The Women's College Magazine Vol 33

Volume 33 • 2017

The Women’s College Magazine is published annually to report on the activities of the College. Our students study across a range of degrees at the University of Sydney, and our alumnae cover many fields of professional endeavour. The Magazine exists to tell the stories of this proud and unique women’s institution.

THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE 15 Carillon Avenue The University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia www.thewomenscollege.com.au Postal PO Box 743 Broadway NSW 2007 Australia Telephone +61 (0)2 9517 5000 Twitter @WomensColl Facebook @TheWomensCollege Instagram womenscoll ISSN 2204-1028 Editor Tiffany Donnelly Art Direction Whale Design Co.

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Cover Principal Dr Amanda Bell (centre) with 2017 Grace Frazer scholars (left to right): Georgina Calvert, Justine Schipper, Charlotte Reimer and Madeleine McDonald.

PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co. Additional Photography and Images Scott Cameron, eventpix, Haline Ly, Bob Miller, m3architecture, Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, Ted Sealy, SugarLove Photography, Sydney Morning Herald, Women’s College Archives, staff, students and alumnae of the Women’s College

CONTENTS

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RISING WOMEN

125 YEARS TOGETHER

4 Timeless Tenets

32 Student Leadership Senior Student Jordan Yang-Eaves reports on leadership training at College and outlines the House Committee goals for 2017

Principal Dr Amanda Bell ponders the debate over equal access for women in an age where the definition of diversity is changing rapidly

8 Our First Women

36 Clash of Career and Care The statistics on women’s leadership in Australia speak for themselves, says Professor Marian Baird AO, Senate Representative to the Women’s College Council

The very first resident students at Women’s College are profiled, 125 years after they pioneered college life for women in Australia

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10 Scholars Together Four students gained entry to College in 2017 with scores of 99.95, the highest possible university entry mark

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12 Age of Cultural Change

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Mentors and Medical Benefits Medical scholarship at Women’s College has been significant since our founding, changing the landscape of medicine in Australia

Chair of Council Julie McKay looks to the future that Women’s College is actively constructing, both physically, and in terms of cultural change

16 Partner in Progressive Philanthropy

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Interview with new philanthropy adviser to the College Council, investment banker Peter Wilson

20 Archaeology of College Louisa Macdonald’s preoccupation with archaeology and the ancient past set a theme which continues to this day

23 Sibyl Rises From the trenches of the Langley Precinct, the new Sibyl Centre is coming to life. Our project managers and architect comment on what the project will deliver for Women’s College

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28 Raising Support

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Acknowledging the philanthropic support of our donors, January to December 2016

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HONOURING OUR HERITAGE

42 Still Together Alumnae have been meeting at Women’s College for over a hundred years in unbroken association

44 Advancement of Alumnae Alumnae Committee President Professor Jakelin Troy is profiled for her work in Indigenous languages and research

46 Alumnae Formal Dinner Introducing a new Women’s College event

48 Achievements Alumnae and members of the College community are recognised for their service to the University, the State and the nation

50 Acknowledgements Vale Ann Felton, Sally Crossing, Russell Locke, Helen Hazard, Jennifer MacLennan and James Rigney

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THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE • VOLUME 33 2017

125 YEARS TOGETHER

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

Timeless Tenets:

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

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n 1892 when Louisa Macdonald was appointed the first Principal of the Women’s College, she was reportedly the highest paid woman in New South Wales and unusually was paid the same as her male counterparts. Unfortunately, equal pay for equal work remains a national and global inequity agenda item in spite of an active feminist focus since the suffragettes.

At least equality of access to university courses exists in Australia and the University of Sydney has an egalitarian history in this regard—The Women’s College was established specifically to accommodate women studying at the University alongside men. Interestingly though, founding resident Eleanor Whitfeld reflected on her days in College and specifically noted the prejudices Louisa Macdonald had to face in terms of attitudes towards the education of women at the time College was founded.

Equality of access for women to university was hard fought and the University of Sydney was certainly more

PHOTO: Louisa Macdonald. The Womens College Archives.

open and encouraging than some of its Australian and international counterparts. Even so, without the establishment of the College, access would have been impossible for women from rural areas or indeed places like Queensland, where many of our early students came from. Degree courses open to women were somewhat limited as well, and certainly job and career prospects were narrow to the point of extinction once a woman married.

Today, equality of access to university and programs of study are not restricted by sex, although socio-economic status, awareness and aspiration still play a pivotal role in determining whether many young women in regional, rural or remote areas even consider entry to the University of Sydney. With the growth and success of regional universities the option for students to study closer to home is compelling. To combat this trend, generous tertiary equity programs offered by the

TIMELESS TENETS

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University of Sydney and residential scholarships at Women’s College play a significant role in attracting and supporting young women who aspire to attend these two historic institutions.

The first four resident students of the College came from Sydney, Melbourne and England, along with three non-resident students (known as affiliate members today)—a modest number. Today, one hundred and twenty five years later, College is home to two hundred and eighty-seven undergraduate and postgraduate women plus an additional forty-four affiliate members.

They are studying over eighty different degree courses, compared to the original four residents who all studied a Bachelor of Arts. Alongside being a home for many and a home away from home for others, today College provides pastoral and academic support, myriad co-curricular activities, professional development, leadership and internship opportunities, mentoring and, perhaps most importantly, life-long networks and friendships.

Not entirely dissimilar to the backgrounds of our inaugural students, this year’s new intake includes metropolitan, rural, regional, remote and international students. However, there is now a new and growing demographic (eight percent) of Third Culture students— students who are Australian citizens, but have lived in different countries for much of their life and often speak multiple languages. These Third Culture students bring an additional richness of global experience and diverse thinking to the College community.

The expansion in our student diversity at College reflects the University of Sydney’s changing demographic and that of Australian society generally. In 1892 “diversity” in Australian universities extended to Christian

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THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE • VOLUME 33 2017

denominational affiliation, whereas the College has been diverse since its inception, admitting not only students from all Christian denominations, but also from other religious backgrounds. Building on these foundations, as the wider community has become more ethnically and religiously diverse, so too has College been welcoming of students from all backgrounds. Today it encompasses myriad combinations of nationality, religion, colour, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, culture and politics. The benefits of encouraging and embracing a diverse community have been shown to improve collective tolerance of difference, creativity, innovation, economic advantage and citizenship. Indeed, diversity is one of the core tenets cited in the 2016 Australian Human Rights Commission’s blueprint “Leading for Change” alongside equality as a basic human right.

Across the last century and a quarter, Women’s College has provided a home in which female students, in all their diversity, can come together. Our alumnae today attest to this broad and deep community of friends, an invisible but unbreakable connection of women across time and place. It is this reservoir of support and network of solidarity that has enabled so many of our alumnae to lead change in their respective professions.

Women’s leadership has always been synonymous with Women’s College and that leadership extends today in a commitment to continuing the feminist agenda of equity.

Much has changed at Women’s College in one hundred and twenty five years, but much has rightly stayed the same.

Largesse by and for Leading Women Among our first four College residents was the initial Grace Frazer Award winner, Eleanor Whitfeld. The Grace Frazer Award was the original scholarship prize and was donated to the College by Mrs C.B. Fairfax in memory of her late sister, Grace Frazer. It was awarded to the student/s with the highest matriculation score.

Mrs Fairfax paid £50 each year from 1892 to 1896 to fund this award and then in 1896 gave an additional £1,000 as a principal sum to endow it in perpetuity.

Since then, many academically talented young women have benefitted from Mrs Fairfax’s largesse and today students with the highest ATAR or its equivalent on entry to College receive the Award.

Our cover image features this year’s four Grace Frazer Award recipients. The backgrounds of our 1892 and 2017 students featured in this issue of the magazine make great comparative reading in this 125th anniversary edition—specifically when the perennial questions of equality and diversity are tested.

Mrs C.B. Fairfax by Tremayne Lark, oil on canvas, Women’s College collection.

DR. AMANDA BELL Principal

TIMELESS TENETS

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

OUR FIRST

Women T

he opening page of our 125th Anniversary magazine features a very early photograph from the College archives of the first four students with Principal Louisa Macdonald, taken in 1892 in the grounds of Strathmore in Glebe, the College’s first premises. The first four resident students are profiled here and their friendship, scholarship and professional contributions have echoed through the College generations since.

Lucy Flavelle attended Miss Ashe’s school in Burwood and then lived at Women’s College for the first year of her Arts degree. She graduated with her BA in 1896, studied pedagogy abroad and lived at her family home in Concord for the remainder of her life, teaching at Brighton-Le-Sands Public School in the 1920s.

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THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE • VOLUME 33 2017

Constance Harker was born in Melbourne and entered Women’s College when she was sixteen years old.

She lived at College 1892-94 and graduated BA with first-class honours in English, French and History.

Constance taught at Kambala and PLC Croydon before studying “foreign languages and educational methods” in England, France and Germany from 1904-08. In 1908 Constance became acting head mistress of Brisbane Girls’ High School (now Somerville House), and co-Principal (with Marjorie Kate Jarrett) from 1909 until her retirement in 1931.

Dorothy Harris had been educated abroad in England and later at Abbotsleigh. Dorothy lived for one year at Women’s College (first year of her Arts degree), and left to be married the following year (1893). She was Lady Mayoress of Hereford, England, during WWI and was

PHOTO: Principal Louisa Macdonald (centre) with the first four students (left to right): Dorothy Harris, Eleanor Whitfeld, Constance Harker and Lucy Flavelle

“And this prejudice or indifference Miss Macdonald had to overcome by her persuasive eloquence, and by inducing people to visit the College and see it in working order and be introduced to that strange anomaly, the woman under-graduate.

She must have had some anxious moments. For, with all our scholastic ambitions, we were in the main just four irresponsible schoolgirls, rejoicing in an unwonted freedom, revelling in the fuller life opening to us, bent on having a good time.”

mentioned in despatches for conspicuous services to the War Office. From 1919-1933 she was a member of the County Council in England.

Eleanor Whitfeld was educated at Sydney Girls’ High School, and lived at College for the duration of her Arts degree (1892-94). She was the first Grace Frazer Scholar.

Eleanor graduated in 1895 with first-class honours in History and Mental Philosophy, and won a host of academic prizes in addition to the University Medal.

She worked briefly at Miss Wallis’s School in 1896 and married University of Sydney Professor of History George Arnold Wood in 1898. In 1909 Eleanor, by then Mrs G.A. Wood, went on with Louisa Macdonald to found an Association of Old Students at College.

In 1919 Eleanor wrote some reminiscences of College’s first four students and its Principal for the College Magazine. Among her reflections she noted the prejudices Louisa Macdonald had to deal with in terms of attitudes towards the education of women at the time College was founded*.

“And this prejudice or indifference Miss Macdonald had to overcome by her persuasive eloquence, and by inducing people to visit the College and see it in working order and be introduced to that strange anomaly, the woman under-graduate. She must have had some anxious moments. For, with all our scholastic ambitions, we were in the main just four irresponsible schoolgirls, rejoicing in an unwonted freedom, revelling in the fuller life opening to us, bent on having a good time.” *Reflections by Eleanor Whitfeld, 1919.

OUR FIRST WOMEN

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

“We find ourselves as four modern fun-loving girls immersed in the rich traditions of Women’s College. 125 years on and so much is the same; Women’s College remains a sanctuary of support and enrichment still empowering young women to advance academically and in contemporary society.”

Scholars Together Four students entered the Women’s College community in 2017 on ATAR rankings of 99.95, the highest possible entry score. These scholars are featured together with Principal Dr Amanda Bell in a contemporary version of the first College photo in 1892 which appears on the opening page of this special 125th anniversary edition of the Magazine. These young women possibly hold aspirations not so dissimilar to their historic counterparts described on page 8.

GEORGINA CALVERT follows in her mother’s footsteps in coming to Women’s College. She calls Warncoort home in regional Victoria, attended Geelong Grammar School and is studying a combined Commerce Law degree.

JUSTINE SCHIPPER came to College from Hong Kong, where she attended the French International School. She has gained entry to the Combined Medicine degree at Sydney University.

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Left to right - Georgina Calvert, Justine Schipper, Dr Amanda Bell, Charlotte Reimer & Madeleine McDonald. PHOTO: Haline Ly

CHARLOTTE REIMER was educated at the Singapore American School.

She is undertaking a Combined Arts Law degree.

MADELEINE McDONALD completed her schooling at Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney and has begun her Combined Medicine degree at Sydney University.

SCHOLARS TOGETHER

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

AGE OF

Cultural Change W

elcoming our one hundred and fifty new resident and affiliate students, it now feels that 2017 has officially begun for Women’s College. The construction of the Sibyl Centre has commenced and the works are a reminder of the exciting future we are creating for our students, alumnae and for the wider community.

Celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March, again I was frustrated by the slow progress being made towards gender equality in Australia. I worry that despite the investment we make in our students and despite 125 years of graduating exceptional women leaders, the systems and structures that operate in our workforces continue to prevent them reaching their potential. I cannot help but think that the founders of

Women’s College Council members. Front row left to right: Amanda Bell (Principal), Jordan Yang- Eaves (Senior Student), Samantha Gavel (Deputy Chair), Julie McKay (Chair).

On stairs: Peter Wilson, Leo Tutt (Hon Treasurer), Jakelin Troy, Hugh Donaldson, David Wakeley, Justine Beaumont, Honor McFadyen, Judy Mills. PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

Women’s College would be shocked if they knew that in 2017, we were still facing major barriers promoting women into leadership roles, considerable pay inequality and widespread violence against women.

The construction of the Sibyl Centre provides Women’s College with an opportunity to broaden our engagement with business and government leaders on the role of women leaders. It is our hope that the Centre will become a place where thought leaders, academics and the business community can come together to design the future of, for example, work—one which is inclusive of all. Our students will have unique opportunities to be part of these discussions and have exposure to the experts who will ultimately support them to reach their aspirations in their chosen fields.

AGE OF CULTURAL CHANGE

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In thinking about how we all contribute to creating a future for our students that is equal and inclusive, I am very pleased that Women’s College has played an active role in supporting Elizabeth Broderick and her team in conducting a review into the culture of the University of Sydney colleges. Our students have participated in listening sessions and workshops and have been exposed to a range of speakers who have challenged them to think deeply about harassment, violence and the types of leadership skills needed to address these behaviours in a College and university environment. For some, these sessions have been deeply personal and challenging. For others, they have been eye opening to some of the issues facing their peers. I am incredibly proud of our 2016 and 2017 Senior Students the student leaders for the role they have played in this work, and look forward to Elizabeth Broderick & Co.’s recommendations and ongoing support. As Chair of Council, I have received very positive feedback to date from Elizabeth and her

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PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

“In a year when we will be reflecting on the proud history and achievements of the founders of Women’s College, I recommit myself to being part of the societal change which is needed to ensure that our students can access all of the roles and opportunities they deserve.”

team about the experiences and engagement of our students and am particularly heartened by the level of student trust in staff and confidence that they will be supported if they do experience any form of unacceptable behaviour.

In a year when we will be reflecting on the proud history and achievements of the founders of Women’s College, I recommit myself to being part of the societal change which is needed to ensure that our students can access all of the roles and opportunities they deserve. I invite all of you to join me in investing in the Sibyl Centre, which I am confident will become a physical space which contributes to the advancement of gender equality and women’s leadership—for our students and for women across Australia and our region.

I look forward to having the opportunity to meet more of the College community throughout the year—our 125th anniversary, and welcome your feedback at any time.

JULIE MCKAY Chair of Council

AGE OF CULTURAL CHANGE

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

PARTNER IN

Progressive Philanthropy I

n March Peter Wilson joined the College Council as Philanthropic Advisor. The first person to hold a role as an Advisor to Council, Peter brings a wealth of experience in governance, philanthropy and social change to this role where he will assist Council to review and refresh our fundraising goals and philanthropic strategy. Peter is Managing Director of investment bank Greenhill, Chairman of Playwriting Australia, and a director of Company B Limited (Belvoir Street Theatre). He holds a Bachelor of Laws

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PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

and a Bachelor of Commerce with honours in Finance from the University of NSW and his strong community contributions saw him recognised with an Emerging Philanthropy Leadership Award by Creative Partnerships Australia last year. At a time when College is undertaking a major building project and working to ensure that we can adequately support students through scholarships and professional internships, Peter’s experience and support will be invaluable.

PARTNER IN PROGRESSIVE PHILANTHROPY

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Peter Wilson IN CONVERSATION

Congratulations on your Emerging Philanthropy Leadership Award last year. Has the award altered your view or your approach to philanthropy?

I have definitely become a lot busier! I’ve been keen to embrace the opportunities that have come from the increased profile because I think it’s important that people who are different to the standard image of a philanthropist feel able to participate in philanthropy.

Specifically, people who are younger, who are giving out of income rather than just out of wealth, and people who come from diverse backgrounds. I also think that women have a much bigger role to play as givers and that’s part of the exciting opportunity of being part of Women’s College.

When you’ve considered giving your time to organisations, what has guided you to the choices you’ve made in terms of other philanthropic board positions?

My partner and I have a household approach to philanthropy and the cause areas we’re interested in are the arts, specifically theatre and the visual arts, with a focus on investing in the development of new and different voices and supporting artists rather than institutions. We’re also interested in social justice with a focus on sexuality and gender, equality and diversity.

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And specifically the attraction to Women’s College?

We’ve been interested in the rights movement in terms of sexuality for a long time. Towards the back end of last year and with particular political developments – whether you look at the gay marriage debate, Trump in the US, or the backward steps on gender and sexuality in other parts of the world – a lot of the battles we thought we’d won didn’t look so victorious and it felt like it was time to get back on the barricades.

Women’s College has had a long mission on the barricades as far as promoting women leaders and it hasn’t done itself out of a job yet!

The current capital campaign is aiming to assist with improving College infrastructure. Do you think the $5 million target is an ambitious one for an organisation such at Women’s College?

No, I don’t think so, but I also don’t think we should see the task as simply raising $5 million. The task is really creating a long-term philanthropic strategy to support Women’s College into the future. In the short term, the goal is raising funds for a capital campaign, but a longer-term strategy for continued fundraising gives the College flexibility to do other things too.

And if you want a benchmark, my old school recently raised $20 million for a boatshed!

Do you have any comments or observations about women as givers?

What I would observe from my experience is that in the younger generations within family foundations, women are taking leadership roles in directing the giving of the family. Within the philanthropy industry, there is a clear preponderance of women. But in terms of the people who direct the giving of wealthy households and large foundations, there’s still a preponderance of men.

Women in philanthropy is a really interesting area.

A number of organisations are forming specialist women’s giving groups here and overseas, often largely composed of professional women. So it’s a fertile area of innovation as a way of raising the level of participation within a group that historically hasn’t been as engaged. There is a lot of good work going on elsewhere that we can bring to College. And the issue of supporting women leaders is really important.

of that and from time to time that means there will be a capital campaign.

The magic of Women’s from what I can tell often involves mixing scholarship students with students from more privileged backgrounds, and rural kids with city kids. Over time, we want more diversity, too. Having a proportion of the cohort being children of alumnae and other families who can afford to support them financially, with the brightest and best no matter what their backgrounds, is what we need.

If you want to maintain that mix of students, all of whom have an expectation of quality infrastructure, the buildings have to live up to that expectation.

College wants to keep attracting the young women with the highest potential to create continuous generations of women leaders. We won’t win that fight if we don’t have excellent infrastructure as well as an ability to assist financially where there is a need.

Sometimes people would rather give to a scholarship rather than buildings. Can you comment on that for people considering giving a gift?

I think that providing the best possible start for young women at College involves having quality physical infrastructure. Great buildings are part

Any final comments?

I just feel very privileged to be asked to help out, and grateful to Women’s College for giving a bloke a go.

PARTNER IN PROGRESSIVE PHILANTHROPY

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

The Archaeology of

College

The study and practice of archaeology has a long association with Women’s College, beginning with the first Principal of College, Louisa Macdonald, and continuing to this day.

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ouisa Macdonald completed an Arts degree with first class honours and an MA in Classics from University College London. She worked at the British Museum on a project in Classical Archaeology after graduating, while lecturing and tutoring Classics at University College.1 While she initially intended to pursue an academic career, Louisa was herself the recipient of a women’s college education and her path led her, at the age of 34, to Women’s College in Sydney. Her love of the past is a tangible part of her legacy at Women’s College, most notably in the wonderful casts of the Parthenon frieze which grace the Main Common Room.

By the time she arrived in Australia to take up the role as Principal of the College, Louisa had published articles on the archaeology of Greece and Cyprus. In 1898, six years after taking up her new role, she published her Catalogue of the Greek and Etruscan Vases and of the Greek and Roman Lamps in the Nicholson Museum,

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Women’s College at Pella. Left to right: Tiffany Donnelly, Paul Donnelly, Pamela Watson, Stella Quast, Christine Biggs, Piers Donnelly, Myles Donnelly (in foreground). PHOTO: Bob Miller.

a small volume annotating two hundred objects held in the University of Sydney’s museum of antiquities.

Louisa’s archaeological training, and her specialist mythological and art historical knowledge, made her one of the few people in Australia at the time capable of describing these objects, which were donated to the University by Sir Charles Nicholson in 1860.

The College’s association with antiquity has continued through its staff, students, alumnae and honorary fellows, and most recently through participation in the University of Sydney and Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation excavations at Pella in Jordan. Pella is a multi-period site in the Jordan valley with human habitation dating back nine thousand years. The ten-hectare “tel” (hill or mound) site has been dug by the University of Sydney since 1979, revealing extensive civic and domestic architecture, tombs, temples, and currently a palace.

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF COLLEGE

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Sibyl Rises A Women’s College contingent converged at the recent season of excavations at Pella earlier this year. Alumna Dr Pam WATSON [1969], Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Humanities at the University of New England, is co-director of the dig with a specialty in the Byzantine period. Another veteran of the Pella dig, Dr Christine Biggs [WINZOR: 1982-85] visited the site this year with husband Ian Biggs HE, Australian Ambassador to Tehran. Christine is an archaeologist with degrees from the University of Sydney and Oxford University, and has a special interest in Hellenistic architecture.

Honorary Fellow in Residence Dr Paul Donnelly wrote his doctorate on bronze-age ceramics found in the region of Pella. As well as a trench supervisor at Pella he is currently Associate Director of Sydney University Museums, developing the content for the new Chau Chak Wing Museum, which will eventually house the objects annotated in Louisa Macdonald’s 1898 publication in addition to the University art and Macleay Museum collections. Vice Principal Dr Tiffany Donnelly spent her fifth season on the dig adding to its extensive database of finds, and their children Myles (11) and Piers (8) spent their third season on the dig undertaking some of the many odd jobs generated by a working excavation team.

For current student Stella Quast, now in the third year of her Arts degree and majoring in archaeology, this season at Pella was her first experience of a dig, and an unforgettable one. “As my first dig, it was amazing to work on a site that had been occupied for so long and is so well-established in the academic world,” says Stella. “Even better, Pella happens to be run by my own university, and was full of Australian archaeologists. And to top it all off, there

turned out to be a surprising number of people with connections to The Women’s College. Being able to exchange college stories over steaming cups of Arabic coffee with the Call to Prayer echoing in the background was quite a surreal experience.”

The Pella excavation takes student and non-student volunteers and digs every second year over the Australian summer.

Embedded in the College’s DNA is the oracle, Sibyl. She appears from 1913, when the College was celebrating its 21st birthday; she lends her name to our academic journal and now graces the vision for our new building, The Sibyl Centre—a place for the future of women in academia, thought leadership, and citizenship. In January, work commenced on Sibyl as part of the $25 million Langley Precinct Project, led by m3architecture, contract builder AW Edwards and CBRE, formerly Aurora Projects.

One of Louisa’s pots: Water jar (hydria) of the black figure style; Athens, Greece; 525- 500BC (Nicholson Museum 98.24 – number 31 in Louisa’s catalogue). Louisa Macdonald noted in her Catalogue that “the subject on the body of the vase is probably a representation of the Marriage of Zeus and Hera.” PHOTO: Nicholson Museum

1 Letters from Louisa, Jeanette Beaumont and W. Vere Hole (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1996): 8-9.

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PHOTO: Scott Cameron

SIBYL RISES

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INSIGHTS FROM

The Project Team MICHAEL BANNEY Architect, m3architecture Architect Michael Banney has been with the project from its conception, and is the creative brain behind the design for the Sibyl Centre and Langley Precinct Project, as well as the overall College masterplan.

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he College’s 125th anniversary is a rare moment in our history. The Sibyl Centre is the first new building in more than 45 years and one entirely devoted to enhancing student facilities—performance spaces, learning lounge/library, music practice rooms, design studio, rooftop terrace and outdoor courtyards.

As Sibyl rises from her foundations, we will see in tangible form the new possibilities for our students and their College for the future.

Women’s College Principal Dr Amanda Bell is delighted the project is underway. “This is the culmination of four years of intensive strategic planning, design collaboration, fundraising and negotiations. It is an exciting phase of the project as we work towards enhancing facilities for our students.”

When completed in March 2018, The Sibyl Centre

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This is an important moment in the process, when the soil is dug and the foundations are laid, because it is the first step in realising something that until this point has just been concepts and technical drawings. Until now the project has only been in the minds of a few. Now it’s opening up to be inclusive of project managers and builders, and others who are starting to understand what the project is all about, including its joys and its complexities. It is interesting to watch other people become familiar with something we’ve grown with over years, to see them forming their own relationship with the project and taking ownership of it in their own specialty.

The fantastic thing about where we’re at now is that we’re about to see the redescription of Women’s College to Western Avenue with the addition of a contemporary building which doesn’t attempt to take over the role of Main, but which adds to the collection of significant buildings on the site, and to the identity of Women’s. Probably more than that is the strategic location of key spaces that will help to foster activities at Women’s College. Women’s is a fantastically rich story that’s already written, and what the building is trying to do is augment and support all of its functions. Hopefully the Sibyl Centre will be somewhat of a “front-door” experience through which students will come and go daily, drop into the central space, see friends, use the design studio, set up for a party, attend a tutorial. We’re about to see the special reality of the pre-planning that’s gone into trying to make some of those day-to-day things for the College happen in a more efficient and more exciting way.

Most of what the Sibyl Centre will enable are things that already occur here. It just raises the bar.

will raise the profile of the College within the grounds of the University, providing a variety of opportunities for programs to augment the experience of students, both resident and affiliate. Alongside the new construction, our stately 1960s Langley Building will receive a sensitive and long-overdue make-over— protecting her architectural integrity, while bringing the interior design into the 21st century.

“This is an important moment in the history of the College,” says Dr Bell. “The completion of the Langley Precinct Project will be a tangible testament to the significance, impact and capacity of this all-female institution. It will send a strong message about the necessity of improving the aesthetic and intellectual environment for our female scholars through flexible, purpose-designed spaces, now and into the future.”

ILLUSTRATION: m3architecture

PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

INSIGHTS FROM THE PROJECT TEAM

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MITCHELL CLEARY Project Manager, AW Edwards Mitchell has worked for AW Edwards for six years.

As well as supervising the building team on site, he is responsible for client liaison, commercial performance, program delivery, health and safety, and quality control.

SILVIE PAPPAS Project Manager, CBRE, formerly Aurora Projects Originally from a civil engineering background, Silvie has eleven years’ experience as a project manager, the last four at Aurora Projects. She is responsible for keeping the Langley Precinct Project on budget and on program, and facilitates communications between the builders, the College, and the university.

AW Edwards was established 96 years ago. As a family owned business it’s one of the oldest building companies in NSW. The Women’s College has a tradition of being at the forefront of women’s education and the championing of women’s rights, academic thought and leadership. The College has a long and respected history and in keeping with our own long-held values we are excited to partner with the Women’s College on this project.

The design of the Sibyl Centre is highly creative and visually pleasing. It’s also a unique project by virtue of its curved outline and the changing configuration of levels within the building, which adds complexity and intrigue. In addition to delivering a large new functional space for the students, there will be a major aesthetic improvement to the site with the addition of the new colonnade, and the curved façade with the beautiful historical image on the front. The design will successfully link the new and the old: collaboration between the heritage Main building and the contemporary Sibyl Centre. AW Edwards is looking forward to making the College’s experience as seamless as possible by employing a positive, proactive approach to all aspects of the delivery, primarily focusing on time, cost and quality.

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At the time Aurora was tendering for the project I was seconded as Senior Project Manager for Campus Infrastructure Services at Sydney University, so looking after the Women’s College was a natural fit. Aurora’s main client focus as project managers and facility planners has been in health and higher education. So large infrastructure projects are a specialty. I’ve also worked alongside AW Edwards in the past. They are very client focussed and they collaborate and integrate well in project teams. They also come up with great solutions when unexpected construction challenges arise.

Being a woman working on this project has made me realise that I could have used the help that Women’s provides when I was at university! By undertaking this new building, the College is providing facilities that will enhance the experience for young women, extend their living spaces and make them feel even more at home. The Sibyl Centre will be an amazing building that will put a stamp on the university campus. Its position and design will ensure that people won’t walk past and disregard it. It is fantastic that the College is giving its students extra space to be able to sit down, plug in and do whatever they need to alongside and beyond their studies.

PHOTOS: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

INSIGHTS FROM THE PROJECT TEAM

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125 YEARS TOGETHER

Raising Support L

aunched by Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO in April 2016, the Together campaign for the Langley Precinct project attracted wide support from our traditional stakeholders as well as generous donors with no previous connection to the College. The motivation for this new stakeholder group was aspirational and they engaged with the concept of what College does and can provide for young women. For example, David Wakeley, who is new to Council and College, recently observed: “It seems to me that a young woman here obtains her degree from the University of Sydney, but acquires her leadership capability at Women’s College”.

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PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

In addition to benefaction funding the new Sibyl Centre and surrounds, we also received significant support for our scholarship fund, which supported 40 students of merit and need across the College last year.

Our sincere and grateful thanks to all our donors, without whose thoughtful largesse College would be unable to augment its campus environment or maintain its diverse and equitable community of scholars. We are proud to report that in excess of $1M in philanthropic funds was raised last year: over $850K in the first year of our Together campaign, which has a target of $5M over five years; and over $220K in scholarship funding.

Again, thank you to everyone who is inspired to support this unique and important place of learning.

RAISING SUPPORT

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DONOR LIST 1 January — 31 December 2016

Lucinda Aboud Jessamy Alexander Alliance Catering Allsopp Family Foundation Jennifer Allum Anonymous donor Katherine Archer Derek Armstrong Leonie Armstrong Kristin Auld Sally Auld Chiharu Baba Marian Baird AO Victoria Baker Lucy Baker Rebecca Barry Ruth Barry Mary Barton AO Marie Bashir AD CVO John Beer Amanda Bell Margaret Beveridge Christine Biggs Kevin Blackburn Thomas Blackburn Elizabeth Bowman Melody Boxall Andrea Britton Peter Bull Alexandra Bune AM Margaret Burgess AO Meredith Burn Christopher Burt Lydia Burt

David & Belinda Cadwallader Andrew Cameron Elizabeth Campbell Emma Campbell Yvonne Campbell Louise Carroll Wendy Carter Tim Castle Kam Wa Cheuk Philippa Childs Lavinia Chrystal Clayton Utz Christina Clyne Susan Conde Danielle Cook John Copland AO Berkeley & Sarah Cox Nerida Croker Sarah Dacres-Mannings Jennifer Davidson Alexander Dawson Alexander & Jane Dawson Angus Dawson Gineke de Haan Gregory & Anna Deacon Ann Diamant Christine Donnelly Pamela Donnelly Tiffany & Paul Donnelly Robyn Doughty Ki Douglas Barbara Dowe Melanie Drake Catherine Drayton

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Robyn Drew Ronald & Vanessa Driver Catherine Duffy Mark Eames Melissa Eaton Victoria Edwards Edwina Corlette Gallery Fardin Eghtedari Maryam Eghtedari Elizabeth Elliott AM Arthur Emmett AO Tim Fairfax AC Lynnette Farrell Steven Finch David Flanagan Janet Flint Hannah Flitcroft Heather Fogerty Olma Gan Timothy & Alison Gavan Carolyn Gavel Samantha Gavel Faith Gibson Jennifer Giles Victoria Gorman Wendy Greenwood Rebecca Griffin Alexandra Grimwade Joan Grimwade OBE Valerie Grogan AM Annelise Guest Glen Gulliver Dinah Hales Pauline Harding Jill Hawker

Margaret Hawkins Janet Hay Brittany Hayes Helen Hazard Anne Henchman Margaret Henderson Jill Henry Peter Herrmann Jill Hickson AM Ruth Higgins & Tamson Pietsch Pamela Hodgson Richard Holden Margaret Holland Elizabeth Howard Sarah Hudspeth Stevenson Stephen & Gabrielle Ingate Theresa Jacques JAFEM Ltd ATF Justin McCuaig Foundation Fleur Jouault Anna Joyce Michele Judzewitsch Katherine & Thyne Reid Foundation Alisha King Laidlaw Foundation Pty Ltd Isobel Lang Anna Lawless Felicity Lehane Rosalind Lehane Michael Leigh Christa Lenard Zoe Lenard Sharon Leow

Patricia Lesslie Tina Leung Lorraine Livingstone-Oates Jocelyn Lloyd Rosalind Loo Andre Louw Elizabeth MacDiarmid Iain MacDonald Helen Maclean Jenny MacLennan OAM Michael Macnamara Barbara MaddernWellington AM Sarah Madew Michael Mahony Alison Main Doyle Mallett Magdalen Malone Mollie Maloney Maple-Brown Family Foundation Ltd Claudio & Diane Marcolongo Betty Marks OAM Tony McCarthy Kathryn McClymont Janet McCredie AM Prudence McCullagh Brett & Karryn McFadyen Mary McGuirk Jeannette McHugh Diana McKay Julie McKay Leah McKenzie

Lindy McWilliam Michael Miller Adele Millerd Paulette Milliner Judith Mills Wendy Minne Sally Mitchell Cathryn Mittelheuser AM Marjorie Moffatt Stephanie Moffitt Erica Morris Joycelyn Morton Patricia Morton Sarah Morton-Ramwell Kristin Moses Tony Mower Ann Moyal AM Anne Mulholland Catherine Munro Sally Murray Helen Murray Margaret Murray National Australia Bank National Gallery of Victoria Frances Newman Angela Nordlinger Judith Oakley Tyler O’Brien Jocelyn O’Neil Robyn Overall Mary Page Elizabeth Palmer Hayley Paproth Louise Parsons

Emilie Perl Sally Pitkin Louise Prowse Lynn Rainbow Reid AM Ralph’s Café Sophie Ray Suzanne Reid Carolyn & John Rendle James Rigney Ian Roberts Patricia Roby Chloe Roe Joan Rofe Catherine Rothery Fiona Roughley Marie Rowles Richard & Sandra Royle Rozetta Technology Angelina Russo Michaela Sandra Margaret Seale Lynette Selwood Trish Sharp Jill Shepherd Lorna Siah Sandra Sippe Elissa Smallman Julia Smart Natalie Smith Paul Smith Judith Soper Simon Spicer Bettina Sutton Sandra Taylor Narcissus Teoh

The Sparkle Team Pty Ltd Jennifer Thompson Abigail Thonemann Mabel Tindal Alexandra Topp Leo Tutt OAM Women’s College Alumnae Association Women’s College Student Club UBS AG Lorena Valente Antonia Waddy Claudette Wadsworth David Wakeley Kristen Walker Lucinda Warren Louise Watson Alison Watts-Lawless Judith Webb Jonathan Webb Christina Weiss Westpac Banking Corporation Danny Wetherall Alan & Ethel Wigzell Helen Wiles Gay Windeyer Jim Windeyer Josh & Grace Wong Ann Wright Lillian Wright Nicholas Yates Suzanne Yelland Nick Zafiriou

RAISING SUPPORT

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RISING WOMEN

STUDENT

Leadership “Leadership is a concept we are constantly engaging with as students at Women’s College” says Senior Student Jordan Yang-Eaves

W

hether we think consciously about it or not, we express our leadership in our day to day lives by planning, managing, promoting and giving our support to the vast array of activities which make the College such a vibrant place to live. We see leadership role modelled all around us, in our formal dinner speakers, our lecturers and tutors, and in our fellow collegians. This year’s House Committee were fortunate enough to receive a boost to our leadership training and preparation by attending a special leadership conference at the close of the 2016 academic year.

Members of the outgoing House Committee joined the newly elected leadership team, which included the 2017 Resident Assistants and the new members of House Committee. Held at the historic National

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Clockwise from right: 2017 House Committee members Sophie Broadley, Jessica Miller, Dominique Louw, Lucie Holden (Treasurer), Jordan Yang-Eaves (Senior Student), Veronica Murdoch (Secretary), Kelly Spoerk, Monique Hard, Lucy McDonald. PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

Trust building on Observatory Hill, the day’s program combined lectures with Q&A sessions and workshops designed to professionalise our leadership induction and handover and help us think about how to position leadership at Women’s College as the benchmark in Australian colleges.

Our speakers were current and former members of the College Council, who generously encouraged us to think through and redefine what leadership means to us individually and as a team. Keynote speaker was alumna and Honorary Fellow of College Justice Jane Mathews AO. Justice Mathews spoke of her own journey to the bar and the bench as the first female Crown Prosecutor, the first woman judge in NSW, and the first woman on the Supreme Court of NSW.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

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Her leadership in criminal law was awe inspiring and her humility in talking about it was defining.

Chair of the College Council Julie McKay, former Executive Director of the Australian National Committee for UN Women and now Gender Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Force and a member of the Diversity Advisory Board for PwC Australia, spoke about cultural renewal and the importance of positive and inclusive organisational culture within the college context. Julie showed us that young women’s leadership can be powerful and transformational.

Professor Marian Baird AO presented the statistics on women’s leadership and workforce participation in Australia, and gave us food for thought on the work still to do bridging the many gaps which still exist.

A summary of her paper is included in this edition of the Magazine. Our final speaker, Mr David Wakeley, specialist in commercialisation of start-up businesses, as well as a member of our College Council, gave us his perspective on gender diversity and men’s role in assisting with the progress towards equality. It was great to hear a male perspective on women’s leadership and we all enjoyed David’s humorous approach to such a serious topic.

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With all of that in mind, the 2017 House Committee came to the table thoroughly inspired, and determined to set some strong goals for the year.

These are the goals we have identified and are currently working hard towards achieving: • To actively promote leadership opportunities for our Affiliate members of College • To further strengthen the relationship between House Committee, Resident Assistants, and Senior Women’s College students • To ensure accountability from anyone who holds a leadership role within the community • To strengthen relationships between The Women’s College and its counterparts across Australia • To ensure each College event has a charitable donation component, including sporting and cultural programs • To further develop the “Student Relief Fund”, which provides emergency financial support to students in need • To enhance the College experience through the implementation of new events • To generate a positive interconnected college community on multiple technological platforms

House Committee is excited to be implementing these initiatives this year. I believe our 125th Anniversary Year holds great promise in continuing to improve college culture more broadly, and creating an ever more inclusive and empowering environment for our students.

JORDAN YANG-EAVES Senior Student

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

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RISING WOMEN

“Women’s College students start out their careers with the added benefits of a female-run institution and the halo effect of strong female role models in their leaders, mentors and peers.”

- Prof. Marian Baird AO

THE CLASH OF

Career and Care I

t is a sad fact that in Australia today, there are more male chief executives named Andrew than the total number of women holding the same positions. This might seem a specious comparison, but it does highlight the huge disparity in gender statistics in Australian corporate life, where female CEOs make up less than 5% of the total.

For young women contemplating their working lives after university, the statistics are an important indicator of the realities they face in raising participation levels for women in leadership. Women’s College students start out their careers with the added benefits of a female-run institution and the halo effect of strong female role models in their leaders, mentors and peers.

They are well positioned to agitate for change in a workforce where women are still underrepresented, where they still earn on average 18% less than their male counterparts, and where they retire with more than 50% less superannuation than men despite

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Professor Marian Baird AO with Resident Assistants Emelia Milliner (left) and Elizabeth Miller. PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

being better educated on average at both secondary and tertiary levels.

The clash of career and care is something many women face around the world, and while the dilemma of the working mother is nothing new, Australian women continue to innovate to find new ways of managing this juggling act. Workforce participation levels have increased steadily for women since the late 1970s and many women work part time in order to provide care to their children or parents. For some women this is by choice, for others, there is no alternative way of balancing work and care. For all women, it is a decision made within the constraints of the system in which we work and live. There is a noticeable ‘dip’ in labour participation rates between the ages of 25-35 as women leave to have families, and women suffer a corresponding pay penalty for this time out of the workforce. But the statistics show some promising trends too.

THE CLASH OF CAREER AND CARE

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RISING WOMEN

“...women have been shown to have very strong career and work attachment and therefore have a high expectation of returning to work after maternity leave, either part time or full time.”

On the positive side, women have been shown to have very strong career and work attachment and therefore have a high expectation of returning to work after maternity leave, either part time or full time. They increasingly hold an important provider role within families as ‘backstop breadwinners’. In Australia today, women earn more than men in 14.4% of families with dependent children under fifteen, and in 24.5% of Australian households women earn more than their (male) partner. Between 2002 and 2012 there was a 25% increase in the proportion of self-employed women in Australia, indicating a new trend towards the integration of motherhood and enterprise (the ‘Mumpreneurs’). In the last ten years the Fair Work Act, the Paid Parental Leave Act and the Workplace Gender Equality Act have provided more support for working women and working families.

So, there’s cause to be both optimistic and realistic for the young women of Women’s College as they head towards the world of paid employment. The expectation they have of leadership at College and University should carry them positively towards leadership in the future.

No doubt we will see that represented in the statistics over the coming decades.

MARIAN BAIRD AO Marian Baird is Chair of Work and Organisational Studies in the University of Sydney Business School and Professor of Gender and Employment Relations. She is a Fellow of Senate and the current Senate Representative on the Women’s College Council. This is a summary of the paper she gave at the Women’s College Leadership Conference in October 2016.

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Mentors and Medical Benefits CONTINUOUS HISTORY

I

n its first few decades of existence, Women’s College was home to numerous medical students, many of whom went on to become pioneers in their profession in Australia. No less than 135 women are listed as having careers in medicine in Volume One of the College’s Biographical Register, a comprehensive listing of the students who entered Women’s College from its founding year in 1892, until 1939. The first of these was Eleanor Greenham, who resided at Women’s College from 1895 to 1901, became a Resident Medical Officer at Lady Bowen Hospital in Brisbane and later worked in private practice.

In 2017 the University of Sydney named a new suite of scholarships after another of our early medical scholars.

Offered to high achieving students with an ATAR (or equivalent) of 98+, the Dalyell Scholars program honours distinguished medical graduate, Elsie Jean Dalyell OBE (1881-1948), the first full-time female academic in the University’s Faculty of Medicine. Elsie lived at Women’s College in her final year of medicine in 1909, later serving in World War I and conducting pioneering work into childhood diseases.

MENTORS AND MEDICAL BENEFITS

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“Mum would have appreciated the scholarship because it would have helped her in her day. It’s a way of repaying the scholarships she held while at College...”

- Dr. Janet McCredie AM

Dalgarno Scholarship W

omen’s College alumna Janet McCredie AM (1953-56) has more in common with her mother Marjorie Dalgarno (1921-24) than most daughters. Both had careers in diagnostic radiology, both were pioneers in their fields, and both lived at Women’s College during their medical studies.

“Always late, always smiling, always welcome” is how the University of Sydney Medical School Senior Yearbook 1924 described Marjorie, who as a diagnostic radiologist initiated mammography in Australia, leaving a legacy which has had a profound impact on women’s health in our nation. Daughter Janet is similarly renowned for her pioneering research into the causes behind the birth defects produced by the drug Thalidomide in the 1950s and ‘60s. Her book Beyond Thalidomide: Birth Defects Explained was launched at Women’s College in 2007.

On her mother’s death in the early 1980s, Janet initiated a scholarship for a medical student in Marjorie’s name, with donations to the Women’s College scholarship fund supported by the Dalgarno family. Janet, along with frequent mentoring of our medical students, has

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Left to right: Dr Janet McCredie with medical scholars Kristy Randell, Sophia Aston, Maryam Eghtedari (2016 Dalgarno scholar), Matisse Fox and Grace Pellen (2017 Dalgarno scholar). PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

“Always late, always smiling, always welcome” Description of Marjorie from University of Sydney Medical School Senior Yearbook 1924

continued to fund the scholarship ever since. This year the scholarship is held by second-year medical student Grace Pellen. Grace is one of four students currently at College on medical scholarships, two of whom are enrolled in medical degrees and two undertaking honours in medical science. “Mum would have appreciated the scholarship because it would have helped her in her day” remarks Janet. “It’s a way of repaying the scholarships she held while at College. It’s satisfying to me to support women in medicine and to allow them to do good in the community.”

DALGARNO SCHOLARSHIP

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HONOURING OUR HERITAGE

OLD STUDENTS OR ALUMNAE,

Still Together Alumnae have been meeting at Women’s College for over a hundred years in unbroken association.

T

he Women’s College Calendar for 1910 noted that “An Association of Old Students of the Women’s College was formed in December, 1909. The Council agreed to grant the use of a room at the College for the meetings of the Association. A provisional constitution was adopted.”

Principal Louisa Macdonald was made ex officio president of the Association, with vice-president Mrs G.A Wood (Eleanor WHITFELD: 1892-94), who was at the time “the most senior student of the College in Australia.” The first College Magazine was published in 1914, and printed an article on the Women’s College Old Students’ Union. The piece stated: “The W.C.O.S.U. was formed on the suggestion of the Principal in 1909, with the object of keeping old students in touch with one another, and those eligible for membership both past and present are urged to give the union their support. The annual Christmas dinner and the two general meetings of the union provide three opportunities during the year for old students to meet the Principal and one another, and such opportunities should

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PHOTO: Eleanor Whitfeld. The Women’s College Archives.

not be neglected” (p10). It was noted that maintaining active membership gave alumnae the right to vote in Council elections, a practice which continues today.

The Old Students’ Union continued its activities until the 1960s, gathering five shillings per year from each alumna as a membership fee. Dr Janet McCredie AM (1953-56) took over as president of the Union in 1965 from Hope Kellow (1932-35), who had held the post for more than twenty years.

At that time the College was rapidly expanding, and in 1967 the Union and College Council made the sensible decision to abolish the annual subscription fee and institute a lifetime membership fee of ten dollars. The Women’s College Association was formed as the fundraising arm of the Union in 1959, and the two bodies were merged in 1978 as the Women’s College Union, which was later (in 2004) renamed the Women’s College Alumnae Association, under the presidency of Penny Cameron (WYNDHAM: 1957-59).

The Association continues to meet at College regularly to this day, almost 110 years after its founding.

STILL TOGETHER

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HONOURING OUR HERITAGE

“Women’s College was an enormously influential part of my university education and a place where I felt a strong sense of belonging and acceptance...”

ADVANCEMENT OF

Alumnae I

n July 2016 Professor Jakelin Troy (1980-83, 85) was elected President of the Women’s College Alumnae Association. Jakelin is Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research at the University of Sydney, supporting Indigenous researchers and research projects across the University in collaboration with other Australian and overseas universities, with a view to attaining the best possible research outcomes for Indigenous peoples worldwide.

She has a particular specialty in Aboriginal languages.

Jakelin is a Ngarigu woman from the Snowy Mountains in Southern New South Wales. She has studied in Australia, Japan and Mexico particularly in the fields of linguistics, anthropology, visual arts, education, archaeology and language learning. Jakelin holds a

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Bachelor of Arts with Honours in anthropology from the University of Sydney and a PhD in linguistics from the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, in addition to a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from the University of Canberra.

Jakelin says she is thrilled to have renewed her association with Women’s College by taking up the role of Alumnae President. “Women’s College was an enormously influential part of my university education and a place where I felt a strong sense of belonging and acceptance. In many ways it’s my Country. I think the College still has an important part to play in educating, supporting and nurturing young women, Indigenous and non-Indigenous.”

Alumnae President Professor Jakelin Troy with current Indigenous students at Women’s College: Schyla Butcher, Lucy Schroeder and Henrietta Stapleton. PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

ADVANCEMENT OF ALUMNAE

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HONOURING OUR HERITAGE

INAUGURAL

Alumnae Formal Dinner C

ollege has inaugurated a new annual event into the alumnae calendar: the Alumnae Formal Dinner. Held for the first time in August 2016, the dinner attracted more than a hundred alumnae who joined current students to enjoy a traditional Formal Dinner in the Louisa Macdonald Commemoration Dining Hall. Guest speaker for the dinner was ABC TV News Presenter and media commentator, Virginia Haussegger, who described her experiences in Afghanistan in the early 2000s writing and reporting on Australia’s military operations in the region. Her work researching the position of women in Afghan society lead to her extensive involvement with Mahboba’s Promise, an Australian non-profit organisation dedicated to helping women and orphaned children in Afghanistan.

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Virginia Haussegger with Council Member Judy Mills at the 2016 Alumnae Formal Dinner. PHOTO: Haline Ly / Whale Design Co

This year’s 125th Celebratory Alumnae Formal Dinner will be held on Saturday 26 August in conjunction with the College and University Open Day. Guest speaker will be alumna Professor Kathryn North AM (1979-80), a national and international leader in Genomic Medicine. Professor North is Director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and is the David Danks Professor of Child Health Research at the University of Melbourne. Alumnae will also be invited to bring their daughters and other young women who may attend our Open Day to enjoy the evening, in the company of our current student leaders and ambassadors.

INAUGURAL ALUMNAE FORMAL DINNER

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Achievements The past year has seen a number of our alumnae and members of the Women’s College community recognised for their service to the University and to Australia through their professional and public service.

The Women’s College community extends its warmest congratulations to these alumnae and associates for their contributions to their professions and exemplary citizenship.

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Clockwise from top left: Marian Baird, Elizabeth Elliott and Lynn Rainbow Reid

Queen’s Birthday honours were extended last year to Professor Marian Baird AO, Professor of Industrial Relations in the University of Sydney Business School and Senate Representative on the College Council, who was awarded Officer (AO) in the Order of Australia “ for distinguished service to higher education, and to women, particularly in the areas of workplace gender equality, parental leave policy and industrial relations, and to social justice.”

Former College Council member Lynn Rainbow Reid (2001-12) received a Member (AM) in the Order of Australia “ for significant service to the community through support for a range of cultural and charitable organisations, and to the performing arts as an actor.”

Women’s College alumna Professor Suzanne O’Reilly AM (1963-66) was recognised for her service to earth sciences “as an academic and researcher, to tertiary education, and to scientific associations.”

College alumna and former Council member Professor Elizabeth Elliott AM FAHMS (1975-78) was elected to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in October 2016. Prof.

Elliott is Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney, and Consultant Paediatrician at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She has dedicated her career to promoting the health and human rights of children disabled by rare diseases, in particular Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and other infectious diseases, including those which are vaccine-preventable.

The University of Sydney has celebrated the achievements of alumni at its annual convocation and alumnae awards.

Women’s College alumna Dr Patricia Selkirk AAM (CONNELL: 1960-63) has been awarded a University of Sydney Alumnae Award for professional achievement.

Dr Selkirk, who spoke at the College’s Wisteria Lunch last year, is a plant biologist and ecologist. Her research has focused on Antarctic and subantarctic terrestrial ecosystems, and she has spent a substantial portion of her career her on Macquarie Island and Heard Island studying the delicate plant life of the Antarctic region.

Recent alumna Cheryl Wong (2011-15) was a finalist for the 2017 convocation medal, acknowledging the academic achievements of the university’s highest performing students. Cheryl received the Janet Elspeth Crawford Prize for the highest honours mark at College in 2015, and has joint honours degrees in engineering and chemistry.

In February this year Women’s College alumna Associate Professor Catherine Birman (1985) was awarded the NSW Premier’s Award for Woman of the Year. Dr Birman is Clinical Associate Professor in Child and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney, and Conjoint Professor with Macquarie University. The third female Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon to qualify in New South Wales, Dr Birman is a pioneer in the field of cochlear implants for children with complex medical conditions, and one of the most experienced cochlear implant surgeons in the world.

ACHIEVEMENTS

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SALLY CROSSING AM

ANN FELTON

28 December 2016

3 October 2016

(FLETCHER: 1964-65)

S

ally was born Elizabeth Sarah Christine, but was always known as Sally. She attended Abbotsleigh School and came to Women’s College in 1964, obtaining a Bachelor of Economics and working initially in banking, first in Sydney and then in London. In 1970 she married Peter Crossing, whom she had met while a student at Women’s College. Sally and Peter lived and worked in Iran and then in Rome, where they stayed for eight years and had their two daughters, Alex (at Women’s College 1993-94) and Camilla.

Returning to Sydney in 1980, Sally re-established the family and worked in Government, serving on the Women’s College Council from 1993-2002.

In 1995 at age 49, Sally was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. So began the cancer journey, which exposed Sally to the lack of patient-focus in the health system.

Sally had found her vocation.

Using her will-power, focus, warmth and wit, Sally left her paid job and became a leading Health Consumer Advocate in many entities. Sally was a tireless advocate for all health consumers—especially for people with cancer. She was Founder and Chair of two successful cancer consumer advocacy groups: Breast Cancer Action Group NSW and Cancer Voices NSW, working to improve the cancer journey, focussing on diagnosis, treatment, care, support, survivorship and direction of research. Sally sat on the boards of The Cancer Council NSW and the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia,

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and represented cancer consumers on a number of committees at both state and national levels.

Sally’s story was one of immense activism: she was a key driver in the transformation of consumer representation, visibility and impact in health in Australia. Her brilliant contributions to cancer management, in making it more patient-centric, earned her deep universal respect. Sally was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 2005 and an Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences by Sydney University in 2014, in addition to winning the Women’s College Alumnae Community Achievement Award in the same year.

Sally became, in College alumna and former Governor Marie Bashir’s words, an outstanding Australian woman. Energetic, elegant, talented, tireless and accomplished, she was greatly loved by her family and by friends and colleagues. Sally leaves Peter, her husband; Alex and Camilla, her daughters; and six adored grandchildren. Sally’s laugh, her smile, her common sense and all she was, will be sadly missed.

Peter Crossing AM and the Crossing family

(KENDALL: 1953-56)

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orn in Sri Lanka and educated in Colombo then later at Methodist Ladies College, Perth, Ann entered The Women’s College in 1953. Initially enrolled in a medical degree, after her fourth year Ann wrote a thesis in pathology and graduated instead with a BSc (Med). Ann met Neil Felton in her last year at Women’s College when Neil saw her through the window in a friend’s room in the Williams wing as he walked past College with a group of friends from artillery school. The pair were engaged ten days later, and married in December 1956.

In 1957 Ann took a job as a food technologist for Henry Lewis & Sons before moving to pharmaceutical giant Pfizer as a medical administrator. In 1958 while she was working at Pfizer Ann was ‘discovered’ by renowned Australian fashion photographer Laurie Le Guay, who asked her to do some modelling. Her success was almost instantaneous.

She was named model of the year in 1959 and in 1960 moved to New York where she was sought out by influential agent Eileen Ford. Ann worked for the world’s top magazines and cosmetic companies until her second son was born in 1966, when she returned to Australia and retired from modelling. Throughout the 1960s she was feted by the Australian press for her “immaculate, band-box look.” Ann’s modelling success was celebrated again in 2009 with the publication of In Vogue Australia: 50 years of Australian Style. Her image appears multiple times in the book including a celebrated photo by Helmut Newton under the wing of a Catalina in Double Bay.

Neil’s corporate career took the family overseas again in the late 1960s, first to Hong Kong and then back to America. Ann spent her time in Hong Kong exploring the region, and became an avid collector of Chinese snuff bottles and other curios and artefacts. She was a prominent member of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society. Later when living in Connecticut Ann obtained her real estate broker’s licence and managed the family’s investment properties. In 1985 Ann and Neil retired to the Gold Coast hinterland, where they designed and built their dream home on twenty acres overlooking the coast. Ann did most of the garden design, including planting one thousand azaleas. She loved the quiet bush surroundings.

In later years Ann set her sights on perfecting her piano technique, playing her baby grand piano in a room overlooking the coastal views. She and Neil developed an interest in cruising and found a special attraction in Antarctica, visiting four times in addition to a trip to the North Pole in 2004.

Ann is survived by Neil, her two sons, Grant and Adam, their wives and children. Neil says that throughout the sixty years of their marriage he cannot remember an angry word between them. They remained lifelong best friends, and Ann retained her beauty—both on the inside and outside.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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HELEN HAZARD

RUSSELL LOCKE

14 August 2016

6 August 2016

(MCKIBBIN 1959-60)

L

ike many College women, Helen managed to combine a highly successful career as an academic librarian and researcher with that of wife and mother. Helen, with her inquiring mind and wonderful sense of humour, came to College in 1959. She had spent some years at boarding school — Marsden CEGGS Bathurst, named for Samuel Marsden whose ghost, it was claimed, haunted the grounds in search of intractable students. As boarders, Helen and her friend Judy Cotton (in College 1959-60) were wont to play tricks on the new girls. They would hide on the side of the old covered well and moan into it pretending to be the ghost of Samuel Marsden.

Helen grew up on the family farm Macquarie, and it was at Macquarie that her love of reading, her sense of history and delight in storytelling developed. Macquarie was steeped in Australian historical romance, being one of the first properties established over the Blue Mountains. It was part of a grant given to William Lawson by the governor in recognition of the successful “Crossing” in 1813. The veranda bricks were fashioned by convict labour and children’s writing remained on the walls of the original barracks from the early 1800s when it became a schoolhouse. All of this thrilled and fascinated the child Helen. In her later years, Helen formally documented the history of Macquarie. During her research for this history, she discovered that the graves of Lawson’s children who she knew had been

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buried at Macquarie, were later moved to the Holy Trinity Church Cemetery in Kelso. This was the place where the McKibbin forebears lay and where Helen requested that she too be buried.

On leaving College, Helen worked as reference librarian at Fisher library under the guidance of the inimitable Miss Jean White (an inspiration to many women). She then moved to Melbourne with husband Geoff, and lived there most happily for over fifty years. Geoff had studied veterinary science at Sydney University and St Paul’s College, where they met. For her first few years in Melbourne Helen set aside her own career, acting as receptionist, bookkeeper and practice manager in the small animal veterinary practice attached to the family home. She also had three children and accompanied Geoff to further his work in the United States (1978-79). Helen later returned to her previous career.

She undertook post graduate studies at Monash University, developed various research projects, and worked at Swinburne University Library until 2007.

College friendships were part of Helen’s life – geographic distance and lapses of time being of no consequence. Helen had an independent mind and, along with her sense of humour, a quiet determination.

Her strong sense of family was paramount, as was her courage in her final years of illness.

Jeanette Beaumont (WILKIE: 1958-60)

(MOGENSEN: 1956)

A

young woman with a masculine name, Russell (‘Rus’) Mogensen came to Sydney University Veterinary School in 1952 after completing her first year at Melbourne University. She lived in Carillon Ave in terrace housing attached to Women’s College with a fellow Melbourne vet student Anne Hayden. She counted herself lucky to be at Women’s College during Betty Archdale’s time, whom she regarded as a mentor in women’s education and careers. Rus was an ‘out’ student1 and then became resident in her final two years.

As a keen sportswoman, Rus joined every team, playing for Women’s College and the Vet School. She was a welcome addition to the small number of women in the Vet Faculty, five of whom started in her fresher year. She was one of only three who graduated with her BVSc in 1956, earning a string of distinctions and credits. Rus was active on the ball committee and was renowned for throwing good parties.

Rus married farmer Tony Locke and had three children, jointly managing their cattle and sheep property at Holbrook NSW. She achieved a successful career as a veterinarian, first in private practice, then after a decade of raising children, she joined the NSW Department of Agriculture. She was part of the NSW leadership of the national campaign to eradicate bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis from 1979-1989. She gained membership of the Epidemiology Chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists.

1

The 1990s saw new adventures for Rus, who sought to raise living standards in Indonesia, particularly among women.

She joined AusAID to improve veterinary services in the Eastern Islands, based in Kupang, West Timor. She spent three years improving diagnostic work and animal health, flying between Flores, Sumba, Sumbawa and Timor.

As well as work on cattle and goat health, she wanted to tackle the gender gap in the region and developed a village chicken vaccination program. Local women were taught to vaccinate hens against Newcastle disease, and were trained in animal husbandry to ensure greater survival of their birds. The aim was to produce enough eggs for better maternal health and nutrition among the women and they could sell the excess to help pay for their children’s education. Rus presented the project to the International Women’s Conference in China in 1995 and again at the Pan Pacific Veterinary Conference in India in 1996.

She eventually returned to the farm and veterinary roles in south west NSW, and was President of the local Australian Veterinary Association, and Chair of the Rural Lands Protection Board. Rus was always a strong advocate for women’s education and financial independence and nurtured her children and particularly grandchildren in their school and university life.

She is survived by her husband Tony Locke, her children and their partners, and grandchildren, including Georgie Locke (at Women’s College 2016).

Sarina Locke (Russell’s daughter)

‘Out’ students, or non-residents are today our Affiliate girls at College, and in 2017 there are 45 Affiliates.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

53

JENNIFER MACLENNAN OAM

JAMES RIGNEY

28 August 2016

23 January 2017

(WATERMAN: 1958-60)

T

he formidable list of achievements in Jenny’s life emanated largely from her ability to make the very best of things. Jenny was an only child whose father’s career dictated that the family often needed to be relocated. She was born in Melbourne and moved with her parents to Canberra, London and The Hague.

Jenny finally was sent to board at Frensham which, like The Women’s College, became a haven for her. She gave back enthusiastically to both institutions throughout her life. She was appointed Governor of the Winifred West Schools (Frensham) in the 1980s and continued as a member of the Company. In 1990 she joined The Women’s College Union, became its president and a lively member of the Women’s College Council.

It was during her residential years at College that Jenny set the scene and tone for many of her future endeavours. Whilst occupying the middle room in “Alley” (off Main) Jenny created a venue for happy get-togethers involving endless coffee, smoking (a vice then followed by many of us but carefully kept hidden from Jenny’s mother), music (played on a friend’s gramophone), talking (about everything), and occasional study near exam time. In the midst of this jollity, Jenny would give quiet and always non judgemental advice and support to any of us in need of a friend.

Jenny went directly from College to join her parents in The Hague and there met the sturdy Scot, Alistair, who was to be her partner for fifty-three years. They too had a peripatetic existence as Alistair’s career took them from

54 THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE • VOLUME 33 2017

Holland to the UK, Trinidad, Venezuela, Nigeria and Libya. Jenny adapted to each place with energy and enthusiasm. She was a teacher in Nigeria but wherever she was, she threw herself into welfare work, choral societies and everything else that brought her in touch with the inhabitants of the particular society in which she resided.

In London Jenny had been employed by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and from there effective and well organised volunteering became her focus. She was honoured in the 2002 Australia Day Awards with the Medal of the Order of Australia for her outstanding contribution to society.

Jenny was a person who loved life and lived it to the full, literally up until the hours before her death. She was a positive, optimistic, energetic, enthusiastic and people-loving person. Nothing seemed to daunt her, or to diminish her strong desire to help and support, not only her friends and family, but those who were not able to care adequately for themselves. Like her mother before her, her work with stroke victims was extraordinary. Her advice, always well researched, was intensely practical.

Jenny was a well-read, cultured, devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother. And for her friends, Jenny was the embodiment of all that Louisa Macdonald had long ago hoped for from her College students - “a friend in affection and in the desire for truth and in the search for wisdom and understanding.”

Jeanette Beaumont (WILKIE: 1958-60)

(1981-83, 1990)

J

ames Rigney spent a substantial portion of his life living and working in colleges, both in Australia and the United Kingdom. He was resident at St Andrew’s College during his undergraduate studies and a Senior Resident at Women’s College from 1981-83, returning as Librarian in 1990 while undertaking his PhD. Born in Katoomba, James graduated Dux of Katoomba High School, and went on to gain scholarships at Sydney, Oxford and Cambridge Universities. After his undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney, James studied Theology at Oxford and Cambridge.

In 1990 he married Anna Davey, whom he had met at Women’s College. James trained for ordination at Westcott House, Cambridge and was ordained as a deacon in 2001 and as a priest in 2002 at Ely Cathedral. Over the course of his academic career James gained a Bachelor and Master of Arts from the University of Sydney, a Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford, and a BA, MA and PhD from Cambridge, in addition to a Diploma of Librarianship and Information Science from Charles Sturt University.

From 1983 to 1990 James worked as Rare Books, Special Collections and Senior Librarian at the University of Sydney. During his eighteen years in England he was Fellow, Director of Studies in English and Undergraduate Admissions Tutor at Hughes Hall, Cambridge, and later Chaplain, Director of Studies in Theology and Admissions Tutor at Magdalene College Cambridge.

James returned to Australia in 2009 to take up the position as Anglican Dean of Newcastle and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral, a post he held until 2013 when he was appointed Warden of St John’s College at the University of Queensland. He was President of the Queensland Chapter of the Heads of College association and a longstanding member of the St Andrew’s College Council at the University of Sydney. At the time of his death he was preparing to take up an appointment as Senior Tutor of St Paul’s College at the University of Sydney.

James is remembered by peers, colleagues, students and members of his congregations for his gentle nature, his quiet but sharp humour, and his encouraging attentiveness.

He loved to laugh at the absurd and saw humour everywhere. James is survived by his wife Anna DAVEY (1982-87) and daughter Cressida RIGNEY (2012-16).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

55

THE YEAR OF

TOGETHER

Left column (top to bottom): O Week arrival: Sophie Enzerink and her mum Virginia : Hugh Donaldson, Carolyn Gavel and Penelope Donaldson at IWD cocktails : Canberra alumnae and friends: Ann Moyal AM, Adele Millerd and Patricia Lesslie : Alumnae Formal Dinner 2016: Joanne Hawker and Sally Evans. • Centre column: Professor Pip Pattison with William and Cameron Dalyell at the launch of the Dayell Scholars’ Program on IWD : 2016 and 2017 Senior Students Lorena Valente and Jordan Yang-Eaves : 1990s alumnae at Alumnae Formal Dinner : Prof Anne Green, Prof Marie Bashir AD CVO, Prof Jane Latimer, Prof Nalini Joshi AO and Dr Robin Fitzsimons at IWD. • Right column: College staff turning the sod on the new Sibyl Centre : 2017 House Committee and O Week leaders : Sarah Morton Ramwell and Juliette Higgins : Matisse Fox and her grandmother Beverley Fox at Grandparents’ High Tea (photo: eventpix)

THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE 15 Carillon Avenue University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia www.thewomenscollege.com.au

“The women of the future should be trained to know what true union means, and to feel the privileges and responsibilities of being members of a corporate body.”

- First Principal Louisa Macdonald in her speech at the opening of Main Building in 1894