and traditional handcraft skills. For Isabel, however, mastering a technique was never an end in itself. By contrast, it became her driving ambition to gain the courage and freedom to explore and express her unique personal creativity. She was passionate in her encouragement of others (of all ages or circumstances) to break loose and explore where their own inner voice and creativity might lead.
Much has been written about Isabel’s work being a reflection of the vibrant and enthusiastic personality that emanates from her work. Later in 2023 the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild will launch an online exhibition as a tribute to her life of creativity as a member of nearly 50 years.
Provided by Isabel’s daughter, Julie Kaye Foster (1968)
Eleanor worked at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratory and then changed career to become a radiographer.
She married Michael Conlan (dec.) in 1959 and had two children, Suzanne and Michael (Jnr) (dec.). They moved to Brisbane in 1968 and settled in Kenmore, remaining in the same house for 55 years.
Eleanor had five granddaughters and one great-granddaughter, with one on the way.
Eleanor and Michael owned several menswear stores in Brisbane, including Dobbs Menswear, Surf n Jeans, Roxy and Big Guys.
She was an avid knitter and loved mahjong.
Her passion, besides family, was following the football – ALL football, including Australian Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union.
The whole of Kenmore could hear her yelling at the TV on State of Origin nights and she won several years of friendly tipping competitions.
Provided by her daughter (pictured on the right), Dr Suzanne Elliott
Judy passed away on 31 December 2022. She provided this short history since leaving school for a Class of 1970 reunion which she was unable to attend.
In 1971, I commenced the fouryear Interior Design course at the RMIT Faculty of Architecture, graduating in 1975. At the time, this was the only interior design course in Australia which offered a professional qualification. I then worked for a number of different architecture/interior design/ multidisciplinary practices in Melbourne doing projects across a variety of sectors, including retail, hospitality, commercial/workplace, residential, educational, aged care and disability services.
Since 2005, I have run my own interior architecture practice, Noumenon, providing a full architectural design service, including project management, plus space planning consultancy to other architectural practices.
I have travelled both for business and pleasure. In 1973, while still studying, and also in 1978 after graduating, I was fortunate enough to go on two three-month Architectural Study Tours of Europe, organised by the Fine Arts Department of the Architecture Faculty of RMIT, for current and recently graduated students of architecture, interior design and building.
My love of travel was certainly engaged and inspired by those early experiences. I also visited several times with my parents, who spent seven years living in Iraq and Kenya while my father was working for ICAO and the UN Development Programme as Chief Airports Engineer for both countries. Aside from exploring both countries, I discovered East Africa more generally and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Subsequent travel has been both national and international for business and for pleasure (the latter being much more pleasurable).
Provided by Merilyn Thorp Rennie (1970)
After completing HSC, Vicky studied at Toorak Teacher’s College.
Vicky taught at Ivanhoe Grammar and Carey before heading overseas in mid-2003.
Vicky travelled to England, Dresden, Lake Como, Malawi, Dubai, Singapore and Perth to teach in the IB system.
Vicky returned from overseas to Melbourne in 2016 and continued to teach primary school years in a variety of permanent and CRT roles in both Perth and Melbourne.
She will be sadly missed by her son Hamish and many old school friends.
Provided by Sue Cutler (Clements 1976)
Sadly, Rosie passed away quite unexpectedly at Cabrini Hospital on 19 August 2022, from complications following surgery, aged 74 years.
Rosie attended PLC as a boarder from 1960-1965 as did her sisters Meg Troedel (dec.) (1958-1963) and Virginia (Ginnie) Wallace (1961-1966). During her time at PLC Rosie made many lifelong friendships with fellow students. She was an active member of Rosslyn House and participated in a wide range of sporting and cultural activities. Rosie enjoyed a number of sports at PLC and participated actively in athletics, tennis and netball. From this she developed her enduring love for all types of sport, including particularly tennis, AFL football and cricket. Rosie enjoyed boarding and in her final year became a Boarding House Prefect.
After leaving school, Rosie studied nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and midwifery at the Queen Victoria Hospital. Following the completion of her studies she worked as a nurse, midwife and lactation consultant for more than 50 years at several hospitals in Melbourne and Canberra. She was highly respected in her professional capacity and made many enduring friendships among colleagues and new mothers alike.
Always artistic, her natural abilities found an outlet in her craft and gardening. In later life Rosie also qualified in her free time as a florist in Canberra.
Rosie is survived by her husband Ross, her two sons Justin and Stuart Stokoe, her step-daughter Nina, five grandchildren and her siblings Ginnie and Peter.
Provided by Rosemary’s sister, Virginia Wallace
One month short of her 94th birthday, Shirley passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at home from heart complications.
Only daughter of Charles and Ruby Tinkler of “Crossways”, East Ivanhoe (both deceased). Attended Ivanhoe East State School and the original East Melbourne site of PLC between 1942 and 1946. Research Assistant for the Brotherhood of St Lawrence. Adored wife of the late Edward Deryck “Derry” Sargent and equally adored and devoted mother to son Leigh and his partner Chrissie.
Winner of the 1950 Australian Ladies’ Foil Fencing Championship and member of the 1952 and 1956 Olympic squads. Fenced with Salle Fleurets and Excalibur Fencing Clubs.
Shirley will be remembered and respected as a kind, thoughtful and gracious lady of high standards, a loving, dedicated and supportive wife and mother, a meticulous dinner party host and cook, an excellent quilter/ patchworker, an Australian native plants specialist and enthusiastic gardener and photographer with husband Derry, who always put everyone else before herself.
Recent years saw sight and hearing losses, which curtailed a local reading group membership and contribution to the La Trobe University Friends of the Wildlife Reserve Seed Sorters group. Shirley battled these losses stoically and successfully to the extent of remaining independent at home to the end; no small achievement. We are thankful for that and that her passing was quick, but equally sad we could not be with her. A wonderful lady, life and legacy. Her ashes will join Derry’s at the summit of Mt. Oberon, Wilsons Promontory, overlooking their favourite campsite to rest in peace together again forever.
Thou art not forgotten, mother dear, Nor ever wilt thou be; As long as life and memory last, I will remember thee.
Pleasant was she in life throughout, A favourite with all: Peacefully she sank within The arms of Him who did her call.
(With grateful acknowledgement to the family of Sarah Blackman, who died on 7 January 1876, at Richmond, for their then tribute in "The Age".)
Provided by her son, Leigh Sargent
Born in Preston on St Patrick’s Day 1924, Lexie lived all her life at 7 May St; the only child of Dorothea (Doll) and Evan Luly. She spent a very happy childhood in the company of Bartlett and Henkel cousins and neighbouring children.
Many days were spent playing in the large garden, bantams scratching away and Paddy the Irish terrier digging holes for his bones. Summer holidays at grandfather Luly’s holiday house at Altona meant rowing boats, swimming and fishing. A baby brother was born in 1929 and died the same day – the day Evan was to take her to see Pavlova dance.
After the fifth grade, Lexie left West Preston State School and travelled by train into East Melbourne to attend Presbyterian Ladies’ College. From then on, for nearly 50 years, life revolved around that College as student, member of staff and Old Collegian. Not brilliant, but always up near the top of the class, her passion was sport, with art and craft next in favour, but not maths or languages. A member of the school baseball and tennis teams, the latter no doubt due to the fact there was a tennis court at
home and all the cousins, friends and neighbours played there. Her mother had been trained as a tailoress and was an excellent seamstress. Evan had followed his father into the Government Lands’ Department but could have been a draughtsman and so naturally there was a strong influence on the art-and-crafty career eventually taken by Lexie.
During her seventh and final year as a PLC student and prefect, her mother suffered a series of severe strokes and died after six months. Her last words to Lexie were, ‘I know you can look after yourself’. This, and her mother’s faith, centred on ‘Do unto others as you would wish they do unto you’, had a profound influence on Lexie’s life. This was also the main theme of education at PLC, as for many years, social work was known as ‘for others’.
Lexie and Evan carried on as a team with house and garden, study and work. Three years on a Technical School Scholarship at Melbourne Technical College (RMIT), Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy and Preston Technical School meant a concentrated but varied course of drawing, painting, dressmaking, millinery, tailoring, craft and cooking! World War 2 was not yet over when
there was an urgent call from PLC, as re-enrolments as Occupational Therapists or Red Cross aids had depleted the art staff to only Miss Lawton. So, without any formal teacher training, though having gained Primary and Secondary Art Teachers’ Certificates and a Diploma of Needlecraft, Lexie was ‘thrown in at the deep end’. What better training than having to teach practical classes of 30 students in the same studio as Miss Lawton and within the time limit of 40-minute periods. In any case, there was no official art/craft teacher training courses and teachers of these subjects could not even be registered to teach. This recognition came many years later after a long hard battle.
Four years later, and still on a salary of £180 per year, Lexie sailed for England with three young teachers. Three years of adventures, riding a bicycle across France and from Austria through the Rhine Valley and across Holland and Belgium. Trips to Scandinavia, Switzerland and Italy, all done on a pittance, for a teaching post in England did not earn much, though free board and lodging was a bonus. Teaching art, dressmaking and tennis in a private school called ‘Wings’ was a real adventure as it was in the stately home of the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, though situated
near Malmsbury in Wiltshire. In the season, everyone went hunting with the Duke of Beaufort’s Hunt, Lexie included, though she had only ever been on a horse once in Australia. She also coached tennis because she could beat the three Principals of the school - one coped with the teaching, another the business matters and the third looked after the horses for the hunt!
No longer an ‘innocent abroad’, Lexie returned in 1951 to teach again at PLC until 1956. That year was spent absent without pay on a grand world tour in preparation for the directorship of the Art Department after Miss Lawton’s retirement. The school’s shift to Burwood followed and from then on, many summer vacations were spent wandering the fascinating countries of Central and South America, attending World Craft Council (WCC) and International Society for Education through Art (INSEA) Assemblies and Conferences in Canada, Mexico and Japan. One long service leave was spent travelling via Easter Island to Southern Chile, then north through South America, Mexico, Panama, the USA and over the North Pole, Russia and back through the Middle East.
In 1979 it was easy to persuade Evan that the 1922 Luly home was getting difficult to maintain, in that Evan wasn’t getting younger and Lexie was getting older! A new Merchant Builders solar-orientated home was built on the same site and Evan enjoyed the comfort of it for his last six years. Solar hot water was installed in 1981 and solar panels in 2001.
Lexie’s retirement came at the end of 1983. Compulsory at the age of 60 in those days, it was a time to leave PLC for many reasons. After Evan’s death in 1985 she continued coping with the large garden but had the foresight to take advantage of the new dual occupancy arrangements. A smaller Merchant Builders home was built on the rear of the property with access from the back street. Constructed with the physically disabled in mind, it was rented out to some very grateful tenants but could always be available if Lexie was ever in need of a wheelchair herself. It was bequeathed to Independence Australia. Her main hates were people who complained but did nothing constructive, those who were bored and football fanatics. She maintained a variety of interests including the beloved Luly garden, opera, classical music, art exhibitions, philately, photography, family history, sewing and craftwork, Neighbourhood Watch, contact
with PLC colleagues and past pupils and, of course, travel throughout Australia and the world.
Journeys to the Antarctic and Falklands, Patagonia and Terra del Fuego. Alaska, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. Easter Island and Galapagos, Tibet and China, Uzbekistan, Namibia, Borneo and many more were all wonderful experiences. The silence and the beauty of the ice lands were always a solace amid the noise of modern living. Overseas travel became restricted by the devaluation of the dollar and civil unrest throughout the world. There was still more of Australia to explore by Air Safaris, mail runs and camping adventures, crisscrossing the continent and finding added pleasure by getting to know the vast waterless but colourful country.
Eventually retirement settled into a routine of enjoying gardening and growing the necessary vegetables and fruits for healthy living, compiling many family histories and ‘Life and Times’ volumes, enjoying the arts and the contact with the PLC family, so keeping mentally alert and physically able to live independently.
Edited by Diana Cork, January 2023
In 1979, when I commenced at PLC, Lexie Luly was the Head of Art and one of the few remaining members of staff who taught at East Melbourne.
It was Lexie’s responsibility to work with PLC’s Timetable Coordinator on the Art timetables. In those days, the timetable was not done with computer assistance, but rather "by hand” (and brain power).
In early January, after the majority of PLC’s timetable had been completed, Lexie and I would meet around the kitchen table at her home in Preston. We would timetable the special requirements for Years 7 to 10 Art electives (Painting and Drawing, Photography, Textiles and Ceramics) and resolve any clashes. During our hard and hot work (Melbourne Summer), our energy levels were sustained by Lexie’s father who would make sure we were well fed and had plenty of cool drinks on hand. But the highlight for me was the guided tour around his beautiful and productive vegetable garden. He made sure that I went home with bags of fresh vegetables; the tomatoes were especially delicious!
Ah! The good old days. Fond memories indeed. I give thanks for the warmth and welcome Lexie (and her father) gave me during my first years at PLC.
Provided by Wayne Rice Former Head of ICT at PLCA friend recently asked me how long I had known Lexie Luly. I replied, ‘Since I was eleven years old, in my first year at PLC East Melbourne. I met Lexie as my Arts and Crafts teacher in the historic ‘Studio’ in East Melbourne.’
I did not meet Lexie again until 1969 when, at the invitation of the Principal, Miss Joan Montgomery, I was asked to establish an audio visual department in the school at Burwood.
Lexie was very familiar with slide projectors, on which she displayed her vast collection of slides, gathered over years of travelling. Now, with the Audio Visual Department established, I could provide the staff with up-to-date equipment for their classes, e.g., overhead projectors, cassette recorders, carousel slide projectors, and, later, introduce video into over 50 classrooms.
Lexie made use of all the above-mentioned equipment, adding colour and sound to her History of Art classes.
Lexie and her staff made wonderful use of this new media, as the videos taped off-air were outstanding and fitted in with the art curriculum. She was always interested in new developments and keen to explore the use of up-todate equipment.
Lexie had a keen knowledge of every piece of furniture, painting and photo that had come from the school in East Melbourne. If I ever asked a question about any piece, she would inform me of its history. Her memory was outstanding!
She was a keen traveller and would venture to exciting countries at every opportunity. This was so typical of her, an adventurous spirit.
Lexie and I were firm friends over many years and her interest in my three children was an ongoing joy to me and to them.
It’s a curious thing perusing the death notices in a once-a-week Melbourne newspaper. I’ve been gone 50 years. Who would I know?
Lexie Luly.
Miss Luly
My art teacher.
Androgynous Miss Luly in her sweeping mid-calf skirts, arms full of the day’s lesson.
Anarchic bob-haired, sensible shoed Miss Luly.
Dissident Miss Luly who scorned the portraits of dignitaries in the gloomy corridor beside Wysleskie Hall.
Seditious Miss Luly whose amused noncompliance challenged our accepted fervently conservative conditioning.
She trawled us through the whole sweep of Western Art History. She opened to us the vast possibilities of making images. She pushed. She encouraged. She challenged. She informed us and exposed us to contemporary practice.
She animated in me a metamorphosis. Her impact is life-long.
Miss Luly in the death notices. I wept.
Written by Deirdre Outhred (1967)
