AMANDA STEIN 1986
Business Woman, Philanthropist
PIP HARVEY ROSS 2010 Charity Worker
2014/15 St Margaret’s Patron After graduating from St Margaret’s in 1986, Amanda Stein travelled and worked in Canada, England, China and Japan. Inspired by the advances in perliculture she saw overseas, Amanda identified a business opportunity and, combined with a love of antique jewellery and collectibles, created PandaPearls Australia, which celebrated 10 years in Brisbane’s Nundah Village in 2015. Amanda has used the same business acumen behind the internationally renowned PandaPearls brand to drive many successful fundraising initiatives. Her regular Sidewalk Sundays and other numerous philanthropic endeavours have raised funds for charities including Women’s Legal Services, The Pyjama Foundation and The Mater Foundation, to name just a few. Originally from Papua New Guinea, Amanda is also passionate about issues effecting rural, regional and remote communities. Locally, she is a dynamic presence within her own community, helping to drive the rejuvenation of Nundah Village. Amanda believes the spirit of charity and empathy instilled in her by the Sisters has empowered her to realise the potential everyday people have to change lives.
SISTERS 2016 210mm x 210mm black and white FINAL.indd 19
Pip Harvey Ross spent a term on exchange in South Africa with the St Margaret’s Global Exchange Program in 2008, and so began her fascination with Africa. Graduating from St Margaret’s as a Prefect in 2010, she returned to Africa in 2012, and volunteered at a small school in Tanzania. Here she saw the need for a bus to bring the children to school (some walking three hours or more), and for small group homes for orphaned and abandoned children. In 2013, Pip climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and raised enough money for a school bus. At the end of that year she launched her not for profit organisation Many Shades Inc, and raised sufficient funds to purchase land for the first Many Shades community centre and group home, with plans to open the home by 2017. Since 2014, Pip has been working for a similar organisation in Tanzania, managing a group home and gaining the necessary experience to ensure the success of the Many Shades homes. She continues to fundraise, and to work towards obtaining charity status for Many Shades. While in Tanzania, Pip is studying for a Bachelor of Laws, with a focus on Human Rights Law. She also continues to photograph her journey.
7/06/2016 12:16:15 PM