105 Objects in 105 years

To mark 105 years since the foundation of Pymble Ladies' College, Archivist Enid O'Carroll celebrates 105 objects of memorabilia, a few of which are shared here.

1918 First official Pymble uniform In 1918 the Black Watch tartan became the official uniform. The 1919 Prospectus listed the uniform as follows; black shoes and stockings, box pleated Black Watch tartan skirt, to be obtained from the College, price 7/6 per yard. White shirt blouses, navy blue blazer bound with black, black hair ribbons, Panama hat with hatband with badge and black gloves.

1946 Brass Gongs One of the most unique artefacts in the Heritage Collection are the brass gongs. Created and gifted to the school in 1946 by Lt Archer, from the crew of HMA ML822, the gongs were given in thanks for the support the College provided in the time of war.

1951 Giant Stride chain Miss Knox was the supervisor on the first day of the Giant Stride chain operation and instructed the girls in the use of their new play equipment. Unfortunately, the girls became hopelessly tangled in the chains and the bars, and became somewhat bumped, bruised and blistered. The thrill of recklessly flying on the Giant Stride is one of the most popular memories of being a Pymble girl.

1981 10,000th student In 1981, the College recorded its 10,000th student, Alexandra Austin (Khan, 1987). In this photograph, Alex is surrounded by Pymble staff and family as she signs the register: (from left to right) Mistress in Charge of Junior School, Miss Ramsey; Number 833 on the register, Mrs Gwenyth Staniland (Lloyd, 1934); Number 4086 on the register, Mrs Jennifer Kaan (Staniland, 1957); Principal, Miss Buckham; and First Assistant, Mrs Burgoyne.

1991 Pymble Lady Camellia An initiative of the 75th Anniversary Committee, the camellia named Pymble Lady is a beautiful scarlet camellia japonica. Described as featuring dense foliage of dark green glossy leaves, semi double red flowers and vibrant yellow stamens, the Pymble Lady is the College's celebratory flower.

2017 Cadet Unit slouch hat The iconic slouch hat is an integral part of the uniform of our history-making Pymble Ladies' College Cadet Unit (PLCCU). Introduced in 2017 to offer students the opportunity to participate in a program traditionally run at boys' schools, the PLCCU is the first all-female unit in the Southern Hemisphere and was ratified by the Australian Army.

“If our girls can dream it, they can do it at Pymble.”

DR KATE HADWEN

PRINCIPAL

WATCH US CHANGE THE WORLD

TM

pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

Avon Road Pymble NSW 2073 PO Box 136 North Ryde BC NSW 1670 Australia +61 2 9855 7799

A SCHOOL OF THE UNITING CHURCH ACN 645 100 670 | CRICOS 03288K