The Women's College Magazine Vol 40, 2024

MIGHT

Celebrating women

WITH A COMMUNITY as diverse as ours, there are so many women to celebrate. When the College first opened its doors in 1892, women had access to only a handful of degrees and careers. Their options – both for their academic studies and for their professions – are now innumerable. The College has helped to foster widening choices for women for over 130 years. This quietly bold enterprise has had a tangible impact on women’s status locally, nationally and internationally, and it is something of which we are justifiably proud.

In this issue of our annual magazine, we celebrate our alumnae artists and entrepreneurs, and shine a spotlight on some of our current students. Our feature article follows the career of Hollywood director Kate Dennis, whose television directing credits include CSI: Cyber, Suits, The Mindy Project, and The Handmaid’s Tale. Kate was keynote speaker at last October’s Women’s College Film Festival, and shared her zig-zag course through the film industry from her first career thoughts as a College student. Kate’s prowess behind the camera has earned her an Emmy nomination.

Also featured is an interview with Amanda Love, founder of LoveArt advisory. Amanda has been a highly respected advocate of the arts in Australia for decades, and her reach is international. From her beautiful home and gallery in

Woollahra, Amanda speaks to us about her collecting philosophy, and her strong belief in art’s capacity to change people’s perspectives. Later in the issue, recent books by five alumnae writers make up a “shortlist” to add to your bedside reading. Love stories, sisterhood stories and essays on radical Sydney are just some of the topics tackled by our writers.

We profile a handful of alumnae who have started their own business ventures in recent years, with the common denominator being an innovative twist on the traditional. There are the membership-based skin clinics, Fayshell, and pasture-raised egg subscription, Just Been Laid, as well as Made By You, a sustainable timber furniture business which is customised, online, and flat-packed to your door with zeroforest supply chain. Stylish and affordable handbag brand Louenhide is also featured, with new ventures in high-end wedding furniture and accessories hire, and pre-purchase, personalised architectural advice for the renovator or rebuilder. Each of our businesswomen has given a few pearls of advice for other would-be entrepreneurs.

I hope you enjoy reading about all of the women featured in this issue: the pioneers, the ground-breakers, and the generation currently walking the halls of our beloved institution of learning.

DR TIFFANY DONNELLY PRINCIPAL

THE WOMEN ’ S COLLEGE

The Women’s College Magazine is published annually to report on the activities of the College. Our students study across a range of degrees 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.edu.au

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ISSN 2204-1028

Design Katie Sorrenson

Cover Kate Dennis photographed by Stefanie Zingsheim

Additional photography Marinco Kojdanovski, Mick Bruzzese, Daryl Charles, Anson Smart, Visual Eyes photography

Women’s College Archives, staff, students and alumnae

We acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work.

WOMEN IN FOCUS

AmANDA loVe Forging a career in the arts

THe TWo oF US

Coming together

Highlighting recent alumnae events at College including Wisteria Lunch and Welcome Back Cocktails.

ALL IMAGES L-R

TOP ROW: Georgia Dawson, Dr Tiffany Donnelly, Elizabeth Elliott AM at the Welcome Back Cocktails; Tiana Young Jazz Quartet; Christa Lenard, Tracey Dawes-Lucas, Skye Topic, Cheryl Kalisch Gordon

MIDDLE ROW: Samantha Gavel and Julia James at Wisteria Lunch; Angela Frith with Wisteria Lunch guest speaker Dr Frances Black; Rachel Peterson

LAST ROW: Senior Resident Assistant Monika Popovski with Birute Don; friends reunited; guests enjoy a musical performance by Hannah Burton at the Wisteria Lunch

IN FOCUS

1.

I came to Women’s to find that feeling of camaraderie and supportiveness; that encouragement and celebration of women is so important.

Recognising the achievements of our alumnae, from prestigious scholarships and up-and-coming professionals to lifelong commitment to their fields.

Awards & recognition

TWo ReceNT AlUmNAe have recently been awarded scholarships to study at Cambridge University. STELLA QUAST [2015-19] won a Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship to study her Master of Philosophy in Archaeological Science. ISOBEL MAGRATH [2017-19] was awarded a Harding Scholarship to undertake a PhD in Plant Science.

SUSANNAH clARK [HARDY: 1997-99]

Executive Vice President, Communications, FARFETCH was named a Power Player 2024, LCC’s curation of the 15 most influential players in the luxury marketing and communications sector.

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY ALUMNI AWARDS 2023

G eo RGIA DAWS o N [1995-97]

Senior Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Alumni Award for International Achievement

PR o F e SS o R el IZAB e TH ell I oTT AM [1975-78]

Distinguished Professor, Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney: Alumni Award for Professional Achievement

c HAR loTT e B e RRY [2012] was recognised as B&T Women in Media Rising Star in the “30 under 30” awards for media, advertising and marketing. Charlotte is NSW Co-Chair of Youngbloods and a copywriter for advertising agency INNOCEAN Australia.

DR mARIe colemAN Ao PSm [BURNS: 1950-53]

was recognised in the Australian Senate by Senator Penny Wong on the 50th anniversary of the appointment of the first woman to head a statutory body. Marie was head of the Victorian Council of Social Service, and led the newly created Social Welfare Commission under the Whitlam government. She was then Director of the Office of Childcare during the Fraser government.

THREE ALUMNAE WERE MENTIONED ON BEST LAWYERS “ONES TO WATCH” LIST

eDWINA TIDmARSH [2007-09] Litigation, Baker McKenzie

JoANNA lING [2010-12] Planning and Environmental Law, Thomson Geer

AlISoN cRANNeY [2007-10] Banking and Finance Law, Herbert Smith Freehills

THE KING’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 2023

MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

DR DIANA GAI R o BINS o N [1981-82]

For significant service to sports medicine as a physician and to anti-doping regulation.

PR o F e SS o R R e NA e mo NIQU e RYAN

Appointed Senate Representative on The Women’s College Council For significant service to biomedical science as a researcher, and to diversity and inclusion.

m S JAN e FITZG e RA l D SPRING [1985-87]

For significant service to disability advocacy in sport, and to public sector administration.

MEDAL (OAM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

m RS c ATH e RIN e MARGARET CROUCH [LOCKHART: 1980-82] For service to education administration.

m S m ARGAR e T lee GR o V e [DOW: 1970-71]

For service to the community through a range of organisations.

AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS 2024

MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

DR R o BIN B e RY l FITZSIMONS [1968-72]

For significant service to tertiary education, to neurology, and to medical research.

MEDAL (OAM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

m S J e NNIF e R KAY l A m B e RT [CLEAVER: 1980-81] For service to business.

Women’s alumna and Hollywood director Kate Dennis [1984-85] is behind some of the most exciting programs on our screens. In her keynote address to the second Women’s College Film Festival in October, she spoke to students and alumnae about her ‘zig-zagging’ career and her collaborative, characterled approach to developing scripts into shows. Kate was frank about the challenging and unpredictable world of the film industry – on the day of the Festival, her projects were on hold until the end of the US actors’ union strike action – but she was still optimistic about the space for new stories and different perspectives.

SHOOTING STAR

KATE DENNIS found herself engaged in one of those casual conversations across a bain-marie in the Women’s College dining hall. Enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, she was delving into courses in English, Fine Arts, and the relatively new discipline of Film Studies. That brief conversation – encouraging Kate to think of her interest in film as a feasible career path – led her to enrol in a Communications degree at UTS alongside her BA, with the aim of learning the technical skills to work in film. At UTS there were plenty of young filmmakers producing short films and music videos. Kate answered an ad calling for an Assistant Director (her remuneration was a slab of beer) and never looked back.

From the beginning Kate’s career has been an international one. Early jobs included working as clapper loader in Vanuatu (Til There was You), in Brazil (At Play in the Fields of the Lord), and in Italy (Cliffhanger). This was more than, in Kate’s words, ‘five years spent banging two bits of wood together’: clapper loaders – also called Camera Assistants – bear responsibility for physically handling all film stock and ensuring that each day’s filming actually makes it to the editing suite intact and as planned.

At home she worked as script supervisor on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert teaching Terence Stamp how to sashay, and as script supervisor on Babe, trying to teach farmyard animals continuity. A move to Ireland gave Kate time to work on her own script for the film she planned would launch her directing career; as (bad) luck would have it, those who read the finished script informed her that Working Title had already started filming a movie with the same premise. Kate returned to Australia and her first directing job, Bryan Brown’s Twisted Tales

Twisted Tales was, in the mid-1990s, a relatively novel attempt to produce television programming that had a more cinematic sensibility, a forerunner of the ‘prestige television’ of the last decade. It turned out to be great training for a directing career that has, since those early days, woven between popular television programs and the kind of risky, ambitious television that eschews formulaic constraints. She began with directing episodes of Big Sky and The Secret Life of Us before moving to the UK, where she worked producing programming for the BBC and as Second Unit

TOP ROW: Ludivine Sagnier and Samantha Morton in The Serpent Queen; Kate on the set of Run with Executive Producer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge and creator Vicky Jones; Asher Keddie in Offspring; Kate at the 2017 Emmy Awards where she was nominated for best direction for The Handmaid's Tale episode The Bridge; Kate on the set of The Serpent Queen

2ND ROW: Kate behind the camera on the set of Tommy; directing stars Michael Chernus and Adelaide Clemens in the first episode of Tommy; Madeline Brewer in The Bridge episode of The Handmaid's Tale; on location in France for The Serpent Queen

3RD ROW: Kate on the set of Damnation; with the cast of The Walking Dead; Behind the scenes on Run

4TH ROW: Kate with Elisabeth Moss after she won best actress for The Handmaid's Tale

Kate with College friends: (L-R) god-daughter Amber Dixon [2016-18], Julia Dixon [ROBERTS: 1984-86] and Alison Renwick [1984-85]

director for the film Buffalo Soldiers. Following 11 September 2001, Kate returned to Australia, where she quickly became one of the most-watched makers of Australian television, directing episodes of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and multiple episodes across five seasons of Offspring. For episodes of Love My Way, Rake, and the murder-mystery series Secrets and Lies, Kate was nominated for Australian Directors Guild Awards.

Secrets and Lies, filmed in Brisbane, found admirers abroad. ABC Studios bought the rights to its intellectual property, and hired Kate to direct an American version of the series starring Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis. Kate’s move to Los Angeles was a successful one. She found herself in high demand, directing episodes of series as diverse as CSI: Cyber, Fear the Walking Dead, Preacher, Suits, The Mindy Project, GLOW, The Handmaid’s Tale, New Amsterdam, The Tick and Run, among many others.

With an Emmy nomination under her belt for directing ‘The Bridge’, episode nine of the premier season of The Handmaid’s Tale, Kate was wooed back to Australia by the ABC to develop the crime drama Harrow, directing its pilot. Since then she has decided to remain based in Melbourne, but the demands of filming on location still take her all around the world. The Serpent Queen, about the life of Catherine de’ Medici, is currently streaming on Stan, and Kate is also working on a film based on Anna Funder’s bestselling novel of World War II Germany, All that I Am

In opening the Women’s College Film Festival, Kate talked her rapt audience through an almost excruciatingly tense scene

from ‘The Bridge’ in which the protagonist, a handmaid played by Elisabeth Moss, must persuade a fellow handmaid not to jump into a frozen river with the newborn that, under the laws of this dystopian state, belongs legally to the baby’s father and his wife. In Kate’s hands, the scene manages to convey not just the justifiable despair of characters pushed to breaking point by an inhumanly misogynistic society, but also the tenacity with which they hold on to their identities as the independent women they once were. Kate explained the huge amount of forethought and effort that goes into a few brief minutes of filming, with 12-14 hour days common for filming on location (in this case a freezing, mid-winter Toronto, where Kate almost lost a toe to frostbite).

The nature of a director’s work is that, by the time we see it on screen, Kate has long moved on to new projects. In the pipeline are episodes of a new US hospital drama, Pulse, for Netflix, and Almost French, an adaptation of Sarah Turnbull’s book. She is also involved in a film based on Middle Eastern CIA agent Bob Baer’s book The Company We Keep. In the future, Kate would love to help more Australian stories find a place on screen. She is in the early stages of discussions to film fellow alumna Diana Reid’s novel Love and Virtue (see page 30 of this issue). The novel is set in a prestigious Sydney women’s college, and this might be an opportunity to film in a much more comfortable location. Perhaps one day even that humble bain-marie will have its moment in the spotlight.

THE SIBYL CENTRE, THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE 16TH-17TH AUGUST

COLLEGE FILM FESTIVAL

Tickets and information will be available at thewomenscollege. edu.au/events

AUGUST 16-17

FOLLOW THE PROGRAM ON INSTAGRAM @WOMENSCOLLEGEFILMFEST

Agatha Gothe-Snape

Based in Sydney, Amanda Love [WALLIS: 1976-79] has been an independent art advisor and active art advocate for over thirty years.

A legacy in the arts

MANDA LOVE founded her art advisory, LoveArt, in the 1990s after working as an intellectual property lawyer. Described as “one of the most respected private curatorial and collection development advisories” in Australia, LoveArt operates from Amanda’s gracious Ocean Street, Woollahra home.

Amanda currently sits on the board of Artspace, Sydney, and has previously served on the Board of the Sydney Biennale. A highly respected voice in the arts in Australia, she is Australia’s VIP Representative for Art Basel in Switzerland. Works from her private collection of international and Australian contemporary art are regularly loaned for exhibition to institutions in Australia and abroad.

‘It’s the absolute privilege of being able to immerse myself in a world and its ideas, objects, protagonists and history that is constantly fascinating.’

You’ve been in business for more than 30 years now, and have gained enormous respect in your field. What gives you joy every day in your work?

Amanda: Many things of course, but in particular it’s the absolute privilege of being able to immerse myself in a world and its ideas, objects, protagonists and history that is constantly fascinating and educative for me personally, but is also related to something much more universal and ongoing. if I do my job properly and impart this understanding to others, it can genuinely change the way they think about things.

You travel a lot for work – is that mostly for acquiring works or are you visiting galleries, garnering ideas and meeting artists?

A: All of the above. The art world is a whole ecosystem that is truly universal and so wherever one is, there is something to garner about the place, its people and culture through art. It’s also important to be able to benchmark Australian art with its international peers, and to be able to do this in any real sense one has to ‘be there’.

Amanda Love by the pool in front of a work by

Articles about you reference that you are a “reluctant collector” – do you think some people resist the urge to collect, and others can’t?

A: People have different reasons for collecting art. Some want to fill a new house, some want to collect pieces for investment and others want to enter into a deep engagement with art and the art world to build a collection that not only speaks to them in time, but also speaks for them. Some people are born collectors and pursue acquisition and ownership with acute intentionality and a great deal of vigour.

My prime pleasure is understanding. I want to know about things and understand the main game, not necessarily acquire it. I’m a minimalist and I don’t like objects around me for the sake of it. So I do go out hoping not to see anything that moves me to such an extent that I have to acquire it. I only collect those things that literally force themselves on me; that I simply can’t ignore. I also take pleasure in curating the way art objects are put together such that the sum is greater than each part. This sometimes means deaccessioning some things to acquire others as my taste (like all tastes) has changed and grown over the years.

‘College was one of the most formative periods in my life’

- AMANDA LOVE

What’s your guiding principle in advising collectors what to buy?

A: Choose what moves you, but do so from what’s objectively worthwhile paying attention to (i.e. good art). Do your research, visit museums and art galleries, read art magazines and buy the very best that you can at the time. It is often the works of art that are just outside your reach intellectually and sometimes financially, that provide lasting and enduring enjoyment if you can stretch your mind and purse to attain them. Another fundamental rule is never to buy art after drinking wine at lunch!

Do you have a favourite memory of your time at Women’s and was that period formative for you in any way?

A: My favourite memory is when a friend and I got up fiendishly early on the Monday morning of STUVAC and played The Boomtown Rats’ I don’t like Mondays loudly over the PABX and disappeared before anyone could catch us. College was one of the most formative periods in my life. Having arrived from Wollongong knowing about three people and being inducted into a whole (what seemed at the time adult) world of knowledge-gaining on the one hand and pure hedonism on the other, with such a diverse group of bright talented women from all over Australia – it was a blast!

Amanda pictured with works by Daniel Boyd and by Martin Creed

Enhancing our gardens

DONATE TO SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE COLLEGE GARDENS

Remember what it was like to take a book outside and study under the trees at College?

Outdoor seating and a new palette of plantings is planned for the Memory Garden courtyard, connecting the Reid and Langley wings of College. Designed by landscape architect and alumna Oi Choong [1969-70], the plan will enhance the beauty and amenity of this private courtyard for students.

If you would like to support the enhancement of the College gardens, please make a donation at THEWOMENSCOLLEGE.EDU.AU/GIVING/ DONATE-TO-COLLEGE/

Dentistry students Dah-Yeon Caroline Son and Morgan Watts talk about their favourite objects on display in their rooms.

SHARED SPACES

AROLINE SON AND MORGAN WATTS are neighbours in the Maples building, sharing an ensuite. They both study Dentistry and hold leadership roles at College. Caroline is a Senior Resident Assistant in her fifth year at Women’s. In 2024 she began her second year of the Doctor of Dental Medicine, having completed an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Finance. Morgan is part of the Academic Assistants team. She’s in her second year at Women’s and her third year of the Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, majoring in Psychology.

Caroline (left) and Morgan on the balcony in the Maples wing

1. T ee TH

CS: In second year dentistry we do simulation clinics – we’ve just started observing clinics with real people. I work as a dental assistant on the weekends and get to see patients then. For my tooth conservation class (drilling and filling) we use these fake teeth. They’re magnetic, so you just pop them into the model heads in the classroom. You don’t realise how important dentistry is until you get a toothache!

2. c Ac TUS

CS: I really like doing things with my hands. I taught myself how to sew at College during Covid and started crocheting. I mostly make little things as gifts. I made this cactus and I’m working on a couple of different hats for him. I first made a little witch’s hat

for Halloween and then last year for my graduation I made him a little mortarboard.

3. coll AG e

CS: This was made by Amy, my bestie at College. A lot of the photos are from College events, like the Met Gala-themed Formal or Valedicts’ Dinner. Amy and I were Resident Assistants in third year, and she stayed for part of fourth year too, which made the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate a lot easier for me. I came to Women’s to find that feeling of camaraderie and supportiveness; that encouragement and celebration of women is so important.

4. B oo KSH elV e S

MW: I’m from the Blue Mountains, and coming to Sydney was a big

adventure. Women’s is a very nice, very caring community. It’s inclusive of Queer students and really any minority group. I came to Sydney having done skatepark skating and joined the Sydney Uni roller derby club last year. Roller derby is a contact sport so it was a big change to go from diving into a concrete hole to diving into a person.

5. T e DDY

MW: Teddy and the squishmallows are from home. It’s nice to have something to snuggle. I’m more of an introvert, so I like having my own space where it’s quieter but still part of College. It’s been really good getting to know Caroline since I moved into Maples, and soaking up her wealth of dentistry knowledge. I’ve wanted to be a dentist since I was little!

Sports Representative Rory Owen steps into the NRL Women’s Premiership League.

A league of her own

WOMEN’S COLLEGE Sports Representative Rory Owen is no stranger to code switching. The twenty year old has signed to play with the Parramatta Eels after being spotted last year in the trial squad for the Waratahs. It’s her first time playing Rugby League after concentrating on touch and Union. “League is a bit rougher,” says Rory, “but I really like it because it’s a faster game.”

Rory has been talent scouted before. In her final year of high school she was approached at a touch football carnival and invited to try Rugby at the Queensland Academy of Sport. At the time, she felt the code switch wasn’t for her, but touch football eventually led her to playing Rugby 7s as a fresher at Women’s College. On the strength of her performance, she was invited onto the Sydney University Rugby team.

As the College’s elected Sports Rep, the third-year Biomechanical Engineering student juggles university and rugby commitments alongside overseeing Women’s participation in the intercollegiate Rosebowl competition. Last year, Rory led our Rugby 7s team to victory against St Andrew’s College in front of a full stadium. “The whole College comes together for the women’s final, and it seems to draw the biggest crowd from all the colleges. It’s a really good night,” says Rory.

Rory hopes her future career will enable her to combine her studies and love of sport, but for now she’s focused on enjoying getting to know her fellow Eels players. “I think in team sports, everyone knows to build a good relationship early on, because it’s really important we trust each other on the field. Rugby is not a one-woman sport. When somebody runs, they have to be able to pass the ball, and trust that someone will be there to catch it.”

‘Rugby is not a one-woman sport. When somebody runs, they have to be able to pass the ball, and trust that someone will be there to catch it.’

Rugby champions: Rory (right) pictured with Alyssa Tham-Pich at the rugby final

IN THE WORLD

2.

I’m grateful for the less tangible memories - late night conversations, endless laughter over meals and the space to grow into a version of myself that I’m proud of.

N e W G e N e RATI o N

FAYSH ell

KATELIN GREGG AND ELLA JAMES

ALUMNAE 2015-16

l AUN c H e D flagship clinic in 2022 in Bondi Junction, Sydney. Recently opened second location, Neutral Bay.

FAYSH ell is Australia’s first membership-based skin clinic. Its vision is to make facials and skin health more accessible by providing affordable, timeefficient facials that are 100% customised. Its founders met as Freshers at Women’s College and quickly became best friends. They started a podcast, Cosmechix, before launching Fayshell.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING

INTo TH e IR oWN e NT e RPRIS e

Find out what you are most passionate about and how you can turn that into a business. Find the right business partner so you can share the journey.

Making skin health and customised facial treatments more accessible

Spotlighting Women’s entrepreneurs building innovative businesses and changing the game.

SHE MEANS BUSINESS

c RAFTING

Creating a unique fashion accessories brand founded on values of trust, authenticity, and accessibility SU cce SS

An egg farmer raising happy and healthy chooks to lay stress-free eggs, delivered straight from the farm R e SHAPING INDUSTRI e S

lo U e NHID e

HEIDI BAILEY [HARDCASTLE] ALUMNA 1992-94

START e D Louenhide in 2006; based in Brisbane BUSIN e SS PARTN e R Lou Kendall lo U e NHID e is a fashion accessories brand established by two friends. Founded on values of trust, authenticity, and accessibility, Louenhide has become the favourite handbag brand to many, with signature styles that are interesting, affordable, and timeless. Louenhide aims to create beautiful and functional handbags, that don’t break the bank, for modern women seeking distinctive style.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING INTO THEIR OWN ENTERPRISE

Be prepared to live, eat and breathe your business. Amazing flexibility comes with commitment and tenacity. Occasionally be grateful and celebrate the small stuff.

m AD e BY Y o U

ANNA HARLOW [WRIGHT-HANDS]

ALUMNA 2008-10

l AUN c H e D Made By You in 2020; based in Wollongong

BUSIN e SS PARTN e R My dog Roo. She’s a great “for scale” model m AD e BY Yo U is an all-online sustainable timber furniture business with a zero-forest supply chain. Using Australian, plantation grown Paulownia timber (the fastest growing tree in the world), Made By You bridges the gap between low-end (bad-for-the-

environment) chipboard furniture and high-end (custom-made/ costly-made) timber joinery by creating a true hybrid: solid timber furniture that is customised and delivered flat-packed to your door.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING INTo TH e IR OWN ENTERPRISE

Just start - it’s the hardest but best thing you’ll do!

CUSTOM-MADE

BE OBSESSED WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS. SPEND TIME ASKING THEM WHAT THEY WANT.

- SARAH SIVYER, JUST BEEN LAID

SUSTAINAB le

START-UP

FAR m ING

JUST B ee N l AID

SARAH SIVYER

ALUMNA 1999-2002

BAS e D in Eccleston, NSW. The first flock of chickens arrived in 2017.

JUST B ee N l AID is a pastureraised egg subscription that closes the gap between farmer and consumer. Customers sign up online for super-fresh weekly eggs laid by chickens that live on fresh pasture in mobile caravans. Eggs are delivered direct from the farm to collection points across the Hunter. The subscription

guarantees premium product with the flexibility to pause any time or donate eggs to a local food charity.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING INTo TH e IR OWN ENTERPRISE

Be obsessed with your (potential) customers. Spend time asking them what they want.

CREATIVE VENTURES

MOMENTS

HOLLY DALTON

ALUMNA 2015-17

START e D Moments in 2023; based in Sydney

SELF-FUNDED, solo venture

mome NTS is a luxury event hire company offering an elegant collection of outdoor furniture for weddings and events. From umbrellas custom made in Italy to ceramics imported from Portugal or ceremony chairs handmade in Sydney, every piece is thoughtfully curated. Moments aims to create joy by helping clients perfect the art of gathering, providing a hire collection that is unparalleled in character.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING INTO THEIR OWN ENTERPRISE

Be kind to all your stakeholders. That kindness will come back in ways you never thought possible.

TEST BEFORE YOU INVEST

NIKKI QUITTNER

ALUMNA 2007-10

START e D in 2019; based in Surry Hills, Sydney

T e ST B e F o R e Yo U INV e ST provides fast, affordable architecture advice on a property’s potential, before you buy or build. It aims to make architecture accessible, catering to diverse locations, briefs, and budgets across the state and beyond. Specialising in renovation or rebuild queries, the business helps with optimising spatial design, estimating costs, deliberating approval strategies and establishing timelines.

ADVI ce F o R oTH e RS V e NTURING INTO THEIR OWN ENTERPRISE

Challenges are the catalyst of change. Believe in your vision. Do thorough market research and have a clear business plan.

Leadership is woven into the fabric of life at Women’s. College is a unique place where women’s leadership is the norm: a place where young women look up to one another for guidance, inspiration and encouragement.

INCLUSIVE

BUILDING

CONVERSATION LEADING THE

WITH MORE THAN 100 formal leadership roles taken up by Women’s students each year – from Senior Student to Cabaret Convenor – and the informal leadership embodied everyday by all our students, leadership is at the centre of what we do.

September’s Leadership Conference brought current students together to reflect on their ambitions for 2024 and beyond. With talks by speakers from within the Women’s community and those who could offer outsiders’ perspectives, this was a chance to share ideas and aspirations for leadership at College, and to think about how College leadership experience might translate into professional life.

The graduate panels, in which former Resident Assistants, Academic Assistants and members of House Committee discussed how their College roles equipped them for their current careers, were a big hit. This was also an opportunity for our alumnae to offer frank advice about graduate careers and further study. Former students currently undertaking Masters programs at

Harvard and Cambridge compared notes with those who had taken up graduate roles in large firms, or decided to go solo as freelancers.

Kaylene Langford, founder of StartUp Creative and author of How to Start a Side Hustle, encouraged students to identify their passions in order to build careers that sustained their enthusiasm in the face of inevitable setbacks.

Ian Goshko, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Telstra, spoke to the corporate focus on the issues that also preoccupy our Senior Leadership team. Building a community in which everyone feels equally welcome is challenging, but it is equally crucial in big business as it is in our tight-knit home of joy and knowledge.

We were honoured to have Independent Federal MP Kylea Tink deliver a rousing keynote address, exhorting our students to continue getting involved, showing up and, moreover, standing up for what they believe in, with the confidence that while change may be difficult it is still possible.

With many thanks to Olivia Battcock (Herbert Smith Freehills), Eleanor Foster (freelance musician), Ian Goshko (Telstra), Kaylene Langford (StartUp Creative), Angie Lu (Star of the Sea College, Melbourne), Sally Montgomery (PhD student, Cambridge), Assoc Prof Tamson Pietsch (UTS), Stella Quast (Masters student, Cambridge), Georgia Rosen (Four Pillars Gin), Hareem Sohail (D. Medicine student, Sydney), and Kylea Tink MP, Federal Member for North Sydney

THE TWO OF US

Kirsty Denholm and Emily Graetz met as Freshers in 2018 and since leaving College have travelled abroad and shared house in Sydney.

Above: Last summer

Kirsty and Emily conquered Mount Everest Base Camp together before backpacking around Northern India

KIRSTY DENHOLM

ALUMNA 2018-19 Nurse, UK

I came to Women’s from Brisbane and to begin with I was quite homesick – Emily was one of the first friends I made. She helped me through a tough time and I’ll always appreciate that.

In high school I made the decision to study nursing because I wanted a career that would have reliable employment options, and give me opportunities to live and work overseas. I mostly chose Women’s because I had heard it had the best food –I still miss those brunches! – but there were lots of wonderful things about becoming a member of the community.

Emily and I moved out of College together and have been living together in Sydney for the past three years or so. It’s been an eventful time: as a graduate nurse I was working on the Covid ward while Emily was in lockdown at home. Outside of my hospital shifts I worked remotely as the College’s nurse, supporting Women’s students who were isolating with the virus. Once the world opened up again Emily and I were able to have more adventures together – we hiked up to Everest Base Camp, and then spent two weeks backpacking through Northern India.

The two of us have had an amazing time together at College and beyond, and while I’m now in the process of moving to the UK, I know there are a lot of adventures to come. I’m excited about the prospect of working in the North of England and getting to spend more time with my family in Scotland.

EMILY GRAETZ ALUMNA 2018-20 Policy Officer, NSW Dept of Education

I moved to Sydney and Women’s from Gerogery, a small town north of Albury/ Wodonga. I felt like College would be a great way to make friendships with other young women (it was!) and Women’s aligned with my feminist values. I was privileged to have been able to realise this dream because of my parents’ support and various Women’s College scholarships.

At school I became interested in progressive activist movements. I was so excited to find out that universities are full of opportunities to think more deeply and critically about the world! For that reason I ended up studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Gender Studies and Sociology.

I met Kirsty during our first week at College, when we were both probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by the move to university and Sydney. From there our friendship became an important place of comfort, solidarity and laughter. Kirsty encourages me to be fun and fearless, and she teaches me that life is full of big dreams and finding joy in whatever moment we happen to be in together.

We’ve lived together since leaving College and been by each other’s sides through multiple lockdowns, graduate jobs, navigating the rental market, and everything that comes with being in your early 20s. Our trip to India and Nepal was the kind of adventure I can only imagine having experienced with Kirsty.

I’m so lucky to have spent time at Women’s College where I had access to unique experiences and opportunities. I’m mostly grateful for the less tangible memories though - the late night conversations in corridors, endless laughter over dining hall meals and having the space and time to grow into a version of myself that I’m proud of. I made a brilliant circle of friends who are talented, generous, kind and clever. They are my biggest source of joy, comfort and inspiration.

From love stories to radical essays, Women's alumnae shine accross a diverse collection of literary works.

THE SHORT LIST

MADELEINE GRAY [2012]

Green Dot (fiction)

Allen & Unwin 2023

An irresistible and messy love story about the terrible allure of wanting something that promises nothing; about the joys and indignities of coming into adulthood against the pitfalls of the twenty-first century; and about the winding, torturous and often very funny journey we take in deciding who we are and who we want to be.

Winner of the ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year

DIANA REID [2014-15]

Seeing Other People (fiction)

Ultimo Press 2022

Who comes first—those you love, or those you want? Seeing Other People is the darkly funny story of two very different sisters, and the summer that stretches their relationship almost to breaking point.

Love and Virtue (fiction)

Ultimo Press 2021

Feminism, power and sex play out through the eyes of young Australian uni students in a contemporary narrative set in a residential college.

Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist Winner of the ABIA Book of the Year Award

Winner of the ABIA Award for Literary Fiction of the Year Winner ABA Booksellers

Choice Award for Fiction Winner of the MUD Literary Prize

SARA M. SALEH [2005-07]

Songs for the Dead and the Living (fiction)

Affirm Press 2023

A coming-of-age tale played out across generations and continents, from Palestine to Australia. Through stunning prose, acclaimed writer and humanrights activist Sara M Saleh offers a breathtaking portrait of the fragilities and flaws of family in the wake of war, and the love it takes to overcome great loss.

MEREDITH BURGMANN AM [1967-68] AND NADIA WHEATLEY [1966-68]

Radicals: Remembering the Sixties (essay collection)

NewSouth Books 2021

The Sixties – an era of protest, free love, civil disobedience, duffle coats, flower power, giant afros and desert boots, all recorded on grainy black and white film footage – marked a turning point for change. Radicals found their voices and used them. Radicals: Remembering the Sixties will make you feel like you were there, whether you really were, or not.

GIVING BACK

Women’s holds the most special place in my heart and the hearts of women gone by: change makers, movers and shakers, and all of us.  3.

- ELLA MOORE, PG 42

By the mid-twentieth century, Women’s College had become home to a strong cohort of medical students whose passion for research would lead to extraordinary scientific innovation and immense benefit to the community.

VISIONARY WOMEN

JI ll m c KERRAL AM [FORREST: 1955-60]

MILLICENT HUGHES OAM [MARION: 1958-62]

JANET MCCREDIE AM [1953-58]

In 2023 we celebrated the lives and careers of three alumnae whose time at Women’s overlapped, and whose contribution to medicine, the College and the University will not be forgotten.

JANET MCCREDIE am md frcr franzcr came to College as a Fresher in 1953, and her close association with the College lasted seventy years. Her mother, radiologist Marjorie Dalgarno, had preceded her at Women’s in the 1920s. While Staff Radiologist at RPA Hospital and Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Sydney, Janet joined the Women’s College Council in 1965. She was Chair of Council several times during her 41year term as a councillor.

In 1970, Janet was asked to review the x-rays of a small group of children whose limb defects were thought to be due to the morning sickness drug thalidomide. This was the starting point for decades of research, during which she devised and proved the theory that thalidomide in pregnancy caused arrest of the development of the sensory nerves in the embryonic neural crest. Janet faced significant challenges in proving her theory: this was the first time a mechanism had been shown for the way a drug could damage the human embryo, and neural crest imaging is now an essential part of prenatal care. Janet published extensively on this topic, including her book Beyond Thalidomide Her research led to prestigious national and international prizes, and Janet became a worldwide advocate for ‘the thalidomiders’. Her lifetime’s work led to an official apology to

thalidomide survivors and their families, delivered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on behalf of the Commonwealth on 29 November 2023, just weeks after Janet’s death.

When Janet was in her third year at College she was joined by a talented first-year medical student from Bathurst. JILL FORREST (McKERRAL) am md mb bs (hon) followed the pathway of many Women’s College medical graduates in beginning her career at RPA Hospital, before practicing in northern NSW where her husband, St Andrew’s College alumnus John McKerral, was working as an engineer. While their children were still young, Jill joined a group of researchers in the Children’s Medical Research Foundation at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, publishing ground-breaking studies of the effects of rubella virus on children and adolescents whose mothers had experienced rubella infection in their pregnancies. This work was awarded an MD by The University of Sydney in 1975.

For years, Jill edited the Medical Journal of Australia, gaining expertise in scientific writing and publishing. She also served as a physician in the Endocrinology Unit at RPAH. In 1997, she resumed research at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the Children’s Hospital Westmead and The University of Sydney.

Janet's lifetime’s work led to an official apology to thalidomide survivors and their families

In a remarkable second career, Jill answered an advertisement in the Sydney University Gazette for prospective carillonists. With experience as a church organist, Jill was first appointed Honorary Carillonist and then University Carillonist from 1993 to 2010. In this role Jill performed at many University occasions and taught, composed and contributed to the Carillon Society and to international carillon organisations in Europe and the US. Her playing will be remembered by all those who spent time on the university campus, even though they may not have known the musician, high up in her tower, responsible for those beautiful bells.

In Jill’s third year another young medical student arrived from the country. MILLICENT MARION oam mb bs fracp was born in Narrabri and grew up in remote communities in NSW where her father was an irrigation engineer. A peripatetic education in various outback schools gave Millie a lifelong curiosity and enthusiasm for friendly intellectual debate. After graduating Millie was encouraged to work in the emerging field of nuclear medicine. This was at the cutting edge of medical practice, and for many years Millie was the only Australian woman in the field. From RPA Hospital and Lucas Heights, she was recruited to be the Clinical Director of Nuclear Medicine at Royal Adelaide Hospital. In Adelaide she married another doctor, Christopher Hughes, and had two daughters. Millicent also held positions at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Flinders University.

A woman of many interests with a strong belief in community service, Millicent never fully retired, but deployed her skills in significant voluntary work in education and health.

With thanks to Jeanette Beaumont, Margaret Burgess, Liz Forrest and Alison Hughes for assistance with this article.

Top: Janet McCredie (right) with College friends in the 1950s

Bottom: Jill Forrest at the University carillon

Opening page, clockwise from top left: Janet McCredie (far right) with fellow medical students on the Main balcony; last day at College - Janet on the Maples balcony; Millicent Marion with staff of Lucas Heights in the 1960s; Jill Forrest; Millicent Marion (right)

Our newly elected Alumnae Committee have been busy planning events for the months ahead. President Angela Frith [1984-87] reflects on recent and future gatherings, all aiming to promote connection, and prompt a little nostalgia.

Alumnae Committee Notes

HE MOMENTUM of the Alumnae committee continues in 2024, building on the success of events and gatherings held last year.

In conjunction with the University of Sydney’s inaugural Alumni Festival held in November 2023, College hosted three events which were well attended by alumnae of all generations. Guests heard short addresses by 2023 University of Sydney Alumni Award winners Professor Elizabeth Elliott AM [1975-78] and Georgia Dawson [1995-97] at the Back to College Cocktail event on 30 November. On 2 December, College held the annual Katrina Dawson Foundation Concert, featuring repertoire performed by the College’s talented Conservatorium of Music students. All funds raised were donated to support the Foundation scholarships. Finally, on 3 December, the muchloved Wisteria Lunch took place in the Main Common Room, with an address given by alumna Dr Frances Black [SINGER 1969-70]. Highlights from these events can be seen in the photo collage earlier in this issue.

The Alumnae Committee is committed to bringing back an enhanced calendar of events for this year, and we’re keen to see former students of all eras gathering their friends and coming along. In addition to our annual and biennial events, new gatherings are planned for 2024.

We hope to see you at an event this year.

ANGELA FRITH ALUMNAE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

WomeN’S colleGe AlUmNAe AWARDS FoRmAl DINNeR

Monday 13 May in the College Dining Hall

BATHURST ReUNIoN

Saturday 27 July, Abercrombie House, Bathurst. For alumnae in the regions, and others who would enjoy a weekend in the country.

FINANce AND ecoNomIcS INDUSTRY FORUM

Thursday 22 August, hosted by Ernst & Young in the Sydney CBD. Offering networking opportunities for alumnae with careers in finance and economics.

YoUNG AlUmNAe ReUNIoN

Friday 13 September, CBD venue TBA.

1980S REUNION

Friday 20 September to be held at College. For alumnae who entered College 1980-1989.

WISTeRIA lUNcH

Saturday 21 September, at College. For alumnae who entered College 1984 and prior.

KATRINA DAWSoN FOUNDATION CONCERT

Saturday 30 November Sibyl Centre at College.

UPDATE YOUR DETAILS TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS FOR FUTURE EVENTS community@ thewomenscollege.edu.au

ALUMNA 1984-87

Jane Spring AM is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion, and for wider participation in sport.

Sporting Commitment

ANE SPRING [1985-87] credits her time as Vice President of Sydney University Women’s Sports Association, a position she held while she was a student at Women’s College, as the catalyst for her future board and advocacy roles. In 2024, Jane was appointed Chair of Sydney University Sport and Fitness (SUSF), the first woman to take the post. It’s a position she holds alongside a host of board appointments, many of which are focused on improving disability access and promoting sport.

Jane chairs the Australian Disability Strategy Advisory Council at the Commonwealth Department of Social Services. She's also on the board of Venues NSW, serves on the Audit and Risk Committee for the NSW Office of Sport, chairs the NSW Disability Council, is a Vice President at the Institute of Public Administration NSW, and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Jane is also co-chapter leader of Minerva Network, a national program formulated to mentor elite female athletes to help ensure they are maximising their opportunities and investing in their future careers. She was an elected Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate from 2009 to 2013. A former lawyer, Jane worked for the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, and has had a distinguished career in the NSW Public Service.

Sport has remained a lifelong preoccupation. Jane began rowing in her fresher year at College, then rowed single sculls for Sydney University, as well as competing in cross-country and downhill skiing. Determined to continue her involvement after a catastrophic car accident in 1990 left her with a permanent disability, she took up wheelchair basketball, something she says she has recently rediscovered. She also loves lap and ocean swimming, and is currently working on a campaign with Beaches Australia to improve accessibility to local beaches for people with

disabilities. “There’s still an enormous amount to do and it’s a good moment in time to be doing it, with disability inclusion in the public eye,” she says.

Scaling up university sporting programs to meet the growth in student population is something Jane sees as her biggest challenge as Chair of SUSF. Limited grounds and facilities on campus present barriers that are more than physical. “Sport can really broaden students’ engagement with the University,” she says. “It gives fantastic opportunities for more diverse involvement, to make friends and build leadership, mental wellbeing and resilience.” Jane’s advocacy includes improving sporting access for students with disabilities. As well as partnering with Wheelchair Sports NSW to provide sports wheelchairs, the University football club has a sponsor that supports men, women and wheelchair football. “We’re really keen to enhance opportunities for students with disabilities, and to have able-bodied students play with them as well.”

Jane says that the award of her Member of the Order of Australia Medal last year has made her even more driven to make a difference. “I feel really lucky to have the support and the education I’ve had. I’m motivated to make it better for people with disabilities, and to give students at university the opportunities I had.” Her appointment as Chair of SUSF has been a full-circle moment for Jane and her family. Her mother Patricia Spring [DEER: 1958-60], aunt Rosalind Strong AM [DEER: 1964-65], and sister Annabel Spring [1989-93] also attended the University of Sydney, and Women’s College. “Ros, mum, Annabel and I benefited enormously from the community of women at College. It gave us the opportunity to find great, smart women friends we could be ourselves with, and who became friends for life. Those networks are so important for women.”

Jane received an AM in 2023 for significant service to disability advocacy in sport, and to public sector administration.

The Women’s College acknowledges the generous ongoing support of gifts and contributions received from our community of donors, 1 January to 31 December 2023.

Raising support

Pacita Alexander

Alliance OPCP Catering

Anonymous donors

Terry Austin

Victoria Baker

Jackie Baron

Skye Barry

Mary Barton AO

Amanda Bell AM

Christine Biggs OAM

Yvette Black

Alan Boyle

Katherine Brown

Rob Brown

Quentin Bryce AD CVO

Andrew Buchanan

Peter Bull

Jill Caldwell

Penelope Cameron

Helen Carr

Megan Collins

Elizabeth Constable AM

John Copland AO

Nerida Croker

Rowena Danziger

Jennifer Davidson

Georgia Dawson

Jane Dawson

Rachel Dear

Maria Dias

Espie Dods

Christine Donnelly

Melanie Drake

Jennifer Edwards

Fardin Eghtedari

Maryam Eghtedari

Estate of the late

Brenda Jean Stevenson

Estate of the late

Patricia Roby

Estate of the late

Rosalind Maurice Purchas

Tim Fairfax AC

Prudence Finlay

Janet Flint

Susan Fuller

Denise Fung

Future Generation Australia

Olma Gan

Meredith Garlick

Lucinda Garling

Carolyn Gavel

Samantha Gavel

Jennifer Giles

Lauren Gough

Susan Graham

Peter Graham KC

Rebecca Griffin

Helen Griffiths

Joan Grimwade OBE

Dinah Hales

Alison Handmer

Pauline Harding

Kathleen Harris

Michelle & George Harris

Louise Hart

Margaret Hawkins

Anne Henchman

Lindy Henderson

Margaret Henderson

Melissa Heris

Jacqueline Hicks

Melissa Hinde

Pamela (Jill) Hodgson OAM

Karen Hogan

Tom Ioannou

Anna Joyce

Katharine & Thyne Reid

Scholarship

Lisa-Ann Koe

Ash Lane

Anne Le Couteur

Rosalind Lehane

Felicity Lehane

Christa Lenard

Tina Leung

Jocelyn Lloyd

Margaret Lowe

Phoebe Loxton

Diccon Loxton

Virginia Lydiard

Skye MacFarlane

Jane MacMaster

Alison Main

Clare Maple-Brown

Maple-Brown Family

Foundation Limited

Skye Mason

Bride McDermott

Mary McGuirk

Eliza McKendry

Leah McKenzie

Scott & Claire Milson

Helen Mitchell

Marjorie (Ann) Moffatt

Barbara Moloney

Janet Morrison

Helen Murray

Diane Nash

Cherry O’Donnell

Robyn Overall

Janet Pippard

Eleanor Putnam

Ruth Rabin

Hugh Ralston AM & Jan Haskins

Sophie Ray

Suzanne Reid

Ann Renwick

Mary Rickard

Dimity Riley

Pauline Ross

Carole Roussel

Elizabeth Sakker

Juliet Schmidt

Paloma Sessions

Lorna Siah

Melissa Slattery

Julia Smart

Natalie Smith

Judith Soper

Scarlett Southey

Leone Steele OAM

Catherine Stewart

Anne Sutherland

Julie Sutton OAM

Pamela Sweetapple

Cara Taylor

Sandra Taylor

The Barton Foundation

The Katrina Dawson

Foundation

The University of Sydney

Leo Tutt OAM

Women’s College

Alumnae Association

Women’s College

Students’ Club

Lucinda Watson

Sarah Webster

Felicity Wilson

Alice Wilson

Xia Lian Wilson

Lisa Wilson

Gay Windeyer

Yu Shen Yin

Since 2015 The Katrina Dawson Foundation has provided mentoring and financial support to exceptional young women. We look back at a decade of achievement and vision.

A decade of scholarship

HE KATRINA DAWSON Foundation (KDF) was founded in 2015 with a vision to provide mentoring and financial support to exceptional young women. As part of this vision, a number of scholarships were created to assist promising young women to attend Women’s College during their university studies. Each year, up to four new scholars are selected for their outstanding leadership and academic capacity, and next year will mark a decade of KDF scholarship support at Women’s.

While the Foundation provides the main source of funding, each year the College’s Conservatorium of Music students stage a concert to raise funds to support the scholarships, while showcasing the talents of our voice and instrumental scholars. To date, close to $30,000 has been generated in additional funds.

In April 2024, the College and the Foundation hosted its first alumnae event, introducing past KDF scholars to current scholarship holders. These alumnae are working in fields as diverse as banking and finance, architecture, device technology, teaching, consulting, engineering, the public service and law.

In addition to five ongoing scholarship recipients, four new Katrina Dawson scholars have been selected for 2024.

Second-year Arts/Law student Phoebe Britten and third-year Arts Advanced Studies student Julienne Duffy join first-year entering students Lily Heraghty and Talisa Lamming, both of whom are undertaking Arts Advanced Studies degrees at the University of Sydney. Nikki Dawson, CEO of the Foundation, says that the scholarships have been a meaningful legacy in Katrina’s name. “Katrina was Senior Student of the College in 1998. I know she would be pleased and proud of the amazing women scholars who have followed in her footsteps.”

Charli Dwyer performing at the reunion afternoon tea

The Dawson family: Angus, Sandy Snr, Jane and Nikki Dawson with Paul Smith

First scholarship recipients

Catherine

and Angie

Below: Back Row: Angie Lu, Catherine Priestley, Hannah Jones, Hannah Heading, Talisa Lamming, Phoebe Britten, Isabella Harris, Amy Cooper. Front row: Alexandra Berry, Lily Heraghty, Eva Alsop, Charli Dwyer, Julienne Duffy

10 YEARS OF KDF ALUMNAE

c ATH e RIN e PRI e ST le Y

2015-2019

Executive within Macquarie’s Asset Management Agriculture team

KAT e FI el D 2016-2018

Urban Planning Graduate at Arup, working in their London firm

ANGI e lU 2016-2018, 2022

Harvard graduate and Teacher of mathematics in Victoria, Australia

R e N ee NG 2017-2019

Cardiothoracic Surgery Product

Specialist at Device Technologies

lU c Y S c HR oe D e R

2017-2020

United Nations Human Rights Fellow, in Geneva, Switzerland

A le X B e RRY 2018-2020

Management Consultant within the technology advisory team, KPMG

em I lY GRA e TZ 2018-2020

Policy officer at the Department of Education for New South Wales

cl ARA RUDD 2018-2021

Health professional, Western Downs Regional Council, Dalby, Queensland

ISAB ell A HARRIS 2018-2021

Architecture Graduate, AECOM

Sydney and member of the Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Group

mollY TUIT 2020-2022

Undergraduate Structural Engineer at Northrop Consulting Engineers

HANNAH H e ADING 2020-2022

Alumnae and Philanthropy Coordinator at The Women’s College

AMY COOPER, GEORGINA

FERREIRA AND HANNAH JONES

Ongoing Study

Current scholar Phoebe Britten, alumna Alexandra Berry and Foundation CEO Nikki Dawson

Priestley

Lu at the reunion

Senior Student Ella Moore reflects on what's in and what's out for Wizzies in the year to come.

Ins and Outs

THINK THIS YEAR will be a year unlike any other. For some of us it will be the start of the firsts: first whole College formal dinner, first uni lectures. For others, it’s the first time being a College convenor or the first time living on a balcony. And for some of us, it’s the start of our lasts: last formal dinner, last formals, last year at university.

I started my year with friends from home compiling a classic staple for any new year: an Ins and Outs list.  For those less familiar with an Ins and Outs list, it became a bit of a sensation at the end of 2022 on TikTok.

Some like New Year’s resolutions. I prefer to write an Ins and Outs list of my aspirations, things I’m tired of doing, or simply reflecting on what’s not been working in my life, or an energy or era that I want to embody.

I’ve adapted my Ins and Outs list to something that encompasses the College vibe. You might call this a Wizzie’s Ins and Outs list. Here goes:

IN: Getting to Rosebowl and Palladian events, being the loudest on the sidelines, knowing the College song off by heart and raising your hand on the words “extol” and “woman.”

ALSO IN: Women’s winning Palladian and Rosebowl cups this year!

OUT: Bare walls; I’m in my poster era.

IN: Making friends in tutorials.

OUT: Buying a dress for every formal.

IN: Wizzie Dress Swap.

IN: Balance - balancing uni, work, study, College, friends, family, sporting and extracurricular commitments. Saying no when you need to, yes when you want to and when you can.

IN: Podcasts.

ALSO IN: Late night chats.

OUT: Saying beauty is pain. No it is not - if there’s one thing College has taught me it’s that heels are not a necessity at formal events.

IN: Taking note of the little things, the smile in the corridor, the sleepy eyed chat over breakfast. It’s the little things you’ll remember. AND ONE FINAL IN: Watching a comfort movie in times of stress. College condenses itself into formal seasons and social periods of time and exam and assignment seasons, all of which make us feel that little bit more stressed. Bringing some friends together, or a next-door neighbour, or someone who you met over dinner, and bundling into your little corner of the College for 90 minutes of escapism can make the world of difference.

I hope those Ins and Outs are a starting point for some shared priorities throughout the year at College. Women’s is a place that has a touch of magic to it – something a simple Ins and Outs list definitely cannot totally encapsulate. It holds the most special place in my heart and the hearts of women gone by: change makers, movers and shakers, and all of us.

ELLA MOORE SENIOR STUDENT 2024

From the Chair

ATER THIS YEAR, Council will be planning the strategic horizon for the College’s next phase. Our key pillars of scholarship, leadership and philanthropy have stood us in good stead over the last decade, and College remains in high demand as a place for aspirational young women. As we look to the future, it is vital to consider what College will need for its next generations of students in terms of resourcing for its scholarship, academic and community programs, and in its all-important physical infrastructure. A recognition of the importance of diversity and equity of access will continue to guide Council’s vision for the future. It has been a pleasure and an honour to serve on the College Council for the past twelve years and as Chair for the past six years. Working with Members of Council as well as our Principals, Dr Amanda Bell AM and Dr Tiffany Donnelly, Senior Students and College staff has been a privilege. My term on Council comes to an end this year, and as I look back over the many changes to College and university life over that period, I am pleased and proud that Women’s is as steadfast in its purpose of supporting the education of young women as it was when the College was founded over 130 years ago. I am excited to watch its ongoing success.

SAMANTHA GAVEL CHAIR OF COUNCIL

COUNCIL ELECTION

2024

Under the Women’s College Act 1902, elections are held every two years for half of the Council membership and Council members are elected for a period of four years.

The Council of The Women’s College represents an active, diverse and talented cross-section of people interested in promoting the strategic goals of the College for the benefit of our resident and affiliate students studying full-time at Sydney University and other universities in Sydney. Members of the Council volunteer their time and expertise, support events, promote the College and provide stewardship of its resources.

In accordance with Section 6 of The Women’s College Act, 1902 (as amended 1997), an election will be held later this year for five vacancies on the Council of The Women’s College within the University of Sydney.

Details about the election process, skill sets and experience being sought in potential candidates, eligibility to nominate and eligibility to vote, will be sent via email to our community over the next few months.

YET

IER