Ruyton Reporter - Summer 2023

the ruyton

reporter GO RUYTON!

Summer 2023

CONTENTS FROM THE STUDY

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FROM THE BOARD

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RUYTON’S RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

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FAREWELL MRS BURBURY

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COMMUNITY

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EMPOWERING GIRLS

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CELEBRATING 145 YEARS OF RUYTON

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MAMMA MIA!

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POWERFUL LEARNING

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THE RUYTON FOUNDATION

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PARENTS OF RUYTON

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OLD RUYTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION

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ALUMNAE

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REUNIONS

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If you have articles you would like to submit for consideration for publication, please email news@ruyton.vic.edu.au or post to 12 Selbourne Road, Kew Victoria 3101.

Ruyton Girls’ School acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which our school sits, the place where our students come to play and learn, the people of the Woiworung language groups of the East Kulin Nation.

We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging and extend our respect to all First Nations people.

FROM THE STUDY At the recent Class of 2023 Valedictory Dinner, Valedictorian Juliet Bland highlighted the secret language this cohort share, a language of familiarity that weaves together their stories and one not readily understood by others. Formed over the years of their shared Ruyton journey it has transcended spoken language, at times enabling them to understand a glance across a classroom, a stage, or a sporting field.

It epitomises the strength of their journey together; their shared story and the knowledge that they are loved and supported.

As a broader community we too share our own secret language. We stamp our feet mid song to detest the lazy shirker. We embrace the spirit of Anderson, Bromby, Daniell and Lascelles. We know the magic of the Fig Tree and the innocence of the Easter nest.

We live the excitement of PAHF, the memory of Royce, the promise of Dream Now. We hold in our hearts the unity of the blue and gold and the strength of Recte et Fideliter. This language, articulated so vividly by the tapestry of experiences and strength of relationships across our generations, binds us together with a sense of belonging and keeps us strong.

World-renowned researcher and storyteller Brene Brown believes that true belonging is not passive; it takes so much more than joining a group or fitting in. True belonging requires us to be vulnerable as individuals, to get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are. It is about developing the courage to walk into hard moments with grit, determination, empathy and self-belief. Our wish for each of our girls is for them to live lives of impact and purpose.

To be bold enough to challenge themselves, fulfil their potential, make a difference for others, and be the best version of themselves. Not to let others define them or aim to be like others, but to use their voice, listen to their heart, and take action to make a difference.

This edition of the Ruyton Reporter brings together some very special stories of staff, parents, old girls and directors. Personal stories that highlight the immense value of being our true selves, while uniting together to achieve our shared vision and purpose.

They are their individual stories of impact, purpose and legacy.

It is with deep sadness that we farewell Mrs Louisa Burbury, Director of Sport, at the end of 2023. One of the longest serving members of staff in the history of Ruyton, she has been known to generations of families as Ms Day, Mrs Burbury, Lou or Louisa, or the ultimate term of endearment; Burbs. Her continual presence has been both energising and reassuring over the years. ‘The Burbury Effect’ has encouraging Ruyton girls to participate, to put team first, to rise above all challenges, to take risks and to believe in their own ability. Louisa undoubtedly leaves a strong and lasting legacy, Ruyton’s sporting life and culture. She has truly led with impact and purpose and made a difference in the lives of our young women, and we remain thankful for all she has given to Ruyton.

We will also farewell Ms Virginia McLaughlan, President of the Ruyton Board, at the end of 2023.

Virginia has been part of the Ruyton community for 20 years now, and a member of the Ruyton Board for the past seven. She led our Board during the COVID years with a clarity, compassion and wisdom as we navigated the unknown and focused on the learning and wellbeing of our community and ensuring the long-term future of our school. We thank Virginia for leading with impact and purpose, for her unwavering commitment and leadership, particularly during these testing times.

While we farewell to the Class of 2023, Louisa, Virginia, and others at the end of this year, it is not goodbye.

We look forward to them continuing as members of our extended Ruyton community and we sincerely thank each of them for their unique and personal contribution to Ruyton.

Linda Douglas Principal

SUMMER 2023

1

FROM THE BOARD Assuming the role of President of the Ruyton Board in April 2019, I wrote in the Ruyton Reporter that ‘a strong and healthy culture of a school undoubtedly grows from a foundation of teamwork, collaboration and good communication. The Ruyton Board, together with the Principal, the Ruyton Executive team, our staff, the Ruyton Foundation and the support and involvement of many dedicated parents, all play a part in ensuring that our community is well placed to advance Ruyton for current and future generations.’ This statement remains true today.

Having been a member of the Ruyton community for 20 years now, it is with a sense of sadness that I share with you the news that I will retire as President of the Ruyton Board at the end of 2023. As the mother of two Old Ruytonians, Sarah (2010) and Laura McLaughlan (2015), and having acted as President of the Henty Rowing Club for two years and a member of the Ruyton Board for a further seven, Ruyton has been a wonderful community to belong to and school to serve. I will miss the regularity at which I have visited Selbourne Road, but know it is a place that I belong and will always be welcome to return. More importantly, I know I will remain a member of the Ruyton family and enjoy the many connections I have made over my time here.

The Ruyton Board has not been without unexpected challenges during my tenure. I witnessed the incredible strength and resilience of our community during the COVID pandemic. Together, we navigated the uncharted waters of government mandated lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, adapting swiftly to ensure the continuity of education and the wellbeing of our students and staff. The unwavering support, care and dedication of the Ruyton community during this time was truly inspiring and will remain with me for many years to come.

As a Board, we strive to empower our school’s forward-thinking learning culture, equipping students and staff with infrastructure and facilities that enable Ruyton to continue to be a leading school for girls.

As a consequence, one of the highlights of my tenure has been the development of the new strategic plan, 2

Fearless Pursuit – 2023 and Beyond. Created through community consultation and educational research, the strategic plan provides a roadmap that will guide the School towards an even brighter future.

Additionally, seeing the Dream Now project evolve from conceptual conversations to a tangible reality has been immensely fulfilling. These milestones will stand as a legacy of the current Ruyton Board and Executive team, and the many students, staff and families who have supported them.

As I pass the leadership of the Board to its next incumbent, I am delighted to announce Peter Nelson as my successor. A member of the Ruyton Board since 2019, Peter brings a wealth of experience in corporate finance and investment and a profound commitment to Ruyton’s vision and values. Under the guidance of Peter, I have full confidence in the Board’s continued ability to provide robust governance and ensure Ruyton continues to thrive.

Furthermore, I am also delighted to welcome Sascha Thiel to the Ruyton Board. An Old Ruytonian from the Class of 1998, Sascha is currently Executive, Head of Business Platform Services at ANZ. With over 20 years of executive management experience, Sascha is known for her result-oriented approach, inclusive leadership, and strategic thinking. Her expertise in leading high-performing teams and delivering large, complex programs will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and growth of our great school.

It has been both an honour and a privilege to serve on the Board at Ruyton. As I take this step back, I want to express my deepest gratitude to every member of the Ruyton community. Your support has been the driving force behind the positive changes and advancements we have achieved together. I look forward to witnessing the continued growth and success of Ruyton as the School continues to inspire girls to live lives of impact and purpose, now and into the future.

Recte et Fideliter Virginia McLaughlan Outgoing President The Ruyton Board THE RUYTON REPORTER

RUYTON’S RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN For several years a passionate group of staff from Ruyton have been diligently embedding awareness and fostering knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history within the curriculum across the School.

Recently we formalised this momentum by utilising the framework and guidance of Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education to form the Ruyton Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working group.

Representatives from across the broader Ruyton community volunteered to join the committee and came into the project with a spirit of inquiry and an eagerness to support and drive change. After almost 12 months and many hours of diligent work in consultation with AJ Williams-Tchen from Girraway Ganyi Consultancy, a vision was seeded, and an Action Plan formulated.

The completed vision statement draws upon the Ruyton values and encapsulates how the fabric and heart of our School community can propel us on a journey towards reconciliation with truth telling, learnings and growth for the Ruyton students; our children (our future).

Now with a finalised Vision for Reconciliation and RAP published, we are walking the path of development and implementation. For those of you that share a curiosity and wonder how reconciliation might transform an education and a perspective of self, the Ruyton RAP working group remains open to new members.

Whether student, parent, staff or a member of the extended community, reconciliation only happens in collaboration and will always be the responsibility of all.

Artwork by @hayleypearsonart, a Bardi/Jawi artist located on Yawuru Country. Commissioned by the Class of 2022.

We are proud of the character of our school community and curiously and passionately embrace the calling of reconciliation with curiosity and passion. Through respectful consultation, we are committed to deep listening and learning as we endeavour to embed First Nations truths and perspectives in our education.

We are committed global citizens and we undertake to seek truth and effect positive change for our First Nations communities by educating our students, staff and school community, as well as our broader community.

We unreservedly seek to bring others on our journey of acknowledgment, listening, learning and celebration.

Our Vision For Reconciliation

We endeavour to provide curious minds with truth, new perspectives and understanding. We incessantly seek opportunities for First Nations culture and tradition to take its rightful place within our curriculum and embed it in the heart of our school.

Ruyton Girls’ School acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our school sits, the place where our students come to learn and play and gives thanks to the people of the Woirworung language groups of the East Kulin Nation.

We act with integrity and will not ignore the call for reconciliation. We are committed to pursuing reconciliation through the ongoing education of our own and others, to ensure it is reflected in our community outreach and social justice programs.

Our vision for reconciliation is pursued through our core values of Character, Citizenship, Endeavour and Integrity.

From these core values, we action our commitment to building an enduring, strong, respectful, equitable and lived relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures everywhere and actualising the vision of reconciliation.

While embracing our mission of preparing students for a lifetime of engagement and leadership as global citizens, we urge the school community to first look closer to home. We strive to be examples of living engagement and leadership in the pursuit of reconciliation; building truthful, strong and positive relationships with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

SUMMER 2023

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Community

FAREWELL MRS BURBURY Louisa Burbury, Director of Sport, made the decision to retire at the end of 2023 after 39 years of dedicated service to Ruyton.

Lou commenced her teaching career at Ruyton as Junior School PE Teacher in 1984 and was appointed her current leadership role in 1999. During her time as Director, the School has achieved phenomenal success in the sporting arena. As a medium size girls’ school, we have truly punched above our weight, notably in GSV carnival sports as one of the few schools to maintain a strong and consistent presence in Division 1 finals (top eight schools). In fact, Ruyton has qualified in every Division 1 Cross Country and Track and Field final since GSV commenced in 2001. Ruyton is well known throughout Victoria and nationally as a powerhouse in cross country, along with outstanding results over many years in GSV Swimming and GSV Track and Field, and as an emerging strength in triathlon. On the river, Ruyton rowers have achieved state and national excellence in quad sculling. All of this alongside a strong presence in weekly GSV sport and Junior School SYDSA.

The secret to Ruyton’s sporting success is clear to see when you observe Lou in action. Her focus has always been the girls; knowing that through participation and acknowledgement of both endeavour and excellence they achieve their personal best and inspire each other to greater heights. This is the approach she has encouraged all our coaching staff to embrace, whether it be with our elite athletes, beginners or those participating purely for fun. Lou values every athlete; everyone who wishes to participate in sport has always been welcomed. She knows our girls well, providing them with feedback, support and encouragement, asking them about their sporting undertakings outside of School. They know she cares about them as individuals. She is their biggest cheer squad and generations of Ruyton girls will always remember their sporting days at the School with great fondness thanks to Lou. Earlier this year Lou decided that it is time to move on to life beyond Ruyton. She will be so greatly missed in the day-to-day life of Ruyton and whilst for so many community members it may seem like the end of an era, the strong sporting culture that she has nurtured and developed will continue.

This is her true and fitting legacy.

Lou will always own the expression ‘Go Ruyton’. It is a call to action that Ruyton girls have responded to for many years under her leadership. It embodies our sporting culture of grit, determination and camaraderie that truly does bring out the best in our girls – and for this we cannot thank Lou enough. Her contribution and dedication to Ruyton has been outstanding.

Go Ruyton. Go Louisa Burbury.

Linda Douglas Principal

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

Community

SUMMER 2023

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Community

CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONS 2003–2023 Not all school sports are given the opportunity to stage a state championship and award an overall trophy.

We are often left to judge the relative strength of teams on the basis of winning prestigious school association premierships. However, in the sport of cross country there is one state championship and one overall winner.

Earlier this year, the Ruyton Cross Country team competed at the State Cross Country Championships at Bundoora and claimed the Joan Beretta Shield, awarded to the best girls’ school in Victoria. To win this competition and be crowned State Champions, a school must accumulate points over six age groups from Under 14 to Under 20, and within each age group a minimum of four girls must finish the race to qualify for team points.

Winning team championships in cross country at the end of the season requires great focus and resilience.

Avoiding illness and injury and juggling competing commitments in the winter months makes it a great test of management to fill a full team and then compete at the heightened level. With over 150 girls involved in Junior School and Senior School running programs, Ruyton has traditionally been able to draw widely across year levels to generate teams capable of negotiating the highly technical and gruelling State Cross Country Championships course.

On Saturday 22 July, with little fanfare, Ruyton became the first school in the history of the State Cross Country Championships to be undefeated for two decades.

Since 2003, over 350 Ruyton girls have been responsible for this outstanding achievement. It has been their collective will, determination and undisputed talent that have secured victories on this challenging course over this 20-year period. These Ruyton girls richly deserve to be acknowledged and remembered as a team of consequence and unrivalled longevity.

Steven Ellinghaus Director of Athletics

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

Community

SPORTING EXCELLENCE BEYOND RUYTON Whether it be through PE classes or participating in Girls’ Sport Victoria (GSV) competitions, we are proud of our exceptional participation rates in Sport across the School and encourage all our girls to give it a go. Supported by elite coaches, we nurture and challenge our students to achieve their personal best on an individual level, from their first training session in a new sport to those competing at a state and national level. Meet three Old Ruytonians who developed a love of sport at Ruyton and have taken it to a professional level.

SARAH BILLINGS (2015) Runner Having recently represented Australia in her first senior team, Sarah Billings finished 14th at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Earlier this year she finished 4th in the Women’s 800m at the Sydney Track Classic and 7th in the Women’s 1500m at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.

‘I love to compete; it’s what makes me tick. I thrive on pushing myself and testing my limits. I get excited at the opportunity to better myself as an athlete.’

Sarah credits Ruyton’s running program for helping to develop her passion for running. ‘Through school I was able to maximise my natural speed under the Ruyton running program and Stephen Ellinghaus’ expertise. It was a program that kept me healthy and helped grow my love for running. As I’ve progressed into professional athletics, I’ve been able to develop my endurance and I’ve realised that my engine is quickly becoming my strength – all those frosty mornings at Xavier and muddy races at Bundoora are starting to pay off!’

Sarah remembers competing at many GSV sport carnivals and has fond memories of her School days.

‘I can’t think about sport at Ruyton without thinking of Mrs Burbury. The sporting opportunities we were given at Ruyton would not have been possible without her. Too often, I hear of girls my age who gave up sport in their early teens because it wasn’t “the cool thing” for girls to do. I reflect on my years at Ruyton and I remember always being encouraged to participate.

Girls were enthusiastic and motivated. We embraced friendly rivalries and pushed each other to improve.

This is something that starts at the top. Mrs Burbury created an environment that was fun. She encouraged girls to get involved in a wide range of sports no matter their ability.’

From those muddy races at Bundoora and frosty mornings at Xavier, Sarah now has Paris 2024 in her sights. ‘Hopefully I can stay healthy and keep improving into an Olympic year next year.’

SUMMER 2023

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Community

ASHLEE JONES (2019) Racing cyclist Balancing Year 12 studies at Ruyton with racing at the Junior Track World Championship is amongst the achievements of which Ashlee Jones is most proud. She also rates representing Australia in the Tour Down Under with her Specialised Women’s Racing Team as a fulfilling moment. ‘It was the hardest race of the season, but I enjoyed it the most as we were surrounded by professional highest world level teams that pushed us right to the limit of our ability.

I think I learnt the most and improved a lot from this experience.’

Growing up in Sydney, Ashlee really enjoyed competing in triathlons before deciding to focus on cycling.

‘Over the years I slowly transitioned from triathlons into just cycling, purely as I loved the social side and outdoor based training through summer.’

Ashlee joined Ruyton at the start of Year 10 and remembers there being plenty of enthusiasm for sport at the School. ‘The number of girls that gave it their absolute all in the teams at School events was incredible.

Moving from another school, it was something that inspired and at times intimidated me. Sport at Ruyton was one of the reasons I joined the School. I hadn’t seen a supportive program like it!’

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The camaraderie of Year 12 is also a highlight of Ashlee’s time Ruyton. ‘I really enjoyed bonding with the other girls and finishing off my school years with fun ceremonial events that we mostly created ourselves.

It gave us time to look back over the years and create long lasting relationships and friends.’

Currently completing an architecture degree, Ashlee is not racing as much as she used to but plans to pick it up again over this coming summer.

Having experienced the intensity and pressures of competing at an elite level, Ashlee has this advice for young athletes. ‘Enjoy the journey. Too often athletes only focus on the outcome being one or two races a year but every day is part of that result. You should enjoy and grow that process to becoming your best. As the level of sport progresses, it becomes more of a job, with this comes great reward but also minimal space for failure.

This places a lot of the pressure on the athletes to perform. In saying this, the ones that can succeed and thrive in pressured environments have the ability to be the greatest athletes of all time and can make it in the big world scenes.’

THE RUYTON REPORTER

Community

HOLLY MURRAY (2021) A-league soccer player While Australians were cheering on the Matildas at the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup, Holly Murray was buoyed by the excitement for the game she’s played since she was seven. ‘I never really decided to play soccer, it was more that I was super sporty when I was younger, always bouncing, kicking or throwing a ball – much to my parents’ annoyance. My brother played soccer so I would join in and pretty much the rest is history.

This year will be about my 12th year of playing soccer.’

Having recently signed a two-year contract as a defender with A-league club, Canberra United, Holly is focusing on the season ahead and hopes one day to play in Europe. It’s a far cry from her days at Ruyton which Holly remembers fondly.

‘Although I wasn’t the most studious of students, I was able to choose subjects that were more suitable to me.

Ruyton gave me the opportunity to be able focus on my interests which will always be the highlight, as well as the great friends I made along the way.’ She also recalls how Ruyton was always so competitive in all sports.

‘My favourite part was the variety of all sporting codes that was offered to us. I loved how each term there was something different for us to try.’

SUMMER 2023

Congratulations to Kim Brennan AM (Crow, 2003) on recently being inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Kim originally set out to be a 400m hurdler, winning a silver medal at the 2001 World Youth Athletics Championships and increasing her rank in Australian athletics into the senior competition. However, stress fractures in her foot forced her to focus on another sport and she turned towards rowing.

One of Australia’s most successful rowers, Kim has been a sixteen-time national champion, two-time World Champion, three-time Olympian and Olympic Gold medallist. She has won the complete set of Olympic medals, including silver and bronze in London 2012 and gold in Rio 2016, where she became the first Australian woman in 20 years to win an Olympic rowing gold medal, leading the women’s single sculls to victory.

On being one of seven new inductees in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame this year, Kim says, ‘it is such a huge honour and joining some remarkable people in Australian sport is very exciting and really humbling.

Sometimes you undervalue what you did and it’s like, “oh it’s something I did seven years ago, no big deal”, and then something like this reminds you that what you did was very special.’

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Empowering Girls

RUYTON RESEARCH Empowering Girls, Advancing Education Girl centred research is a key priority in Ruyton’s Strategic Plan 2023 and Beyond, playing a pivotal role in ensuring that we remain future focused in our commitment to educating students for the world we live in, both now and into the future.

Ruyton Research takes many different forms. As a school we are committed to providing opportunities for every educator to take on the role of researcher, to reflect on and refine their own practice, and to contribute to the advancement of girls’ education locally and globally.

Our Teacher Inquiry Group model engages all teachers in a year long, action research project linked to a theme linked to one of the Schools’ annual goals. In 2023 this focus has been building a Culture of Thinking, with each team collaborating with Dr Ron Ritchhart, Director of the Worldwide Cultures of Thinking Project and Former Senior Research Associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education to explore one of the eight cultural forces which impact learning and thinking.

In recent years at Ruyton we have undertaken an extensive school-wide action research project From Anxiety to Empowerment. Through this research, and in collaboration with researchers Dr Andrew Martin and Rebecca Collie from the University of NSW, we have sought to develop a deeper understanding of the positive and negative dispositions impacting our students’ motivation and engagement, and how we can provide an optimal learning environment which promotes these positive dispositions. Our research has led to the explicit teaching of the Academic Buoyancy Cycle as an effective strategy to support and empower girls in successfully managing academic adversity, and has been presented at local, interstate and global educational conferences over the past two years.

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Building on our culture of research, 2023 has also seen the introduction of a pilot research collaboration between a small group of academic staff at Ruyton and Kambala School in NSW, working with academics from the University of Sydney and Ruyton’s Director of Research and Data Analytics Dr Katherine Putnam, to develop shared action research projects exploring student leadership and agency. Additionally, at Ruyton we are proud to have had four staff accepted as Fellows of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools Global Action Research Collaborative (GARC) over the past three years. The GARC is the world’s first action research program that engages girls’ school educators from around the world in informed, collaborative, and disciplined, action research. The program builds both a network of girls’ school educators from around the world and a library of valuable and relevant research on girls’ education.

Cathryn Furey Deputy Principal, Director of Learning

THE RUYTON REPORTER

Empowering Girls

LEADING THE WAY Global Action Research Collaborative The Global Action Research Collaborative (GARC) on Girls’ Education engages educators eager to learn about the action research process as a tool for evaluating the impact of new approaches in the classroom and as an ongoing reflective practice in evaluating the efficacy of initiatives in teaching girls. A two-year intensive research and leadership opportunity, Fellows write up and present their findings at the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) Global Forum or International Conference, engaging with like-minded and passionate educators from schools and countries all over the world.

Ruyton is honoured to have had four staff selected to take part in this prestigious program to date, making us a leading contributor to this ground-breaking work to advance girls’ education internationally.

A brief overview of each research project is provided below.

Linda Douglas (GARC Fellow 2021-2022)

Ellen Savill (GARC Fellow 2022-2023)

Global Theme: Building Problem-Solving Capacity, Confidence, and Skills in Girls

Global Theme: The Global Reset, New Opportunities for Educating Girls

Individual Research Focus: Academic Buoyancy: Empowering girls to take risks and own their learning when problem-solving.

Individual Research Focus: Combating perfectionism and expanding girls’ understanding of success using co-designed success criteria in experiential learning tasks

Dealing with academic setback, adversity and challenge in everyday learning is one of the few psychoeducational attributes not favouring girls. This project sought to explore how supporting Year 9 and 10 girls’ understanding of their personal academic buoyancy and associated strategies impacted their learning when problem-solving in Science. Data analysis indicated increased students’ awareness of negative self-talk and personal signs of anxiety and worry, and greater recognition of aspects they could control and develop.

This project has led to a deliberate and embedded Ruyton Year 7 and 8 program teaching girls’ academic buoyancy and associated strategies.

In a girls’ world dominated by perfection, this research aimed to investigate whether perfectionist mindsets towards learning could be altered and influenced at a young age; to help Ruyton girls recognise the complex, multifaceted nature of success. Year 4 students worked together on developing a clear understanding of success through specific tasks within the South House learning program. Three themes emerged through data analysis: altered attitudes, affirmed value of experiential learning approaches and adaptations to assessment.

Dr Katherine Putnam (GARC Fellow 2022-2023) Global Theme: The Global Reset: New Opportunities for Educating Girls Individual Research Focus: Reducing assessment anxiety through the use of an agile metacognitive monitoring methodology.

The COVID pandemic saw an increase in exam anxiety and through my research, I was able to explore ways to empower my students with positive self-talk and reduce their assessment anxiety. During this process I gained a deep respect for the value and significance that qualitative research, specifically the role that voice plays in uncovering truths about student and teacher experiences in the classroom.

SUMMER 2023

Cathryn Furey (GARC Fellow 2023-2024) Global Theme: Engaging the Power of Many Voices: Leveraging girls’ collaborative spirit towards courageous and joyful learning Individual Research Focus (currently underway): Investigating the impact of thinking routines on girls’ confidence in collaborative problem solving situations Girls are known for their social tendencies and collaborative strengths, but in a recent OECD exploration, girls demonstrated lower ‘positive learning feelings’ than boys while engaged in these collaborative projects.

My research is building on Ruyton’s collaboration with Dr Ron Ritchhart, Director of the Worldwide Cultures of Thinking Project and Former Senior Research Associate at Harvard Graduate School of Education and our Academic Buoyancy program, exploring how the use of visible thinking routines can build student confidence to engage in collaborative problem-solving tasks.

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Empowering Girls

INNOVATION IN CURRICULUM DESIGN Earlier this year, Ruyton was recognised at the 2023 Australian Education Awards.

Shortlisted as an Excellence Awardee in the Innovation in Curriculum Design category for our Ruyton Scholar Program, the annual Australian Education Awards is the leading independent awards event in the K-12 education sector.

The awards showcase the top-performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers for their outstanding achievements and transformative work that makes a profound difference to the lives of young people across Australia.

Scholar Program The Ruyton Scholar Program provides opportunities for choice, flexibility and experiential learning underpinned by student voice, agency and impact in a global world.

Underpinned by the Ruyton values and learning pillars, this program fosters skills and dispositions to enable Ruyton graduates to thrive and live lives of impact and purpose in an ever changing, interconnected world.

Through an interdisciplinary, experiential and community-based approach, students in Years 9 to 12 have the opportunity to explore and engage in one of the ‘Scholar Strands’ at a deeper level than the scope of the core curriculum and co-curricular program.

Scholar Strands

Creativity Scholar

Discovery Scholar

Enterprise Scholar Global Scholar

Creativity Scholars perceive the world in new ways to generate and communicate imaginative ideas, alternatives, and possibilities through visual and performing arts.

Discovery Scholars explore the intersections and applications of historical inquiry, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics in order to problem find, problem solve and create innovative solutions.

Enterprise Scholars explore how they can make a difference in the lives of others and transform the world by solving big problems through innovation, communication and entrepreneurship.

Global Scholars investigate the world and their place in it. They take an active role in their community, and work with others to make our planet more equitable and sustainable.

The foundation for this program is laid in the Middle Years, where students engage in a trans-disciplinary and leadership focused credentialing program across each of these areas.

All students in Year 9 are invited to join the program, along with Year 10, 11 and 12 students who have successfully completed the required elements of the program in previous years.

Cathryn Furey Deputy Principal, Director of Learning 12

THE RUYTON REPORTER

Empowering Girls

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS IN EARLY LEARNING Community connections between our Early Learning children and the broader School community are a vital component in creating a strong sense of belonging, wellbeing, and developing a shared identity.

A remarkable journey unfolds every day at the heart of Ruyton, as our children are part of a vibrant ecosystem that extends far beyond the grounds of the ELC. When children feel that they are a valued member of a strong and vibrant community, their engagement, confidence, and wellbeing flourishes.

At Ruyton our youngest learners are encouraged to utilise the School grounds, develop authentic connections with Junior and Senior School students, and experience the joy of interconnected relationships.

Exploration of our School grounds has been a highlight this year as our children engage in experiential learning in nature. As children move around our school environment to the Fig Tree, the Oval, South House gardens and the courts, the excitement is palpable when they see their siblings, buddies, or familiar teachers. Relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging in early childhood. When watching the faces of our children within the School environment it is clear how confident, connected, and self-assured they are, which leads to a smooth transition when moving from Pre Prep to Prep.

Beyond sharing the outdoor environment, our Kindergarten and Pre Prep children have attended numerous Ruyton performances this year. From musical ensembles and orchestras to musicals, our students have been in the audience to cheer their older peers on. These experiences not only showcase the incredible talents of our Junior and Senior School student, but provide the opportunity for our Early Learning children to be inspired and look forward to what their own Ruyton journey has in store for them.

Our buddy program is another important aspect of these connections. Our Year 4 students work collaboratively with our Pre Prep children and foster friendships that last beyond Early Learning and deepen as the children move through the School.

For some of our children, the highlight of their week is when they invite their buddies into the classroom or head to South House to engage in learning experiences together.

The connections our Early Learning children have within the School are incredibly strong and this is one of the many reasons why Ruyton is such an extraordinary place to learn and grow. Ruyton Early Learning gives our children the ability to be present and to learn about themselves in the context of a strong community.

Through building and maintaining relationships with others and engaging with life’s joys and complexities our children are learning to be socially responsible, interdependent and to face life’s challenges together.

Lisa Dobson Director of Early Learning

SUMMER 2023

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Creativity

CELEBRATING 145 YEARS OF RUYTON As part of our 2023 Spirit Week celebrations, the Writers@Ruyton community was commissioned to write a poem in honour of the occasion, to be both performed at Assembly and also to stand as a written record the of 145th anniversary of the School.

In order to represent the breadth of School life, and in the spirit of collaboration, one student from each of the Senior School levels was invited to take part in this commission, contributing their ideas and reflections about what it means to be a Ruytonian. Our thanks to Lucy Reynolds (Year 7), Anabel Liu-Mu (Year 8), Charlotte Kotris (Year 9), Aarna Agarwal (Year 10), Claudia Carter (Year 11) and Juliet Bland (Year 12) for their contributions.

The resulting poem, Spirit of Ruyton, captures the current student experience at Ruyton Girls’ School, and celebrates the vitality and vibrancy of youth and community.

Marjan Mossammaparast Senior School English Teacher

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

Spirit of ruyton Reaching branches to the sun, rising like the Fig Tree with roots deep into the earth, the nourishing earth on the lands of the Kulin nation, we live, we learn we receive bountifully all Knowledge from the past, present and future, we walk together with the riches of Elders and the gleams of the future, sunlight filtering through leaves, synthesising breath. We grow, into ELC and out of the front gate, a Unity of blue and gold, Recte et Fideliter.

Rightfully and faithful, we wear it purple, rainbow with spirit we cheer for Lascelles, Daniell, Bromby, Anderson, we serve and we PAHF, we run in rain on splendid grass, an endless loop of friendships, communities, that even as Years pass, are inscribed in histories: Henty, South House, the MMC, Royce is in our memories and we Dream, Now, of new spaces, halls through which music will flow, and our passions and freedoms bridge the past with women who have laboured for opportunity, inclusivity, for our voices to ring equal with all at Trinity, even as we strive now for Reconciliation laying plans, partnerships, preparations, striving to improve, advance, jammed between class, camps and caves and bunsen burners, rowing every morning, running tuning our strings, waiting for a waft, a hint of the Caf’s hot bacon ROLL! O! ‘How it has flown’, we say, at the end of the line ‘I wish I could go back in time’. The Year 12 student realises it is time to go. The books, the desks, recede into a sundress, a school bag, everything is packed up. The Oval beckons to a new class, of preps, with new gym shoes, oversized hats, in blues, in twos. Exams and summer and 145 years in the blink of an eye with Never-ending energy and spirit.

‘We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?’. Yes, we’ve got spirit, the Spirit of Ruytonians, in each other.

The memories we have created will last forever, and forever we remember these words we stand and live by, Recte et Fideliter!

SUMMER 2023

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Creativity

MAMMA MIA! It gave me great pleasure to welcome the Ruyton Girls’ School and Trinity Grammar School, Kew communities to our production of Mamma Mia! in May. Mamma Mia! has been an extremely popular show over the last 20 years. The use of timeless and well-known songs from everybody’s favourite 70s Swedish super-band ABBA has allowed audiences to re-connect with their past or experience the genius of songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus for the very first time. Whilst the storyline has no direct connection with the songs, the music has been weaved appropriately through the ups and downs of Sophie’s quest to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding on the Greek Islands.

Being involved in a theatre production holds a sacred space within each participant. The process invites creativity and connection, beckoning us to embrace innovation, encouragement, and bravery. Every time we share in the raw emotion and vulnerability of live storytelling, we emerge as better individuals.

I thank all those involved for being prepared to share themselves through this art form – musicians, teaching staff, crew, theatre technicians, volunteers, parents, students and the Ruyton and Trinity Executive teams. We Thank You For the Music.

Paul Smith Director of Music Conductor, Mamma Mia!

We chose Mamma Mia! as our Ruyton/Trinity Senior School musical in 2023 for several reasons. Not only is it a fun and high-energy production filled with the nostalgic joy of ABBA music, but it is also a story that beautifully depicts genuine connections amongst people, showcasing long-lasting friendships, strong family bonds and the power of love.

The Ruyton creative team and students involved in our 2020/21 production of Strictly Ballroom (referred to by students as the ‘half’ musical) know how important the relationship with the whole production team, but also that with the audience is. Unfortunately, in 2021, we couldn’t share our final product with an audience due to a COVID lockdown on the eve of opening night. This year we knew we wanted to work together on a piece full of pure delight and celebration and Mamma Mia! is just that. It has provided us with an opportunity to share our experience of collaborating to create a fun and uplifting musical. What better way to reunite performers and audiences than through a show that celebrates the essence of human connection?

Darcie Kane-Priestley Director of Drama Director, Mamma Mia!

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

SUMMER 2023

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Powerful Learning

MODEL UNITED NATIONS PROGRAM The United Nations (UN) is the world’s largest multilateral organisation, which aims to uphold peace and security and promote development across the globe. The Model United Nations is a simulated meeting of the UN General Assembly where students perform an ambassador role while debating topics such as gender equality, climate action, global health, and more. The purpose of the Model UN is to enhance research abilities and develop public speaking skills, whilst engaging as global citizens. It is a great way to grow leadership skills and meet like-minded students from other schools.

The annual event is facilitated by the United Nations Association of Australia and this year, our topic was Pathways to Peace, where students deliberated on various global peacekeeping and peacemaking opportunities, in order to reach a resolution. Ruyton represented the UN member states of Iraq, Lebanon, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, France, Poland, and the United States of America. To gain a full understanding of the countries we were representing, their values, issues, and population, we had to undergo lots of preparation.

This meant researching, answering questions, meeting with our teams, and preparing an introductory position statement, to respond to the proposed resolution.

The day started off by listening to the position statements of each country, which helped us to gain a deeper insight into where other nations sat on certain issues and explore the changes they would like to see to the proposed resolution. Knowing this information helped us in the caucus, or debate, as this was where we had the opportunity to challenge a fellow nation’s position, such as some controversial views on disarmament and climate change, and elaborate on amendments our country wanted to make to the resolution.

We wrapped up the day by listening to and voting on some of the key amendments of the day, which allowed countries to go into more detail about the changes they wanted to make and encourage other member states to vote in agreement with these changes. Our goal from the beginning was to create a pathway to peace, and by having a majority of countries vote ‘yes’ on the final resolution, we can proudly say we were able to achieve this!

Participating in the Model UN was an enriching experience, but it did not come without challenges.

Our role was to act and speak on behalf of member states from their perspective, regardless of whether their interests coincided with our own beliefs, and whether we, as Ruyton schoolgirls, were in complete disagreement! This necessitated thorough research of our member state and accurately embodying the nation to the best of our ability.

Making decisions on behalf of our state was also challenging when tensions arose between a state’s national interest (which governments are sworn to protect) and the interest of the international community (which is the focus of the UN).

We learned that the UN has both a responsibility to protect, and to respect sovereignty, this being the authority of a government. As we learned on the day, these two things can come into conflict, which makes it very difficult for the UN to maintain these responsibilities. It means that sometimes months or even years can pass before a resolution is made.

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

Ultimately, the Model UN was beyond valuable. It is true that we learn best through experience, and Model UN is a prime example of this. The event taught us how to think on our feet, construct stirring arguments, and to express ourselves effectively. Before Model UN, we did not all anticipate that politics would fascinate us. Now we realise just how wrong we were!

The experience kindled a new passion for many of us and we highly recommend it.

Learning about the 2023 theme of Pathways to Peace allowed us to gain insight on all the considerations informing a country’s stance on the topic. It also allowed us to become aware of not only the states taking positive action, but also those who were not as engaged with human rights policies, encouraging us to think critically about solutions for ongoing problems that are happening in the world around us.

It connected to perspectives from within and outside the classroom, particularly within history subjects, where we were able to relate what we had learnt from within the classroom such as content about wars affecting countries or certain diplomatic relations and apply this knowledge when interacting with other member states.

We found the day to be really enjoyable and engaging, even though some of us had not had much prior exposure to politics or foreign affairs. However, the most enjoyable part of the day was during the caucus. We were able to interact with other schools and states to discuss what would benefit the national interest of our member state, but also negotiate amendments to work towards the general consensus of Pathways to Peace.

Olivia Aquino (Year 11), Jaimie Merrett (Year 10), Jasmine Wu (Year 10), Julia Zaparas (Year 10) 2023 Model United Nations Participants

SUMMER 2023

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Powerful Learning

POWERFUL PARENTING AT RUYTON

From left to right, Linda Douglas, Dr Christopher Scanlon and Kasey Edwards

Once again, the success of this year’s Powerful Parenting Series confirms our belief that a strong partnership between families and the School is essential in ensuring the holistic development of our students. Throughout this year we have continued to run workshops and seminars focused on a wide range of topics of particular importance and interest to our parent community. Of note was our Total Wellbeing Parent Conference, cyber safety evening, and more recently, our Cultures of Thinking workshop. It was also especially pleasing to be able to run so many of these evenings back onsite at Selbourne Road.

The Total Wellbeing Parent Conference served as an excellent platform for fostering open communication and collaboration between our dedicated staff and our much-valued families. It was inspiring to witness the enthusiasm and eagerness with which families embraced the various workshops designed to enhance our collective understanding of the wellbeing challenges faced by our young people, and most importantly, the support we provide them with throughout their educational journey. Expert-led sessions delved into crucial wellbeing topics such as social and emotional wellbeing, transition challenges, optimising academic outcomes, and raising girls in an increasingly challenging online world.

In 2023 we launched the Academic Buoyancy program with our Year 7 and 8 students, through a powerful collaboration between our Wellbeing Team, Learning Leaders and classroom teachers. During Term 2 we invited parents of Year 7 and 8 students to join us in this collaboration and shared an overview of our research findings and the principles and strategies which underpin academic buoyancy, enabling us to use a common language and tools when supporting our girls to manage academic anxiety.

We were also fortunate to collaborate with Dr Ron Ritchhart, Director of the Worldwide Cultures of Thinking Project and Former Senior Research Associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Our professional learning with Dr Ritchhart is focused on developing a Culture of Thinking at Ruyton. During Term 3 we invited parents from across 20

the School to spend an evening with Dr Ritchhart.

At the session we explored the definition of a Culture of Thinking, focusing on what it means when we say thinking is valued, how we make thinking visible and how we actively promote thinking. Parents were provided with practical tools to support their children in their thinking and learning during this session.

‘I believe the Ruyton Powerful Parenting sessions reflect the school’s commitment to supporting the development and wellbeing of the girls and their families in the Ruyton community. I have enjoyed and appreciated a breadth of sessions from online Book Club and virtual conferences during lockdown and now pleasingly face to face workshops and sessions. Without exception I have found these to be well informed, evidence based and pitched to address the developmental changes and stress points through the school years. Most importantly they are tempered by the practical experience of the staff and other parents. Given the significant social change that has occurred since I was at school, I have valued the knowledge gained in these sessions and have felt empowered by these to support my daughter as she meets some of these challenges.’

Senior School Parent ‘I want to thank you for providing us with the opportunity to access tools and information and, more importantly, to be a part of a supportive community that is committed to raising healthy, happy, and self-secure girls.’

Junior School Parent In 2024 we look forward to again welcoming families to Ruyton as we continue to offer a wide range of opportunities for collaboration, exchange of ideas and practical experience.

Trish Hatzis Director of Wellbeing Cathryn Furey Deputy Principal, Director of Learning and Teaching THE RUYTON REPORTER

The Ruyton Foundation

MORETON BAY FIG BEQUEST SOCIETY Established five years ago to coincide with Ruyton’s 140th anniversary, the Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society (MBFBS) exists to thank and recognise those who have chosen to remember Ruyton in their wills.

Named after the Moreton Bay Fig tree that stands strong at the heart of our school, the Society provides a way of maintaining a connection to the School and creating a lasting legacy.

In May this year, MBFBS members and friends gathered for lunch at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club where past parent Susie Sutherland was officially welcomed as the newest member of the MBFBS. After formal proceedings and lunch, attendees heard about the Ruyton Scholar Program and the School’s Wellbeing Program from Deputy Principal, Director of Learning Cathryn Furey and Director of Wellbeing, Trish Hatzis.

SUMMER 2023

For the MBFBS, all gifts are appreciated, irrespective of size. By including a gift to Ruyton in your will, you become a significant part of something larger than yourself – something that will continue thriving and empowering Ruyton girls long after you are gone.

Kate Higgins Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager If you are considering including Ruyton in your will, please contact Kate Higgins on (03) 9819 2422 or higginsk@ruyton.vic.edu.au

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The Ruyton Foundation

TAKING SEATS FOR RUYTON Launched in May this year, the Take Your Seat campaign provides a wonderful opportunity for the broader community to be part of Ruyton’s Dream Now project and receive recognition by way of a named plaque on the back a seat in the School’s new state-of-the-art auditorium. These stories are behind some of the names of the 146 seats that have been donated so far.

Seats M-6 and M-7

Helen Irwin-Childs (Powers, 1963)

Seats K-15 and K-16

Katie Yang (2015) and family Katie and her family believe ‘Ruyton is special in its ability to harmoniously unite old and new. Staff and students proudly uphold beloved traditions and honour the legacies of those before them, while continuously steering towards a brighter and more innovative future.’

While Katie is now training to become a general practitioner after studying medicine at Monash University, she holds fond memories of her eight years at Ruyton. ‘I’m grateful to have been involved in orchestra, band, choir and piano lessons as this nurtured my love for all genres of music. A notable highlight was the annual music camp, where we bonded over long hours of rehearsals and shared laughs at the talent show.’

Being so involved in Ruyton’s music program meant Katie spent many hours in Royce Theatre. ‘I can still vividly recall weekly Assemblies in Junior School heralded by the Paganini Strings. There, I made friends during countless early morning rehearsals, and it was there that I said goodbye to what had become my home for eight years on the final day of Year 12.’

When Katie and her family learnt of the Take Your Seat campaign, they were ‘excited for the opportunity to contribute with the hopes that the new Performing Arts Centre will be a place of gathering, warmth and creativity for future generations of Ruytonians, the way it was for me.’

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Helen attended Ruyton for only a year and a half but remembers, ‘the enthusiasm of the teachers and the “gentle” discipline... My interest in mathematics was kindled by a teacher who was outstanding.’

Upon attaining her Leaving Certificate, Helen enrolled in a secretarial course at RMIT. ‘Ultimately, I worked as a legal executive in a Melbourne law firm prior to moving to London in 1978, where I worked on various fascinating projects in London and Brussels for 35 years.’ Having now been retired for 10 years, Helen is busier than ever actively contributing to her community, attending the local gym and entertaining friends and family with her husband Christopher.

Helen took the opportunity to donate a seat in the auditorium not long after the campaign was launched in May. ‘I considered it a worthwhile contribution to the School which provided the educational background for the choices I have made in my life.’

When Helen learnt of the passing of her aunt-in-law, Helen Gordon OAM (Cole, 1952) in July this year she decided to donate a seat in her memory.

‘Helen Gordon, was a very dear friend and confidante.

She visited me twice in London and I stayed with her whenever I was visiting Victoria. She is sadly missed by me and so many others. Accordingly, it was obvious for me to donate a seat in gratitude for her friendship and love. It is a symbol of the importance of Ruyton in the lives of both of us – two Helens separated by a generation (12 years) but always close. The donation is a thank you to Ruyton for leading us into fulfilling lives – we have been very lucky.’

THE RUYTON REPORTER

The Ruyton Foundation

Seats M-18 and M-19

Seat S-20

When Ann and Sam were looking for a school for their daughter, Matilda, they wanted somewhere ‘she wasn’t just a number – a place that offered opportunities and high academic standards but also cared about her. We were also impressed by the brother-sister program with Trinity.’

Shanshan and Simon believe Ruyton is ‘a place where every girl’s potential is recognised, encouraged, and celebrated. For a smaller school, it offers a diversity of opportunities no less than any other bigger school.

Girls are shaped to be considered and confident individuals who are ready to tackle the world at large.’

Having been part of the Ruyton community for seven years, Ann and Sam have discovered that Ruyton ‘provides an environment where students feel they belong and that teachers care for their well-being and achievements. The teachers at Ruyton know their students. They are thoughtful, understanding and encourage their students to have a go, enjoy their time and achieve their best.’

Their daughter Soraya (Year 10) has continued her journey from the Junior School into Senior School, her parents ‘appreciate the strong peer support and the ongoing partnership between families and school to facilitate the best outcome for the girls. This is a true testimony of the inspirational leadership which makes Ruyton a very special place.’

Lan Family

With Matilda now in Year 11, Ann and Sam have experienced the joy of many Ruyton student performances. ‘We believe the Performing Arts brings the community together. Matilda has been involved in so many performance activities that she has enjoyed, we have enjoyed and others have enjoyed. It has made our Ruyton experience a richer experience.’

For Ann and Sam the decision to support the seat campaign was an easy one. ‘Ruyton was in desperate need of a new Performing Arts Centre. We wanted to see the dedicated Performing Arts teachers have a state-of-the art facility and to give other students and families the opportunity to have the great experiences we have had.’

‘Ruyton has given Matilda wonderful experiences and opportunities, care and support. For that we are happy and grateful. Previous members of the Ruyton community have left such a wonderful legacy.

We feel very grateful to be in a position where we too can contribute, in a small way, to a strong future for the School and its community.’

SUMMER 2023

Shirzad Family

The seat campaign has been a way for Shanshan and Simon to show their appreciation for Ruyton’s performing arts program. ‘We recognise the immense dedication required from the performing arts department to curate, rehearse and direct wonderful performances over the years. Donating a seat is a small token of thanks to show our gratitude for their hard work. We look forward to many more enchanting performances where every individual is celebrated regardless of the part they play.’

For the Shirzad family giving to Ruyton ‘simply means to give back to the community that has given us so much. We want to continue to support the meaningful initiatives for the benefit of the Ruyton community and beyond.’

All seat donations are tax-deductible.

You can donate a seat at takeyourseat.ruyton.vic.edu.au/ or scan the QR code or contact Kate Higgins, Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager on (03) 9819 2422 23

The Ruyton Foundation

DREAM NOW FOUNDATION BALL On a cool July evening, almost 300 guests attended the Dream Now Foundation Ball in The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall at the State Library Victoria. A wonderful celebration of the Ruyton community and the vibrant and connected spirit of our school, the event supported our Dream Now campaign with all funds raised going towards the new Performing Arts Centre and Library precinct. It was fantastic to see such enthusiastic bidding during the live auction and many people taking to the dancefloor to the music of the Baker Boys.

We are thrilled that the event raised over $150,000 – a record-breaking amount for a Ruyton fundraising ball.

Thank you to everyone who supported the occasion, to our platinum sponsors Ireland Brown Constructions (IBC) and Compnow, and to our donors for making the evening such a wonderful success.

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

SUMMER 2023

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Parents of Ruyton

PARENTS OF RUYTON (POR) The POR has had a busy 2023 supporting the Ruyton community through our Mother’s and Father’s Day Events as well as running a Krispy Kreme fundraising event for the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea. Parents have continued to provide assistance to Ruyton families through the fortnightly opening of our Second Hand Uniform Shop (SHUS) at Wardynski’s House. Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts (FORPA) engaged over 60 parent volunteers to staff backstage, front of house and other vital tasks involved in presenting the Senior School Musical Mamma Mia!

In this article, we have chosen to showcase volunteers who lead FORPA and the Ruyton Care Group. We encourage broad community engagement in our activities and new parents are warmly welcomed to join the POR. Elli Beggs and Bridget Langley POR Co-Presidents

Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts (FORPA) Marina Malcolm and Cathy Devlin

Ruyton Care Group Phoebe Juebner

What does FORPA do?

Volunteering is the best of human expression and experience is found in service.

FORPA (Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts) is a parent-run community group that supports performing arts concerts, productions, rehearsals, and drama/dance/theatre ensembles (VCE) from behind the scenes.

What have you gained and enjoy from being part of FORPA? Watching your child smile when you contribute and take part is very special. Contributing to FORPA has been a great opportunity to meet and socialise with other parents across all different year levels.

What makes our community special?

We all share a love of seeing our daughters shine in the performing arts. Even though many of us have no theatrical talents, we work together to support and lend a hand in any way we can.

Why should others become involved?

Getting involved with FORPA is a fantastic opportunity to see all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of the performing arts and meet other parents with children that are involved.

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These activities were only made possible through the dedication of parent volunteers who are committed to fostering the Ruyton community and supporting our girls to achieve their goals.

Why do you volunteer?

What does the Care Group do?

We provide home cooked meals to Ruyton community members in need. They may be suffering loss, illness, celebrating the birth of a new baby or recovering from one of life’s tribulations.

What have you gained and/or enjoyed about being part of the POR? I most appreciate the quiet contribution to community. The work that the Care Group does is anonymous, we don’t need to know who we are cooking for, and they receive a meal without knowing who made it for them. Accordingly there is an extra special, completely unconditional opportunity to care and make a difference.

What makes our community special?

We are connected and we care, we care about our staff, our community, our families, and our children.

Why would you encourage others to be involved?

I would say to others, just as we would say to our own children; dive in. Change making, connection and community are waiting for you.

THE RUYTON REPORTER

SUMMER 2023

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OLD RUYTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION

ORA PRESIDENT’S REPORT This year marks 115 years since the Old Ruytonians’ Association (ORA) was established and what a busy year it has been. It is fantastic to see our program of reunions back on track after catching up last year on those that were missed due to COVID. At the ORA AGM held at the end of May this year, Hacia Atherton (2006) resigned from the ORA Committee and I took on the role of President after being the Committee’s Vice President for the past two years.

I would like to thank Hacia for her commitment to the ORA as Treasurer since 2020 and as President for the past year. We wish Hacia all the very best as she overcomes some health challenges after being involved in a serious horse-riding accident. We will miss Hacia’s energy and enthusiasm but know that she will support the ORA when her time and health allow. We are pleased to have welcomed Deb Rudov (1973) as Vice President and Gabby Hills (1973) onto the Committee.

So far this year, we have held the following reunions and events: 1973 – 50 Years

2018 – 5 Years

1983 – 40 Years

Golden Girls (50+ years out of School)

1993 – 30 Years 2003 – 20 Years 2013 – 10 years

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Geelong Lunch

In celebration of Ruyton’s 145th anniversary it was wonderful to welcome Sally Anderson as our special guest at the Golden Girls reunion this year. Sally was delighted to learn more about Ruyton which was founded by her great grandmother, Charlotte Anderson.

Alumnae from a variety of year levels between 1957 and 2015 attended the Grand Reunion at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in August in celebration of 145 years of Ruyton and 115 years of the ORA. It was a fun-filled night of music, trivia and reminiscing.

While we encourage you to follow us on both Facebook and Instagram, there is nothing like catching up in person. We are always looking for new opportunities and ways to engage with our Old Ruytonians so if you have an idea for an event or activity, please contact me or Ruyton’s Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager, Kate Higgins at ora@ruyton.vic.edu.au.

Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973) ORA President

New York Dinner Grand Reunion

THE RUYTON REPORTER

Alumnae

LIVING WITH PURPOSE Nicky Long (1989) has enjoyed a diverse career within the community based non-profit sector, and in April of this year she became the Chief Executive Officer of Guide Dogs Victoria.

With a mission to support people with blindness and low vision enabling a lifetime of independence, Nicky leads over 120 employees and 450 volunteers to provide vital support services.

Reflecting on her six years as a Ruyton student and time as Sports Captain as being ‘where my leadership journey started’, Nicky is full of praise for the ‘highly intelligent women who taught, guided and supported me to be the best version of myself.’ Schools, like charities, are built upon communities and Nicky remembers the close-knit, ‘positive’ Ruyton community with great fondness. ‘We all knew one another, and the friendships and connections are still alive today.’

‘When I left School, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I have always enjoyed knowing there was a purpose to my work.’ Beginning with a Bachelor of Nursing, Nicky leaned toward the world of healthcare and pharmaceutical science where she found fulfillment, ‘making new treatment discoveries, improving health outcomes and saving lives.’

Seeing the importance of medical developments, Nicky turned her attention to the philanthropic space of healthcare. In 2010, she became a Board Member and Director of The Snowdome Foundation, an organisation dedicated to raising funds for new therapies to assist people living with blood cancers. Since then she has been a part of further eight non-profit organisations including Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, Expression Australia and The Royal Women’s Hospital Foundation. She concurrently upskilled her education with a Graduate Diploma in Marketing, a Master of Business Administration (Innovation and Leadership), and a Certificate II in Auslan and currently volunteers as a mentor for women through Mentor Walks and St Kilda’s AFLW player program and is also a volunteer Director for the Priceline Sisterhood Foundation and St Kilda Football Club Foundation.

SUMMER 2023

The job of a charity CEO is a demanding one. ‘Charities are a business and running any business has important obligations – especially to those we support but also to our supporters. My job is to ensure sustainability of it all while still embracing everyone’s motivation for our purpose.’ Nicky’s leadership style is to ‘empower both the employees as well as the communities we are supporting. They know what they want. My job is to break down what might be standing in the way and model the values and the tone of our leadership.’

With nearly 30 years professional experience, Nicky has always worked towards one objective.

‘All of the organisations I’ve worked in are united by their purpose. It’s a single belief in striving towards something that improves people’s lives.’ Despite the innate differences across the community-based organisations she has worked at, Nicky is always astounded by the ‘extraordinary people’ involved.

‘Whether it’s the team I work with, the people we support or the volunteers and donors. There is honestly no end to what some supporters will do. I’m in awe of the adversity some people face and their energy and determination to live the life of their choosing.’

Leading a life of impact and purpose, Nicky remains driven by her ‘sense of doing my small part and having an impact on humanity’ and has much work to do.

Marina Altson Community Relations Assistant 29

Alumnae

THE STORY OF THREE SISTERS The Candy sisters, Fiona (1986), Caroline (1989) and Georgina (1992), attended Ruyton together, alongside their younger cousins, the Sayers.

The family has a long history of attending the School, following the legacy of their aunt, grandmother and great aunt. Georgina, the youngest sister, remembers the feeling of safety when attending School with her family, noting Ruyton was ‘just like a second home. My sisters’ friends would look out for me and smile, saying “hi” between classes…this was always a comforting feeling.’

Later in life it became a dream for all three sisters to start their own jewellery business, offering unique pieces Fiona would find whilst living in France.

Fiona has lived in Paris for 25 years, speaks fluent French and has three daughters Aurelia, Giulia and Sophia. Over Christmas and birthday seasons, Caroline and Georgina would receive beautiful, unique jewellery from Fiona, and the dream began to blossom.

Sadly, Caroline died from breast cancer in 2013.

Caroline’s ‘timeless taste in jewellery lives on with her daughters’, and now, nine years later, Fiona and Georgina have achieved the original dream of the three sisters and opened their jewellery business 16Mille.

Georgina operates 16Mille in Melbourne while Fiona sources jewellery in Paris. The name 16Mille, as in 16 ‘thousand’, represents the kilometres of distance between the two cities halfway across the world. When asked if this distance is challenging while operating a business, Georgina commented Fiona’s fluency and location is ‘crucial’ as she is ‘in a position to attend meetings and view new collections on site…to physically look at, touch and try on the jewellery is very different to looking at a catalogue online.’ Rather, one of the larger challenges the sisters have found in the process is social media.

‘This is where the next generation have really helped us…between Fiona, Caroline and myself, we have two boys and eight girls with ages ranging from 11 to 20 – this helps with many different creative, modern and current ideas with respect to social media. Fiona’s three girls in France are behind the photos around the streets of Paris for many of our Instagram stories.’

Despite the challenge of balancing 16Mille with their other work and family schedules, the sisters commented on the ‘incredibly rewarding’ experience.

Now ten months into the project, the excitement hasn’t wavered – ‘every single time an order comes through, [we] still get a big thrill!’ Fiona and Georgina have always enjoyed a strong relationship, finding it rare to go a day without speaking to one another.

This project has brought them ever closer, noting too that ‘even though Caroline is not physically here with us, we feel as though she is on this exciting journey.

She would have been in her element being involved in this business.’

The Gillon sisters, Charlotte (2023), Lucy (2024) and Millie (2029) are currently attending Ruyton, after their older cousins Emily (2021) and Phoebe (2022), the Johnsons. Georgina Gillon and Caroline Johnson’s daughters have continued the family tradition, becoming the fourth generation to attend the School.

The story of another three sisters is just beginning.

Marina Altson Community Relations Assistant

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THE RUYTON REPORTER

Note: Georgina circled in pink, Fiona circled in yellow SUMMER 2023

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Alumnae

CEO FOR ONE MONTH The CEO for one Month program, established by The Adecco Group in 2014, offers the opportunity for one young person each year to shadow the current CEO for one month. It is open to anyone over the age of 18 to apply and is offered in 45 countries. Out of 4,000 Australian candidates, Jacqueline Du (2019) was selected for the program this year. After the opportunity of shadowing the CEO, she was subsequently invited to attend a week-long leadership development bootcamp in Milan, Italy, as one of ten candidates selected from 186,000 applicants worldwide.

Following graduation, Jacqui moved to Canberra to study a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy, Economics / Bachelor of Laws (Hons) double degree at the Australian National University (ANU). ‘Looking back, moving to ANU was one of the hardest but best decisions I’ve ever made.’ Having held the position of School Captain at Ruyton in 2019, ‘I remember thinking I’d give myself a break from student leadership after Year 12. That lasted all of one month. I was elected as an Arts Representative during my first year…from there, it was a slippery slope to taking on the role of Treasurer and eventually President of my Residential Hall.’ In this position, Jacqui oversaw the arts, sporting and social calendar of over 450 resident students. However, this daunting task was made easier with the help of one of her closest friends from Ruyton, Ellora Kelly (2019). ‘Ellora was right there with me as Vice President and Sports Master. 2022 was the year that Ruyton Old Girls took ANU by storm!’

While in her penultimate year of study, Jacqui is currently employed with the Attorney-General’s Department, working in the International Cooperation Unit to tackle cybercrime, corruption and gender-based violence. ‘Working in government law has been really interesting – I love the variety in my job, and the feeling of working towards a bigger purpose.’ To continue broadening her horizons, Jacqui admits she applied for the CEO for One Month program ‘on a whim…

[I thought] it would turn out like the countless other things that I’ve applied for and gotten rejected from.

I shot my shot anyway and it turned out to be more than I could ever have hoped for.’

When asked what the CEO for One Month program entailed, Jacqui said it is ‘exactly what it sounds like!

I got to attend daily meetings, dinners, events, travel, and witness the behind-the-scenes of a Fortune 500 company, which was incredible.’ This is a truly unique and outstanding opportunity which allowed Jacqui to give input in meetings, make speeches and presentations at events and meet people from all over the world. We asked what some of her key take-aways were from the whole experience.

‘It is impossible to put into words the depth of learning that I have gained from this program. But here are a couple of takeaways. Number one: don’t discount yourself! It’s no secret that women often undersell themselves. Self-conviction comes from self-awareness; knowing your strengths, as well as the areas that you are working on, and how to articulate them. Number two: prioritise your support network. My friends have helped me stay afloat through steep learning curves and overwhelming new environments. It is reciprocal; I make the effort and time to do the same for them, prioritising my relationships every bit as much as my study or career.

If I have any advice for Ruyton girls who are keen to make their impact on the world, it would be to pay attention to the people who bring out the best in you. It is these people who have kept me true to myself as I’ve grown and I am forever grateful to them.’

Marina Altson Community Relations Assistant

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Alumnae

VALE Deaths of Old Ruytonians or former staff members of which Ruyton is aware are listed here. Obituaries for the name(s) in italics below appear after the listing.

GORDON OAM, Helen Gwendoline (Cole, 1952) Born 28.2.1935; RGS 1940–1952; Died 16.7.2023

HAYGARTH, Jane (Gilmour, 1962) Born 20.9.1945; RGS 1951–1962; Died 7.8.2022

Helen’s niece in-law Helen Irwin-Childs (Powers, 1963) attended Ruyton.

Jane’s sister Ann Gilmour (1968) attended Ruyton.

HALL, Joyce Elizabeth (Bawden, 1954) Born 4.10.1936; RGS 1941–1952; Died 31.7.2023

SECCOMBE, Heather (Weir, 1963) Born 31.3.1946; RGS 1951–1963; Died 22.7.2023

Ruyton also wishes to acknowledge the deaths of valued community members: GIDLEY, Alwyn (past staff and past parent) STRICKLAND, John (past parent and former Ruyton Board member) TERRACALL, Robert (past parent)

ALWYN GIDLEY Born 24 February 1941; RGS Staff 1974-79; Died 2 October 2023 Alwyn Gidley taught English and History in the Senior School for five years from 1974-79. Alwyn’s three daughters Katea Gidley Cantwell (Gidley, 1982), Meagin Gidley (1984) and Phoebe Gidley (1989) all attended Ruyton, as did her granddaughter Polly Yeats (2022). Alwyn’s daughter Meagin is currently a teacher in the Junior School.

If you have any updates of Old Ruytonians’ deaths, or wish to send an obituary to the School, please contact the Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager, Kate Higgins by email at higginsk@ruyton.vic.edu.au or (03) 9819 2422.

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Alumnae

HELEN GWENDOLINE GORDON, OAM (COLE, 1952) Born 28 February 1935; RGS 1940–1952; Died 16 July 2023 Helen started at Little Ruyton in Prep 1940 and finished Year 12 in 1952 as School Captain, Bromby Captain, Form Captain for Matric, Tennis Captain, Hockey Captain, Swimming Vice Captain and an award for Best All-Round Girl. She also played baseball for Victoria.

Helen’s strong ties to Ruyton continued when she held the position of President of the Old Ruytonians’ Association from the start of 1966 to the end of 1967.

She often told family and friends, ‘school was the best time of my life!’

Graduating from the University of Melbourne in 1956 as a physiotherapist, Helen’s first position at age 19 involved setting up clinics with the Victorian Health Department Poliomyelitis Rural division.

After marrying in 1958 to her beloved John (until his passing in 2012), Helen tutored part time at the physio school whilst her two sons and daughter were young.

In 1970, the Gordon family moved from Kew to the Mornington Peninsula where Helen worked with stroke patients and amputees at the Mount Eliza Geriatric Centre for four years.

Helen ran two fun exercise classes to seniors as a volunteer. One held in Red Hill which ran for over 25 years, and another Helen named Shake Rattle and Roll ran at the U3A Mornington for 10 years.

During the COVID pandemic, Helen continued theses classes on Zoom from her home, often to between 60 and 90 people.

Helen worked tirelessly to raise funds for World Vision, Fred Hollows and the School of St Judes in Tanzania. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to Community Health as a physiotherapist and received the 2022 Victorian Senior Achiever Award at Parliament House.

Helen wanted to inspire others to lead a healthy life, to increase community connection and she did this by speaking at service clubs and support groups, through newsletters, journals and the media.

Helen was admired and adored by many for her lifelong service to others. Ruyton’s new Performing Arts Centre auditorium, will have seat M-6 donated to Helen.

It will sit alongside the seat donated by her niece in-law, Helen Irwin-Childs, who also attended Ruyton.

Written by Helen’s daughter, Vicki Olden

Helen was the Founder of the Physiotherapy Department, Frankston Hospital in 1995, and was Chief Physiotherapist for 23 years – Life Governor in 1992. In 1998, Helen joined Beleura Private Hospital on a part time basis.

In 1997 Helen received a Long Service Award, Peninsula Health Care Network and the Older Australian Recognition Award in 2007.

From 2002–2012 Helen provided private care to Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE. SUMMER 2023

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Reunions

REUNIONS

ORA GRAND REUNION This year, the Old Ruytonians’ Association (ORA) hosted the Grand Reunion Cocktail Party at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. It was a night for all alumnae of Ruyton Girls’ School to commemorate 115 years of the ORA and 145 years of the School.

Between Principal Linda Douglas’ summation of Ruyton today, the reminiscing of Old Ruytonians in attendance from the Class of 1957 to 2015 and a slide show of photos spanning all the way from the early 1890s, the night was certainly a celebration of the history of Ruyton and ORA. In attendance: Marina Altson (2015), Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973), Sarah Anderson (1999), Micky Ashton (Marshall, 1965), Sally Barter (1977), Sue Bell (Bennett, 1963), Judi Boothroyd (1976), Sally Dean (1970), Mary Dixon (Macpherson Smith, 1957), Phoebe Dougall (1989), Brenda Fielding (Rawnsley, 1965), Lene Finnie (1973), Deborah Friedlander (Scott, 1992), Andrea Fyfe (1989), Georgina Gillon (Candy, 1992), Lucinda Graham (1998), Samantha Gusset (Atkinson, 1989), Siobhan Harris (2009), Gabby Hills (1973), Fiona Horman (1977), Rebecca Howatt (1990), Bridget Langley (1991), Bec Lipshut (Littlejohn, 1998), Eliza Long (Barnaby, 1989), Nicky Long (Beesey, 1989), Amanda Lugg (Boughton, 1973), Katie MacIsaac (McNeil, 1984), Debra Mack (Rudov, 1973), Caroline Mackenzie (Barrett, 1986), Caroline Maslen (Jarrett, 2005), Heather Matthews (Patterson, 1964), Fran McAdam (Osborn, 1969), Jane McIntosh (1972), Claire Mulcahy (Coppock, 1984), Janine Murray (Hull, 1973), Jenni Musgrove (Manton, 1973), Angela Natsis (Ferguson, 1994), Debra O’Brien (Payne, 1973), Stephanie Pratt (2005), Nat Pullan (2005), Deryn Sayers (Candy, 1965), Felicity Sinfield (Bell, 1997), Margaret Somerville (1966), Alexandra Stewart (1976), Louise Utter (Foletta, 1962), Helen Walker (1994), Tara Wolbers (Tatham, 1986), Sarina Yiu (1994).

Apologies: Joan Balfour (Ditty, 1962), Eliza Bramwell (2009), Mandy Burbury (Walker, 1973), Elisa Caligiuri (Trotta, 1998), Trish Collins (Talbot, 1963), Jessica Dickson (Morgan, 1998), Melissa Gallace (Constantinou, 1998), Diane Harris (1966), Helen Irwin-Childs (Powers, 1963), Margaret Jackson (Coulston, 1973), Gayle Lockwood (1973), Jennie Macdonald (1966), Liz Sinclair (Hobson, 1973), Trish Spicer (Mccrae, 1973), Stephanie Stamopouslos (2011), Judith Stevens (Palmer, 1966), Katie Stevenson (1993), Alison Thorn (1973), Judy Tolson (Wood, 1973), Pamela Turner (1973), Diana Wills (Ayres, 1961)

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Reunions

ORA GOLF DAY On a warm spring day in early October, an enthusiastic group of Old Ruytonians enjoyed the ORA Golf Day at Kew Golf Club.

After the morning of golf, the ladies returned to the Club House for lunch and the presentation of awards.

Congratulations to the following prize-winners: Winner – Arna Andrews (Wright, 1979) Runner-up – Belinda Holt (1981) Third place – Sally Ludlow (Horan, 1968) Longest Drive – Amanda Jones (Parry-Okeden, 1982) Nearest the pin – Janet Jacobsen (Norman, 1976) Grandmother’s Trophy – Marg Franke-Williams (Franke, 1966) Thanks to Janet Jacobsen (Norman, 1976) for organising such a successful day. Arna, Belinda, Sally and one other player will now represent Ruyton at the 95th Women’s Interschool Golf Challenge Cup in March next year.

In attendance: Arna Andrews (Wright, 1979), Vicki Colliver (Sallmann, 1981), Robin De Clifford (Reeve, 1961), Amanda Derham (Crothers, 1970), Rosemary Dowling (Groves, 1961), Marg Franke-Williams (Franke, 1966), Jennie Hill (1981), Belinda Holt (1981), Janet Jacobsen (Norman, 1976), Amanda Jones (Parry-Okeden, 1982), Sally Ludlow (Horan, 1968), Anna Mason (Simms, 1966), Sue Thomas (Oakley, 1966), Jill Webb (Daniels, 1966).

Apologies: Jane Blyth (Martin, 1977), Carol Driscoll (Crane, 1961), Holly Fletcher (Fairfoul, 1965), Jane Galbraith (Mckinley 1969), Marion Gooley (Watson, 1964), Sue Leffler (Russell-Smith, 1960).

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Reunions

CLASS OF 2018 – 5 YEAR REUNION The first five years after leaving school can be the most shaping, exciting and important years for growth and exploration. After spending many years together as a cohort, it can be strange to learn about fellow peers’ lives from social media but not see one another. This May, 37 Old Girls from the Class of 2018 took the opportunity to join together at CRUDO Warehouse for their five-year reunion; to reconnect, reminisce and learn about each other’s lives since leaving Ruyton.

In attendance: Emma Aldous, Matilda Ancarola, Kathryn Baumgartner, Georgia Bayley, Georgia Berti, Angela Chau, Jessica Clarke, Phoebe Clifford, Emily Crump, Neve Davison, Mia Delzoppo, Pollyanna Dowell, Vinhara Goonesekera, Sophie Graham, Amy Hale, Laura Hartin, Lauren Honey, Jemima Jacobson, Haini Jiang, Sophie Johnson, Ella Lim Joon, Maeve Luu, Victoria Magoutis, Olivia McGregor, Georgie Monsell-Butler, Bridie O’Callaghan, Emma Roberts, Tilly Robson, Taylah Ruiz-Pedley, Claudia Schonfeldt, Claudia Schwarz, Eva Shen, Tess Stewart, Vanessa Vasilopoulos, Annie Wang, Ariane Webber, Jemima Woolston.

Apologies: Jessica Hepworth

CLASS OF 1983 – 40 YEAR REUNION It was a thrill for the Class of 1983 to have former music director Mr Miles Maxwell attend their 40 year reunion in early October. Mr Maxwell was Ruyton’s Director of Music from 1976 to 1989 and wrote the much loved song of that era, Follow Your Own Road which was often sung at Speech Night. Following a tour of the School, the ladies enjoyed catching up with Mr Maxwell and each other over dinner at Cru Wine Bar and Restaurant. It was fantastic that Sally-Ann Wilks was visiting from the UK and able to attend the reunion along with Diana Barnes from Tasmania and Felicity Fizelle from New South Wales.

In attendance: Kirsty Baird, Diana Barnes, Fiona Cowl, Tanya Darrer, Serena Dougall, Felicity Fizelle, Lucy Hase, Ceri Martin, Miles Maxwell, Vicki Pateras, Nadia Sartori, Liz Sims (Watson), Zara White (Guthrie), Sally-Ann Wilks Apologies: Gillian Vosper (Hefter)

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Reunions ORA GEELONG LUNCH In September a small group of Old Ruytonians who live in and around the Geelong area enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Empire Grill. Lively conversation about families, careers, books, movies and memories of Ruyton were shared. They also appreciated the opportunity to meet Principal, Linda Douglas and hear the latest news from the School. If you live on the Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast or anywhere near Geelong and would like to attend an ORA event in the area in the future, please contact ora@ruyton.vic.edu.au and ensure your details are up-to-date.

In attendance: Jocelyn Cox (Griffiths, 1958), Amanda Derham (Crothers, 1970), Unice Ekberg (Hamilton, 1965), Judy Paton (Eagle, 1950), Kaz Paton, Jennifer Piper (Sword, 1960), Andrea Van Orsouw (Wallinga, 1981), Jill Webb (Daniels, 1966)

Apologies: Jill Chapman (Bellgrove, 1966), Sue Corbet (Levick, 1962), Martha Fleet (Mitchell, 1958), Jann Jowett (Helms, 1962), Jill Pring (Parker, 1977), Gini Waller (Smith, 1972), Jill Watson (Essery, 1959), Diana Wills (Ayres, 1961)

NEW YORK REUNION In October a small group of alumnae based in around New York enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Buddakan NYC with Principal, Linda Douglas.

Although from different year levels, Emma Haberfield (2021), Georgina Kelly (2011) and Helena Mileo (2016) loved meeting one another. With not only Ruyton in common, but also similar interests, the girls will stay in touch. Unfortunately, Fiona Posillico (Carre-Riddell, 1975), Vanessa Quincey (2007) and Georgia Sugar (2008) were unable to attend but look forward to another ORA event in New York in the future.

DATES TO REMEMBER IN 2024 MARCH

April

Thursday 14 March Class of 2004, 20 Year Reunion

Friday 19 April Class of 1994, 30 Year Reunion

Friday 22 March Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion

May Friday 3 May Class of 1974, 50 Year Reunion Tuesday 7 May ORA AGM

Friday 10 May Moreton Bay Fig Society Lunch Thursday 16 May Class of 2019, 5 Year Reunion Friday 17 May Generations Morning Tea Friday 24 May Golden Girls Lunch

October Friday 11 October Class of 1984, 40 Year Reunion Monday 14 October ORA Golf Day

November Friday 8 November Class of 2023, 1 Year Reunion

Please note that these dates are subject to change Updates will be made on the following ORA social media platforms: Website – www.ruytonora.com.au Instagram – @oldruytoniansassociation Facebook – facebook.com/oldruytoniansassociation

ORA events will also be held in the following locations in 2024:

Update your contact details

Mornington Peninsula, Hobart, Canberra and Perth

Online – ruyton.vic.edu.au/our-community/ updatedetails/

Dates to be confirmed

Email – ora@ruyton.vic.edu.au

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Reunions

GOLDEN GIRLS AND BOARDERS REUNION – MAY 2023 In celebration of Ruyton’s 145th anniversary, more than 40 alumnae who originally left school prior to 1973 returned to Ruyton in May to catch up with one another and hear about school life today.

They enjoyed a performance by Flutopia, the Senior School Flute Ensemble and sang the School Song with the Mini Madrigals (Junior Choir), complete with the foot stomp. It was fantastic to welcome Sally Anderson, the great grand-daughter of Ruyton’s founder Charlotte Anderson, as our special guest for the morning. She cut the special 145th anniversary cake with Marian Kendall (Allison, 1965) who was delighted to be visiting from the UK. Following morning tea, some of the alumnae joined Principal Linda Douglas for a tour of the School with a visit to Henty House among the highlights.

In attendance: 1949: Peggy Hayton (Webster) 1956: Judith Ben-Meir (Cohen), Sylvia Gerraty (Fix), Christina Martin (Hooper), Erica Mooney (Lamparter), Robin Osborne-Smith, Janet Walker (Brock) 1957: Beverley Bencina (Cook), Mary Dixon (Macpherson-Smith), Jane Teasdale 1959: Judith Cooke 1960: Elaine Hutchinson (Chipper), Jennifer Yates (Jellis) 1961: Rosemary Dowling (Groves) 1962: Joan Balfour (Ditty), Marian Eyers (Dean) 1964: Margaret Brown (Watkin), Lois Hamilton, Susan James (Mason), Heather Matthews (Patterson), Ailsa Pinkney, Felicity Renowden (Piesse) 1965: Micky Ashton (Marshall), Margaret Falconer (Palmer), Marian Kendall (Allison), Diana McKie (Whitcroft), Marg Smith (Ingram) 1966: Kathryn Reeve (Marx) 1967: Georgia Hammond (Jenkin), Judy Kuehne (Menzies), Frances Lean (Palmer), Sue Morawsky (Gove), Heather Novak (Birch), Sue Pitt (Eady), Robyn Stevens (Eccles), Jill Wilkes 1968: Barbara Dwyer (Nicholls), Joan Lamb (Wood), Victoria Rosenberg (Beseler), Adrienne Sands (Bottomley) 1970: Sally Dean, Joanna Hickey 1972: Michele Pearson, Kay Salehi (Gillespie) Special guest: Sally Anderson 40

Apologies: 1945: Peggy Anderson (Massey) 1946: Joan Martin (Wardrop) 1947: Thea Anderson (Lovibond) 1953: Elaine Cockburn 1954: Judy Bateman (Stanger), Joyce Hall (Bawden) 1955: Susan Petty (Buckland) 1957: Judi Boyd (McColl), Marianne Van De Poll (Brunsting) 1958: Sandra Long (Knyvett-Parsons), Anthea Mollison (Culpan) 1960: Jennifer Piper (Sword), Elizabeth Seebeck (Moore) 1961: Jan Brothwell (Neilson), Robyn De Clifford (Reeve), Carol Driscoll (Crane), Michelle Grattan, Diana Wills (Ayres) 1962: Sue a’Beckett (Vautier), Judith Caughey (Moore), Louise Utter (Foletta), Angela Watson (Hutchinson) 1963: Michele Allegretto (Hall), Trish Collins (Talbot) 1964: Sue White 1965: Tina Madden (Crow), Soosie Thompson (Corbett) 1966: Ann Clay (Heazlewood) 1967: Robyn Phillips (Hilyard), Janet Trainor (Hansen) 1968: Jenny Elliott (Phillips), Dorothy Holt (Hocking) 1969: Susie Wettenhall (Evans) 1970: Penny Guy (Daniels)

THE RUYTON REPORTER

Reunions

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ruyton girls’ school

12 Selbourne Road Kew 3101 Victoria Australia Tel 61 3 9819 2422 ruyton@ruyton.vic.edu.au www.ruyton.vic.edu.au CRICOS 00336J Printed on 100% recycled Australian made paper.