Issuu

November 2015

St Mar y’ s Anglican Gi rls’ S ch ool

FIDELITER

GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS

St Mary's Celebrates

95 years

S T M A R Y ' S C E L E B R AT E S

95 years C A L E N DA R OF EVENTS

MUSIC

BISHOP RILEY MEMORIAL LECTURE

FOR ME R STA F F

UNDER THE

STARS

High

OAM

95 T H BIRTHDAY

Dinner DANCE

Old Girls’ ST MARY’S

RLD

fair

Visit www.stmarys.wa.edu/95 or call (08) 9341 9111 for more information or to book tickets.

32 30

13 4

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

FROM THE FOUNDATION

CHAPL AIN’S REPORT

ARCHIVES OPENING The Opening of the Marlene Carter Heritage Centre

10 ACHIEVEMENTS Winner of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Award 2015: Aryanne Caminschi National History Challenge Search For The Next Tech Girl Superhero Future Problem-Solving: National Finals Australian Brain Bee Challenge Interschool Cross Country Champions Interschool Basketball Champions Interschool Soccer Champions Interschool Gymnastics Champions Interschool Netball Champions Successes in the Surf 15

SCHOOL NEWS ANZAC Service Stories Library Community Learning Programme

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS LEAP: Developing Leadership Skills ‘Adventure in Citizenship’ in Canberra Bringing Chemistry to Life in the Margaret River Region European History Tour Making a Difference in China Marine Science USA Trip German Study Tour Hale St Mary’s Music Tour to Malaysia and Singapore Journey to Japan French Trip Experiences from Year 10 Exchange Aspiring Superstars

Senior School Art Exhibition A Little Princess 35 BOARDING NEWS Cakes from the Country 36 JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS STEAM in the Junior School Brooklyn’s Coin Artwork Raises $1800 to Support Children in Manila Year 6 Welcomes Visitors from Hong Kong 40 OUT AND ABOUT 42 ARCHIVAL ANECDOTES 'I love this life' Donations 2015 45 PARENTS’ SOCIET Y AND ST MARY’S AUXILIARY 46 OLD GIRLS’ PRESIDENT'S REPORT 47 OLD GIRLS' NEWS AND EVENTS 48 OGA'S WOMEN OF DISTINCTION Old Girls Shine in the Women of Distinction Awards 2015 Women of Distinction Awards Nominees and Finalists 52 OLD GIRLS' NEWS AND EVENTS Boarders Reunite! Events and Reunions News from Old Girls 58 VALE FIDELITER INFORMATION Fideliter is a publication of St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School. please direct all correspondence to:

St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, PO Box 105 Karrinyup WA 6921 telephone: (08) 9341 9111 fascimile: (08) 9341 9222 email: stmarys@stmarys.wa.edu.au editors: Anne Pesic, Nikki Cobley, Amanda Kemp design and production: Dessein

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT ONE OF MY FAVOURITE QUOTATIONS ON THE WALL AT THE ENTRANCE OF OUR SCHOOL IS ESPECIALLY PERTINENT TO THIS ISSUE OF FIDELITER. IT COMES FROM A WISE PROFESSOR WHO SPENT THE VAST MAJORITY OF HIS LIFE AT HARVARD. IT SAYS:

“A glimpse into the households of our neighbours serves the better to illuminate our own, as when by pressing hard against the pane we see not only the objects on the other side but our own features reflected in the glass.” Paul A Freund (1908-1992) Exceptional opportunities are given to our girls to see the world beyond the gates of St Mary’s. Just some of these experiences are the focus of this issue of Fideliter. These tours and exchanges encourage inquiry, imagination, independence and initiative. They also develop big-picture thinking, empathy and compassion, an appreciation of culture and history, and thoughts about what we could do better as well as what we could appreciate more. I wish to salute the staff who initiate, plan, lead and accompany these tours and exchanges and our girls who thrive on these experiences and soak up with such passion the world around them.

Above (l-r): Margaret Mansfield, Jane Moore and Jaye Modra

Principal’s Report

2015 has been another year filled with success. Given that occupations nowadays have such an increasing emphasis on lateral and creative thinking, problemsolving and technology skills, it is pleasing to see our girls compete at the national level in these areas through activities such as Future Problem-Solving and Search for the Next Tech Superhero. In addition, the Junior School and Senior School teachers have embraced coding as an important skill and understanding with an increased focus in the curriculum. The Junior School’s STEAM Days demonstrate all too clearly that it is never too young to start.

Recently too, we have a nationally recognised poet; our historians have excelled in the National History Challenge with both national and state winners; our foreign language students have achieved brilliant results in external examinations; and our IGSSA sports teams continue to be the champions in many sports. It is the diversity of achievement that is impressive. In December, St Mary’s will be farewelling four longserving staff; namely, Mr Peter Mead, Mrs Margaret Mansfield, Mrs Jane Moore and Mrs Jaye Modra. Mr Mead, Director of Finance and Administration, commenced at St Mary’s in 1996. He has had serious ill-health, especially this year, but has soldiered on in the face of adversity. His courage is absolutely inspirational. Mr Mead has managed the school’s finances expertly and played an integral role in developing the school’s facilities at Karrinyup. His proudest achievement, however, is our beautiful Metricup campus. Mrs Mansfield has taught Religious Education since 1987 and for many years assisted in the learning support centre. She continues to be a keen advocate for and organiser of our support for Anglican agencies which help those in need. Mrs Moore has been Head of Drama since 1995. Mrs Moore’s outstanding drama productions have thrilled audiences.

Above: Peter Mead

Who could forget The Belles of St Mary’s, Away, Cabaret, The Man From Mukinupin, Whistle Down the Wind and this year’s production, the piece de resistance, Jesus Christ Superstar? Mrs Modra, an Old Girl of the school, returned to St Mary’s in 1996. She was both Deputy Head and teacher in the Junior School until joining the Year 7 team in the Senior School in 2011. Mrs Modra has seen our girls grow and blossom and has been such an important part of their journey. At the opening assembly in Term 1, Sarah Coopes, Head Girl, talked about wondering and wandering, encouraging us all to broaden our horizons, take some calculated risks, challenge ourselves and become the best we can be. We follow her guiding words to become ‘wonderful and wanderful’ and these attributes are exemplified over and over in Fideliter. What greater vision and achievement for our community can there be than that? Lynne Thomson Principal

Above: Head Girl, Sarah Coopes

Principal’s Report

FROM THE FOUNDATION

Above: Year 3 students joined Mrs Lynne Thomson, Principal, and Ms Stephanie Neille, Archivist, in the Marlene Carter Heritage Centre to mark the school's 94th Birthday on 14 September.

THE WONDERFUL SPIRIT OF GIVING AT ST MARY’S IS ALIVE AND GROWING AND, ON BEHALF OF THE FOUNDATION, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL THROUGH PHILANTHROPY AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BECOME A PART OF GIVING AT ST MARY’S. YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE TO THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE WE CAN OFFER THE GIRLS.

EXCEPTIONAL BEQUEST TO SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS We are thrilled to share with you that St Mary’s has received an exceptional bequest from the estate of Lady Treatt (Frankie Wilson ’32, Head Girl) which will be used to endow new scholarships. You can find out more on page 7, Scholarship Fund Receives a Wonderful Boost.

THANK YOU TO THE CLASS OF 2015 Thank you to the Class of 2015 and their families for their generous Class Gift to name a vine row at the St Mary’s at Metricup vineyard. The Class of 2015 gift will help to build the Scholarship Fund. We look forward to providing each member of the Class of 2015 with a complimentary bottle of Frankie’s Folly in 2019.

OPENING OF THE MARLENE CARTER HERITAGE CENTRE It was our pleasure to be joined by friends and donors at the opening of the Marlene Carter Heritage Centre in August. Donations to the Annual Giving Building Fund in 2014 were used to support its development and your support has enabled us to enhance the Centre considerably. Our congratulations to Marlene Carter, the Foundation’s Senior Vice President, after whom the building is named. A report on page 9, The Opening of the Marlene Carter Heritage Centre, revisits the celebrations.

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT This year, we welcomed Ian Hardy, the Board of Governors’ nominee, and Angie Powell, St Mary’s Auxiliary Representative, to the Board of Management. Our thanks to Daina De Mattia, who has served as the Auxiliary Representative for the last two years. At the end of the year, we will farewell Peter Mead, who is retiring as Director of Finance and Administration at St Mary’s, a position which he has held since 1996. In that time, Peter’s commitment to the work of the Foundation has been unwavering. He has been the driving force behind the development of St Mary’s at Metricup, and generations of St Mary’s girls will benefit from the passion he has poured into making this the remarkable facility it is today. Our sincere thanks to him. Ron Farris Chairman

From the Foundation

2015 ANNUAL GIVING: BE A PART OF THE STORY EVERY ST MARY’S FAMILY AND EACH OLD GIRL WILL HAVE RECEIVED THE 2015 WILL YOU BE A PART OF OUR STORY? ANNUAL GIVING BROCHURE EARLIER IN THE YEAR. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE A GIFT. GREAT THINGS CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE COME TOGETHER FOR AN IMPORTANT CAUSE AND GIFTS OF ALL SIZES ARE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED.

What is Annual Giving and why do we need it? Donations to Annual Giving provide funding for specific projects that the school cannot fund out of its annual operating budget. It is an opportunity for everyone in the school community to support the school at a gift level that is meaningful to them. Your philanthropy helps to maintain the level of excellence associated with a St Mary’s education. In 2014, thanks to Annual Giving donations, the new e-library was established, the Archives Heritage Centre was equipped with extensive storage solutions to best preserve St Mary’s history, and a giant leap forward was taken in our goal to provide scholarships to deserving girls. In 2015, Annual Giving gifts will be directed towards scholarships, building the girls’ strong reading culture by growing the e-library collection and acquiring new library resources, and ensuring our facilities keep pace with an ever-evolving curriculum.

How can I make a gift to 2015 Annual Giving? We warmly invite everyone – parents, Old Girls, staff and friends - to join the growing St Mary’s family of donors who are helping to provide the very best learning experience for the girls. The Scholarship, Library and Building Funds are all tax deductible. You can make a donation by: • Completing the form that accompanies this issue of Fideliter • Phoning Linzey Allinson, Community Relations Manager on (08) 9341 9120 • Visiting www.stmarys.wa.edu.au/online-giving

SCHOL ARSHIP FUND RECEIVES A WONDERFUL BOOST

BISHOP RILEY BEQUEST SOCIET Y

In September, we learnt that Lady Treatt (Frankie Wilson ’32, Head Girl) had left St Mary’s a bequest of $750, 000 to endow scholarships. We are honoured that she had chosen to remember her old school and its students in this special way.

Over the years a number of members of our school community have chosen to recognise the important part St Mary’s has played in their lives by remembering us in their will.

“Education is the one,” Lady Treatt said some years ago in an informal oral history interview with Mrs Thomson. Her deep sense of service and equality was reflected in the career path she took after leaving school, conducting pro bono work in assisting indigent women and children with legal representation. In her work with the Department of Postwar Reconstruction she drafted legislation on many projects, including concepts of what would later become Legal Aid in Australia. Her passion for supporting girls’ education will live on in the students who are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of a St Mary’s scholarship and her generosity will transform the lives of future St Mary’s girls. As a school community, we remain indebted to Lady Treatt for her devoted support of St Mary’s.

Bequests of all sizes have enabled us to develop our facilities, establish scholarships, and provide new opportunities and experiences for students. They can be directed to an area of special interest or left to the discretion of the school leaders of the day. Named after the school’s founder, the Bishop Riley Bequest Society honours and thanks those who have remembered St Mary’s in this way. Each year, members are invited to be involved in different areas of school life, as well as a special annual Society event. If you have already included St Mary’s in your will or you would like to find out more about how to make a bequest to support St Mary’s, please let us know so that we may thank you for your generosity and foresight. More information about the Society can be found at www.stmarys.wa.edu.au/bequests Please contact Linzey Allinson, Community Relations Manager on (08) 9341 9120 or lallinson@stmarys.wa.edu.au

From the Foundation

CHAPL AIN’S REPORT BAPTISM – JOYOUS OCCASIONS ASPIRATIONAL LIVING! AT ST MARY’S WE TRY TO SUPPORT THE FAITH JOURNEY OF OUR STUDENTS AND TO GUIDE ALL STUDENTS, WHETHER CHRISTIAN OR NOT, TO LIVE AND WORK WITH INTEGRITY, RESPECTING AND SERVING OTHERS FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COMMUNITIES OF WHICH THEY ARE A PART. WE HOPE OUR STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP A SENSE OF IDENTITY, MAKE WISE CHOICES AND LIVE ASPIRATIONALLY.

Just recently, I was standing at the door of the Chapel saying goodbye to the Kindergarten to Year 2s after another energy-filled twenty minutes of worship with them, when Mrs Martin brought a little Year 1 to me who had something to say. I was waiting for one of those mind-bending questions that only a small child can ask, but instead she looked at me with big wide eyes and said, “I feel welcomed by God and Jesus when I walk into the Chapel.” This was a precious moment for a Chaplain and teacher, one of those little bubbles of absolute innocence and openness that a small child can share with such ease.

Above: The Reverend Geraldine Nixon is joined by the Upfold family for the baptism of Summer.

I believe that to live aspirationally from a Christian perspective is to have a fervent desire to follow the path of Jesus in order to achieve one’s aims through setting high ethical standards and having a strong sense of social justice. Worship is an important part of our Christian life and the Chapel of St Mary’s in one sense is the tranquil heart of the school, offering a place for quiet reflection but at other times it is a lively and noisy place of worship for children. Chapels and churches may also be places of mystery but the mystery lies more in the mind of those who enjoy them as places of wonder and awe, places filled with a deep sense of history and faith. The Chapel of St Mary is relatively new as a centre for worship, but it still carries that sense of wonder and awe when one reflects on the faith and aspirations of the men and women who founded our school, but more importantly it is a place which invites each and every member of the community to consider their own faith journey.

We welcome people into the Church through the initiation rites of Baptism and Confirmation. Baptism for babies and children is a service in which parents thank God for the gift of life and make the decision to lead their child on a journey of faith, and godparents promise help and support. When a child is baptised at St Mary’s, we encourage family members, especially older siblings, to take an active part in the baptism by reading the lesson, pouring the water, lighting the baptismal candle and leading prayers. It is also more meaningful if they gather close to the font, not only to see what is happening, but to feel close to the child who is being baptised and starting their journey of faith. Every child is an individual and will grow and have their own aspirations for life. As they grow they must make their decision about the baptismal vows taken on their behalf by their parents and godparents and make an adult commitment to the Christian faith at Confirmation. St Mary’s is a microcosm of society and its members represent a range of religious and philosophical views but all members are welcome in our Chapel. Baptisms are joyous occasions! The Reverend Geraldine Nixon School Chaplain

AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (AARE) CERTIFICATES FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE ON THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2015, THE AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (AARE) HOSTED AN ANNUAL DINNER OF THANKSGIVING AT TRINITY COLLEGE, EAST PERTH, FOR THOSE WHO WORK IN THE FIELDS RELATED TO CHAPLAINCY AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

Worthy educators were honoured at the awards night with Certificates for Meritorious Service. St Mary’s was delighted to see the contributions of its current Religious Studies Teacher, Margaret Mansfield, and former Religious Studies Teacher, Ann Boyer, who retired from St Mary’s in 2007, among those recognised with the award. A warm congratulations to Margaret and Ann on their significant achievements. 8

Chaplain’s Report

Above (l-r): Margaret Mansfield and Ann Boyer

Clockwise from top left: Chairman Ian Curlewis and Marlene Carter ('63); (l-r) Reverend Geraldine Nixon, Catherine Bock, Marlene Carter ('63), Reverend Joyce Polson, Bishop Kate Wilmot, Mrs Lynne Thomson, Hollye Wooding and Sarah Coopes at the opening; standing (l-r) Hollye Wooding, Sarah Coopes, Catherine Bock; sitting (l-r) Isabelle McKerracher, Charlotte Grose, Selina Spiers, Natika Riordan and; (l-r) Marlene Carter, Diana King, June Gardner, Helen Williams in Forrest Place 1963, donated by Marlene Carter ('63)

THE OPENING OF THE MARLENE CARTER HERITAGE CENTRE THE MARLENE CARTER HERITAGE CENTRE WAS OPENED BY MR IAN CURLEWIS, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS, AND DEDICATED BY THE RIGHT REVEREND KATE WILMOT, ON WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2015.

The Centre was named in honour of Marlene Carter (’63), an Old Girl, former President of the Old Girls’ Association 1988 – 1998, member of the Board of Governors 1996 – 1999, member of the Board of Management of the Foundation since 1989, a Trustee of the Foundation and Chair of the Bishop Riley Bequest Society. Marlene has also been a devoted supporter of the archives for many years, making numerous donations, facilitating other donations, helping with research and practical assistance. Marlene said, "The history of our school is rich and diverse, from its small beginnings in St Mary’s Church Hall in Colin Street, West Perth, to the beautiful wide open spaces and incredible facilities in Karrinyup. The St Mary’s archives preserves this long history and the stories of our students, staff, Old Girls and friends, and I am delighted that its new home has been named in my honour." The new Heritage Centre houses the extensive St Mary’s archives collection and provides a multipurpose curriculum and display room. The building was previously the old uniform shop, which underwent a custom-designed refurbishment and extension by Ferguson Architects. This makes the storage areas fireresistant and they are fitted with dehumidifying systems suitable for conservation. The office and workroom facilities now accommodate the needs of the collection to enable its preservation into the future.

Stephanie Neille, Archivist at St Mary’s, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to consolidate the school’s collection of photographs, minute books, publications, oral histories, maps and uniforms in the new heritage centre. "The Centre will be a new and exciting way to preserve the archives collection here at St Mary’s and will offer a wonderful opportunity for curriculum participation and involvement from the St Mary’s community in the heritage of the school. With the approaching centenary celebrations in 2021, the Centre will play a pivotal role in bringing the story of St Mary’s alive," Ms Neille said. The opening and dedication was attended by many friends of the archives, who were entertained by Year 3 students, Isabelle McKerracher and Charlotte Grose, recounting their experiences of participating in the Perth Then and Now programme, which incorporates the history of St Mary’s. The audience was also delighted to see Year 6 students, Selina Spiers and Natika Riordan, who were dressed in old St Mary’s uniforms of the era when Marlene Carter attended the school at the Colin Street, West Perth campus. Thank you to everyone who made a donation to the 2014 Annual Giving Building Fund; your support enabled us to best develop the Centre.

Archives Opening

WINNER OF THE DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARD 2015:

ARYANNE CAMINSCHI

ARYANNE CAMINSCHI (YEAR 10) HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNER IN THE SENIOR SECONDARY SECTION OF THE DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARDS ANNUAL NATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION WITH HER POEM, RIVERSTONE.

Above: Winner, Aryanne Caminschi

Above: Aryanne accepts her award at a cermony in Gunnedah, NSW

I am lucky enough to have been chosen as the winner for the 2015 Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition, in the Senior Secondary category of the award. There were 10,000 entries and the Award Ceremony was held in Gunnedah, a small country town near Tamworth, which was where Dorothea grew up. I created my poem relatively quickly. It began as a stream of consciousness about how specific objects, in this instance, a rock, can carry us throughout life. Then, I spaced it out, fine-tuned the language, proofread it a couple of times, and emailed it to my English teacher, Miss Persse. I think there are two points my poem creates or reflects upon. The first is about how these simple objects can stay with us throughout our lives, anchoring us somewhat to wherever we will go, and all the places we’ve been. The second is about the accessibility of literature and how we interpret poetry in the modern era. I wanted to create a piece that almost everyone could interpret and identify with, both quickly, and in their own way. Nowadays, people don't have time to dwell for hours on poetry, and if we don't almost immediately establish a connection with the words, it is cast aside. Because of this, poetry has evolved to be shorter, often less specific, but simultaneously, more rich and often more soaked in meaning, and I tried (and I truly hope I succeeded) to reflect these modern ideas in my piece. I returned from New South Wales on 4 September, after two days of ceremonies and dinners with the Dorothea Mackellar Committee, honoring Dorothea, and celebrating this year’s winners of the awards. It was really special and a wonderful experience to be acknowledged like this, and I won’t forget all the wonderful, kind and generous people I met. At the moment, my plan for writing is to continue entering competitions alongside my St Mary’s Extension English course, which has really helped me develop my writing. I'm planning on pursuing a commerce degree,

majoring in marketing, and I'd like to write for the corporate world, as well as writing short stories, a blog, and poetry in my spare time. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the judges of the competition and the committee for making this whole event possible, and so many thanks to my English teacher, Miss Persse, who has taught and encouraged me throughout the process. Aryanne Caminschi (Year 10)

RIVERSTONE Aryanne Caminschi It could have been any other stone, at the beginning, When it was Plucked from amongst icy riverwater, in curiosity and tucked, a treasure, Into an orange polar fleece coat pocket, warm But it stayed in that pocket longer than one might think, and became smoother every time It went through the wash And the child who picked the pebble from the rest Grew accustomed to the warm glassy reassurance in the right pocket Of whatever he was adorned with for warmth that day And as the polar fleece pocket changed from orange to navy And navy to black And polar fleece to leather and leather to silk The black riverstone went from a souvenir of a walk, To a relic of child’s wandering, To a token inadvertedly grasped in moments of alarm Or sometimes nostalgia for times simpler But as the pocket changed, as the child grew

Achievements

The pebble stayed.

Above (l-r): Claire Craig, Aimee Ryan and Ashlin Eiszele receive their awards

NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE ST MARY’S ACHIEVED FANTASTIC RESULTS IN THE NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE, WITH ELEVEN STUDENTS WINNING STATE AWARDS AND ONE STUDENT WINNING A NATIONAL AWARD.

Two Year 7 teams were acknowledged. Nancy Lin, Amy Frederic and Catherine Pile received both a State Award and a Commendation for their entry in the Year 7 category. Claire Craig, Ashlin Eiszele and Aimee Ryan received second place for their Museum Display and Olivia Nolan took second place in the category of Magna Carta. Year 9 students, Rachele Cardaci (Australia’s Heritage), Ella Retzlaff-Hochen (Magna Carta) and Phoebe Blaxill (Using Archival Records), each won a state award for their entries.

These students and their family members attended a presentation ceremony, at which State Minister for Education, Peter Collier, spoke and presented a number of the awards. It was lovely to see so many of our young historians receiving recognition for their hard work. Special congratulations to Phoebe Blaxill, who also won the National Award for the category of Using Archival Records. She will travel to Canberra in November for the National presentation.

SEARCH FOR THE NEXT TECH GIRL SUPERHERO A TEAM OF BUDDING APP-CREATORS FROM YEAR 10 HAVE BEEN NAMED WA FINALISTS IN THE 2015 SEARCH FOR THE NEXT TECH GIRL SUPERHERO COMPETITION AND WILL FLY TO THE QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, BRISBANE, IN NOVEMBER TO ATTEND THE COMPETITION’S FINALS.

Girls from Creating Apps classes in Years 9 and 10 entered the competition, which is run in partnership with Technovation, the global technology entrepreneurship programme for girls. During the twelve-week competition, students worked in teams to identify a problem, brainstorm ideas, research their chosen ideas, plan and design their apps, code and test the apps using MIT App Inventor, and pitch their plans to the experts. Kira Molloy, Alice Dolphin, Teale Lyon and Delaney Eastabrook, were the winning team, who created, Vocabulary Voyager, an app which contains four games to help children to improve their spelling. They enjoyed the experience of researching and creating their app, with support from their teacher and Sydney-based mentor.

“Mrs Fitzpatrick, our coach in the classroom, was there to support us face-to-face and via email. She explored our ideas with us, challenged our reasoning when required and checked we were on schedule throughout, ensuring our deliverables were submitted on time. Every team was assigned a mentor to guide us through the process. We had the opportunity to meet over Skype with our mentor, Sandy Abrahams, who helped us with our app development and encouraged us throughout the preparation time.” The team is looking forward to travelling to Brisbane for the next stage of the competition, where they will meet the Minister of Science and Innovation and display their app for guests at the event. Best of luck, girls!

Achievements

Above (l-r): Iseult de Mallet Burgess, Megha Sheth, Teagan Trinh, Asha Srinivasan and Mrs Irene Cumming at the National Finals for Future Problem-Solving in Brisbane Right: Iseult de Mallet Burgess carried the WA flag at the opening ceremony

FUTURE PROBLEM-SOLVING: NATIONAL FINALS IN OCTOBER, FOUR YEAR 8 STUDENTS FROM ST MARY’S, ALONG WITH MRS IRENE CUMMING, TRAVELLED TO ST PETER’S LUTHERAN COLLEGE, BRISBANE, TO COMPETE IN THE NATIONAL FINALS FOR THE FUTURE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROGRAMME AUSTRALIA. THIS IS A CHALLENGING INTERNATIONAL THINKING PROGRAMME WHICH TRAINS STUDENTS HOW TO THINK RATHER THAN WHAT TO THINK.

Iseult de Mallet Burgess, Megha Sheth, Asha Srinivasan and Teagan Trinh worked as a team to thoroughly research their topic, Enhancing Human Potential, as part of the Global Issues Problem-Solving programme. After analysing a one-page future scene, the students had two hours to identify the challenges or problems of the future scene and develop a set of solutions which were both innovative and futuristic. The final part of the competition involved the girls creating an action plan in the form of a three-minute skit. The girls made it through to the finals of the Action Plan skit and achieved fourth place out of 34 teams.

AUSTRALIAN BRAIN BEE CHALLENGE SCIENCE STUDENTS FROM YEAR 10 AT ST MARY’S REACHED THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN STATE FINAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN BRAIN BEE CHALLENGE, WHICH WAS HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA IN JUNE.

The challenge offered the girls an opportunity to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about neuroscience research, find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses. Students were required to undertake independent learning in order to prepare for the individual and team challenges. Science Teacher, Mr Ed Clark, was impressed with the maturity with which the girls approached their tasks and the depth of understanding which they demonstrated. The hard work of the girls was rewarded with some impressive results. Nisha Jayachitra came second in the state in the individual challenge. The team comprising Nisha Jayachitra, Scarlett Mavor, Sara Clarke and Michaela Savage came second in the state in the team challenge. Well done, girls.

Achievements

Above: St Mary's Interschool Cross Country 2015 champions

Above (l-r): Sophie Podmore, Tayla Nguyen, Rebecca Italiano and Liora Fletcher

INTERSCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONS THE EFFORTS OF OUR CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WERE REWARDED AGAIN IN 2015, WHEN ST MARY’S TOOK OUT FIRST PLACE OVERALL IN THE IGSSA COMPETITION, REPRODUCING THEIR SUCCESS FROM LAST YEAR.

St Mary’s hosted this year’s Interschool Cross Country competition at Perry Lakes, where, for the runners, the win was an amazing accomplishment and well-deserved after months of early morning training. They trained very well throughout the season, which paid off with outstanding results. The success of the day was due not only to the efforts and achievements of our competitors, but also to the St Mary’s staff who helped host this event, with a special mention of our Head of Sport, Miss Natalie Sumner, who co-ordinated the day. Special thanks must also go to our dedicated team of coaches, Mrs Helen Garnett, Miss Natalie Sumner, Sophie Beasley (Old Girl) and Miss Julie Garnett, for their expertise in training the girls to such a good result. They have done a remarkable job, again!

Outstanding performers on the day, finishing in the top ten for their respective age group were: YEAR 8 1st Tia Chitty 2nd Hannah Jones 3rd Kate Boultbee 4th Chloe Green YEAR 9 1st Melany Smart 3rd Amy Flower

YEAR 10 1st Abigail D’Sylva 8th Michelle Seymour 10th Lily Jooste YEAR 11/12 1st Jessica Ronan 8th Ailsa Waddell

YEAR GROUP RESULTS Year 7 6th Year 8 1st Year 9 1st Year 10 2nd Year 11/12 1st

INTERSCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS

INTERSCHOOL SOCCER CHAMPIONS

Our St Mary’s girls dribbled their way to victory in Term 3, placing first again in the IGSSA Basketball competition.

Our IGSSA soccer players had an outstanding season, finishing in first place again for 2015. Congratulations to the 7/8 B team for winning the pennant.

Congratulations to the 7/8 BCE and Junior D teams for winning their respective pennants.

Achievements

INTERSCHOOL GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONS The hard work of our junior and senior interschool gymnastics teams was rewarded at the GWA Schoolgirls competition when St Mary’s won the overall champions trophy for both divisions, as well as many shields. These are outstanding results. Congratulations to all the girls involved. A special thank-you to coaches, Mrs Ashleigh Longley, Miss Natalie Sumner and Old Girls, Sally van der Linden and Emma Lynch. SENIOR DIVISION 1 eeley Austin and 1st K Emma Bonaccorso 3rd Jordana Shaw JUNIOR DIVISION 1 1st Mikayla Prentice 2nd Amy Holdaway

SENIOR DIVISION 2 1st Simone Wilson

SENIOR DIVISION 3 1st Amy Gray

2nd Kaysey Johnstone

2nd Phoebe Murray

3rd Sarah Beckwith

3rd Tenielle Walker

JUNIOR DIVISION 2 1st Rebecca Saggers and Leah Richards

JUNIOR DIVISION 3 1st Ella Richardson

3 Alyssa Sadgrove and Poppy Simmonds rd

2nd Summer Robinson

INTERSCHOOL NETBALL CHAMPIONS St Mary’s continued to shine on the netball courts this year, winning the overall IGSSA shield again in 2015, making it 17 years in a row for St Mary’s. This is an outstanding result and we would like to thank all students involved for their dedication and commitment to netball. Special mention should be made of the Junior netball group, who won 54 out of the 56 games played. St Mary’s won the pennant in the following teams: 7/8 D and F and Junior BCDEFG and H.

3rd Molly Norrish

OVERALL: Junior Champion School: St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School Senior Champion School: St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School

SUCCESSES IN THE SURF St Mary’s has faced some strong competition in surfing this year and achieved great results. On Friday 14 August 2015, the St Mary’s surfing team took to the water at Trigg Beach for the Sunsmart School Surfing Titles for the Metro Zone, which encompasses the whole Perth region. SENIOR SURFING 1st Jade and Olivia Mickle (progressed to state finals) 3rd Harriet Jameson and Amy Gray

Left (l-r): Olivia and Jade Mickle

JUNIOR SURFING 2nd Lani Stewart and Courtney Nation (progressed to state finals)

JUNIOR BODY BOARDING 1st Madeleine Orr and Sophie Podmore (progressed to state finals)

All the other girls performed really well, and many progressed through various stages of the competition. Well done to all the girls who took part. The SunSmart School State Surfing Finals were held at Trigg Beach on Friday 21 August. This competition was against other zones from the state, including Margaret River. The conditions were very difficult and rough on the day. The stand-out surfers were Courtney Nation and Lani Stewart, who finished third in their division overall in the state, which is a fantastic achievement. We have achieved such fantastic results from all of our St Mary’s sporting teams this year. Not only do our students perform well, but they also show good sportsmanship and support for both their team-mates and students from other schools. We couldn’t be more proud of you. Well done, girls.

Achievements

ANZAC SERVICE STORIES IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENARY OF THE ANZAC LANDINGS AT GALLIPOLI AND THE CENTENARY OF WORLD WAR I, 1914 – 1918, ST MARY’S GIRLS SHARED THEIR FAMILY STORIES OF RELATIVES WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR I.

St Mary’s has a rich and proud history of service in wartime, a tradition which is being continued by current Old Girls and our School Accountant, Clinton Palmer. As A.B. Banjo Paterson wrote in a poem titled We’re All Australians Now, in an open letter to the troops at the Dardanelles, Turkey, 1915:

“Australia takes her pen in hand To write a line to you, To let you fellows understand How proud we are of you…”

NIAMH WILKINS (YEAR 11) My great grandfather, Private Beresford Arbuckle, was in the 12th Battalion, G Company, so like Mackenzie’s great grandfather, his battalion formed part of the 3rd Brigade. The 3rd Brigade was the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 and was the first ashore at around 4.30am. Their commander, Lieutenant Colonel L. F. Clarke, was killed by a sniper within hours of landing. The battalion was heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC position. During the First World War the medics had to move forward with the troops as the battle raged around them. In appalling conditions, they had to do their best to treat the casualties on the battlefield before stretcher-bearers could convey the wounded to aid stations and then on to field hospitals. There were dead and wounded from the moment of the first landing, and the one casualty clearing station that went ashore with 1st ANZAC Corps headquarters on 25 April had a complement of only 63 men. While each unit provided stretcherbearers and some medical staff, the mounting numbers of unburied dead and of wounded awaiting treatment often became unmanageable, especially after heavy fighting. We also have to remember that there were no antibiotics to fight infection, amputations were a common way to deal with badly injured limbs, and pain killers were not plentiful. The suffering of the injured and dying is unimaginable. Private Beresford Arbuckle was 23 years old when he was injured in battle and he was one of the many to die at Gallipoli as a consequence of his wounds. He is buried in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, on the Gallipoli Peninsula and he died sometime between 11 and 20 June 1915.

Right: Private Beresford Arbuckle Courtesy of Australian War Memorial.

School News

NIAMH ROONEY (YEAR 9) My great uncle, Alfred Ernest Benson, of 8th Battery, 3rd Field Brigade, Australian Field Artillery was a gunner. He was killed in action on 7 May 1915, aged 29, and was buried at Shell Green Cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula. His Epitaph reads: “Their Name Liveth For Evermore.” At first, Alfred’s mother received a letter saying that he had been injured; the message of his death had been sent by mistake to a family with a similar name. Alfred’s family had their hopes raised that he would return to them, but those hopes were soon dashed when the error was discovered by the War Office and the heartbreaking news that their son had been killed finally reached his parents. His brother, my great grandfather, David Benson, was also at the Gallipoli landing, but was unaware that his younger brother, Alfred, was there, until he received a request to undertake the awful duty of identifying Alfred’s body. My great grandfather survived the war and received a meritorious service medal. He became State Secretary of the RSL. His army number 138 has often been used by family for good luck.

ELLEN FORD (YEAR 12) My great grandfather, Sergeant Archibald Clarence Henville, of the 5th Field Company, Engineers, A.I.F, was keen to join the fighting force in Gallipoli and, whilst in Cairo, volunteered to leave as soon as was possible, for the peninsula. On arriving at Gallipoli, he, in company with other soldiers, jumped from the landing barge and made for the shores of what is now known as ANZAC Cove. They had to dodge bullets and a bomb which was trying to sink the landing barge. Once entrenched on the peninsula, Archibald describes the living conditions as very bad. “Our accommodation consisted of tiers of two-men dugouts on the side of a hill, sloping steeply to the sea, and just big enough for two men to lie down, and be covered with our ground sheets, good enough in the circumstances. However, flies were there in their millions with a great desire to drown in our tea, so as sanitation was very primitive, dysentery was rife. Soon I found myself covered with lice like everyone… As it was waterless country we were dependent on barges for our

supplies and the ration was one gallon per man per day, which all went to the cooks except for one quart in our water bottles. That is all that we had for washing and drinking… If the sea was rough and the barges could not unload, we were on half rations. The cooks did their best but bully beef stew was a common dish, and we rejoiced if there was a sweet of rice and raisins. My duties consisted of water fatigue, morning and evening… The water supply party each carried two twogallon Pratts petrol cans, a 45lb load - not much on the level but heavy on the hills. On my first trip we found our usual water tanks dry, and were sent on to the next gully. This meant climbing the hills between gullies or risking it along the beach in view of a Turkish sniper. They chose the beach, and we hugged the cliff, trying to be invisible. Soon a bullet hit the cliff alongside me; I was the last man in the gang. “You hit?” came a cry. “No,” I cried. “Well, run!” Well, Archibald ran! He survived the war and lived to be an old man.

GEORGIA MCKERRACHER (YEAR 7) John Edward Fraser (my great, great grandfather) was a communications officer, which was an important job, as there was no reliable communication system then, not even radios. Signals were sent using flags or Morse code, which, of course, could also be read by the enemy. John was part of the Light Horse Brigade, as horses were necessary for logistics and support during the Great War. On 31 May 1915, the Australian Imperial Force embarked on a journey to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. In Egypt, John was the second in command of the troop but when the troop was divided into two, he was made commander and on 30 August 1915, his troops were sent by ship to Gallipoli. On the way, the ship was attacked by torpedoes and sunk. Luckily, most of the men were rescued. At Gallipoli, John Fraser worked in the Divisional Signal office in Rest Galley. He served there until he was evacuated when the Gallipoli campaign was abandoned. In 1918, John was sent to England by the army to teach and train other English soldiers how to signal. This was the year that the war ended, but he decided to stay an extra year over there. Having survived the war, John sadly was to suffer ill health and he died at the young age of 55. He was buried at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney. At his funeral, a plane flew over his grave with a large wreath on it, which was dropped onto his coffin. This plane was piloted by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith himself, who was a great friend of John’s during the war, and a signaller in his company.

School News

SOPHIA DRAZEVIC (YEAR 12) My great grandfather, Thomas Sullivan, was a sergeant in the 16th Infantry Battalion; he was killed at Gallipoli on 2 May 1915. His name can be found on the Lone Pine Memorial on the Gallipoli Peninsula. An inscription on the memorial wall reads: To the Glory of God and in lasting memory of 3,268 Australian soldiers who fought on Gallipoli in 1915 and have no known graves, and 456 New Zealand soldiers whose names are not recorded in other areas of the Peninsula but who fell in the Anzac Area and have no known graves; and also of 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who, fighting on Gallipoli in 1915, incurred mortal wounds or sickness and found burial at sea. Thomas Sullivan, you see, was one of the many soldiers who have no known grave because their names and units could not be identified when battle was over. He left in Australia, a wife, Elizabeth, a small son, Tom and baby girl, Kath.

MACKENZIE CAPORN (YEAR 10) I am the great granddaughter of Private David John Simcock, H Company, 11th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. Before the war, my great grandfather made his living selling fruit, owning shops in Perth and Fremantle. His red hair earned him the name “Pink Top” and he promoted his business by calling himself “the bloke with the pink top”. He was well known as a lively character, and he took his sense of humour and lively personality with him when he went to war and was wellliked by his fellow soldiers.

Whilst on their way to Gallipoli, the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Battalions, forming the 3rd Brigade, 1st Australian Division, found themselves in Egypt. The commanding officer organised the now-famous photograph of the troops in front of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. When the soldiers had placed themselves in front of the Pyramid, someone asked where Pink Top was. “Down here!” called out a private in the foundation layer. “Send him up to the top of all the men,” called out the Colonel. “We must have Pink Top at the apex.” Whether the story is true or not, Private David Simcock can be clearly seen standing to attention at the top of his battalion in the historic pyramid photograph. Sadly, according to defence department records, David John Simcock, 11th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, was killed in action at the Dardanelles on 2 May 1915. He was such a character that his story can be read on the internet.

ACCOUNTANT CHANGES HATS FOR GALLIPOLI COMMEMORATION CLINTON PALMER TOOK OFF HIS ‘ST MARY’S ACCOUNTANT’ HAT AND PUT ON HIS BROWN SLOUCH HAT, TO TRAVEL TO GALLIPOLI AS A MEMBER OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY BAND, FOR THE ANZAC COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES.

Clinton, who has been a member of the Army Band in Perth for ten years, was delighted to be selected as one of just four reservists chosen to join with the Australian Regular Army Musicians for the tour. “This opportunity was a career highlight; to travel to the battlefields where Australian soldiers valiantly fought 100 years ago, establishing the fine reputation of the Australian soldier that has been sustained ever since. Musicians from army bands all over Australia met in Sydney to rehearse collectively, before travelling to Turkey, for presentations which began on the eve of ANZAC Day and concluded with the final service at Lone Pine. The ANZAC commemorative site, which is where the dawn service was held, sits between the beach where many of the troops came ashore, and a rock formation in the cliffs above, known as the Sphinx. Despite the passage of time, the service was very moving. Spotlights were cast out over the Aegean Sea and up onto the cliff face, and the reflective music programme, combined with the sound of the waves lapping the shore, helped the 10,500 people attending to journey back 100 years and into the boots of the soldiers."

Above (l-r): LCPL Alastair Magarey and MUSN Clinton Palmer

School News

LIBRARY COMMUNIT Y LEARNING PROGRAMME THE ELIZABETH MYLES LIBRARY HAS BEEN CENTRAL TO A COMMUNITY LEARNING PROGRAMME AT ST MARY’S THIS YEAR, WHERE GUESTS HAVE BEEN INVITED TO SPEAK TO THE GIRLS TO ENRICH THEIR LEARNING.

Above: Wendy Folvig

Above: Eleanor Barr, Leena Fogarty and Rudra Bhatt

Above: Barry Telfer sharing information about members of his family and their experiences during wartime.

ANZAC DAY COMMUNIT Y TALKS Leading up to ANZAC Day, the library launched a series of talks, called Read Me - My Life is a Book, which provided students with an opportunity to sit and listen to the personal ANZAC experiences of people within our community. The Library Prefect, Leena Fogarty, and committee members also spent a great deal of time placing poppies over the library doors and creating an ANZAC book and photo display in the library. WENDY FOLVIG Wendy Folvig, who is 94 years old, was awarded the Order of Australia and spoke to the students about her ANZAC experiences and what life was like during wartime. She is also a dedicated life member of the CWA. Wendy had many amazing stories and brought interesting items to show the girls, including her father’s war diary and memorabilia, and her very own Order of Australia Medal.

BARRY TELFER Barry Telfer began his session by playing the bugle, before exhibiting war memorabilia and sharing information that he had found about members of his family and their experiences during wartime. He explained to the girls how to research family histories, and discussed what a big impact his research had had on his life. The girls found it very interesting to look at some of the primary sources of information that he had collected.

HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: READING IN AN UNUSUAL PLACE Congratulations to Zoe Starkey (Year 8), who won the library’s holiday photography competition, Reading in an Unusual Place, by reading between the rocks at Smiths Beach in Yallingup. There were many fantastic entries, which were proudly displayed in the library. Congratulations to all those avid readers who took the time to photograph themselves in some fantastic holiday locations.

School News

Above: Alex Thornton (’08) and Madelaine Santini (’10) discuss engineering with Year 11 and 12 students

Above: Grady Wulff (’11) and Tina McLoughlin (’09)

YOUNG OLD GIRLS SHARE THEIR CAREER INSIGHTS CHOOSING YOUR STUDY AND CAREER PATH IN YEAR 11 AND 12 CAN BE A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE. IT CAN RAISE SO MANY QUESTIONS – “HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT COURSE FOR ME?”, “WHICH UNIVERSITY DO I GO TO?”, “WILL I GET A JOB AT THE END OF MY COURSE?”, “WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS AT UNIVERSITY?”

Over the past few years we have tried to make this experience a little easier for St Mary’s students by inviting inspirational ‘young’ Old Girls to answer these questions and more at our Year 11 and 12 Professional Insight Breakfasts. These breakfasts offer students an invaluable, real-world insight into university and work life from current university students and recent graduates. This year we focused on six different disciplines over the six breakfasts. They included: yy Commerce and Human Resources yy Marketing and Communications yy Arts, Music and Media yy Science and Engineering yy Health Sciences yy Law The various disciplines were chosen based upon feedback from our Year 12 students. The Old Girls offered great advice about deciding which path to take and not losing heart when the going gets tough. Persistence, especially during the first year of university, is the key. Our Old Girls also reminded students of the ‘St Mary’s Way’, that with dedication, organisation and applying yourself, you can achieve your goal. A huge thank-you to the following Old Girls who braved the cold and early morning starts to offer our students a sounding board: COMMERCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES yy Aislinn Kowald (’11) is studying a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Engineering at Curtin University yy Gemma Serjeant (’07) is a human resource business partner supporting Engineering at Woodside Energy

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS yy Grady Wulff (’11) is studying a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Advertising at Curtin University yy Tina McLoughlin (’09) is a future student advisor at Curtin University ARTS, MUSIC AND MEDIA yy Emily Mason (’12) is studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Media, Communications and Social Psychology at UWA yy Emily Mostratos (’05) is a Registered Music Therapist (RMT) who runs her own private practice SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING yy Madelaine Santini (’10) is studying a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at Curtin University yy Alex Thornton (’08) is a process engineer at BP Kwinana Refinery HEALTH SCIENCES yy Keely Johnson (’13) is studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Pharmacology and Population Health at UWA yy Sheldon Wulff (’07) is a physiotherapist at Royal Perth Hospital LAW yy Rubin Trehan (’10) is studying a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Economics at UWA yy Emily Gordon (’07) is the Associate to The Hon. Justice Gilmour in the Federal Court of Australia As well as offering our students an insight into various industries, the breakfast series highlighted our hugely talented network of Old Girls. Keeping the Old Girls’ community strong is vitally important, not only for the support it offers to our Old Girls, but also for the sharing of knowledge and experience with the current generation of St Mary’s girls.

If you would like to share your experiences with students, please contact us: oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au • (08) 9341 9132 Senior School News

LEAP:

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Above (l-r): Grace Walker and Emma Bonaccorso

GRACE WALKER AND EMMA BONACCORSO (YEAR 11), WITH MS ELIZABETH HOWSON AND MR RUARI REID, WERE IMMERSED IN A WEEK OF MOTIVATIONAL TALKS, GROUP ACTIVITIES AND CONSTRUCTIVE WORKSHOPS, WHEN THEY TRAVELLED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UCLA) FOR LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE, ACCELERATING POTENTIAL (LEAP), A PROGRAMME WHICH EDUCATES YOUNG ADULTS IN THE VALUE OF GOAL-SETTING, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND THE INVALUABLE POWER OF MENTORSHIP.

We were very fortunate to have scholarships to attend LEAP, a convention held at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); a one-week programme which teaches leadership and life skills to students aged 15-24. Four hundred and fifty students travelled from all over America, Israel and Australia to attend the conference. Sixty of the students (twenty high school aged, 40 university aged) were from Perth. The Honourable Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, also attended. We were taught many beneficial skills, including techniques for effective communication and timemanagement, the importance of goal-setting and being aware of your core values, study skills, job interview skills and the power of having a mentor.

Many motivational speakers presented at LEAP, including Hal Elrod, author of Miracle Mornings; singersongwriter, Paula Abdul; Apolo Ohno, an American Olympic speed skater; Jim Kiwk and many other wellknown speakers. The most important lessons we learnt at LEAP were to believe in the power of possibilities and in yourself, to have gratitude and to never stop learning. We encourage students to apply to attend LEAP next year, and encourage siblings to consider attending as well. LEAP really is such a powerful week and gives you the tools to have the courage to achieve your ambition and be successful in life. Grace Walker (Year 11)

‘ADVENTURE IN CITIZENSHIP’ IN CANBERRA CANDICE PARSONS (YEAR 10) JOINED A GROUP OF 36 DELEGATES FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA, ACT AND QUEENSLAND, WHEN SHE FLEW TO CANBERRA IN MAY TO SPEND A WEEK PARTICIPATING IN THE ROTARY ADVENTURE IN CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME. THE VARIED SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES AND FOCUS SESSIONS ENCOURAGED AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

When we arrived at Parliament House, we met the other delegates and began a role-play of the House of Representatives, where we passed a mock bill through the House. We toured the Press Gallery of Parliament House and spoke to some of the journalists working there. The President of the Senate, the Hon. Stephen Parry, officially opened the programme, and stayed to speak about his role within the parliament. We enjoyed tours of the embassies, the High Court and Old Parliament House. On Budget Day, Senator Claire Moore spoke about the roles of the Senate and Senate Committees and we conducted a mock federal election. We discussed the budget, participated in a budget role-play, and were fortunate enough to be able to watch the budget speech that night. Next, we participated in a Senate Committee and Senate Chamber role-play and spent an afternoon at the National Capital Exhibition and the Australian War Memorial. We attended the closing ceremony of the memorial, which the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and Governor-General attended, before dining with the cadets at Duntroon, an academy for the army. On Thursday, we observed the general business of the House of Representatives and the Senate Chambers and met federal members of parliament, before watching Question Time in the House of Representatives. We visited the National Museum of Australia and then made our way back to Parliament House to observe the Budget Reply Speech presented by Bill Shorten. 20

Senior School News

Above (l-r): Ben Cressall, Liam Webb, Anna Falco and Candice Persons

On our last day together, staff from the US Embassy spoke about foreign affairs. We moved to the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and had lunch with the cadets. At Government House we met the GovernorGeneral and spoke to him about his role. That night, we had a farewell dinner with Rotary members and fellow delegates, where they were presented with participation certificates and the delegates put on a concert as a thank-you. I met such an incredible group of people and enjoyed every minute I spent there. There were so many opportunities given to us due to the RAIC programme. It was an amazing experience and taught me so much about Australian politics. Candice Parsons (Year 10)

Far left (l-r): Alana Langworthy from Yallingup Cheese Company, with Mary Jane Yang, Rachita Vasandani and Hollye Wooding Left (l-r): Emma Savage, Melissa Powell, Shona Hay, Rachita Vasandani, Hollye Wooding Below (back): Mrs Kelly Dwyer, Hannah Seymour, Rachita Vasandani, Hollye Wooding, Maia Van Kampen, Emma Savage, Melissa Powell, Mary Jane Yang, (front): Mr Lex Smith, Shona Hay, Khushboo Ruhal and wine maker at Redgate, standing in front of St Mary's own Frankie's Folly Wines

BRINGING CHEMISTRY TO LIFE IN THE

MARGARET RIVER REGION

A GROUP OF YEAR 12 CHEMISTRY STUDENTS EMBARKED ON A TRIP TO THE SOUTH WEST DURING THE LAST WEEK OF THE FIRST TERM BREAK, TO DISCOVER JUST HOW MUCH CHEMISTRY INFLUENCES EVERYTHING WE DO.

The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate to the girls that chemistry is not just about white lab coats in sterile laboratories. The Year 12 Chemistry curriculum covers a multitude of topics and, by visiting different businesses in the Margaret River region, students were able to see their chemistry at work in a very different, yet beautiful, classroom setting. Our visit took the group to Gabriel Chocolate, Vasse Virgin, Redgate Wines, Yahava Koffeworks, Ngilgi Cave and Alcoa Pinjarra. The girls were also treated to a cheese-making course, where they made their own feta cheese. Such visits allow the girls to see first-hand how classroom experiments are used in industry and business, not just in the Year 12 Chemistry curriculum. The girls gained a better understanding of the way that concepts such as acid content and pH in wine and

cheese-making, and oxidation of alcohols, saponification (soap making), fermentation of alcohols and coffee beans, enzyme activity and solution chemistry are applied in many real-life industries. The girls were very surprised to learn that something as simple as changing the pH or temperature in cheese-making or the Bayer process (alumina production) could have a large consequence for the final product. As always, the St Maryâ€™s girls excelled in the way they immersed themselves in the experience offered. While the camp covered much geographical territory, the girls learnt many things about exactly how chemistry impacts our lives and how they can use it in many different ways to carve out a fascinating career for themselves. It was an experience they will not forget.

Senior School News

Above (l-r): Talise Young, Isabelle Sezzi and Taneesha Yates at East Side Gallery, Berlin

Above (l-r): Jessica Pearce and Sara Fong at Hradcany Castle, Prague

EUROPEAN HISTORY TOUR ON 1 APRIL, THIRTY ST MARY’S GIRLS AND FOUR TEACHERS TOOK OFF ON ST MARY'S FIRST EUROPEAN HISTORY TOUR.

Our first destination was Berlin, the capital of Germany. Once we touched down we went straight to the Brandenburg Gate, where many girls had their first experience of a snow flurry, and the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament building, where we climbed to the top and had a great view of the city. During our stay in Berlin, we saw many historical sites, like remnants of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the Holocaust Memorial. We climbed the 285 steps to the top of the Siegessaule (Victory Column) – it was absolutely breathtaking! We also took a day trip outside of the city to Potsdam and visited the building where the leaders of the Allies divided up Germany at the end of the war, and Wannsee, where the Nazis formalised the process for the Final Solution, the extermination of the Jewish people. Liz Spencer (Year 11)

On Easter Sunday we travelled to Krakow in Poland, and were surprised with a Lindt chocolate Easter bunny for our long bus trip. We went to an Easter Mass in a highly decorative church, where, of course, the service was in Polish, but even though we could not understand any of it, it was a beautiful service. The next day was one of the most overwhelming days we spent in Europe, starting off in the morning at Oskar Schindler’s factory. Schindler was a man who took incredible actions and managed to save more than a thousand Jewish people from death by employing them at his factory. The afternoon was the most intense experience faced by the teachers and girls on the trip. We visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, two of the main extermination camp sites set up during the Holocaust. Here was where one and a half million Jews were abused and murdered. It’s really difficult to describe in words the experience and thoughts upon visiting Auschwitz, except for the fact that it’s a place you have to experience for yourself. Ruby Maddison (Year 11)

Senior School News

Left (l-r): Indi Boelen and Elyse McAuliffe at Ceclienhof Palace, Potsdam Above (l-r): Phoebe Murray and Jessica Pearce outside Versailles, France

After an eight-hour drive from Krakow we arrived in Prague at our ‘Botel’ (a boat hotel). It was an old renovated cruise ship, and it was beautiful. Our time in Prague consisted of walking around and viewing the architecture, as well as looking at the Prague Castle where the president of the Czech Republic lives. We saw the changing of the guard, where, just like at Buckingham palace, the guards are not allowed to change their expressions as they stand completely still. We passed the area where Reinhard Heydrich, the chairman of the conference which made the decision to begin the gassings, was driving to when he was ambushed and fatally wounded by Czech and Slovak soldiers on his way to meet with Hitler. Our last few hours in the centre of Prague were spent exploring the Easter markets in the Old Town square and having our own cultural experience. We saw the Prague astronomical clock, first installed in 1410, which is the world’s oldest working astronomical clock and was technologically advanced at the time it was made. At the Easter markets we ate Nutella crepes and bought beautiful craft gifts, including ornate eggs, handmade using paints and dentist drills. Lily O’Meara (Year 11) Next stop was Nuremberg. When we arrived we had a walking tour of the beautiful medieval city. The next day we stood on the grounds where Hitler held his Nazi party rallies, now a car park where people go skateboarding. We also visited the courtroom where the Nuremberg war crimes trials were held, where Nazi leaders and other war criminals were brought to justice. Many were sentenced to death by hanging. We spent the late afternoon visiting the historic Nuremberg Zoo. A long way to go to see some kangaroos!

Our final destination was Paris. After arriving at our hotel, we were all pleased to finally have a comfortable bed to sleep in after a long bus ride. The next morning we travelled into “old Paris” and visited the Versailles Palace, home of the amazing Hall of Mirrors and also the palace in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Back on the bus, our wonderful bus drivers, Dave and Sian, made sure to include a few circles around the Arc de Triomphe and we also had our first sighting of the Eiffel Tower, which we climbed that night to get a spectacular view over the "City of Light". One of our highlights was seeing Johnny Depp come out on his balcony just as the bus went past his apartment. We saw other icons, such as the Sacre Coeur Cathedral, the Moulin Rouge and Mona Lisa on display in the Louvre, and went on a river cruise to enjoy many more of the sights of Paris. We also spent a couple of hours along the Champs Elysees where we experienced Paris culture. On our final day in Paris, we made sure to stop and go to the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse, the tallest building in the city. After enjoying this glorious view, it was sadly time to head home to Perth. We would like to thank Mr Evans, Mr Turner, Mrs Cumming and Mrs Campbell for organising the tour and being a part of our wonderful experience. We hope they have been enjoying the gifts we gave them from Paris! Year 8s and 9s: start saving now for your opportunity to be a part of the next tour in 2017. Sara Fong (Year 11)

Marlanie Haerewa (Year 11)

Senior School News

Clockwise from top left : St Mary’s students baking cookies at the Amity Bakery, Elena Van Kampen making dumplings, Paris James and Brooke Taylor at a picnic with young people with disabilities, (l-r): The Reverend Gerry Nixon, Kiyomi Bailey, Brooke Taylor, Elena Van Kampen, Paris James, Samantha Faulkner and Mr Ian Thompson

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN CHINA FIVE GIRLS FROM YEAR 10 EXPERIENCED THE AMAZING CAPITAL OF BEIJING AND THE OLD CAPITAL, NANJING, WHEN THEY EMBARKED ON A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME TRIP TO CHINA, WHICH WAS A MIXTURE OF CULTURE, SIGHTSEEING AND VOLUNTEER WORK.

During their Easter holidays, the students worked in schools and an aged care complex, and enjoyed picnicking and playing games with young people with intellectual disabilities. Through the Amity Foundation, they made lifelong friends and memories. The girls sang and danced with the locals in the park of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, climbed the Great Wall, visited the Forbidden City, made dumplings for the elderly, baked cookies in the Amity Bakery (a training facility for the disabled), shopped in many markets and were swarmed by people wanting to take their photo as the group walked up the steps of Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum in Nanjing. The returning students would eagerly encourage those who will be in Year 10 and Year 11 in 2016 to join the tour.

“Every day we went somewhere that inspired and surprised us as we engaged in countless culturally-rich activities. It felt so good to be able to help others who live so far away from us and to learn about a new culture that is so fascinating and different from our own.” Brooke Taylor (Year 10)

Senior School News

Above (l-r): Georgia Drabble, Emma Carter and Robyn Fairbairn

MARINE SCIENCE USA TRIP SEVENTEEN YEAR 10 AND 11 MARINE SCIENCE STUDENTS, ACCOMPANIED BY MR MARK STANIFORTH, MRS LINDSAY MACRAE AND MRS JOY SCOTT, CONTINUED THEIR RESEARCH AND OBSERVATION OF WHALES DURING THIS YEAR’S TRIP TO THE USA. THE GROUP HAS BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH US-BASED MARINE EXPERTS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MICHAEL WILLIAMSON, DR IAN KERR AND MR HOWARD GARRETT.

On 17 June 2015, the group set off for Boston, USA, and were met by Michael Williamson, before being transported to Endicott College in Beverley, where they stayed for the next ten days in a stunning old mansion with its own ballroom. The girls travelled to Mystic, where they visited the Mystic Aquarium and learnt about the Titanic, its discovery and the marine ecosystems of the USA, and interacted with beluga whales. A visit to the Mystic seaport allowed the girls to experience what it would have been like in a whaling town 200 years ago, when they saw restored ships and old buildings, such as a blacksmith shop and a school. At the Submarine Base at Groton they went on the nuclear submarine, Nautilus. Back in Boston, the girls embarked on the Whalenet Marine Mammal course, which was conducted by Michael Williamson, who worked with the group during their stay. To further develop their understanding and appreciation of the marine life in the area, the girls snorkelled and scuba dived in the waters off Gloucester, north of Boston. At the Ocean Alliance Centre, Dr Ian Kerr educated the girls about ocean toxicology and introduced them to new technologies which are being developed to measure the health of our oceans. He demonstrated how his organisation collects DNA and toxicology data from whale snot using modified drones called ‘snotbots’.

The second phase of the trip was conducted from Friday Harbour in the San Juan Islands, north of Seattle, where the girls continued the Whalenet course, based on the whales of this region, particularly orca. Students had many opportunities to observe orcas and marine life from land-based sites and from sea kayaks, schooners and an orca-watch boat which sailed all the way to Canada. In Friday Harbour, they became the first Australian students to scuba dive and snorkel in the waters off the San Juan Islands, as far as we know. The students reconstructed a whale skeleton at the whale museum, where they participated in presentations on orcas of the Salish Seas, grey whales and otters. At the University of Washington San Juan Islands campus, they were given a tour by graduate students, of the marine laboratories and dive centre, and heard a presentation on ocean acidification. On the final night, the students presented Howard Garrett, the CEO for OrcaNetwork, with the money which last year’s marine science students had raised towards funding for the release of Lolita from captivity. The girls were outstanding on the trip and they came away with a new understanding of marine science and a passion to look after our oceans.

MARK STANIFORTH Congratulations to our Head of Marine Science and Diving, Mr Mark Staniforth, on being elected an Associate Member of Sigma Xi by the North Shore Chapter. The Scientific Research Society is the international honour society of science and engineering.

Above (l-r): Associate Professor Michael Williamson and Mr Mark Staniforth

Senior School News

GERMAN STUDY TOUR AFTER STUDYING GERMAN FOR THE PAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, THE GERMAN STUDY TOUR OFFERED THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR SEVEN STUDENTS TO PUT THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS INTO PRACTICE IN A CHALLENGING AND EXCITING WAY.

At the end of the ninth week of Term 3, the keen travellers, Kira Molloy, Luca Daw, Indira Kaiser, Amy Lawrance, Leah Horsley, Angela Hewitt (Year 10), and Sabrina Koentgen (Year 11), were led by their German teacher, Frau Brenda Miles, and English teacher, Mrs Dionn Godinho, to Germany.

The girls faced the rigours of attending a language school in Berlin, and the challenge of staying in accommodation with German hosts, but they were rewarded by exciting afternoons exploring Berlin. In the other three towns and cities the girls were introduced to the European youth hostel way of life.

The Study Tour began in Berlin, the majestic capital, and ended in beautiful Munich, with Weimar and its rich history, and Nuremberg with its confronting history, in between.

Wonderful tours such as this are over all too quickly but they never disappear from our memories. This one was no exception for these girls, for whom travel, adventure and the learning of a different language and culture fulfil many of their dreams and aspirations.

Everyday situations offered the girls chances to develop their confidence in communicating in German; whether it was finding out crucial bus or train times, or, absolutely essential, being able to order delicious Bretzel and W端rste in German!

Above (l-r): Leah Horsley, Luca Daw, Amy Lawrance, Sabrina Koentgen, Mrs Brenda Miles, Angela Hewitt, Kira Molloy, Indira Kaiser.

Senior School News

Below (l-r): Amy Lawrance, Mrs Brenda Miles, Leah Horsley, Kira Molloy, Luca Daw, Indira Kaiser, Sabrina Koentgen, Angela Hewitt and Mrs Dionn Godinho outside the Deutscher Dom (German cathedral) in Berlin

HALE ST MARY’S MUSIC TOUR TO MAL AYSIA AND SINGAPORE ON FRIDAY 3 JULY, THE HALE ST MARY’S CONCERT BAND, COMPRISING 21 HALE BOYS AND 14 ST MARY’S GIRLS, AND STAFF MEMBERS MR KIM HARRISON, MR JAMES MOORE AND MRS ASHLEIGH LONGLEY FROM ST MARY’S, AND MR PHILIP VENABLES AND MS CHRISTINA HEBITON FROM HALE SCHOOL, DEPARTED FROM PERTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR KUALA LUMPUR TO BEGIN THEIR TOUR OF MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE.

After an overnight flight and checking into our hotel in Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, Saturday afternoon was spent rehearsing for our first major performance the following day. On Sunday evening, following further rehearsals that day, the band played to 750 members of two Rotary Clubs in a fundraising dinner and concert to support underprivileged and disabled children in Malaysia. Despite missing a number of regular players who were unable to tour, the band played exceptionally well, especially as the performance called for over an hour of music. At this performance, Kim Harrison and Philip Venables were both awarded the Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellowship for their fundraising efforts on music tours to Malaysia since 1997, awards that really belong to every concert band student who has toured in the past. Monday was spent sightseeing and shopping before an evening of wonderful food and karaoke, hosted by Dr Ken Khoo, a Rotary Club member and supporter of the band. Tuesday was a coach ride to Penang, where we settled into the Royale Bintang Hotel and enjoyed the local cuisine at a nearby food hall for dinner. On Wednesday we visited the Heng Ee Secondary School of Penang, with nearly 4000 students from Years 8 to 12. The Heng Ee band of around 80 musicians gave an impressive short recital for us; the 35 strong Hale St Mary’s Concert Band then played, proving that size doesn’t always count! We enjoyed lunch and getting

to know the students and staff of the school. A day of sightseeing in Penang was followed by a coach ride to our friends in Malacca. Saturday night was another significant performance in the expansive Pay Fong School Hall, combining with students from the Infant Jesus Convent School in their efforts to raise money for musical and other equipment for their school. An audience of over 1,000 and the Hale St Mary’s students getting a rock star-like reception after the concert made for a memorable night. In Singapore, a day at Universal Studios was a highlight, before the band visited St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School and again had a collaborative concert band rehearsal and performance. As with our school visits in Malaysia, playing alongside students in a combined concert band proved an interesting and happy experience for all of us, and a small insight as to how schools and education work in these countries. Sightseeing opportunities and new culinary challenges in each of the places we visited were also enjoyed by all. There was a great sense of camaraderie in the band, with many new friendships formed. The understanding of tolerance, cultural differences, respect for others, working as a group, and a general positive attitude made the tour an enjoyable one for the staff as well. The students were wonderful ambassadors for our schools and country.

KIM HARRISON CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, MR KIM HARRISON, AND HALE SCHOOL COLLEAGUE, MR PHILLIP VENABLES, ON RECEIVING THE PAUL HARRIS FELLOW AWARD FROM KUALA LUMPUR ROTARY.

Well done to the Hale and St Mary's Concert Band who gave an amazing performance at the Kuala Lumpur Rotary fundraising concert to a crowd of 800.

Senior School News

JOURNEY TO JAPAN みなさん、こんにちは。 (HELLO EVERYBODY)

ON THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, TWO YEAR 11 STUDENTS (DIANE KEONG AND LARA BRADBURY) AND FIVE YEAR 10 JAPANESE STUDENTS (AUDREY ZHANG, JULIA GARAS, ANNABELLE

RICHARDSON,

SCARLETT

MAVOR

AND

MEGHANN GALLAGHER) JOURNEYED TO JAPAN WITH THEIR TEACHERS, MR DEAN ROBERTSON AND MISS ANNETTE DAVIES.

The group had many and varied aspirations for their trip - some language-based, some cultural, some personal, but when they arrived at Kansai airport, these lofty goals gave way to an immediate craving for Japanese snack food. Their tour got off to a yummy, sugar-driven start as they made their way to their first homestay destination, the tiny rural town of Naka in Tokushima. They spent a week with their kind Japanese families, experiencing school and home life, learning Japanese crafts and seeing the breathtaking Japanese countryside.

Above (l-r): Students, Scarlett Mavor, Meghann Gallagher, Diane Keong, Annabelle Richardson and Audrey Zhang, wash their hands at the purification fountain at the entrance to Tairyuji Shrine. Below (l-r): Audrey Zhang, Diane Keong, Annabelle Richardson, Scarlett Mavor, Meghann Gallagher, Lara Bradbury, and Julia Garas

Next, they travelled by train to Hiroshima, where they stayed a night in a traditional Japanese hotel and found themselves sleeping on very thin futons on the floor. They visited the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Peace Park and the museum, which was a very emotional, but valuable, learning experience. On their first bullet train, to Tokyo, they experienced the neon lights of Shibuya, visited the famous crazilydressed Harajuku people and bought souvenirs in Asakusa. They also spent a great day at Tokyo Disneyland, even though Mr Robertson wasn't too enthusiastic about his Mickey Mouse ears. After four days of sightseeing and lots of walking, the girls were back on the bullet train, heading to their second homestay, in Kyoto. Luckily, it was their sister school's athletics carnival, so they joined in and quickly got to know everyone. They spent a week going to school and on excursions, seeing the historic sights and absorbing the incredible culture of Kyoto. By the end of their last week, the girls had learned so much and made so many new friends. They felt that they had certainly surpassed all the expectations they had of both themselves and of the trip as a whole.

Senior School News

Although the girls were sad to leave, they will be hosting students next year, so they have something to really look forward to. Everyone had an wonderful time, both individually and as a group, experiencing the busy Japanese lifestyle, Japanese food, being crammed into buses and trains, visiting the cities, walking for miles, being stared at, sleeping on futons, attending school, making new friends, and having the time of their lives… all whilst speaking the Japanese language. Sincere thanks go to Robertson Sensei and Davies Sensei for organising the trip, looking after the girls, challenging them, and giving them the opportunity to have unimaginable fun experiencing the real Japan. “To any students studying Japanese, this trip is a rare and rewarding experience and we encourage you to be a part of it in the coming years. We guarantee you will love every minute and you will never forget it!”

FRENCH TRIP A GROUP OF VERY EXCITED STUDENTS LEFT PERTH ON 19 SEPTEMBER, BOUND FOR PARIS VIA DUBAI.

Once in Paris, the group stayed in an historic hotel close to all the iconic attractions of the city. The days were very busy, as girls visited the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Versailles, climbed the Eiffel Tower, and much more. This week allowed the girls become familiar with the language and culture before moving to Nice, where they stayed with host families, whilst attending a language immersion school. Plenty of excursions on the Côte D’Azur meant that the group really experienced the best of the south of France: visits to perfume factories, châteaux and old cities, as well as Monaco, occupied our afternoons. After a train trip in the high speed TGV to Lyon, our students were introduced to their host families there. They all attended school with host sisters, and participated in the daily life of their host family for eight days. Each girl’s experience in this wonderful city was different and challenging in its own way. By being part of this trip, our girls all aspired to improve their French, experience a different way of life and maximise opportunities for personal growth, whilst strengthening friendships and broadening their view of the world. They certainly all achieved these goals.

Right: Walking through the streets of Antibes, near Nice Centre: Standing in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower Bottom (l-r): Hannah Jackson and Amelia Hurst (Year 10) in front of the gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, former summer holiday house of Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild, on the French Riviera near Nice

Senior School News

EXPERIENCES FROM YEAR 10 EXCHANGE OUR WELL-ESTABLISHED EXCHANGE PROGRAMME OFFERS YEAR 10 STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT PARTNER SCHOOLS IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS NEW ZEALAND, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA, THE USA, CANADA AND ENGLAND. THE GIRLS SELECTED BENEFIT FROM A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE LIVING AND LEARNING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY AND, IN RETURN, HOST A VISITING EXCHANGE STUDENT FROM THEIR PARTNER SCHOOL. LILY STOCKS AND ELLA BROCKWELL-MOLE EACH VISITED ENGLAND ON EXCHANGE THIS YEAR.

LILY STOCKS – BRUTON SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, SOMERSET, ENGLAND During April and May this year, I went on exchange to Bruton School for Girls, in Somerset, England. I had the most amazing time, and enjoyed every second of the trip. Whilst I was over there, I was lucky enough to stay with the most beautiful family, the Gottos, who showed me the best their country has to offer. My exchange partner, Poppy, and I became great friends.

Hosting Poppy was almost as much fun as actually going to England. We did everything Australian, such as going to an AFL game, surfing in the middle of winter and meeting some native animals, including kangaroos, koalas, a wombat and a thorny devil. Exchange was an amazing experience, and I encourage girls to apply for it. You will make friends for life, and have experiences that you will never forget.

Each weekend was full of amazing things to do. We visited the seaside town of Brighton, seeing the famous Brighton Pier and exploring the Lanes. Another weekend we went to London, where I experienced the London buses, saw Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels, visited St Paul’s Cathedral and explored Hampton Court Palace. The highlight of my exchange had to be going on a school camp with some of the friends I made whilst over there. I got to experience the deadly wildlife of the fields of Somerset, also known as angry cows. Being cornered by a cow, with one of the girls getting licked by one, is a memory I will never forget.

ELLA BROCKWELL-MOLE – BADMINTON SCHOOL, BRISTOL, ENGLAND I can honestly say that spending five weeks in Badminton School, Bristol, was the most amazing experience I could have ever asked for. I feel privileged to have been selected to attend Badminton School, which is such a beautiful school with amazing grounds and a real sense of community.

The highlight of my exchange experience was definitely spending my time in the boarding house and spending so much time with the amazing people I had met there. The boarding house, for me, was like one big family and gave me the opportunity to meet girls from so many different parts of the world. It was such a difference from the life I live as a day girl here, and I loved every minute of it.

Exchange can seem like a daunting involvement at first, but the support that we received both from St Mary’s and Badminton was incredible and made our experience so smooth.

I would encourage everyone to take part in exchange and I would tell them to make the most of every opportunity offered to them, because experiences like these only come round once in a lifetime and they can never be forgotten. Step out of your comfort zone because it helps you to grow so much as a person and helps you to discover the person that you are.

Venturing into the unknown territory of a new school and new experience created so much excitement. In my time at Badminton, I experienced so many things, including learning new sports and visiting incredible parts of England, including Bath and London.

The most challenging part about exchange, for me, was being in a completely unfamiliar environment, so far from my comfort zone. However, by the end of my time there it felt like home and having to leave seemed like such a devastating thought.

Five weeks seems like such a short time to build friendships, but leaving the new people I had met in England was the hardest part of the exchange. The friendships I have built with many people from all parts of the world will be lifelong and I will treasure them forever.

Exchange has inspired me to realise the endless opportunities out there in life and has helped me to develop confidence in new situations. In addition I have so many memories of my incredible time in England that I will never forget.

Senior School News

Clockwise from top left: Lucinda Nicholls (Year 12) as Judas, Eloise Orr (Year 11) as Jesus, (l-r): Scarlett Mavor (Year 10) with Indiana Scanlon (Year 11) as Pontius Pilate, Amber Kitney (Year 12) as Mary Magdalene, Meghann Herlihy (Year 12) as Herod, and dancers

ASPIRING SUPERSTARS THE ROCK OPERA JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, WRITTEN BY THE LEGENDARY ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER AND TIM RICE, IS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING FOR EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL SINGERS AND PERFORMERS. AND WE DECIDED TO PERFORM IT AS THIS YEAR’S SENIOR SCHOOL PRODUCTION… WITH AN ALL-FEMALE CAST!

Jesus Christ Superstar is through-composed, meaning that there is no dialogue and the entire narrative for the story is sung. This, coupled with the fact that our production’s all-female cast sang vocal parts written for males (who have a vastly different vocal range), presented the young women in this production with numerous challenges to overcome. The cast rose to the occasion magnificently. Throughout rehearsals they showed an eagerness to learn and a willingness to finesse their work. Mrs Stephanie Nicholls, our Musical Director, made sure that this production would be of the very highest standard, teaching the girls to sing, and sing brilliantly, and expecting nothing but the best from every cast member. This was definitely an ensemble cast with every actor fully engaging in the roles they played. Lucinda Nicholls, Eloise Orr and Amber Kitney led the cast with their heart-rending performances as Judas, Jesus and Mary respectively. Their renditions of Judas’ Death, Gethsemane and I Don’t Know How To Love Him displayed a maturity beyond their years. Shona Hay,

Rachel Ettridge and Indiana Scanlon were convincingly evil in their roles as Caiaphas, Annas and Pilate, and who could forget the brilliant cameo performance of Meghann Herlihy as Herod? Every number in the show was also brilliantly choreographed by our dance teacher, Ms Melanie Pepper. The girls were put through their paces, and their enthusiasm and determination to succeed meant that both dancers and non-dancers alike were confident and in control on stage. The action flowed and connected seamlessly to the drama in each song. The stars were aligned for this production. The audiences were treated to an awesome display of artistic endeavour from our dedicated and talented production team. The overall design concept was cleverly brought to life with a stunning all white and silver set and contemporary costumes that were superbly lit. This production showcased the incredible talent of our senior students. The girls in the production were truly Super Stars!

Senior School News

SENIOR SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION THE OPENING OF THE ANNUAL ST MARYâ€™S SENIOR SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION TOOK PLACE ON SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER. IT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENING, ATTENDED BY GRAND BELLES, STUDENTS AND FAMILY, INCLUDING SOME WHO HAD TRAVELLED FROM BROOME, KARRATHA, NORTHAMPTON AND THE WHEATBELT.

Tessa Laing, Art Captain, introduced Mr Mitch Leicester (Creative Services Manager of Channel Nine), who opened the exhibition. Mr Leicester gave an inspiring speech about the role of the arts in equipping students with skills which are relevant to industry, including the benefits of exposure to the latest digital technologies, such as animation, drawing and design. A highlight of the night was the Wearable Art Parade, which featured spectacular costumes and headpieces inspired by the theme, Ancient. A special thankyou to Mrs Maria Pleasance, the co-ordinator of the programme, who spent countless hours preparing students for the CAPAF concert performances.

The wonderful art works of 38 Year 12 Visual Arts and Design students featured in the exhibition, and included a range of art forms and themes, such as identity, the environment and equestrian themes. An impressive ceramic mural inspired by coral and sea life, made by a Year 8 class, was a favourite on the night. The art works created in the lower school classes are always exuberant, and highlight the talents of so many of the younger girls. An exhibition of this scale relies on the hard work of all of the art teachers and maintenance staff. A special thank-you to Ms Cooper, Ms Clarko, Mrs Wilson, Mrs Dalli Cani, Mrs Sanders and Mrs Pleasance.

Three of the wearable art costumes on display are finalists in the Apex Teenage Fashion Awards.

Clockwise from left: Charcoal drawing by Abbey McKay (Year 11), sculpture by Bella Cooke (Year 12) and shadow box by Alana Gasson (Year 12)

Senior School News

Clockwise from top left: Portrait by Grace Mulder (Year 12), painting of two girls by Sophie Billington (Year 11), wearable art by Tessa Laing (Year 12), painting by Simone Wilson (Year 12) and triptych of landscapes by Megan Penny (Year 12)

Senior School News

Clockwise from top left: Madeleine Scanlon and Anna Jovanoski; Emily Foster, Mia Benzie-Drayton, Izabella Day (lying), Skylar Chong, Jessica Rowe, Eva Kneebone and Sarah Stattman; Brooke Zis and Shannon Hewitt; Amy Frederic; Natalie Vogas, Izabella Day, Grace Norrish and Lara Clarke

A LITTLE PRINCESS ON THURSDAY 5, FRIDAY 6 AND SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER, THE LOWER SCHOOL PRESENTED THEIR PRODUCTION OF A LITTLE PRINCESS.

“This year’s Lower School Production of A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett came from the same desire I have always had as a director, and that desire is to present carefully crafted stories, by renowned authors in the form of a dramatic performance.” Caroline Brand, Director

As a young child, Frances Hodgson Burnett had an active imagination, creating and writing stories in old notebooks. Frances and her siblings were sent to be educated at The Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentlemen, where she was described as "precocious" and "romantic". Her history is very much reflected in the play that the cast presented in Term 4. It first appeared around 1888 in a novel form, and then she wrote the story in play format and titled it A Little Princess. This adaptation by June Walker Rogers is faithful to the story and the characters, and brings to life Sara’s journey from “treasured and wealthy heiress” to “charity student and pauper”. This is a Victorian fairy tale which follows the story of a young girl, raised alone by her father, a British Army captain in India. Sara is an unusual child, who speaks Hindustani, French and English, and has a love of reading well beyond her age. When her father leaves her at a boarding school in London, Sara is distraught and Miss Minchin, the headmistress of the

Senior School News

school, decides to make Sara’s life a misery. “It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no-one knows it.” (Sara Crewe). A cast of 34 rehearsed from the start of Term 3 and progressed into Term 4. During the rehearsal process, the girls explored their characters and practised complicated movements on, over and through an ‘imagined’ set. In Week 3 of Term 4, the actors donned their costumes and traversed the purpose-built set to finally greet production week and an audience. The wonderful support by the school community in previous years directly led to this year’s Lower School Production moving from two performances to three for the first time. The actors enjoyed taking the St Mary’s community on this journey of Sara Crewe and her eventual triumph, and hope the audience enjoyed it too.

CAKES FROM THE COUNTRY THE BOARDING HOUSE HELD ITS ANNUAL 'CAKES FROM THE COUNTRY' STALL AFTER THE TERM 3 MID-TERM BREAK. IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS ONCE AGAIN, RAISING OVER $2000 FOR THE ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE, THE ANNUAL RECIPIENT OF THIS BOARDING HOUSE CHARITY DRIVE.

The boarding girls and their families put their fantastic baking skills to the test, by producing an array of cakes, biscuits, slices and muffins, over the mid-term break, and also shared fresh produce, including eggs, limes and preserves. These delicious treats were brought back to Anne Symington House from kitchens all over Western Australia and placed in the boarding house’s newlyrefurbished dining room to go on sale to St Mary’s students and teachers.

The Junior School were first to visit the stall and were awed by the vast variety of goodies which filled the dining room, followed by the Senior School, who were equally impressed with such a choice. Selections were deliberated over and compared and the Year 12 boarders and boarding house staff assisted with the choices with good humour and lots of smiles.

Below: Isabella Masi, Head Boarder, helps Junior School girls with their selections

BoArding News

Samantha says:

“I wanted to keep him (the robot) and take him home with me to make him do more things.”

STEAM IN THE JUNIOR

SCIENCE, TECH N OLOG Y, E N G I N EERING, STEAM DAY IN TERM 3, THE JUNIOR SCHOOL HELD TWO STEAM DAYS, WHICH ALLOWED ALL THE GIRLS TO EXPERIENCE A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES.

It has been estimated that 75% of the fastest growing occupations require Science and Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. Recently, the idea of adding the Arts (A), moving to STEAM, has been gaining momentum. At St Mary's Junior School, we recognise the inclusion of Arts as fundamental in these programmes, since the application of Art in real situations results in deeper learning across all these subject areas. In 2015, St Mary’s Junior School began a journey of teaching coding and robotics, which we are excited to continue in future years.

ROBOTS

We believe it is important to challenge girls with new concepts and ideas in all learning areas. A group of early years girls have been introduced to Bee-Bot Robotics. Mrs Andrea Dingley and Mrs Sue Martin worked with the girls for several sessions to explore the world of robotics. The girls began their exploration by investigating the many different types of robots and what makes a robot, before being introduced to the Bee-Bot robot. The girls learnt how to programme it to move. They all found it rather challenging to make the robot draw a square, but once they had mastered this they were challenged to make the robot move through a tunnel or around a rock.

Junior School News

This was not as easy as it seemed but it felt great when they were successful. After the first session the girls were asked what they thought of the session: “I liked (the workshop) because we kept doing harder and harder things and it took longer and longer. I loved it.” Emma “I wished (the session) could last forever.” Clara “I wanted to keep him (the robot) and take him home with me to make him do more things.” Samantha

SCHOOL

Above (clockwise): Megan Musk and Camila Zamudio-Concha; Lily Nunn and Chloe Ryan; Ella Porzig; Scarlett Redgrave; Nicole Pile and Audrey Tan

ARTS AND MATHEMATICS HACKL AB

A group of our older girls were invited to attend a series of HackLab sessions, where they worked with Mrs Dencker Morrison and Mr Mark Calleja, a visiting ICT teacher from Cambridge, England. HackLab is a creative learning environment where students are encouraged to embrace their inner hacker, by taking charge of the different technologies we use every day, to create solutions and overcome obstacles. Students discovered how technology is created through open-ended projects utilising the cutting edge Raspberry Pi computer. Mark ran a range of interesting and exciting activities to teach a combination of outcomes from separate strands of the world-leading Cambridgeshire syllabus.

ASPIRING MATHEMATICIANS: CELEBRATING ‘100’

Counting to and understanding 100 is a critical concept for Year 1, so the girls immersed themselves in exploring, discovering and working with 100. On their 100th day in Year 1, the girls were asked to bring in a ‘Mystery 100’ to share with the class. From party poppers, shells and toothpicks to marshmallows, the girls counted, grouped and sorted their 100 items.

ASPIRING ARCHITECTS: DESIGNING ELIZABETH QUAY To investigate the world of design, Year 3 girls took on a challenge to design their idea of what Elizabeth Quay should look like and what activities it should offer the people of Perth. Points were allocated for their ability to cater for different modes of transport, different ages and abilities, points of interest and useful facilities. Bonus points were allocated for layout, design and use of a clear legend to guide their visitors. The girls demonstrated admirable problem-solving skills. Above (l-r): Clara Aviso, Lucy Garratt, Ella Barmentloo (at back), Grace McManis (in front of Ella), Charlotte Lever

Junior School News

JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS

TALENTED YOUNG WRITERS WRITING IS A SKILL THAT IS GREATLY ADMIRED. BY GIVING OUR GIRLS MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO WRITE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF GENRES, THEY CAN DEVELOP AMAZING WRITING SKILLS AND TALENTS.

THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, DIFFERENT GROUPS OF

GIRLS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON HONING THEIR WRITING SKILLS.

Years 1 and 2 created poems that promoted calmness and good choices in life. The girls then made boats with the poems attached to give to peers. This exercise was part of our Positive Education programme and RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) programmes. A group of Year 5 and 6 girls had the wonderful opportunity to work with an author at The Fremantle Literature Centre. The talented group of writers worked with author, Raewyn Caisley, to explore the many elements of the writing process. The girls came away from the day inspired and motivated to continue with their writing.

Above (l-r): Author, Raewyn Caisley, working with Stefanie Lovi and Isabella McKay (Year 6) at the Literature Centre as part of the Talented Young Writers’ Programme

Left (l-r): Charlotte Matthews, Imogen Curtis, Chloe Read-Smith, Olivia Kenny, Hana Bailey (Year 2) make art with Marlanie Haerewa (Year 11) Centre (l-r): Poppy MacCondruin and Angelique Rhodes (Year 2)

AN AFTERNOON OF ART THE YEAR 2 GIRLS SPENT AN AFTERNOON WITH EIGHT INDIGENOUS GIRLS FROM THE SENIOR SCHOOL. THE ‘BIG GIRLS’, AS THE YEAR 2 GIRLS CALL THEM, SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CULTURE, THEIR INDIGENOUS NAMES AND CREATED ART TOGETHER.

During the afternoon, each ‘big girl’ was in charge of five or six Year 2 students, who worked together to complete an art project. The art was really just the medium for the students to bond and it was such a joy to hear the girls relating to each other and sharing their own stories. This experience enabled the Year 2 girls to learn about indigenous culture and work on a piece of art with one of the older girls, learning about the symbols and techniques particular to indigenous art. The girls in the Junior School immensely enjoyed the opportunity to work with older girls. One of the older

Junior School News

girls expressed that she had enjoyed the afternoon tremendously, as she missed having her younger brothers, sisters and cousins around from her home community. This art-in-the-afternoon activity was an important vehicle for our ‘big girls’ and ‘little girls’ to bond and appreciate that they are really all St Mary’s students. The art created by the ‘big and little girls’ during this session was displayed at the annual Junior School Art Exhibition.

BROOKLYN’S COIN ARTWORK RAISES $1800 TO SUPPORT CHILDREN IN MANILA BROOKLYN SETH (YEAR 6) RAISED $1800 TO HELP SET UP AN INTERNET CENTRE FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN IN THE PHILIPPINES, BY COLLECTING SPARE CHANGE AND TURNING IT INTO ART.

Brooklyn, who is a Scout from First Duncraig Scout Group, invited her peers to donate their spare coins to the creation of a two-metre wide fleur de lis in the Junior School courtyard, as part of her ‘Kids in Manila Coin Collection’ fundraiser. The generous donations were used to establish an internet centre at a church in Manila, which will provide a local scout group with a safe place to study. “The computers can be used by the scouts to help them with their school assignments,” said Brooklyn. “It will mean they won’t have to wait until late at night to go to internet cafes, which are costly to use and are certainly not safe.” Brooklyn joined fifty scouts and leaders when she flew to Manila in May, to present the donation and see the effects of her support. During their ten-day visit to the Philippines, the group took local scouts, many of whom live on the streets, on a camp to Mount Makiling. For many, it was their first opportunity to leave the streets they’ve grown up on.

YEAR 6 WELCOMES VISITORS FROM HONG KONG IN JULY, A GROUP OF FOURTEEN YEAR 6 STUDENTS AND THEIR TWO TEACHERS VISITED ST MARY’S JUNIOR SCHOOL FROM MUNSANG COLLEGE IN HONG KONG.

They were amazed at our facilities, especially the swimming pool, and enjoyed looking through different classrooms. They joined our Year 6 classes for a variety of lessons, including languages and PE. At recess, the Munsang College students performed a couple of songs for us, before being introduced to vegemite and lamingtons which they loved. We all had a play outside and the four boys enjoyed kicking around a football for the first time. We really enjoyed having the Munsang College students visit.

Junior School News

OUT and

ABOUT  NEW PARENT DINNERS

Lynne Thomson, the Board, Executive and staff enjoyed an evening with our new parents in July. It was lovely to hear from Old Girls about their journeys since leaving St Mary’s while enjoying a delicious three course meal prepared by head chef, Eric Barlette, complemented with our very own Frankie’s Folly wines from the Metricup vineyard.

Above (l-r): Mark and Fiona Palmer, Monique Aviso, Cynthia Zhao

 FATHER DAUGHTER BREAKFAST

It was an early morning breakfast for our Year 12 girls and their fathers, which was held at the Rendezvous Hotel in Scarborough in June. Our guest speaker, Lauren Papalia (Dudman ’02), shared some wonderful memories about her time at St Mary’s and spoke about her impressive career as a midwife, and the important role her father has played in her life's experiences.

Above (l-r): Guest speaker Lauren Papalia (Dudman ’02) and her father, Piers Dudman

Out and About

Above (clockwise from front left): Sharon Huynh, Kim Huynh, Dinesh Ruhal, Khushboo Ruhal, Maia Van Kampen, John Van Kampen, Rachel Neil, John Neil, Justin Hewitt and Kassandra Hewitt

Above (l-r): Amber and Brian Kitney

Above (l-r): Clive and Simone Wilson

q JAKARTA, SINGAPORE AND KUALA LUMPUR DINNERS

The second half of the year is a very busy time for visiting our overseas families. At the end of August, Lynne Thomson and Tina Campbell hosted dinners in Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, where they enjoyed meeting with future, current and past families of St Mary’s.

Above (l-r): Tina Campbell and Lynne Thomson cut a celebratory cake in Jakarta, kindly given by Jaya Mirwani

Above (l-r): Triaksha and Anjena Nawani, Lynne Thomson, Angie Eu and Tina Campbell Left (l-r): Malika Mirwani and Anisha Kewalramani

Left (l-r): Stephanie Goh (’12), Steph Seah (’04), Valerie Wong (’05), Jasmine Wong (’05), Marissa Chang (’13) and Tina Campbell

q KARRATHA BREAKFAST

Lynne Thomson and Tina Campbell held a breakfast in Karratha on Sunday 2 August. It was so nice to see our current families, meet new families and lovely to reunite with so many Old Girls.

Above (l-r): Geoff Haerewa, Josh Rogers and Sasha McArthur

Above (l-r): Josie Mazzulla and Sandra Moore

 BROOME BREAKFAST

On Sunday 10 May, we welcomed past and current families of St Mary’s to join us for breakfast at Cable Beach Club Resort Sunset Bar and Grill, Broome. Above (l-r): Garry and Mary Waldron (’06)

Above (l-r): Robyn Brealey, Liz Waldron and Jane Lockyear

Out and About

'I LOVE THIS LIFE' WHEN DISCUSSING THE ARCHIVAL ANECDOTES FOR THIS EDITION OF FIDELITER, A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE SANG A FEW BARS OF AN OLD ABBA SONG TO ME:

“ …I have a dream, a song to sing To help me cope with anything If you see the wonder of a fairy tale You can take the future even if you fail I believe in angels Something good in everything I see I believe in angels When I know the time is right for me I'll cross the stream, I have a dream…” After my initial chuckle and disparaging remarks about finding inspiration in an ABBA song from 1979, it actually started to sit beautifully with the message I believe some relatively unknown, but spectacular Old Girls from the 1920s and 1930s have left us. One Old Girl who really broke the mould for her time and was selected for the Old Girls’ Honour Wall for her achievements, was Julia Lazarus. Born on 7 July 1909 in Perth, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs E.S. Lazarus, Julia was a Prefect in 1925 and Head Girl and editor of the Almerta in 1926. She was prominent in drama and Girl Guides and at the young age of fifteen whilst still at school, joined the Egypt Exploration Society based in England. After leaving school, Julia travelled to London with her mother and returned to Perth in 1928, renewing

her strong friendships with St Mary’s Old Girls and the Girl Guides. Her family moved to London in the early 1930s, taking up residence in Hanover House Regent’s Park, where Julia began studies in Egyptology at University College London with the renowned Professor Stephen Glanville. Her studies included extended archaeological excavations with the Egypt Exploration Society in Amarna, Egypt. She contributed a significant chapter in the studies of this ancient city to the Petrie Museum’s Amarna Collection in London in 1936. Julia married Norman Lionel Samson on 18 August 1938, and continued to excavate archaeological digs in Egypt. Julia’s work was interrupted by World War II, where she redirected her energy to a distinguished career as a press officer for the Ministries of Food and Health, until in 1967 she retired early to devote herself to her true love of Egyptology. As an Honorary Research Assistant at the Petrie Museum, Julia went on to study, research and publish unique works on the city of Amarna, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, Queen Nefertiti and Cleopatra. When Julia passed away on 6 April 2002 aged 93, she had been a member of the Egypt Exploration Society for 77 years and her colleagues said of her: ‘The breadth of Julia’s intellectual interests, the force and magnetism of her personality and her geniality and kindness made her a truly remarkable woman…’ It appears that Julia followed her dream as a fifteen year old, to explore and research the ancient sites of Eygpt, and stayed true to the person that made her popular and a Head Girl of St Mary’s in 1926. The Almerta of 1927 says of Julia: ‘Our Head Prefect last year - Julia Lazarus - made herself popular throughout the School by the wise use of her authority and her friendliness to everybody…’

Above: Julia Lazarus early 1920s with St Mary's ribbons; Julia as Head Girl in 1926; and Julia Samson (Lazarus ’26) at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in 1998

Archival Anecdotes

Above: Coralie and Kathleen Webb in Cornwall, from The West Australian, 1 December, 1938

Another Old Girl who broke the mould of the times was Delys Olive Webb, the eldest of three sisters who graduated from St Mary’s in the 1930s. The sisters were to resemble the famous English Mitford sisters in their beauty and originality. Labeled a ‘Woman Explorer’ by The West Australian in January 1939, Delys was to explore and collect zoological specimens from some of the most remote corners of the earth, including a 7 000 mile tour of Africa, remote parts of India and the Himalayas, Madagascar and Ecuador in South America. Interviewed by The Straits Times in May 1938, Delys said ‘I love this life’. She was speaking of climbing 13 000 feet to the snow line of the Andes to collect bird specimens that were rare and endangered. In The Western Mail in January 1939, when referring to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in search of specimens, she said ‘I just pack some cold cream for my face, and collect trousers and shirt blouses to wear on trek, and off I go with my uncle…’ The Webb sisters, Delys, Kathleen (known as Winkie) and Coralie (known as Snookie), were the daughters of Mr Archibald and Mrs Olive Webb of 267 St George’s Terrace, Perth. The sisters moved to London after

Above: Delys Macmillan (Webb ’34) from The West Australian, 25 August, 1939

leaving school, living with their uncle, C.S. Webb, who was a well-known zoologist collecting for the London Zoo, the British Museum and the British Zoological Gardens. Delys had always had a love of scientific studies and relished working and travelling with her uncle. Delys married David Fred Macmillan on 8 September 1939, but it appears that the onset of World War II dashed her plans of continuing her work. Delys spent the war in India with her husband and by 1944 had two children, Michael and Delia. Just reading about these remarkable Old Girls has taught me two worthwhile lessons. The first is that to have a great idea or dream, even whilst still at school, and steadfastly follow that dream without large obstacles like gender or geography standing in your way, is achievable. The other lesson or message, although less ‘high-brow’ but just as much fun, is that ABBA can be aspirational! For those of us who do not aspire to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or unearth treasures from Ancient Egypt, but have goals of our own that may sometimes appear to be out of reach, never lose heart, for in the familiar words of Bruce Springsteen – ‘I’m working on a dream…’ Stephanie Neille Archivist

to have a great idea or dream, even whilst still at school, and steadfastly follow that dream without large obstacles like gender or geography standing in your way, is achievable.

Archival Anecdotes

Right: Hockey medal and House Award – Donated by Arthur Lodge for Verity Lodge (ˇ84)

DONATIONS 2015 THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING OLD GIRLS, FORMER STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOR SO GENEROUSLY DONATING TO THE ST MARY’S ARCHIVES. THANK YOU ALSO TO THOSE WHO HAVE ASSISTED MRS RONDA BECK WITH COMPILING ORAL HISTORIES AND COLLECTING STORIES, MEMORIES AND PHOTOS FROM THEIR TIME AT THE SCHOOL. GRATITUDE IS ALSO EXPRESSED TO THOSE WHO HAVE LOANED THEIR PRECIOUS ITEMS AND PHOTOS TO BE SCANNED AND RECORDED FOR POSTERITY.

Will Carrington-Jones and the Ramel family, for Lady Burt (Margaret Lloyd ’39) Barbara Hurst (Cuming ’47) and Peter Hurst (’47) Helen Hyslop (Judge ’50, Head Girl) Diane Porter (Wardle ’60) Keeva Verschoor (Wittwer ’62) Marlene Carter (’63) Wendy Cook (Sorensen ’63) Joan Parke (’63), former staff Rosalie Poyner (Robins ’63) Helen Moyle (Weston ’64) Margaret Trinder (Hulme ’65), former staff

Lynne Malone (Eakins ’66), for Lynne Ferguson (Weston ’66) Margaret Tasker (Spark ’66) Sue Wyche (Blackburn ’66), former staff Rosa McGillivray (Tilbrook ’67) Trisha Woosey (Power) (Harper ’67) Vicki McAlinden (Brooks ’72) Jane Milloy (’72), former staff Kelly Crooks (Sue ’81) Roxanne Wood (Kerr ’81) Arthur Lodge, former President of the Parents’ Society, for his daughters, Felicity Lodge (’82) and Verity Lodge (’84) Angeline (Angie) Eu (’83)

Above: Original Bible of the St Mary's Church, Colin St West Perth – Donated by Jo Waterman (Markham ’90)

Archival Anecdotes

Jodie Moss (Briggs ’84) Jo Waterman (Markham ’90) Kendall Earnshaw (Byers ’93) Fred Stone, former Chairman of the Board of Governors Mary Brewer, former staff Peter Mead, Director of Finance and Administration Reverend Joyce Polson, Chaplain Emeritus Shirley Watkins, former staff Wendy Chidgey, former staff

Above (l-r): Peta Scott, Lynne Sherlock, Pat Cooper, Ann Lucas, Anne Piening – Donated by Rosalie Poyner (Robins ’63)

PARENTS' SOCIET Y

ST MARY’S AUXILIARY THE

AUXILIARY

LUNCH

AND

FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA WAS THE HIGHLIGHT EVENT ON THE AUXILIARY CALENDAR IN TERM 3. A COMBINATION OF SHOPPING, LAUGHTER, MOUTH-WATERING FOOD, AND FRIENDSHIP WAS ENJOYED BY OVER 120 LADIES ON A COLD WINTER’S DAY IN THE WARMTH OF OUR NEW VENUE AT RENDEZVOUS SCARBOROUGH.

The event began with a glass of champagne and loads of shopping. Sixteen wonderful market stalls provided guests with an opportunity to buy shoes, jewellery, bras, make-up, candles and many other items. The day officially commenced with Peter, the Laughter Guy, inspiring everyone to join in a little bit of laughter yoga to alleviate the stress from our bodies so we could all relax and enjoy the day. OH THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! THANK YOU TO THE PARENTS’ SOCIETY COMMITTEE, STAFF AND ORGANISATIONS THAT CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SENIOR SCHOOL CAREER NIGHT.

The evening offered the families from St Mary’s and Hale free access to enthusiastic and experienced professionals from a diverse range of industries, hopefully igniting some interests to further explore. We continue to be blessed by contributions from our families. This year we have committed funds towards online reference databases for the library, video cameras, language games, microscopes and lockers. Congratulations also to our Term 1 to 3 lottery winners: Rob and Diana Szelid, Sam and Catie Willis, Mark and Julie Shepherd, Rodney and Jane Somes, Peter and Maria Waltham, and Elizabeth Thorburn. Each family won $1250 towards their school fees.

Beautiful models walked the catwalk, displaying amazing fashion which was to die for. With summer just around the corner, guests enjoyed the parade while eating a delicious dessert, deconstructed strawberry Eton mess and meringue (pure bliss). Raffle prizes flew out the door left, right and centre, and the silent auction created a great thrill when two ladies bid on the same item and only one was able to win at the final countdown. The Auxiliary would like to thank everyone who attended this year and encourage those who did not, to attend next year for a lot of fun, community, friendship and laughs. Angie Powell President of St Mary’s Auxiliary

Thank you again to our inspiring and hardworking teachers, staff and students for another rewarding and colourful year at St Mary’s. Special thanks to Ms Joan Karmelita and Mr Peter Mead for their years of dedicated service to the school. You will be missed. Finally, congratulations and best wishes to our Year 12s and their families. Tanya Hazelden President of the Parents’ Society

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” Dr Seuss.

Above (clockwise from left): Karin Braam, Paulette Contessi, Vicki England, Michelle Stinton, Louise Richardson, Lisa Viska, Keeli Robson, Jane Birkhead, Sam Kennedy and Debbie Bushell

Parents’ Society and St Mary’s Auxiliary

OLD GIRLS’ PRESIDENT’S REPORT HERE WE ARE, ALMOST AT THE END OUR 90TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR AND WHAT AN EXCITING TIME TO BE THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE OGA!

One of the highlights for me was awarding the Women of Distinction Awards at the OGA’s 90th Anniversary Dinner in August. The achievements, passion and dedication of our nominees in their chosen fields are inspirational. Please read all about the awards on pages 48 to 51. The dinner was a lovely occasion, with many past and present staff attending, including Mrs Audrey Jackson AM, former Principal, who was our guest speaker. The collection of Old Girls ranged from 19492014 and the noise level in the room was very high as everyone caught up on news and reminisced. Thank you to Scherri-Lee Biggs (’07) for keeping a rein on the evening’s proceedings as our Master of Ceremonies.

2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: TUESDAY 5 APRIL 2016

You are invited to join the OGA Committee for the 2016 Annual General Meeting. Please contact us at oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au if you would like to attend or join the OGA committee.

OGA Committee members whose terms expire and may seek re-election in 2016 are: • Shelley Civitico (Robson ’73) • Amy Dawson (Fraser ’94) • Katy Keddie (Knowles ’94) • Julie Martin (Huxtable ’73) • Robin Moran (Cunningham ’51) • Andrea Sassella (’98)

Our Boarders’ Reunion in September was another highlight with many Old Girl boarders reliving their school days. In late November we will be holding an OGA Committee Reunion, where we will recognise the years of service and commitment of both past and present Committee members during the Association's 90 years. It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Don Walker, Auditor to the Old Girls’ Association for many years, and parent of Adele Walker (’89) and Natalie Walker (’91). Amy Dawson (Fraser ’94) President of the Old Girls' Association

WE NEED YOU . . . We are looking for Old Girls who are dedicated to keeping the Old Girl network STRONG, to join our active and fun Old Girls’ Association committee. This is a great way to share your skills for the benefit of your fellow Old Girls! A variety of roles are available. Nominees must be Life Members of the Association.

OGA MEETING DATES FOR 2016 All Old Girls are welcome to attend our committee meetings. Meetings are held in the Seminar Room in the Senior School Administration Building from 7.00pm on the following Tuesdays: 9 February 8 March 10 May

14 June 9 August

To find out more about Committee roles or to nominate, contact Amy Dawson (Fraser ’94), OGA President, at oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au

13 September 8 November

2016 SCHOL ARSHIPS FOR OLD GIRLS ST MARY’S OFFERS A NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OLD GIRLS STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY ACROSS A RANGE OF DISCIPLINES.

Bonny Milne Scholarship in Medicine for students commencing their second year of an undergraduate medical degree or the first year of a postgraduate medical degree. Esmee Byatt Scholarship for Medicine for students commencing their fourth year of undergraduate medicine or the second year of a postgraduate medical degree at the University of Western Australia. Fay Bailey Scholarships for Engineering, Science and Law for students commencing their third year of a science-related, engineering or law degree or the first year of a postgraduate law degree. 46

Old Girls’ President's Report

Deborah Cook Scholarship for Nursing for students commencing their second year of a nursing or midwifery degree. Helen Judge Art Award for students commencing their second or third year of a fine art-related degree. For further information about how to apply for these scholarships please visit www.stmarys.wa.edu.au/old-girls-scholarshipsand-awards or telephone (08) 9341 9120. Applications close on Friday 26 February 2016.

Above: Kate Fitzgerald (’09), Emily Jasper (’08) and Ian Chidgey

Above: Back row (l-r): Keeva Verschoor (Wittwer ’62), Gloria Posselt (‘61), Peta Charlebois (Norris ’61), Helen Walker (Graham ’61), Jennifer Pohl (Kirby ’63), Leonie Coxon (Smith ’61) Front row (l-r): Diane Porter (Wardle ’60), Christina McIntosh (Wright ’61), Sandra Barrett-Lennard (Smith ’60), Jillian Thomas (Morton ’61) and Kate Doncon (Sutton ‘63)

Above: Bronwyn Barnes (Cooper ’84) and Reverend Joyce Polson

Back row (l-r): Julie O’Meara (Grose ’81), Elizabeth Carr (’81), Anna-Marie Wilson (’81), Justine Garland (’81) and Wendy Barnao (’81) Front row (l-r): Sharmistha Bose (’81), Jane Crisp (Cyprian ’81) and Sue Flower (Turner ’81)

Above: Kirrilee Lehman (Hoffman ’91), Amy Dawson (Fraser ’94), Penelope Hickman (Macmillan ’94) and Amanda Williams (’94)

OGA CELEBRATES AT THE 90 TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER IT WAS LOVELY TO SEE OLD GIRLS, FORMER STAFF AND CURRENT STAFF OF ST MARY’S CATCHING UP AND CELEBRATING THE OGA'S 90TH ANNIVERSARY. WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BRINGING THESE GROUPS TOGETHER FOR DINNER AND THE PRESENTATION OF THE WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS ON SATURDAY 15 AUGUST.

Guests enjoyed an evening filled with great food and wine in the River View Room at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mrs Audrey Jackson AM, former Principal of St Mary’s, was our guest speaker for the evening. She spoke of her fond memories of St Mary’s, the evolution of education, the changes facing schools today and St Mary’s ability to keep abreast of these. She also reminded guests of the greatness bestowed from a

St Mary’s education and that ‘it’ (this education) is the “wind beneath your wings, so spread your wings and fly!” You can read more about the winners of Women of Distinction Awards on pages 48 and 49, and the nominees and finalists on pages 50 and 51, Celebrating the 2015 Women of Distinction Awards Nominees and Finalists.

Old Girls' News and Events

OLD GIRLS SHINE IN THE

WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS

BEING ASPIRATIONAL CONJURES UP ALL SORTS OF CONNOTATIONS. IS IT THE ABILITY TO STRIVE AGAINST ADVERSITY AND NEVER GIVE UP? IS IT SETTING A GOAL AND ACHIEVING IT? IS IT A COMBINATION OF THESE OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY? WE BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME HIGHLY ASPIRATIONAL OLD GIRLS AT ST MARY’S AND THE WINNERS OF THE 2015 WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS EMBODY THIS AND MORE. THE AWARDS WERE PRESENTED AT THE OGA’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER ON SATURDAY 15 AUGUST. OLD GIRLS WERE COMMENDED IN THE CATEGORIES OF YOUNG, COMMUNITY AND CAREER, AND NOMINATIONS WERE OF SUCH A HIGH CALIBRE THAT THE JUDGES FOUND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE THE FINALISTS, LET ALONE THE WINNERS FOR EACH CATEGORY.

2015 WOMAN OF DISTINCTION – CAREER WINNER: FIONA HARRIS (’77) As the first member of her family to attend university, Fiona aspired to be successful within the business community. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UWA, Fiona went on to become a successful company director and was appointed to the boards of some of Australia’s most respected businesses, including HBF, Alinta and Rothschild. Together with her husband, Fiona established a successful consulting firm, Barrington Consulting Group, which has now been in operation for more than 20 years. She is also dedicated to supporting the next generation of business leaders and at any point in time, she mentors around eight people, and is presently mentoring a team for the PMH Foundation’s Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy. She is an aspirational role model for Australian women in business.

Left: Fiona Harris (’77)

2015 WOMAN OF DISTINCTION – COMMUNITY WINNER: KAREN CHAPPEL (KING ’75) Karen overcame an illness that forced her to leave her secondary schooling at St Mary’s in Year 10. Since then she has devoted her time as a volunteer to the improvement of support facilities for rural WA. Karen holds an array of positions on rural and regional boards, organisations and clubs, and she uses these positions to advocate on behalf of all rural people, highlighting the difficulties and challenges of living in remote and rural WA. Karen’s devotion to her community was acknowledged in 2008 when she was awarded the Australia Day Citizenship Award from the Shire of Perenjori, for her contribution to their community during the drought. In 2015, she was one of four finalists for the WA Rural Women’s Award for her project Clubsmatter, which provides the tools to encourage people, especially rural women, to become involved in their community clubs. Above: Karen Chappel (King ’75) and Principal, Lynne Thomson

OGA's Women of Distinction

2015 YOUNG WOMEN OF DISTINCTION WINNERS: OUR YOUNG OLD GIRLS HAVE PROVED THAT THEY TOO, ARE AMAZING ASPIRATIONAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THE JUDGES FOR THE YOUNG WOMAN OF DISTINCTION AWARD WERE UNABLE TO SEPARATE THE TOP TWO CANDIDATES AND THEREFORE MADE TWO AWARDS TO KIRSTY KUO (NEWTON ’01) AND NATASHA PRITCHARD (’07). THE WINNERS ARE FROM TWO VERY DIFFERENT FIELDS BUT ARE MAKING A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE'S LIVES; KIRSTY IS A SCIENTIST AND VIBRATIONS ENGINEER IN A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY AND NATASHA IS A DOCTOR, PIONEERING MEDICAL RESEARCH FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH.

KIRSTY KUO (NEWTON ’01)

NATASHA PRITCHARD (’07)

Kirsty had always aspired to a career that would improve the lives of those around her, but initially she was unsure of which path to take. With many talents and interests she soon discovered that she could combine her passion for science, mathematics and music to forge a career in engineering and specifically, acoustics and vibration. Kirsty has received many academic awards since graduating as the 2001 Dux of St Mary’s, including the JA Wood Memorial Prize for the most outstanding graduate of UWA in 2007, and the prestigious General Sir John Monash Award, which enabled her to undertake her PhD studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Kirsty and her family now live in Belgium, where she is a postdoctoral researcher at a leading research university. In this position she is investigating a new method of predicting railway vibration levels using a combination of experimental measurements and state-of-the-art computer models. Kirsty commented, “I am honoured to have been chosen as a recipient of this award. I always enjoy hearing about the students and activities at St Mary's, and the school holds a special place in my educational journey. Thanks to the assessment panel and all those involved in the organisation of this initiative.”

Natasha felt she was always destined for a career in women’s health and her belief that youth or gender should not be a barrier to success has had a huge impact on her medical career and her life in general. Whilst completing her medical degree at Monash University, Natasha took on the challenging task of combining her degree with a research project in antioxidant therapy and IVF outcomes. This research was accepted for presentation at medical conferences in Sydney (where she was awarded the prestigious prize for the Best Clinical Paper) and Boston. Natasha worked full time in rural Victoria whilst simultaneously studying a double Masters in Reproductive Medicine and Women’s Health as well as taking on mentoring roles for students. This dedication was recognised by the AMA with an award for the greatest commitment to medical education of any Victorian doctor in training. “I feel extremely privileged to have been a joint winner, especially considering the impressive achievements of the other applicants. I'm very lucky to have attended St Mary's throughout my whole schooling and I know my parents sacrificed a lot for me to do that. St Mary's has always placed an emphasis on more than just academic achievement, and I believe that is so important, as it is your eventual contribution to the community and society that is what counts,” said Natasha.

OGA's Women of Distinction

YOUNG WOMAN OF DISTINCTION FINALIST AND NOMINEES THIS AWARD ACKNOWLEDGES AN OLD GIRL, AGED 30 OR UNDER, WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED OUTSTANDING INITIATIVE AND DRIVE IN HER CHOSEN FIELD. NOMINEES SHOULD DEMONSTRATE A FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT AND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS SUCH AS COMMUNITY SERVICE AND OTHER PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS.

FINALIST: Rebecca Smith (’06) has forged a successful path in music, in an industry that is often under-represented by young women. She has spent the last two years pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music in New York (MSM), one of the world’s most prestigious conservatories. Rebecca was honoured to receive the Nicolas Flagello Award upon her graduation from MSM. Now back in Western Australia, she has created her own ensemble, GASP, which creates performance opportunities for herself and other emerging WA composers, especially females.

NOMINEES: Amy Stenning (’07) has dedicated much of her career to inspiring young nurses and encouraging the recognition of nursing as a challenging and rewarding career. She has a keen interest in volunteer and community work. Jonté Pike (’07) is well on her way to achieving her dream of developing her own recognisable brand of edgy young women’s clothing in the hugely competitive fashion industry. She showcased her clothing in this year’s Perth Fashion Festival in September. Natasha Harrison (’11) has a passion for volunteering and community work. She has spent much of her time since graduating from St Mary's, volunteering overseas in countries including Mexico, Morocco, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

WOMAN OF DISTINCTION – CAREER FINALISTS AND NOMINEES THIS AWARD ACKNOWLEDGES AN OLD GIRL WHO HAS ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT AND SUSTAINED SUCCESS IN HER CHOSEN CAREER.

FINALISTS: Tresslyn Walmsley (Smith ’89) is the 2015 WA Rural Woman of the Year for her “Oodles of Noodles” project which promotes udon noodle wheat grown almost exclusively in WA. Tresslyn was also awarded the 1999 Telstra Young Business Woman for WA in recognition of her TOPCROP work. She is currently the CEO of InterGrain and continues to seek opportunities to promote the role of women in agriculture by mentoring young women in the early stages of their careers. Jessica Gethin (Walker ’97) is one of only a handful of female conductors in Australia and in a short space of time has firmly established herself in the conducting world. She is also an accomplished violinist and has performed internationally. In 2015, Jessica won a prestigious award for an emerging Australian conductor, as well as receiving a nomination for the Western Australian of the Year Award in the Arts and Culture category. Recently, she was selected as one of only six conductors internationally to take part in the Inaugural Institute for Women Conductors with the Dallas Opera in the USA later in the year. NOMINEES: Meredith Campion (Stoate ’79) featured in the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining list in December 2013 and has been voted by her peers as one of Australia’s best lawyers each year from 2010 to 2014 for corporate work and mergers and acquisitions. Joy Hopwood (’86) please see the Women of Distinction – Community Award nominees.

OGA's Women of Distinction

WOMAN OF DISTINCTION – COMMUNIT Y FINALISTS AND NOMINEES THIS AWARD ACKNOWLEDGES AN OLD GIRL WHO HAS SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MEMBERS OF HER COMMUNITY BEYOND THAT EXPECTED IN HER USUAL OCCUPATION.

FINALISTS: Valma Cearns (Davies ’51) has served the legal community with distinction. She has been recognised for her contribution to Family Law, her willingness to mentor young lawyers and her dedication to providing access and inclusion for those with disabilities. Valma’s incredible empathy for the challenges faced by families and her dedication to providing access and inclusion for those with disabilities is due, in part, to having contracted and survived polio whilst at St Mary’s. Today, she is a member of the Access and Inclusion Committee for the Brightwater Care Group.

Dana Hlavacek (’79) has worked extensively as a volunteer for the Arts and a number of charities. She is a Trustee of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust (VACT) where she has helped turn around its financial position in her role as Chair of the Trust and Risk Management and Audit Committees. Dana is also the Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Committee with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and a Director of the RSPCA Victoria.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

NOMINEES: Stephanie Spencer (Ludkins ’78) is a rural doctor with a special interest in providing care to people in Australian remote and rural communities, especially in the areas of women’s health, psychiatry and palliative care.

Natasha Harrison (’11) received a highly commended award for her extensive volunteering in WA and overseas over the last two years. She is at the coal face of volunteer work and has self-funded these trips through her savings from her parttime work. She has volunteered in many countries including Mexico, Morocco, Kenya and Zimbabwe, in projects from teaching English to animal and plant conservation. Natasha is currently working as a volunteer at a cheetah rehabilitation project in South Africa, providing general care for cheetahs and other African wild cats at risk. The calibre of Natasha’s entry was inspiring and the judges felt that her endeavours could not go unrecognised.

Gail Elson (’84) has made valuable contributions to the communities in which she has lived, most significantly with St John Ambulance and the Australian Army Cadet Corps for over the past 20 years. Joy Hopwood (’86) has been a huge advocate for diversity in the Arts after finding that there were very few role models on television from multicultural Australia. One of her proudest moments was being twice nominated for the prestigious Australian of the Year Awards for her community work. Sarah Wiese (Davies ’88) is dedicated to her local community of Narrogin. She has been a member of the Narrogin Primary School P & C for almost ten years and her community involvement also extends to the hockey association, swimming club and pony club, and helping to establish the ‘Club Passport Programme’.

At St Mary’s we are extremely proud of the achievements of our Old Girls. After waving them goodbye at graduation it is our hope that each young woman will take what she has learnt and aspire to do the best she can in her career and community. Congratulations to our 2015 Women of Distinction and we look forward to hearing about our Old Girls' future achievements for the 2020 Women of Distinction Awards.

OGA's Women of Distinction

BOARDERS REUNITE! AS SOON AS THE RSVPS STARTED ROLLING IN WE KNEW THE BOARDERS’ REUNION WAS GOING TO BE A HOOT!

Anne Symington House was filled with raucous laughter and chatter as we welcomed back Old Girls from every era. On Friday 25 September guests were treated to an ‘Access All Areas’ tour of the boarding facilities the girls enjoy today. The changes were admired, especially the comforts - such luxury would have been unthinkable back in the 1960s! Boarders relived the antics of their school days and even shed some light on those ‘stories’ we have heard so much about! Right (l-r): Carla Hyde (Holt ’91), Stevie Sutherland (’89), Tryphena Gillett (Beagley ’90), Marnie West (Faulkner ’91), Peta Astbury (Smith ’91) and Davina Biglin (Thompson ’90)

Above: Class of 2004

Above: Emma O’Leary (de Burgh ’00) and Annette Sandell (de Burgh ’98)

Above: Class of 1985 with Reverend Joyce Polson

Above: Debbie Cummings (Gray ’76) and Nadine Peebles (Maisey ’95)

Old girls' News and Events

EVENTS AND REUNIONS THE CLASS OF 1995 CELEBRATE 20 YEARS The Class of 1995 met at the Stellar Lounge of the Subiaco Hotel on 5 September to celebrate their 20 year reunion. A fantastic turnout of 50 Old Girls made the night a wonderful evening where the girls shared their life experiences since they left St Mary's. Many girls flew in from overseas and interstate to make the event. Telegrams were read from those unable to attend, and a slideshow of photos displayed images from school days and year book entries. Brooke Ellingworth (Lutz ’95)

CONNECT WITH US: UPCOMING EVENTS FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2015 - OLD GIRLS’ COMMITTEE REUNION Former Committee Members are invited to join the current OGA Committee for a Christmas get-together. CLASS OF 2006 REUNION The Class of 2006 is organising its 10th anniversary reunion. For more information please contact Hannah Thomson ('06) on functions@hillarysyachtclub.com.au

CALLING THE CLASSES OF 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986 AND 1996 Next year marks significant anniversaries for the Classes of 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986 and 1996. If you would like to hold a class reunion, please contact us for information at oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au. We are here to help you reconnect with your old classmates. Please register your interest now by contacting us: oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au • (08) 9341 9132

HAPPY 95TH BIRTHDAY, ST MARY'S

NEXT YEAR WE CELEBRATE THE 95TH BIRTHDAY OF ST MARY’S ANGLICAN GIRLS’ SCHOOL. WE HAVE A JAMPACKED CALENDAR OF EVENTS PLANNED. MORE DETAILS ABOUT EACH EVENT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEW YEAR.

Sydney Reunion - Thursday 3 March 2016 Canberra Reunion - Saturday 5 March 2016 London Reunion - Friday 22 April 2016 Head Girl and Dux Dinner - Monday 2 May 2016 Melbourne Reunion - Wednesday 1 June 2016 Old Girls' Day - Saturday 17 September 2016

School Ball 1985, Back Row (l-r): Andrea Burns, Roslyn Grant, Olga Hondros, Debbie Greenham, Gillian Wilberforce, Mandy Hepburn, Louise Kelly, Sally Monteath, Amanda Cockburn, Emily Beckwith. Front Row (l-r): Annabel Viner, Victoria Cornelius, Claire Blakeney, Trina Davis (Head Girl), Leonie Deans

ST MARY'S BALL GOWNS THROUGH THE DECADES

OLD GIRLS’ DAY 2016 Do you still have your school dance or ball dress? If so, we would love to hear from you. We are planning a fabulous display of St Mary’s dresses at Old Girls’ Day 2016. Please contact us if you would be willing to lend us your dress: oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au • (08) 9341 9132

90 ST MARY’S MEMORIES A collection of Old Girls’ stories, anecdotes and memories of years gone by at St Mary’s. Some of the stories you may remember, others you will read for the first time. Together they build a picture of the school through students’ eyes over the generations. St Mary’s Memories is sure to bring a smile, a laugh and a tear to your eye. ROYAL DOULTON SIGNATURE PLATINUM TEA CUP, SAUCER AND PLATE GIFT SET In honour of our 90th anniversary the OGA has presented St Mary’s with two Royal Doulton fine china Signature Platinum tea-sets embossed with a fleur de lis. We are pleased to be able to offer Old Girls the chance to purchase their own little piece of OGA history. A Royal Doulton Signature Platinum tea cup, saucer and side plate presented in a lovely gift box. $48.00 each The following items may be ordered separately: Teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug set Teapot Sugar bowl Milk jug

$150.00 $75.00 $40.00 $40.00

$25.00 plus $10 postage and handling.

ALSO AVAILABLE Silver Fleur de lis charm Silver Fleur de lis charm with chain Gold Fleur de lis charm St Mary’s ball point pen St Mary’s Fleur de lis keyring

$25.00 $35.00 $175.00 $5.00 $10.00

To purchase any of the OGA Memorabilia please contact us: o ga@stmarys.wa.edu.au (08) 9341 9132 www.trybooking.com/GZDA

Frankie’s Folly

Christmas will be here before you know it, and what better way to celebrate the festive season than with a glass of St Mary’s Frankie’s Folly Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon? The wines are made from grapes grown at the St Mary’s at Metricup vineyard in the heart of the Margaret River wine region and are produced by award-winning winery, Redgate Wines. They are named after Lady Treatt (Frankie Wilson ’32) who made an exceptional donation towards the development of St Mary’s at Metricup: The Lady Treatt Centre for Learning and Leadership.

2013 Chardonnay

$10.00 per bottle ($120.00 per carton)

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $12.00 per bottle ($144.00 per carton)

To place your order, please visit www.frankiesfolly.com.au or telephone (08) 9341 9105

Old girls' News and Events

NEWS FROM OLD GIRLS EVERYONE LOVES TO KNOW WHAT THEIR CONTEMPORARIES ARE UP TO. PLEASE SEND US NEWS OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW, AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS.

Email: oga@stmarys.wa.edu.au

By post: Old Girls’ Association, St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, PO Box 105, Karrinyup WA 6921

Elaine Hardie (Davis ’33) celebrated her 100th birthday at the beginning of June. She is pictured using her St Mary's blanket. Congratulations, Elaine! Elizabeth (Sheilagh) Ford (Myles ’51) and her husband, George, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this year. Congratulations to you both!

Above: Elaine Hardie (Davis ’33)

Phone: 9341 9132

Teina Peters (Waldeck ’70), together with her husband, just returned from Annecy in the French Alps where they spent two glorious weeks with their daughter, Sarah Peters (’96) and her husband Matt, and four grandchildren.

Jacquie Edwards (’01) After participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme to Germany in 2002, Jacqui studied a Bachelor of Science (Sports Science and Nutrition) at Edith Cowan University. She travelled to the Netherlands where she worked as a nanny for two years. Upon her return to WA in 2009, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching and now works at Woodvale Secondary College. Jacqui is engaged to be married and is currently planning her wedding which will be held in December 2015. Alison van der Linden (’01) relocated to Dubbo, New South Wales, in March after six years in Sydney. She is currently in a project management role with GrainCorp, where she is responsible for looking after construction and agricultural projects across rural New South Wales.

Nikki Lapsley (Fyson ’96) moved from Broome to the remote Aboriginal community of Warmun in the East Kimberley, with her three children and husband, Stuart, earlier this year. Stuart has taken up a position at the Warmun Multifunctional Police Facility. Jeanette Denham (Norman ’97) recently built a house on the family farm in Ravensthorpe and moved there with her family so that the children could enjoy the same rural lifestyle that she had had. Felicity Staedler (Martin ’00) and her husband, Michael, welcomed their first child into the world in March, a little girl named Liesl. Right: Jeanette Denham (Norman ’97) and family

THE DAY ST MARY’S GIRLS TOOK OVER THE WORLD! Jessica Gethin (Walker ’97) recounts the day St Mary’s Girls took over the world! “I am very fortunate in my work as a conductor that I get to meet some fantastic people from around the world. Something very special happens, however, when you cross paths with a fellow Old Girl, and even more when you get the chance to collaborate on a professional level. Although it is 18 years since I graduated, in July this year I had a pretty amazing experience with numerous Old Girls all in the one day! I was invited to attend the Opening Night of the WA Opera's Marriage of Figaro by the opera company's Operations Manager, Lara Luitingh (’03), after meeting her at a leadership function the week before. There on stage performing in Figaro, were two of my Year 12 music classmates Emma Pearson (’97) and Courtney Weaver (Pitman ’97). I attended the performance with Perth Symphony Orchestra's Executive PA, Belinda Sherry (’05), and together we caught up with fellow guest and opera singer, Ashlyn Tymms (’05), at the pre-opera function. Earlier that day, I had been styled for a photoshoot by the wonderful designer Jonté Pike (’07). Seven Old Girls colliding on the same day!” Gracing the front cover of Almerta in 1997: Emma Pearson (’97) Front: Courtney Weaver (Pitman ’97) and Jessica Gethin (Walker ’97)

News from Old Girls

Above (l-r): Olivia Della Martina (’02), April Scott (’02), Kate Turner (Papalia ’02), Zara Bailey (Blatchford ’02), Caitlin Smith (Alderton ’02), Sally Casson (Mildon ’02)

Zara Bailey (Blatchford ’02) recently celebrated her 30th birthday. Many of her St Mary’s friends joined her for the celebrations. Louise McHarrie (’03) moved to Bristol in the UK in November 2014, to take up a position with Deloitte UK as an external auditor. This new role involves quite a lot of travelling around the United Kingdom which she is enjoying immensely. Courtney Furner (’04) is an Associate to the Honourable Justice Mazza of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Court of Appeal. Courtney recently won an international legal essay competition, which will allow her to attend the International Bar Association's annual conference in Vienna in October as the dispute resolution scholar. This conference attracts around 6,000 lawyers representing law firms, corporations, governments and regulators from over 130 jurisdictions. It is the world's largest and most prestigious international gathering of lawyers each year. Nicky Sandover (’04) launched her latest single Made of Glass on 15 August. It is from an upcoming EP which will be released early 2016. The single is currently available on iTunes and in October Nicky will be heading over for her first tour of the east coast with a run of shows (and surfing) in Queensland and Northern NSW.

Above: Jasmine (Burton ’06) and James Ström on their wedding day

covered 100% by scholarships, grants, crowd funding via the ACF, and prize money from vocal competitions. Ashlynn recently won the Joan Carden Award run by the Sydney University Graduate Choir in August. Emily Joseph (’06) married Adam Howe in a beautiful wedding ceremony in Denmark in May this year. Her bridesmaids and Matron of Honour are all Old Girls of St Mary’s - Alex Carkeek (’06), Jennifer Low (’06) and Katerina Dodds (’06). Jasmine Ström (Burton ’06) Above: Ashlynn Tymms married Haleian, James Ström with fellow entrant of (’02) on 17 April 2015. The ceremony (’05) the Joan Carden Award, was officiated by The Very Reverend Morgan Balfour Richard Pengelley, Dean of Perth, at St George’s College Chapel, Crawley. Jasmine graduated from Curtin University with a Commerce Degree, majoring in Accounting and Entrepreneurship, and became a Chartered Accountant in 2013. She has recently been promoted to Client Manager at Nexia Perth where she is leading the team in Cloud Accounting.

Above: Nicky Sandover (’04)

Ashlynn Tymms (’05) started a two-year Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music, London in September. She is studying with Timothy Evan-Jones, a very well-regarded teacher in London, and will receive the guidance and training essential to further shape her professional development and prepare her for an international operatic performance career. Her travel costs have been 56

News from Old Girls

Above: Emily Joseph (’06) (second from left), with bridesmaids, Alex Carkeek (’06), Jennifer Low (’06) and Katerina Dodds (’06)

Above: Ruby Avis (’11)

Above: Clancy Bradshaw (’12)

Hannah Gladstones (’07) has recently been awarded the 2014/15 AMF Young Musician - UK & Europe for Bassoon and is currently undertaking her Masters degree at the Hochschule for Musik and Theatre in Hamburg, where she studies with two key players in the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as her studies, Hannah has secured a position with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (Young German Philharmonic) and also occasionally plays with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Ruby Avis (’11) is studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in International Relations, at Curtin University. In 2014, she started an internship with Australia’s leading counter terrorism expert, Associate Professor Anne Aly. During her internship Ruby worked on the Counter Narratives to Interrupt Online Radicalization Project and contributed to developing a briefing note for the United Nations Security Council on Foreign Fighters. In December 2014, she was appointed project manager of the Curtin University team to develop an entry for the international competition, Peer to Peer: Challenging Violent Extremism. Ruby’s team developed a prototype mobile application, 52Jumaa. Of the 23 applicants to the competition, 52Jumaa made it to the top three and the team was then given the chance to go to Washington DC to present their work to the US Department of State. Following the team’s presentation they were awarded second place. Ruby has received a job offer in national security and counter violent extremism (CVE), which she looks forward to commencing, upon graduating in 2016. Ruby reflected, “Having started at St Mary’s in Year 1, I can confidently say it has helped to shape the person I have become today. St Mary’s has surrounded me with motivational and aspirational women, whom I call my best friends. This has positively influenced me and motivated me throughout my academic achievements.” Clancy Bradshaw (’12) was awarded a Mannkal Scholarship to intern in Washington DC, at the Atlas Network in June. The Atlas Network is a not-for-profit organisation, which provides assistance to think tanks around the world that support free market ideas such as private-property right, the rule of law, limited government and market economics. During her internship she attended various talks on topics ranging from free trade to Obamacare and also wrote an article comparing monetary freedom in Australia to that of the US. One highlight of Clancy's trip was attending the Washington Oil and Gas Conference. During this full-day conference she learnt about the current global

Above: Amy Sugars (’12)

oil and gas environment, and networked with industry professionals from around the world. "I met some amazing people, and experienced so many incredible opportunities that I will remember for the rest of my life. I am very grateful to have had such an amazing experience, thanks to Mannkal. For any university students interested in economics, I would strongly recommend you look into the international student scholarships that Mannkal offer," Clancy said. Stephanie Goh (’12) participated in, and subsequently won, the University of St Andrew's Annual Concerto Competition, which awarded her with the opportunity to perform the concerto of her choice in its entirety. Stephanie performed this at Younger Hall, in St Andrew's, in April. She said, “It was my first (and very likely, last) time performing a full concerto.” In September, Stephanie will commence the final year of her pre-clinical course. She will be graduating with a BSc (Hons) (Medicine) in June next year, after which she will be moving to Manchester to complete the clinical part of her degree at Salford Royal Hospital. Amy Sugars (’12) recently returned from successfully touring her debut album, Everything I Never Said throughout WA, NT and QLD over a three-month period. In August, Amy performed at RAW’s Perth Showcase at The Rosemount Hotel. RAW showcases upcoming talent across the world. She has nearly finished writing her second album, and will be releasing her next single, Halloween, in a few weeks. She also works full-time in radiology, both an interest and a stable source of income to help fund touring and studio time. Tess Howieson (’13) has moved to Melbourne to commence a full-time dance course. She completed one year of a secondary teaching degree, majoring in dance and drama, at Edith Cowan University but has deferred for a year to gain some experience and give her potential teaching career an advantage. Leaving Perth, her family and friends behind has made her realise how lucky she is to have grown up in such an incredible, nurturing environment, and St Mary’s was a huge part of that environment. She is very thankful for the lessons she learnt at St Mary’s. Tess said, “St Mary’s gave me the confidence and desire to go out and take the risk to step into a world I knew next to nothing about. I especially want to acknowledge Ms Pepper, Ms Gordon, Ms Brand and Mrs Moore, whose support and encouragement have led me to where I am today.”

News from Old Girls

VALE IT IS WITH SADNESS THAT WE RECORD THE DEATHS OF THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE ST MARY’S COMMUNITY. CATHERINE (KITTY) TELFER (MCCARTNEY ’31)

SALLY ARMSTRONG (SEWELL ’62)

4 FEBRUARY 1913 – 22 SEPTEMBER 2014

14 SEPTEMBER 1944 – 5 MARCH 2015

Kitty joined St Mary’s in 1922 and left in 1929. Whilst at school, she was a member of the Girl Guides and became a Form Va Prefect. Her sister, Jean Balston (Macartney ’26), was one of St Mary’s foundation students, present on the opening day of school on 14 September 1921.

Sally attended St Mary’s in West Perth between 1957 and 1959.

Kitty married Alec Magnus in 1933 and had four sons: Ned, Jim, John (dec) and Paul. She was widowed in 1967 and married Albert Telfer OBE in 1969. LETA RIZONIKO (MCKAY ‘49) 9 SEPTEMBER 1932 - 6 OCTOBER 2014

Leta attended St Mary’s in West Perth in 1945 and 1946. She married Bill and had three children. SHEENA STEVENSON (’55) 15 OCTOBER 1938 - 1 JULY 2015

Sheena attended St Mary’s in West Perth in 1951 and 1952. JOAN DANNELL (’62) 8 OCTOBER 1944 – 15 FEBRUARY 2015

Joan joined St Mary’s Kindergarten in 1949 and spent all of her school life at St Mary’s, as did her sisters, Julia McEntee (Dannell ’60) and the late Katrina Dannell (’63). Her family lived in Outram Street, West Perth and her mother, Mollie Dannell (Newbery ‘35), and her aunt, Joan Taylor (Newbery ’30, Head Girl) also attended St Mary’s. Joan started her nursing career in 1961 at Princess Margaret Hospital and worked at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital before becoming a midwife at King Edward Hospital. The highlight of her career was taking the Nightingale Course in London in 1969/70, a course which, because of its quality, she firmly believed every nurse should do. Unfortunately, injury cut Joan’s career short and to her great regret she was forced into early retirement. However, she kept herself busy with needlework and painting, and took a keen interest in her paternal Norwegian ancestry. Joan also enjoyed occasionally attending class reunions.

RACHAEL LEIGHTON (BISHOP ’85) 21 JUNE 1968 - 3 FEBRUARY 2015

It is with immense sadness and disbelief that our beloved Rach passed away suddenly. Rachael attended St Mary’s between 1981 and 1984, leaving at the end of Year 10. She then attended Hartills' Business College, undertaking a Secretarial Diploma Course. She pursued her dream career, completing a hairdressing apprenticeship with Crimpers. She was an excellent hairdresser, competing in several competitions and winning numerous awards. Rachael loved sports, especially car racing at Wanneroo Race track with her father (dec). She was also passionate about scuba diving and loved spending time at Rottnest. Rachael moved to Margaret River in 2003 with her husband Brett. They have three beautiful boys, Thomas, Oliver and Adam. She was a much loved member of the Margaret River Community. Rachael is forever in our hearts, never forgotten and forever loved. Vanessa Bishop (’87) and Rachael's family ASHLYN GILLESPIE (’13) 10 APRIL 1996 – 31 AUGUST 2015

Ashlyn joined St Mary’s in Preprimary in 2001 and graduated in 2013. At school, she was always cheerful and keen to lend a hand, looking after any newcomers and making sure that everyone was accepted and welcomed. Her love of the ocean drew her to study Marine Science and she also participated in volleyball, softball, netball and gymnastics. In 2013 Ashlyn was Wardle Dance Captain. She completed a Diploma of Nursing in Career Education. Ashlyn was very excited to be accepted into the Navy in 2014 and in mid-2015 began work as a Marine Technician Submariner.

Our sympathy to Julia, Joan's brother Sig, and her nephews, Collin, Julian, Jeremy and niece, Rebecca.

Ashlyn died in a car crash in Somerville, Victoria. It is a tragic loss of a young life. Our condolences to her parents, Robert and Kerrie, and siblings, Brodie (’05), Nathan, Braden and Tyla.

Keeva Verschoor (Wittwer ’62)

Kim Banting

Vale

RLD

fair

ARRIVES AT ST MARY'S SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER 2016

IT IS WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT THAT PLANS ARE WELL UNDERWAY FOR THE BIGGEST EVENT OF THE 95TH BIRTHDAY YEAR – THE WORLD FAIR! WE WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING OUR WONDERFUL MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY, WITH AN EXCITING ARRAY OF DIFFERENT STALLS, A DELICIOUS SELECTION OF FOOD, SOME CRAZY RIDES AND ACTIVITIES, AND PLENTY OF FABULOUS ENTERTAINMENT. IT’S ALL ABOUT BRINGING OUR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR A DAY OF GLORIOUS FUN, FOOD AND HAPPY TIMES.

If you would like to have a stall on the day, please let us know. We are looking for donations of items for the silent auction and raffles, or you might even know someone in the port-a-loo business! If you think you can offer us assistance with any goods or services, we would very much appreciate it, and would love to hear from you! Contact the committee at any time at fair@stmarys.wa.edu.au. We are really looking forward to sharing this event with the St Mary’s community. Come and help a little, and play a lot! Let’s celebrate this wonderful world and our wonderful school in its 95th year! Fair Committee 2016

ST MARY’S ANGLICAN GIRLS’ SCHOOL INCORPORATED Elliott Road Karrinyup Western Australia PO Box 105 Karrinyup WA 6921 telephone: (08) 9341 9111 facsimile: (08) 9341 9222 website: www.stmarys.wa.edu.au CRICOS Number 00454C

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