Ut Prosim 2019

UT PROSIM THAT I MAY SE RVE | 20 19

| UT PROSIM 2019

Welcome from the Chair of the Board of Governors

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Mr Gary Turner reflects on the diverse network of relationships, connections and conversations, which add value to our School and our students.

Welcome from the Principal

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Dr Briony Scott celebrates the Wenona community and the role it plays in showing our girls and young women how to do life.

Our School

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These pages offer a snapshot of just some of the activities, events and achievements of our students from Kindergarten to Year 12 over the past year.

Celebrating Wenona Alumnae

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Wenona Parents’ Association

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From organising the biennial Wenona Spring Fair and Welcome Lunches, to raising awareness and funds for breast cancer, we celebrate the contribution of the Wenona parent community.

Wenona Alumnae Association

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This year, the Alumnae Association celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Women of Spirit Breakfast event, along with an Art Show and other events to raise funds for their Scholarship program.

Wenona Foundation

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Over the past year, the Foundation has ensured that the gift of philanthropy affords educational opportunities for a wide range of students.

A Snapshot of Alumnae News and Events

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We commemorate members of our alumnae, celebrate achievement and note dates for the diary.

UT PROSIM 2019 Editor Lisa Broad I Writers Lisa Broad and Jude Morahan I Art Director Fiona Ziebell | Design Fiona Ziebell and Janine Stieger Photography Ian Barnes, Rowena Clarke, Mike Bell, Anthony Khoury, Katie Dean, Janine Stieger, Wenona staff and students

Cover photo: Year 4 walk down ‘The Suez Canal’ at The Rocks, exploring Australia’s colonial past Above top: Ginger Fitzhardinge (Scarecrow), Ellie Deveson (Tin Man) and Adelaide Robertson (Dorothy) in The Wizard of Oz Bottom: Lara Banks (Glinda The Good Witch) and Adelaide Robertson (Dorothy) and cast of The Wizard of Oz 2

Contents

We feature Wenonians who have pursued careers as pilots, composers and professional sportswomen, and look at different ways our alumnae continue to inspire and support our students.

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| UT PROSIM 2019

WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD As you read this edition of Ut Prosim, which captures just some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the Wenona community over the past 12 months, it is important to understand them as part of a continuous arc that began more than 133 years ago.

When Miss Edith Hooke founded Wenona in 1886, her determination to give young women access to an unrivalled liberal education was truly ground-breaking in its time. Today, her legacy of excellence in girls’ education remains at the very heart of our School, maintained through generations, and inspiring our vibrant young women to serve and shape their world. This was borne out in December 2018, when the HSC Schools Ranking placed Wenona an outstanding 13th, the School’s best result since the inception of the ‘new’ HSC in 2001. As a non-selective independent school, this achievement is testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff under the visionary leadership of Principal, Dr Briony Scott, and it reflects Wenona’s deeply held commitment to challenge ordinary thinking and our aspiration to excel in all that we do.

As you will see in these pages, Ut Prosim, that I may serve remains true to the School’s essential character, with Wenonians of all ages continuing to make a difference in communities near and far.

Over the past year, students and their parents have walked the Kokoda Trail, a gruelling 96 kilometres of tropical jungle, mountainous tracks and remote villages.

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They’ve hosted a ‘Student Sleepout’ at school to raise money for local youth affected by homelessness. They’ve undertaken fundraising activities in order to travel to countries like Cambodia, Laos and Fiji, where they’ve helped to make a positive difference in local communities.

They’ve visited sites of tremendous historical and cultural significance in Europe, the USA and here in Australia.

And they have travelled to Lizard Island to study the effects of climate change on the coral reef under the guidance of geoscientists from the University of Sydney.

“ Ut Prosim remains true to the School’s essential character, with Wenonians of all ages continuing to make a difference in communities near and far.”

On behalf of the Board, I wish to thank everyone who has played a part in supporting Wenonians to lead and excel this year. This includes the students, staff and parents, Dr Scott and the Executive team, the Wenona Foundation, the Wenona Parents’ Association, the Wenona Alumnae Association, my fellow Board members and the wider Wenona community. Together we form a diverse and active network of connections and conversations, relationships and friendships, all of which add immense value to our School and create exciting opportunities for our young women, while at school and when they graduate.

This magazine presents a snapshot of Wenona in 2019, highlighting that the School’s approach to girls’ education continues to be as progressive today as it was in 1886. And your ongoing support reminds us all that education is a great team effort. Thank you.

MR GARY TURNER CHAIR, BOARD OF GOVERNORS

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| UT PROSIM 2019

WELCOME FROM THE PRINCIPAL “How important it is for us to celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

MAYA ANGELOU

Celebrating our role models Earlier this year, Tayla Harris, an outstanding AFL player, was photographed taking a kick in the game she loves.

The photograph was put up on social media, commentary ensued and then the predictable trolling began.

“More than ever, I am deeply grateful to our alumnae community for the role they play.”

Tayla was calm and unapologetic in her response, role modelling great sportsmanship. She did not apologise for her talent or the hard work that had got her to where she was, nor did she sink to the level of her detractors by trolling them back. In a similar vein, we saw Ashleigh Barty rise through the ranks to become number one in the world 2019 tennis rankings. Despite provocation and needling, I was impressed by another outstanding sportswoman showing how to respond when things don’t go your way.

In bygone eras, with extended families and strong community networks, young women had these kind of role models around them, showing them how to do life, how to react when adversity hits, how to respond in a resilient and respectful way, when to step aside and when to hold your ground.

Despite changing times, the need to come alongside our young women and show them how to do life, with strength and integrity, is as strong as ever.

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Main photo: Dianna Crebbin (1967), Dr Scott and Lyndey Milan OAM (1971) Left: Jennifer de Forest (Joyce, 1955), Dr Scott and Robin Laforest (Kelso, 1951) at Foundation Day I Centre: Dr Scott giving out cake to students on Foundation Day I Right: Dr Scott, Megan Anderson and Emilee Cherry OAM at the Wenona Sports Lunch

The role of community, not only as protective factors in the lives of our young women, but as a source of inspiration and encouragement, is priceless. In this cyber-connected world, with families scattered around the globe, it is easy to slip into thinking that faceto-face connection and personal relationships are not as important.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

More than ever, I am deeply grateful to our alumnae community for the role they play in raising and influencing the next generation of young women. Thank you for living your lives as well as you can and owning your mistakes. And thank you for picking yourself up when you get knocked down and not hiding this from us. We have enough examples of photoshopped perfection.

Thank you for being mentors to young women, reminding them of their inherent value as a woman and as a person.

Thank you for loving what you do and for taking time to work this out, not expecting to instantly know, but moving from one open door to another.

Thank you for taking our young women on work experience, for listening to them, for keeping the bar and expectations high, but also reminding them that life is for living now, not for some future utopia.

Thank you for letting your hair go grey naturally and thank you for dyeing it

midnight black or bright pink into your 90s.

Thank you for living a conservative life marked by cardigans and pearls. Thank you for living an outrageous life, wearing red and pink together and living on a commune somewhere. And thank you for everything in between.

Thank you for being you and showing our young women that to be a true woman requires a strength and a courage to be themselves. It is not always easy, but it is always worth it.

I commend this edition of Ut Prosim to you. We celebrate what is happening at Wenona, but just as importantly, we celebrate the Wenona broader community and its members, in all its glory, extending well beyond Year 12 into the workforce, family, friends, travels, retirement and into all facets of life, at all ages.

DR BRIONY SCOTT PRINCIPAL

“The need to come alongside our young women and show them how to do life, with strength and integrity, is as strong as ever.”

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

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The Weather Girls

Term 2, a group of very excited K to 2 students headed off to Centennial Parklands to learn more about the wonders of nature.They climbed trees, went dip netting in the ponds and used maps to locate hidden treasures. But the best part?

The bus ride home apparently!

Australians have a warm relationship with our weather forecasters, but as Kindergarten learnt this year, a lot more inquiry and research goes into weather reporting than just looking out of the window! Approaching the world around them with a sense of wonder in order to become meteorologists for the day resulted in some fabulous inquiry-based learning.

Our School

Welcome to the Museum

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In Term 3, Kindergarten reflected on what they knew about museums. Apart from ‘dinosaur bones’ and ‘oldfashioned stuff’, the girls decided that museums protect and care for things that people treasure. This led them to think about an object they treasure and why. They then brought in their most treasured object from home and decided to create their very own Kindergarten Museum for the whole of Woodstock to enjoy.

This included an interactive family tree, which they decorated with photographs of their family. Beneath each one was a QR code for visitors to scan in order to download a short video about each student’s family and the special things they like to do together.

Celebrating beliefs Year 3 have been exploring the idea of ‘celebration’ by thinking conceptually about different religions and belief systems. They looked at five of the major world religions - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism - before creating a religious artefact of their own choosing, as well writing a poem about it, which they presented at a showcase to Dr Scott and the Junior School in Term 3.

Hats off to Easter As Term 1 came to a close, K to 2 students celebrated a Magical Morning of Easter. Parents were invited to come along to watch the traditional Easter Bonnet Parade and musical performance. This included Woodstock’s very own Easterthemed version of ‘I’m a little teapot’, written by the students.

Everyone then sat down to read some books together followed by an Easter egg hunt.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

| UT PROSIM 2019

Forever blowing bubbles

Family Art at MCA

There’s something inexplicably magical about bubbles: perfectly spherical, wonderfully transparent and naturally occurring too – think sea foam and soap lather! This year, Years 1 and 2 have been studying the science behind (and inside) bubbles, thinking about concepts such as elasticity, surface tension, light and geometry. Their teachers were so delighted with their enthusiasm that they decided to extend their thinking by challenging them to create their very own bubble wands. The students started off by creating 3D models using Tinkercad on their iPads. This gave them an opportunity to learn how to move around in 3D space, change dimensions and add solid shapes to their designs. Working collaboratively in groups, they then designed their own bubble wands, making sure they had the correct measurements and that each part overlapped so it would be one piece. Then, using a 3D printer, they printed out their very own custom-designed bubble wands. And the best part of all? Testing them out by blowing beautiful bubbles!

Over several Saturdays, Junior School parents came together with their daughters for a fun, social, hands-on art-making experience at the MCA’s National Centre for Creative Learning.

The Family Day was a chance for the young – and the young at heart – to create a colourful and imaginative artwork together.

They also had an opportunity to explore the galleries, delving into the themes and ideas of current exhibitions together.

Bullying. No way!

On Friday 15 March, Wenona joined schools across Australia to participate in the ninth National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, Junior School students invented posters, created raps, drew pictures and made finger puppets to raise awareness and understanding about this important issue. Year 4 students used the metaphor of a tree to explore what they saw as the most important qualities and foundations of friendships.

ISTE Conference

Making a splash

As part of his Wenona Teaching Fellowship award, Junior School Teacher, Mr Nick Amato travelled to Canada and the US for a first-hand observation of how schools there are bringing the International Baccalaureate’s PYP programme to life. He also visited Philadelphia where he spent a week at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference, along with 20,000 fellow educators, discovering how the very latest innovations in technology can enrich and transform teaching and learning.

The Junior School Swimming Carnival returned to North Sydney Olympic Pool for the second year, and its stunning harbour views got a big tick from everyone.

Tremendous House spirit made it a fantastic day both in and out of the pool. Messiter reigned supreme on the day to take home the House Cup, with Palmer winning the House Cheers awards.

What’s on the menu?

#MorePowerfulTogether To mark International Women’s Day 2019, Wenona embraced the theme of #morepowerfultogether. Across the School, students stood in solidarity to call for gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls.

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During Term 1, Years 3 to 6 students had an opportunity to ‘dine out’ at a café with a difference. Located in the Hooke House library, the Genre Café came with tablecloths, flowers, fancy restaurant music, and even its very own maître d′ in the form of Junior School Teacher Librarian, Ms Sue Scott! And on the menu? An eclectic selection of books. Each week, students sank their teeth into a different book genre, encouraging them to read outside their comfort zones. Thanks to the Genre Café, students quickly learnt not to judge a book by its cover and are much more adventurous in their reading. Now that’s food for thought!

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

| UT PROSIM 2019

‘Petrol heads’ unite

Dancing Matilda

Students indulged their inner ‘petrol head’ in June, with a vintage Morris Minor, a Formula Renault race car and a Harley Davidson revving their engines and tooting their horns at the annual Car Show. Year 6 students also competed in the Solar Sprint Challenge, racing the cars they had built for Mr Michael Richards, organiser of the UNSW Solar Sprint Challenge.

The Year 5 and 6 girls who make up our Junior Jazz Eisteddfod were delighted to take out 2nd place for their performance of ‘Matilda’ in the Extreme Eisteddfod held at Abbotsleigh in June.

That girl can run What a year it’s been for Imogen Howard in Year 5! She claimed the 11 years NSWCIS Cross Country title at the Championship in June, following on from her 3rd place at the IPSHA Carnival. Imogen went on to represent NSWCIS at the NSW All Schools Championships finishing 11th. Imogen represented Wenona at the IPSHA Athletics Championships winning the 800m and 1500m titles in the 11 years division.

Leading Peer Support

A Snapshot into Learning Ahead of Mother’s Day in May, Junior School opened up its doors to showcase their learning this year. The girls were very excited about working collaboratively with their loved ones on a range of activities, including learning Morse Code, Auslan and testing their technology and risk taking skills. After using their grey matter, they celebrated with a delicious Morning Tea.

Reliving colonial times

Early in the year, Year 6 students participated in team-building activities as part of their Peer Support leadership training. It enabled them to confidently and successfully facilitate Peer Support sessions across the Junior School. The program supports students to develop the skills, attitudes and understandings that are vital to their health and wellbeing.

Dressed as convicts and officials of the First Fleet, Year 4 explored The Rocks, followed by a visit to the State Library to develop their understanding of Australia’s colonial past. Highlights included walking down the ‘Suez Canal’, which was the main sewer, and learning how Australia’s First Peoples were impacted by European settlement.

Cottoning on Year 9 boarder, Tilly Helps - whose family own a cotton farm at Hillston in western New South Wales - dropped in to Woodstock to give our Year 3 students a quick lesson on ‘how to grow a pair of jeans’. She spoke to them about how the drought has affected Australian farmers like her family. It was great for our Year 3 students to not only understand how the cotton that becomes the clothes they wear is grown, but to also understand more about the severity of the drought and its impact on rural and remote communities across Australia.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

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Bend it like Zara Zara Yee in Year 6 is definitely one to watch as she makes the transition into Middle School next year. A talented young sportswoman and currently one of the Junior School Sports Captains, Zara has excelled in Football this year. In August, she captained the NSW PSSA team at the National Championships in Canberra, with NSW finishing 2nd overall. Zara also happens to be a dynamo on the drums!

Nicole’s ‘Secret Power’

Supporting Asylum Seekers

Congratulations to Nicole Kwok in Year 5 who won the Lane Cove Library 2019 Book Week Creative Writing competition for 11 year olds. Nicole was delighted to receive her award from the Mayor of Lane Cove, Mrs Pam Palmer.

In Term 1, Junior School collected food and toiletries for the Asylum Seekers Centre. Mrs Burkett’s (pictured above) Year 5 students helped to load up a van with donations. Year 6 students delivered them to the centre, accompanied by Wenona’s Director of Community and Service Learning (K to 12), Ms Kate Seale.

Music, play on…

Junior School musicians continued to dazzle on stage this year, with end of term Ensembles Concerts for Bands, Percussion, Wind and Stringendo. At the Junior School Choral Concert in Term 2, Woodstock brought the house down with their magical performance of ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’. The magnificent Petite Voices’ powerful rendition of ‘Rockin Robin’ also proved a real crowd pleaser, particularly with their spirited dance moves.

Halogen National Young Leaders Day In March, our Junior School leaders joined more than 4,000 other young people at the Halogen National Young Leaders Day. Speakers included Tim Diamond, Cate Campbell, Tamsin Janu and Holly Ferling.

River Cottage Wenona-style Deep inside Wenona, a veggie garden is flourishing as our green-thumbed Junior School students embrace the joys of growing their own food and flowers. It all started with the arrival of Junior School Teaching Assistant, Mrs Mandy Edwards, who is passionate about helping children to grow, harvest, prepare and share their own food. The aim is for the girls – and their families – to eat whatever they grow. The girls also sold some of their produce at the Wenona Spring Fair. Bon appetit everyone!

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Joys of camp It’s a rite of passage for our Years 3 to 6 students, and they’ve enjoyed leaving their home comforts behind to embrace the great outdoors, learning new skills along the way. And best of all, they’ve made new friends!

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Run Sarah run Sarah Baker, Year 7, has dominated the 12 years Cross Country competition this year, winning the IGSSA Championships in May, NSWCIS Championships in June, placing 2nd at the NSW All Schools Championships and 8th at the National All Schools event in August. Sarah also placed 3rd in the U14 800m and 1500m at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships.

At the Wenona House Athletics Carnival, Sarah set a new School record for the Junior 1500m with a time of 5:05:24 and was subsequently named the 2019 Junior Athletics Champion. She followed this up by winning the 12 years IGSSA Championships 800m and 1500m.

Bringing Ancient Egypt to life In Term 1, Year 7 History students learnt about the ancient Egyptian civilisation, including the power of the Pharaohs, the construction of the great pyramids and the importance of the River Nile for daily life. They were then able to consolidate their learning when Egyptologists from Macquarie University’s Museum of Ancient Cultures visited Wenona, giving the students the opportunity to handle genuine ancient Egyptian artefacts.

Placing 4th at da Vinci Decathlon Eight students put their intellectual mettle to the test at the NSW State da Vinci Decathlon in May. Isabella Clark, Chelsea Fernandez, Sienna Huang, Melissa Liang, Ava McCann, Katrina Poon, Alison Woo and Nina Lucas (not pictured) spent several months preparing for this tough inter-school competition, going head to head against 75 other schools in 10 different events. They placed 3rd in English, 3rd in engineering, 3rd in art and poetry, 5th in cartography and 12th in ideation to come an impressive 4th place overall. Well done girls!

The Wizard of Oz In August, the Wenona community went off to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz at the Concourse Theatre, Chatswood. Adelaide Robertson took the lead role of Dorothy, supported by Ginger Fitzhardinge (Scarecrow), Ellie Deveson (Tin Man), Matilda Parker (the Cowardly Lion), Molly Keegan (Aunt Em), Greta Hazel-Harrison (Uncle Henry) and Claudia Kraft (Professor Marvel and the Wizard of Oz).

Lara Banks played Glinda the Good Witch, Georgia Soghomonian played the Wicked Witch of the West and the Connolly family’s dog, Lola played Toto.

They were joined by curious munchkins, malevolent witches, flying monkeys, dancing jitterbugs and even a group of singing trees! Thank you to all the staff, crew, parents and students who worked tirelessly to produce four amazing performances.

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Racing for solar Watch out Elon Musk! Taking a hands-on approach to learning about electrical circuits and energy sources, Year 8 created their very own ‘Ultimate Solar Racers’ in Science. They built their battery-powered electric cars from kits, experimenting with variables like wheel size, weight and gearing ratios to make them go faster.

They also explored how to replace the battery source with solar cells, before testing out their prototypes in the Year 8 Minisprint Challenge.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Outdoor adventure at Year Year 10 at Jindabyne

The joy of Music Therapy There’s nothing like music to bring people together, as students in Music Teacher Dr Dianne Langan’s Music Therapy Group have discovered. After perfecting their repertoire, the students hosted an Afternoon Tea for residents from local nursing homes, where perennial favourites like ‘Danny Boy’ proved popular. The students also visited Giant Steps School, where they sang for children with autism.

In February, Year 10 went to Jindabyne for a week of ‘off the grid’ adventure, along with Dr Scott and Deputy Principal (Staff and Strategy), Mr Staker.

They camped beside the river, went mountain biking and white-water canoeing, and did a 20km hike from Thredbo to Charlotte Pass. The students also volunteered in the local community, which involved weeding, pruning and mowing the garden of Mr Bruce Hodges OAM.

The art of charcoal

Hackathon: AI for Good

Year 11 Visual Arts students wowed visitors to the Judith Dey Art Gallery in Term 1 with their remarkable charcoal portraiture.

As part of the 2019 AI for Good Challenge, some of our Year 9 students took part in an all-day Hackathon, exploring innovative ways to harness the power of artificial intelligence to bring positive change in the areas of Accessibility, Earth and Humanitarian Action. One of the concepts they came up with was ‘Take Me My Way’, which seeks to provide an augmented experience in shopping centres to help less able-bodied people negotiate the space, and to normalise their experience.

Rugby’s rising star Promising young sportswoman, Jada Taylor, Year 10, made the tough decision to leave her family behind in Tamworth this year when she was offered a DalCorp Scholarship to join Wenona as a boarder. Not only has she become a very valued and popular member of the Boarding House, Jada has also improved her performance, skill and knowledge of Rugby, so much so that she was selected for the Under 18s Australian Youth Rugby 7s team in 2019. Further to this, Jada has recently been named captain for the NSW Schoolgirls Rugby 7s team and she has also been selected for UTS to compete in the AON University 7s Competition.

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Wenonavision 2019 Drawing its inspiration from the glitz and glamour of the Eurovision Song Contest, Wenonavision has become the annual ‘must see’ event on the Languages Department calendar. Year 7 proved too strong for the rest of the competition, with Nina Lucas taking out the solo prize for her performance of the ‘Matono’ song in Greek, and Mr Mikkelsen’s Year 7 Chinese class winning the group performance for their rendition of ‘Sorry my Chinese is not good’.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Drama’s double trouble

Cadet leadership

It was all about the Bard in March, with Year 11 Drama students performing and directing scenes from two of Shakespeare’s most compelling plays: Twelfth Night and Macbeth. For their directorial interpretation of Macbeth, students focused on the theme of the supernatural, using the three wicked witches to create a pervading atmosphere of darkness and dread. In complete contrast, Twelfth Night was a riotous, colourful and highly entertaining performance, which took its inspiration from the glitzy excesses of the 1980s. Think Adam Ant, Cindy Lauper and Right Said Fred!

It was a proud moment for Wenona at the Cadets Ceremonial Parade at Shore in March. For the first time in the history of the Shore Cadet Unit, both the Parade Commander, CUO Charlotte Collier, and the 2IC, CUO Georgia Blanchfield, were Wenona Cadets.

Working alongside Shore Cadets, the girls have embraced the opportunity to build relationships, collaborate and learn valuable leadership skills in a program that is challenging and fun.

CUO Charlotte Collier was awarded the Student Merit on the Senior Leaders Course last year, and as the Senior Under Officer, she has led an excellent team of both male and female senior cadets who have embodied the principle of servant leadership.

Mooters at Bond In May, Zara Penklis, Sophia Costello and Annelise Ireland travelled to Bond University in Queensland to represent Wenona at the Faculty of Law’s annual mooting competition. Playing the roles of counsel and instructing solicitor in a mock legal hearing, the students had to prepare and argue a case in front of a judge, while adopting the formal language, etiquette and modes of address of court. They performed exceptionally well.

National Reconciliation Week Touring the world

The theme of National Reconciliation Week 2019 was ‘Grounded in Truth: Walk Together with Courage’. Year 11 students made a ‘Sea of Hands’ across the School’s garden, writing powerful messages of hope and unity.

They also organised a sausage sizzle, with all funds going towards community projects in Kununurra, where some had volunteered at a local woman’s shelter.

Over the past year, Wenonians have visited sites of cultural and historical significance as part of the Creative Arts Tour and the History Tour. They’ve visited the Barrier Reef to examine the effects of global warming as part of the STEM Tour. They’ve sung in the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York as part of the Music Tour to the US. They’ve completed the Kokoda Trail for the second time, and they’ve volunteered in countries like Laos, Cambodia and Fiji as part of their Service Learning program.

Spectacular start-ups Year 10 Commerce students gained a newfound appreciation for the challenges and opportunities involved in starting a business. Tasked with making a dish of their choice to sell to Senior School students at lunchtime on ‘Market Day’, they learnt about budgeting, buying, pricing and marketing their wares. Overall, the students enjoyed the experience, but realised that making a profit in a highly competitive market is not always as easy as it looks!

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ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

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Off to the Big Apple Kate Carey (2018) was thrilled to be awarded a scholarship to New York University to study a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance Musical Theatre.

NESLI Scholarship

2020 Tuckwell Scholar Elise Rawlinson is one of just 25 Year 12 students from around the country, to be awarded a prestigious Tuckwell Scholarship from the Australian National University (ANU) valued at more than $125,000. The 2020 Scholars were selected from a competitive field of 690 applicants.

Elise had to undergo a rigorous application and interview process, which was designed to evaluate her academic ability, leadership potential, commitment to giving back, and strength of character.

Along with financial and other support valued at more than $25,000 a year, Elise will also have access to a transformative enrichment program which includes mentoring and skill development.

Elise plans to undertake a Bachelor of Health Science before going on to study postgraduate medicine at ANU.

In Semester 1, Head of Science, Mrs Sandra Woodward was awarded a scholarship from NESLI (National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative), enabling her to participate in The Australian Schools Lead and Expert Teachers Leadership Colloquium. Mrs Woodward has also been nominated for the 2020 BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Teacher Awards. This prestigious award is open to just nine participants each year, so to be nominated is an achievement in itself.

Shape Exhibition Sophie Andrews (2018) received the 2018 MAAS Shape Award at the Shape 2018 launch for her HSC Major Work a lightweight below-the-knee prosthetic designed for use in developing countries.

World Chess championships in Turkey Congratulations to Amanda Cheng in Year 10, whose Houdini-like tactical skills have ensured her qualification to compete in the 2019 FIDE World Youth Chess Olympiad in Turkey in October.

Art Express Katerina Xenos’s (2018) HSC Major Body of Work was chosen for Art Express, an annual exhibition featuring a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts in NSW.

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A National Music Title In October, violinist Natalie Kendy (Year 11) won the 2019 National Youth Concerto Competition in Brisbane, with her performance of Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto. It is recognised as the most prestigious competition in Australia for string soloists aged up to 17 years.

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I BELIEVE I CAN FLY ANNE COLEMAN (CARTER, 1963) Anne Coleman always knew she wanted to be a pilot. As a young girl with health issues, she often flew unaccompanied to Stanthorpe in northern New South Wales to spend holidays with her aunt and uncle.

Her uncle had been a navigator during the war and encouraged her interest in flying.

But in the early 1960s, women didn’t become pilots, so Anne needed grit, determination and self-belief to achieve her dream.

Anne’s years at Wenona were spent under the watchful eye of Miss Ralston and she recalls her focus on discipline. “If we did something wrong, we sat outside her office.

It could have been something as simple as leaving school without a blazer on.” When she was 15, Anne discussed her career options with a careers guidance counsellor.

“I told her I wanted to be a pilot or a geologist.

She said women couldn’t be either and suggested stenography or nursing.”

Anne’s parents were not keen on her career choice either. Anne’s mother suggested she complete a 12-month typing course as a backup plan. After leaving school, Anne worked as a stenographer and a waitress.

In the mid-1960s, one flying lesson cost Anne a week’s salary, meaning she could only afford to fly once a month. “I worked nights and weekends, and in my spare time, I studied for my Commercial Pilot’s Licence.”

A government scholarship took care of 70 percent of Anne’s flight costs. Out of the 10 scholarships awarded, only one went to a woman. After passing her Commercial Pilot’s Licence, Anne received another scholarship for an Instructor’s Licence. Anne’s career then hit a roadblock. “There were no female pilots employed at all by Ansett and Qantas. The only avenue open to women was instructing.”

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After approaching numerous flying schools and being turned down, Rex Aviation, Cessna Agents, finally employed Anne as a flight instructor and charter pilot. Anne held onto the advice she had been given by her Chief Flight Instructor: “Don’t think you have to be as good as the men Anne; you have to be better.”

In 1967, Rex sponsored Anne and co-pilot Carmel Brown to participate in the 21st anniversary of the All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race, known as the Powder Puff Derby. They flew from the east to the west coast of the USA in four days, covering the same route as the first race. Then in 1968, Anne was named Pilot of the Year. That same year, Anne participated in the Round Australia Air Race, competing against racing car drivers Jack Murray and Evan Green. They were given 10 days to complete the race, which went clockwise around Australia. Anne and co-pilot Margaret Kentley took eight days to finish the race, arriving at the finish line eight hours ahead of the racing car drivers.

This was despite that fact they had only being allowed to fly during daylight hours and had to contend with strong headwinds along the Great Australian Bight. Anne also completed a three-week Air Safari to Central Australia, sponsored by Women’s Weekly, and flew in the Baden Baden Air Rally in Germany, the most popular air rally in Europe. Pilots from 25 countries participated and Anne and her co-pilot were placed 2nd in the women’s division and 17th overall.

A downturn in the aviation industry resulted in Anne’s redundancy. Subsequent employment at Pilkington Tiles gave Anne opportunities to fly to country areas to see tile merchants. In 1979, PGH Eureka Ceramics sponsored Anne to fly in the Southern Cross Air Race. More than 145

aircraft competed in what was the biggest air race in Australia. Anne and co-pilot Senja Robey won!

Now retired from flying, Anne still does speaking engagements to encourage more women to pursue a career in aviation.

She has also just finished writing her autobiography for the Australian division of the International Organisation of Women Pilots, The 99s, which was originally started

by Amelia Earhart. The organisation earned its name because there were 99 female pilots in the room at their first meeting.

In her spare time, Anne works with injured birds at a nearby reserve, rejoicing in their attempts to fly.

Top: Anne Coleman in her flying days

FLYING HIGH Cindy Zhang, Year 11 student From the A380 to the Boeing 787, I have always been mesmerised by the big commercial planes at Sydney Airport, hoping that one day I will be in the cockpit, flying passengers around the world.

The aviation industry is dominated by men, but being at Wenona inspires me every day to pursue my dreams to become a pilot, starting with a Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) at UNSW.

enona Alumnae

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A CAREER IN THE CLOUDS

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE

MADELEINE BRUNSDON (2006)

LENA OKAMURA (2014)

Madeleine Brunsdon was just six years old when she first boarded a plane.

During the flight to Canada, she was invited to visit the pilot in the cockpit. It ignited her interest in flying and laid the foundations for her future career.

A chance meeting with an alumna who had trained as a pilot at Wenona’s annual Career Expo influenced Lena Okamura’s choice of profession.

Madeleine’s interest in flying became a passion during her high school years at Wenona. “My parents gave me a trial flight as a gift for my 15th birthday. If they were hoping to scare me off, it had the opposite effect!”

After studying Maths and Physics for her HSC, Madeleine enrolled in a Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) at UNSW. “It was a great course for me. I didn’t know a lot about aviation, so it was a good place to start.”

As part of her degree, MadeIeine obtained her Flight Instructor Rating, which allowed her to teach flying. “I started out as a volunteer instructor for the Air Force Cadets and the Australian Air League until my first paid job teaching flying out of Cessnock Airport in the Hunter Valley. I was then offered a job with UNSW out at

Bankstown, where I became a Grade One instructor, teaching Multi-Engine and Instrument Rating - essentially learning to fly in and out of cloud.”

Madeleine has just celebrated her twoyear anniversary as a Second Officer on the Airbus A330 with Qantas. Flying to destinations throughout Asia as well as Honolulu, Madeleine spends more than 30 hours each week in the air.

“Qantas was always the dream job and now here I am. It’s a job for life. I hope to spend my career here until I retire.”

Madeleine’s tenure with Qantas speaks volumes for her skill and tenacity. Aviation is a small sector in Australia compared to countries such as the USA, and the percentage of female pilots is low.

“Globally, only three percent of pilots are women. There is a lot of work to be done on equality. The pace of change is slow. Thankfully, we are seeing more girls coming through the training courses now.”

negativity that comes her way as a compliment. “I have seen passengers look horrified when they learned I was the pilot.

They think I look too young or that women shouldn’t be flying planes. I try to convince myself that the comments come from a good place.”

Although she is studying for a Masters of Aviation, along with the irregular hours that come with her job, Madeleine still makes time to catch up with her Wenona schoolmates. She also likes to give back to the School when she can. “I’ve been back to Wenona to speak about a career in aviation, and it was great to have a couple of girls end up as my students.

I really enjoy being involved.”

A bright, positive and forward-looking person, Madeleine tries to see any

GREASE IS THE WORD

Having travelled to Spain, Cambodia and France, Brooklyn attributes some of her

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interest in aviation from having had an opportunity to see something of the world. “I love travelling. I’ve been lucky to see some of the world already and I can’t wait to see more!”

Brooklyn credits her father for giving her the courage and confidence to break stereotypes. “Even though he grew up in a male-dominant era, Dad always encouraged me to have a go. He attended every one of my soccer games

In Year 11, Lena took a trial flight in a small aircraft to see if she liked it. “It was an awesome experience. It gave me a completely new perspective. I loved seeing the world from up there!” Lena describes her experience at university

has become a pigeon-holed profession.

“You hear ‘pilot’ and you think ‘male.’ It has become very narrow. I haven’t come across an Indigenous pilot either.”

BROOKLYN DOOMADGEE (2018) Brooklyn Doomadgee gives a slightly embarrassed laugh when asked what attracted her to a career in aviation.

“The truth is,” she says, “I’m obsessed with John Travolta!” When Brooklyn was eight years old, she watched Grease for the first time. “Once I found out John Travolta was a pilot, it changed my dream completely!”

“I attended the Career Expo when I was in Year 7,” recalls Lena. “It was very early for me to attend, as most of the girls were seniors!” The Expo featured Wenona alumnae from a broad range of career backgrounds. It gave the current students an opportunity to talk with them and find out more about potential career paths when they left school. “I spoke with a Wenonian who was a pilot about how to get into aviation. She handed me a University of New South Wales pamphlet detailing the Bachelor of Aviation course.

I kept that pamphlet with me for five years until I finished Year 12.”

and athletics carnivals. When I decided I wanted to play rugby, like my brothers did, Dad said, ‘Why not?’ He made me want to do better.”

The fact that only a small percentage of pilots in Australia are women did not deter Brooklyn from wanting to study aviation.

“I haven’t met a lot of women who want to be a pilot. It’s one of the reasons I want to do it – to show others that you can.”

Brooklyn believes that unfortunately, it

Brooklyn decided on a career in aviation whilst in her senior year at Wenona.

Ms Nonie Ayling, Head of Boarding at the School, organised for Brooklyn to take a trial flight. “I loved that flight. It was literally the best feeling in the world.

Flight simulators are just not the same.”

Heavily involved in School life during her time at Wenona, Brooklyn studied Maths, English, Geography, Drama and Spanish in her senior year. And she kept herself fit and active playing soccer, touch football,

as tough, but focused on the practical.

“We got to do a lot of flying and learned how each component of the aircraft worked. We also studied meteorology, aviation medicine, and air laws and regulations.”

Lena was fortunate to travel often when she was young. “I found the whole airport environment a fascinating dynamic. I looked at planes and thought ‘how on earth does that fly?’” In the post 9/11 aviation environment, Lena was fortunate to visit the flight deck and take photos after flights. “I used to say to the pilot, ‘what does this button do?’’’

Now a First Officer for QantasLink, Lena flies different hours each week, according to her monthly roster. “Flying with a regional airline means you are flying much shorter sectors. We fly to cities such as Dubbo, Canberra and Coffs Harbour.”

Lena often goes on two-day trips to outports from Sydney. “We stay overnight and are picked up again at 5:45am the next morning. There is not a lot of time to explore these cities.”

Flying to regional cities also means Lena enjoys more hands-on flight actions, such as navigating landing approaches. Only two pilots are required on the flight deck for shorter flights. “I take turns flying with the captain. On QantasLink flights, there are more opportunities for me to fly than long haul on big jets.”

Lena’s dream job is to fly for Qantas mainline, and she plans to achieve it by building up her co-pilot flying hours and command time experience. In the meantime, Lena feels it is important to be able to give back to Wenona and she enjoys attending alumnae career networking events with students. “It’s important for girls to know that a career in aviation is an option for them when they leave school. Many women say to me they wish they had known about it so they could have done it, too.”

and softball for Wenona, as well as playing rugby union for The University of Sydney.

Brooklyn is studying for a Bachelor of Engineering at Griffith University in Brisbane, which she will need to complete before she can start her aviation course. Her degree incorporates all aspects of flight, including how aircrafts are designed and manufactured.

“My dream job after finishing university is to be a commercial pilot with Emirates. I want to do something that I love.”

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How do you overcome challenges?

I’ve learnt to be pragmatic and not let them become a hindrance. One of my greatest challenges is juggling the creation and presentation of my shows with the responsibilities of being a mum whilst living a long way away from my family. I face this by waking up earlier and being more efficient with my time!

MUSIC COMPOSERS, TAKE NOTE! CHLOÉ CHARODY (2002) Alumna Chloé Charody (2002) has forged an international career as a composer, earning critical acclaim for her unique style of music that fuses opera, classical music and circus.

Did you grow up in a musical family?

While my family aren’t musicians, they’ve always appreciated good music. I grew up listening to all the greats: Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Paul Simon, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, Mozart, and Abba, to name but a few!

What instruments do you play?

I was 6 when I started learning the piano with the wonderful Christine Corrigan. I still play today. I also played the flute in primary school. While I’ve always had a passion for the violin, I’ve never learnt to play. Yet as a professional composer, I write a huge amount of music for violin.

What venues have you loved performing in?

What do you remember about music at Wenona?

I had two fantastic Music teachers in Mr Mark Witham and Ms Kim Lemon (Wenona’s current Director of Performing Arts). Both were passionate about inspiring and nurturing the talents of young musicians like me.

What have been the highlights of your career so far?

As a teenager, I was inspired by composers like Rachmaninoff, Shostakovitch, Debussy and Ravel. This fascination extended throughout my years at the Sydney Conservatorium, where I studied for a Bachelor of Music, and continues to this day.

In 2011, my first circus opera ‘The Carnival’ played on London’s West End at the same time as one of my ballets was playing at The Musiektheatre in Amsterdam.

Another highlight was when one of my operas ‘Morning Blossoms’ toured The Netherlands with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, playing at stunning venues like the Theatre De Spiegel and The Haarlem Philharmonie.

Who is your favourite composer?

What is ‘circus opera’?

It would have to be Ravel. In my opinion, his harmonic vocabulary and melodic brilliance are nothing short of musical perfection.

When I compose for stage productions, I create the music, the libretto and the storyline. I also direct and produce, so the entire production really becomes a creation entirely of my own vision. Over the years, I have developed a new genre that combines classical music, opera and circus into its own unique artform, which I call ‘circus opera’.

What is it about the composers of the early 20th century that inspires you?

When did you start composing music?

How did you first come to be involved with violinist Sonja Schebeck?

I was about 8 or 9 years old, so it was a few years before I arrived at Wenona.

We met at The Sydney Conservatorium. We share a common passion to make classical

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music more appealing to the younger generation. We began creating shows which really pushed the boundaries of classical music performance and it’s essentially what kicked off our professional careers.

Left: Painting of Chloé Charody (2014) by Linda O’Toole; Right: Chloé Charody with conductor Tecwyn Evans in rehearsal with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (2016) photo by: Joris-Jan Bos

In Australia, it would be the City Recital Hall, where my concerto featuring acrobatic fire-spinning violinist, Sonja Schebeck and her acrobatic orchestra, The Freestyle Orchestra, called ‘Tale of The Firebird’ premiered in June for Vivid Sydney. In Europe, it would be The Muziektheatre in Amsterdam, where my first ballet ‘Magdalene’ was presented by The Dutch National Ballet in 2011.

What does the immediate future hold?

I’m co-writing a new children’s book and stage production called ‘Jingah!’, which will be staged next year. I also run an academy in Berlin called ‘The Berlin Circus Opera Lab’, where I train opera singers in the discipline of circus, so they can perform in my productions. The next one to be staged will be ‘The Carnival’, which I wrote about 11 years ago. I also have a new piano album coming out next year.

What advice would you give to young aspiring musicians?

Be sure that it’s really what you want to do.

If you can’t imagine doing anything else, then do it, but be prepared to work hard for the rest of your life! There’s a saying ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’, but I think it’s quite the contrary. If you find a job you love, you will work hard, every day of your life, most of the time, nights as well, and you will never take a day’s rest! If you’re passionate about making it as a musician, this really needs to be your mindset. You don’t work to live - you live to work!

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MAKING A SPLASH FOR WATER POLO GOLD

SWIMMING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

HANNAH BUCKLING (2009)

KATE FORRESTER (1998)

Olympian Hannah Buckling was only 12 years old when she first started playing water polo at Wenona. Today, she’s on the #TowardsTokyo campaign trail to make her second Olympic team while studying Medicine at The University of Sydney.

In 2018, Kate Forrester joined an exclusive club when she became the 200th Australian and 46th Australian woman to complete a solo swim of the English Channel. Despite the marrowchilling cold, the monotony and the fatigue, this touchstone achievement for marathon swimmers has spurred Kate on to attempt more.

A talented swimmer, Hannah felt she would like to try a different sport in Year 7, so she signed up for water polo at School and for the Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers Water Polo Club.

“I loved my water polo team at Wenona,” remembers Hannah. “So much so, I coached school teams there right up until 2016. It was great to be able to give back.”

Since leaving Wenona in 2009, Hannah’s water polo career has continued to progress. In 2011, Hannah was awarded Water Polo Australia’s Junior Female Player of the Year. She also made her debut for the Stingers, Australia’s national team, and won a bronze medal at the FINA Junior Championships.

In 2013, Hannah played water polo for the University of Southern California, while studying for a Bachelor of Science part-time, and won a silver medal at the Barcelona World Championships.

Returning from the USA in 2014, Hannah played at the World Cup in Russia. “Water polo has given me the most amazing opportunities to see the world.”

Hannah’s training regime is not for the faint-hearted. “Our preparation is full on. We train full-time, but get a rest on Sundays.” Training varies between pool and gym sessions, ball skill and blocking drills as well as leg work and tactical exercises.

Hannah’s ‘hard work’ ethos drives her, having been admitted into Medicine at The University of Sydney. “I am busy!

Luckily, the university has a brilliant elite athlete program.”

In 2016, the hours spent training, her determination and the sheer will to get there paid off, as Hannah reached the pinnacle of global sport, with the Aussie Stingers competing at the Olympics in Rio. Hannah had already experienced the Olympic atmosphere when she was selected in the squad for the London Olympics in 2012. But in Rio, with her family and three friends from Wenona supporting her, Hannah got to play. “The opening ceremony was simply amazing.

That whole stadium of people… it will forever stay in my mind.” The Stingers went on to reach the quarter finals, where they went down to Hungary.

Unfortunately, the Rio Olympics was a bittersweet experience for Hannah.

She suffered a fractured eye socket in the game against Brazil, which ruled her out of the competition. Positivity and strength of character assisted her recovery. “I am so glad I am playing again. I love water polo more now than ever.”

With 155 international caps under her belt, her focus is now on the Tokyo Olympics next year, and Hannah has her eye on the prize. “The USA is the team to beat, but this doesn’t mean they are unbeatable!” When asked how she copes with the pressure to train hard and to win, Hannah is philosophical. “As a junior, I was stressed and struggled with consistency. Now that I am older, life experience puts everything into perspective. It is supposed to be fun!”

As a boarder at Wenona during the late 1990s, Kate loved water polo and surf lifesaving, and was awarded School Captain of Water Polo in her senior year. “I love being in the water. I have always been fascinated by accomplishing a feat and I started to think about open water swimming.”

After finishing school, Kate spent a year in London before moving to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, where she completed a business degree. After discovering how much she loved ocean swimming, she set herself the goal of swimming the English Channel. “Initially, I wanted to be part of a relay, but my coach told me I could do the solo swim!”

Kate began a rigorous training regime. Her week consisted of a 2.5 hour swim each morning before going to work as a corporate banker, followed by a pool session on Saturday and a 4 to 8 hour beach swim on Sunday. “I got up every morning at 3am to swim and went to bed exhausted at 6pm.

I swam 14kms from Burleigh to Southport each week or did laps of Mooloolaba Beach whilst my mum fed me concoctions of Gatorade, Milo and Coke.”

Everything hurts – you learn to switch off.

I saw it as a cumulative effect of the things I needed to do to get the reward.”

Finally, on 1 September 2018, Kate achieved her dream of crossing the English Channel from Dover to France in 12 hours and 28 minutes, supported by her coaches and family. Whilst the shortest length of the swim is 33km, Kate swam a total of 48km due to the strong tides and currents. “My swim went seamlessly. It was an amazing feeling getting out of the water in France.”

Swimming the Channel has motivated Kate to complete the ultimate open water swimming challenge, the Oceans Seven.

This feat consists of seven open water channel swims from each of the seven continents. But first of all, she will attempt to complete the Triple Crown of open water swimming later this year. Kate has swum the English Channel, she has just completed the Catalina Channel (a 33km ocean swim from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes in California) in 12 hours and 12 minutes, and next is the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a 48.5km circumnavigation of Manhattan Island.

For Kate, it’s all about the mental and physical preparation for these swims.

“You have to do the work,” she says.

“If you don’t, you only cheat yourself.”

Kate travelled to Melbourne to do her cold water acclimatisation, swimming up to 8 hours in the chilly waters, as well as spending up to an hour and a half in 13-degree ice baths. “It’s mind over matter.

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BEYOND THE BLACK LINE

RUNNING STATESIDE

ANN HART (BEARDSMORE, 1959)

LARA HAMILTON (2015)

When talented swimmer Ann Hart was in Year 9 at Wenona, she was selected for backstroke in the Olympic Swimming Squad.

Despite being athletically gifted, Lara Hamilton quite literally stumbled across the sport of distance running, thanks to her cross country coach at Wenona!

Ann Hart looks back on her years at Wenona with affection and holds profound respect and admiration for the then Headmistress, Miss Edith Ralston.

“She was a brilliant, wonderful woman,” recalls Ann, “I admired her so much.”

Acknowledging Miss Ralston’s reputation for demanding excellence and obedience, Ann agreed it was unwise to garner her displeasure. “I remember eating my lunch on the Monk’s Bench outside her office, being in trouble for talking too much. She also had a fearsome clap which sent students running for their lives.” Ann also admired Miss Ralston as a formidable leader. “She was a skilled leader who recognised leadership capabilities in others. She once wrote in my school report that I was a good leader, however I was leading everyone in the wrong direction!

Obviously, that changed as I ended up being made Deputy Head Prefect.”

Ann was a very talented swimmer, despite only being able to swim in summer as there were no indoor pools. Ann and her squad trained at the Tattersalls Club in the city at night because at the time, women were not allowed in the club during the day. When Ann was in Year 9 in 1956, she received the remarkable news she had been selected for backstroke in the Olympic Swimming Squad, based in Queensland. “I was surprised – and pleased – to be selected, although it did mean I wouldn’t be able to go to school.

Dad thought I should go. Miss Ralston was very supportive. She said, “Why wouldn’t you go?”

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Relocating to Townsville, Ann and her mother rented a semi and Ann was collected every morning for training by Olympic gold medallist, John Devitt.

“We trained in every state and then the Olympic trials were held in Melbourne.

Sadly, I didn’t make the squad for the 1956 Olympics, but I still went along with my family to cheer them on.”

Ann returned to school after the Olympics and the following year went travelling around the world with her family. “We went to Europe and came back via the United States. We were very lucky, although it did mean I had to do the Leaving Certificate twice!”

After leaving Wenona, Ann studied Speech Therapy at The University of Sydney and went straight into private practice.

“I worked at St Vincent’s Hospital and The Crippled Children Society; it was very rewarding.” One of Ann’s most memorable patients was her former Headmistress.

“I was honoured Miss Ralston was happy for me to be her therapist after her stroke and I just hoped I wouldn’t let her down.”

Three generations of Ann’s family now call themselves Wenonians, with her two daughters attending the School and her granddaughter currently in Year 9.

Ann’s daughter, Katrina, runs Wenona’s Uniform Shop and Ann’s father was on the School Board and started the first Parents’ Association when Miss Ralston retired.

Whilst she no longer swims, Ann can often be found at the Spit Swimming Club holding the stopwatch at the Saturday races. Ann swam her final race at the Masters Games in 2009, placing fourth in her age group. “I decided that’s it. I just wanted to prove I could still do it.”

A talented cross-country skier, Lara was part of Wenona’s Ski Team, representing the School at the interschools competitions, state, and national carnivals. “My dad was a World Cup Cross Country Skier. He used to pick me up after school every Friday afternoon and we would head to the snow.

We skied all weekend and would be back in time for school on Monday morning.”

Lara ran for cross training fitness. At her Year 12 Athletics Carnival, she placed third in the 800m, and was encouraged by her coach at Wenona to challenge herself by competing at the Independent Girls’ Schools Sports Association Carnival (IGSSA). “I kept progressing through the rounds. My fitness and altitude training really translated.”

I sang in the choir and an ensemble, performed in the musicals and studied Voice as my major for HSC. I was interested in digital music and mixing, and how opera can be used in other mediums.” Lara completed a Bachelor of Music (Classical Voice) at The University of Sydney, mastering singing in German, Italian and French, as well as studying composition and the history of music.

This year, Lara has been presented with a golden opportunity to further her athletic and vocal passions, with a scholarship to Boise State University in Idaho, USA. “It is a fantastic opportunity for me. Boise’s Women’s Elite Athletes Program is ranked

sixth in the USA for cross-country.” Sharing a house with British and Polish runners, Lara will combine her training schedule at the university with studying for a Master of Voice Performance in Opera.

Currently recovering from a hamstring tendon tear she sustained during the 10km road race at the Australian Championships, Lara is pleased to be getting back to her usual weekly mileage.

An average week for Lara involves speed work, hill sprints, strength sessions and different combinations of distance runs.

“If I keep training hard, achieving PBs and consistently running well, the 2024 Olympics in Paris is a real prospect for me.”

Entering the Sydney Harbour 5km road race in her senior year, Lara announced her arrival to competitive running by winning the race. “My strategy was to keep picking people off. I had never crossed a ribbon before.”

Despite being relatively new to the sport, Lara has achieved some amazing results already. She has been named U20 Australian 5000m Silver Medallist, Australian National Cross-Country Champion and Australian Uni Games 5000m Bronze Medallist. Dedicated and passionate about her sport, Lara pushes herself to keep smashing boundaries and improving her times.

Lara’s talents are not just limited to her sporting pursuits; she has also been blessed with a beautiful voice. ‘At school,

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CLASS OF 2019

TEACH FOR AUSTRALIA

The graduating Class of 2019 has had some exceptionally talented sportspeople among them. Here is a snapshot of some of them and their sporting achievements.

NAOMI GIBSON (2011)

Year 12 Sporting Class of 2019 Emily Champion Cross Country Skiing •S ki and Snowboard Australia Cross Country Skiing Rising Star (2nd year running). 15th Junior World Championships XC Sprint Classic •U 20 Australian Junior XC Sprint Champion (2nd in U20 Distance Race) • Snowsports and Cross-Country Captain •2 020 plans: Most likely moving to Canberra to train and study surrounded by other national athletes and the AIS

Tori Cureton - Equestrian •R unner-up Best Junior Rider at Royal Easter Show • NSW Showjumping Captain • NSW Interschools Overall Champion • Equestrian Captain

Holly Dawson - Hockey • I GSSA, NSWCIS and NSW All Schools Team Member • Hockey Senior Firsts • Hockey Captain

Olivia Edwards - AFL • Eastern Allies team member – AFLW U18 National Championships • Netball, Touch Football and Basketball Senior Firsts

Kate Richardson Sailing & Surf Life Saving • Australian Sailing Team member in Nacra 17 boat class

• IGSSA Basketball Representative

• 1st All Female Fleet – Youth World Championships

• Head Prefect and Basketball Captain

• Australian Surf Life Saving Champion

• IGSSA Athletics Champion 200m

• 2020 Plans: Member of the Australian Sailing Team Squad changing boat class to the Nacra 17

• 2020 Plans: Spending a gap year in the UK working in a school supporting their sport program

Ella Fraser - Tennis • Top Ten Australian Age Ranking • Tennis Captain • 2020 Plans: US College to study and focus intently on progressing her tennis in a fulltime program

Zoe Hurrell - AFL

Vivienne Saunders Surf Life Saving • Australian Surf Boat Champion

Lily Schnitzler - Football • NSWCIS Shadow team member • Football and Touch Football Senior Firsts • Sport Prefect & Touch Football Captain

• Eastern Allies team member – AFLW U18 National Championships • Touch Football Senior Firsts • Future plans: Goal of being drafted by an AFLW club

Naomi Gibson has kept her School motto very close to her heart since she left Wenona in 2011. Ut Prosim, that I may serve has shaped and influenced Naomi’s life and career, giving her a strong sense of social justice and encouraging her to look out for those less fortunate than herself.

After graduating from school, Naomi enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts/Law degree at Macquarie University in Sydney. A five-year degree, Naomi studied philosophy as her major and completed a semester of her course at Cardiff University in Wales.

It was while she was at university that Naomi felt that she wanted to give by volunteering. “I had a huge desire to contribute to something, other than just studying. I wanted to have experiences ‘outside my bubble’. I met so many people at university who had experienced very different childhoods and school life to me, and hadn’t enjoyed the educational privileges that I had.”

Left: Zoe Hurrell I Centre: Tori Cureton I Right: Olivia Edwards

For Naomi, charity definitely begins at home as she and her mother, Janice, were members of the original Mary’s House steering committee. A refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, Mary’s House gave Naomi the opportunity to learn about the complex issue of family violence. It also enabled her to be part of a local solution to the problem of high demand for crisis housing in her community.

After three years as an Associate in Baker McKenzie’s Employment Law team, Naomi decided to make her social justice ethos her career, and enrolled in the Teach For Australia (TFA) program. TFA seeks to place teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools, with the aim of raising educational benchmarks and

giving students a better chance of breaking the cycle.

The program selects candidates with a degree in a field other than education, who have spent time pursuing other careers.

“The selection process was rigorous. I was placed in a school just thirteen weeks after intensive teacher training.” Completing her Master of Education within the program as well, Naomi has just relocated to Traralgon, regional Victoria, where she teaches Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies. “I really wanted to experience something different, and working at this wonderful school and learning about this community has been a phenomenal way of doing that. I would love for current Wenonians to learn about Teach for Australia. While I was at Wenona, I simply wasn’t aware of how high-quality my education was or the unique volume of opportunities that were available to me. It’s obvious to me now, and I have loved being able to use my secondary and university education to help the students I teach.

I have been unbelievably lucky.”

Naomi became involved in the LEAP UP Macquarie Mentoring (Refugee Mentoring) Program, a unique mentoring program for high school students from a refugee background, encouraging them to pursue higher education. Naomi also taught ethics in public schools in Sydney through the Primary Ethics Program. “For those students not studying scripture, their only option was to sit in the library. We spent this time with students, encouraging their ethical thinking, developing their ability to question and challenge information. We wanted them to think for themselves, not just rely on being told.”

In 2016, Naomi travelled to Borneo through Macquarie’s International Participation and Community Engagement Program, working as a legal intern, conducting research and preparing a report on a proposal by the Malaysian Government to build a dam on indigenous land. “It was a

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wonderful experience and rewarding to be able to use my law degree to gain insight into the challenges faced by indigenous communities like the ones in Sabah.”

Naomi Gibson with her mother, Janice Gibson

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A HOME AWAY FROM HOME SANDRA HOLMES (TOMLINSON, 1967) Sandra Holmes looks back on her years as a boarder at Wenona in the late 1960s with fondness. “I loved Wenona. I was very happy in the boarding school. My sister was five years older than me and was there already. I spent a lot of time at home in Moree on my own. I couldn’t wait to get there.”

Attending Wenona during the era that Miss Edith Ralston was Principal, Sandra remembers her as very strict, but fair. “She was an amazing lady looking back. You didn’t want to disappoint or not live up to her expectations. We did some silly things such as walking around the dining room with a

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book on our heads. You were certainly singled out if it happened to fall off.”

At that time, there were three school terms and boarders were rarely able to go home due to the expense and the distance. “We were allowed out twice per term and on two weekends. My sister, who was nursing by then, came to collect me. My parents came to Sydney for the Royal Easter Show and that was the only time I saw them during school time. I didn’t have the realisation until I was older how much they must have sacrificed to send me to Wenona.”

According to Sandra, the forgotten art of letter writing helped to ease any homesickness in the Boarding House.

“We wrote letters to our parents every Sunday after church. We lived for letters from home.”

Boarders and day girls were not encouraged to mix. Morning tea and lunch were held separately so the only chance for crossover was class time or during sport. Mealtimes for boarders were formal, with a mistress seated at the head of each table who would serve the food prepared by the cook and correct errant manners.

“We certainly didn’t lose any weight on the food! Miss Ralston insisted we eat what was on our plates whether we liked it or not. We became very devious at hiding food we didn’t want to eat, putting it in plastic bags or in our bloomers!”

After leaving school, Sandra went home to Moree, completing a shorthand and typing course at the convent and then working for the county council. Sandra then went to Melbourne to pursue a hairdressing apprenticeship as her mother was “keen on me having a piece of paper!” Returning home after 18 months, Sandra married a local famer and went on to have three children.

Sandra also remembers the number of uniforms they had to wear, including specific outfits for tea in the evening, attending church, outings, school and sport. “These uniforms also changed from summer to winter. Imagine the cost for our parents!”

Sandra still holds her Wenona ties close, and catches up with school friends who live nearby in Tamworth. “I went to our 50-year reunion in 2017. I could not believe the facilities now available at Wenona for the girls. It was simply amazing.”

Top: Photo taken in 1936 of the Presbyterian boarders going to St Stephen’s Uniting Church in Macquarie Street, accompanied by Miss Ralston Right: If you recognise any of the students in these photos, we would love to hear from you. Please email: alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

Sandra Holmes (Tomlinson, 1967)

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Chinese connections

My favourite thing about boarding at Wenona today is…

Alumnae from the Boarding House come from regional and remote areas, as well as many different countries overseas. We recently connected with some of our boarding alumnae from China to find out how a Wenona education had shaped them.

“The connections I’ve made with girls in my year, but also with the older years. On the weekends, I can do lots of activities like going to the beach and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which I can’t do at home.”

“I can specialise in the fields I love. For example, I learnt how to fly a plane on an Engineering excursion and the Academic Tour to universities in other cities helped me to see what I want to do.”

Emily Hamilton (Year 9) - Narromine, NSW

Jill Li (Year 11) - Beijing, China

“Learning that we never know what is going on in someone’s life or background and the importance of being kind.”

“Dottie (Ms Ayling’s pet labradoodle) really makes the boarding house more home-like. She makes everyone smile.”

Charlotte Walton (Year 9) - Moree, NSW

Sophia Scolari (Year 12) -Tomingley, NSW

“Having opportunities to help the community and raise money for charity.”

“Being part of co-curricular activities like Wenona Singers, the Wizard of Oz cast, and having private music lessons to enhance my abilities.”

Christine Wong (2000) Christine is the Director of her family’s education business. She is also involved in investment management and other business ventures. She loved her time as a boarder at Wenona, partly because of the School’s proximity to the city, but also because of its size. “Our year group only had about 100 students, which gave me the chance to form friendships and connections with most of girls in my year.” Highlights of her time at Wenona include being voted Dux of Year 10, playing one of the lead roles in the musical production of Little Shop of Horrors, becoming a prefect in Year 12, and playing sport. She loved the variety that a Wenona education offered her. “My favourite memory is the excitement and satisfaction of being exposed to and learning about new things every day.” Christine is grateful to Wenona for teaching her to have a positive attitude to life, to always present herself well, and above all, to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Karoy Guo (Year 9) - Beijing, China “Learning about different cultures and different people.

I have especially learnt about social skills.”

Anyssa Del Castillo (Year 9) - Davao City, Philippines

Tilly Helps (Year 9) - Hillston, NSW

Sunny Yang (2013) After graduating from Wenona, Sunny studied Architecture at Northeastern University in Boston, before moving to China to start a company. She is now back in Australia where she is a managing partner in an Australian property management company and is completing her Business Degree at the University of New South Wales. Sunny loved her time at Wenona. “I fell in love with the School from the first time I visited it.

Wenona changed my life and I feel very privileged to be a Wenonian.” She said her parents were reassured by the boarding environment and felt that attending a girls’ school would be a unique experience for her. “The convenience of living on the School grounds was great. It saved me a lot of travel time and enabled me to better focus on my schoolwork. I also loved the close friendships I formed with the other boarders, as well as the fantastic support from the boarding staff.” Sunny said Wenona has taught her to be curious, courageous and compassionate.

Iona Liang (2018) Iona Liang graduated from Wenona last year as Dux with an ATAR of 99.8 and is currently studying Medicine at the University of New South Wales. She chose to board at Wenona because of its reputation for academic excellence, combined with its sport and leadership opportunities. “We visited the School and found it to be culturally diverse, where students from different backgrounds really come together.” Iona also liked the fact that the School community is so close-knit. “There’s a sense of care and cohesion as if the School is a big family. The teachers know every student, and everyone knows each other from different year groups. You won’t feel left out at Wenona.” While Iona has many great memories, including School excursions and watching the dress she’d designed for Textiles being modelled in the HSC Fashion Show, the one she treasures the most is her time at Year 10 camp. “We went to the Snowy Mountains and stayed there for a week without our phones. It was a great opportunity to make friends and get rid of social media. I challenged myself mentally and physically. I’d never experienced anything quite like it before.” Iona said Wenona has taught her to be brave and unafraid of failure.

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Top left: Head of Boarding, Mrs Nonie Ayling with Dottie the Labradoodle I Top right: Eliza Dickens, Sophia Scolari, Bianca Ilencik, Lucy Heaney, Jess Subbaraman and Ellie Peart in the grounds I Bottom left: Joyce Song and Charlotte Walton walk Dottie I Middle: Karoy Guo, Zoe Scott and Lucy Heaney enjoy a joke with Mrs Ayling I Bottom right: Lucy Heaney, Zoe Scott and Karoy Guo in the dining room

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ALUMNA TALKS ARCHITECTURE EMILI FOX (1988) In Term 2, Emili Fox (1988) Co-Director of award-winning architecture firm Fox Johnston, came to talk to a group of Senior College students about a career in architecture.

She started off by emphasising that architecture “is nothing like The Block or House Rules.” Nor was it on her radar when she was at Wenona. Her original plan was to study law or communications, but decided to follow in the footsteps of her father and brother, who are both architects.

Emili loved her course at university for its creativity and its diversity, but said it is also challenging, with a huge workload and a focus on detail. “It takes five years and is a very intense degree, with lots of deadlines, long hours and late nights. You must be passionate.

It’s definitely a vocation.” Emili also found the course to be extremely versatile, with modules that lent themselves to other fields and careers. “Some of my course mates chose to become writers, photographers, sculptors, film producers or painters.”

She believes architecture is an exciting profession because it is a unique opportunity to shape and transform the environment, not just for today, but for future generations.

And architects are able to combine creative design with technical knowledge to provide

holistic solutions for the built and natural environments. “Once you study architecture, you really notice the world around you. It really affects the way you think about space and light. It’s like your whole brain opens up and you see things differently, from the big picture as well as giving attention to the smallest details like door handles.”

The students were fascinated to learn how broad architecture is as a discipline, bringing together the arts, environmental awareness, sciences and technology. Ms Fox has designed everything from an Early Learning Centre, to high-end apartments, to a public toilet block. She has also just designed her own house, which she says is a bit weird as she feels like she’s now living inside her own head! “You have to be imaginative and creative. But you also need to be able to analyse situations and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

My nickname at work is ‘the solutionator’ as I’m generally able to resolve complex problems quickly.”

The talk was part of a series organised

by Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education, Ms McFetridge. It enables students to benefit from the talent, insight and expertise of Wenona alumnae, as they contemplate issues such as tertiary education and future career paths.

DEVELOPING A PERSONAL BRAND CATRIONA DIXON (THORNTON, 1988) To prepare Year 10 for work experience, Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education Ms McFetridge, organised for PR and Communications Consultant, Catriona Dixon (Thornton, 1988) to give them a networking masterclass.

Catriona, who is also a Wenona parent, explained that “luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Drawing on her background as a successful journalist and her work with organisations like Uber, Ikea and Woolworths, Catriona talked to the students about the importance of developing their own personal brand.

She asked the students to reflect on the following questions: How much do you know about your employer for your work experience placement? Have you thought up some questions to ask? Have you contacted your employer to confirm your placement? Have you worked out how you are going to get there on your first day, so you can arrive on time?

Catriona had plenty of practical tips too.

For example, don’t eat the complimentary lollies in Reception or you risk having a mouthful when the manager arrives to greet you! Resist the urge to do your Snapchat streaks and keep your phone in your bag, so that you can actively listen, engage and make the most of your opportunity. Show plenty of initiative.

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Above: Architect Emili Fox (1988) with Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education, Ms McFetridge and Senior College students

This might mean wiping down tables, washing up coffee cups or helping to carry furniture, but your enthusiasm and can-do attitude will get you noticed.

Body language, inflection and tone are also important. “Stand at ease like a soldier,” said Catriona. “Make eye contact and never be the first to look away.” And as for those redundant words we all like to use, don’t! Words such as ‘like’ are commonly used as a filter. They stop you expressing an actual idea, so be succinct and intelligent!

Catriona also advised the students to look the part. “It shows you are interested in the role because you’ve put time and effort into researching the company dress code.” She advised minimal makeup and jewellery, and to err on the side of caution.

For example, for most corporates, nude pumps, a blazer and skirts just above the knee, shirts done up to mid-chest or higher.

Most importantly, at the end of your work experience placement don’t skip the courteous thank you email or LinkedIn request. Always follow up and leave a positive impression with a personal touch.

“The best way to predict your future is to create it,” said Catriona. “Position yourself for success. Think about how you want your employer to remember you and use this to start your career.”

Above: Catriona Dixon (Thornton, 1988) addresses Year 10 students

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ALUMNAE MENTORING PROGRAM

The Art of Networking

JULIA MACDONALD (COLLINS, 1989) AND ELEANOR LOBB (2011) Julia MacDonald and Eleanor Lobb believe the success of Wenona’s Alumnae Mentoring Program is based on a simple premise: a sense of connection on common ground. With the program now in its third year, news of its success has spread, with more alumnae wanting to join the program both as mentors and mentees.

Julia is the newly appointed Head of Legal, Australia and New Zealand at UBS Investment Bank. This is the second time she has mentored a young Wenonian starting out in her career. “It offers me the opportunity to give back and to share my experience. I learn something about myself and I love getting the perspective of the post-grad generation.” For Eleanor, the decision to apply to the program was based on finding the right path. “I felt lost. I needed help working out what I wanted to do. I needed an external opinion.”

After graduating from Wenona, Eleanor commenced a Bachelor of Law and International Global Studies at UTS. “It was very confusing. Without realising, I landed in evening classes three nights in a row and struggled through my first semester.” After transferring to The University of Sydney to complete her degree, Eleanor worked part-time at a large bank. “I loved the people and the customers. The bank identified that I wanted to do more so I joined the Graduate Program.” After two years, Eleanor was looking for her next challenge and wanted to broaden her experience outside of banking. She has just started a new job at Amazon in the Marketplace team. “It’s busy and has been a steep learning curve. They have an incredibly high bar at Amazon.”

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Julia is also enjoying her new role at UBS, where she has worked for the past 18 years. As a result, she has a lot of wisdom and experience to share with Eleanor on navigating the banking and finance world. They meet each month for a ‘walk and talk’ in the gardens, discussing goals and pathways and gaining clarity of thought around the journey. “As a leader in my business, we need to focus on retaining talent and understanding their perspectives,” says Julia. Eleanor agrees, admitting “millennials are not big on loyalty.

It is foreign to me that anyone would stay in the same place for so long!” Julia has helped Eleanor to navigate the career paths open to her by looking closely at

One of the highlights of the Balance Matters program for Year 10 students was a workshop on the ‘Art of Networking’, helping them to perfect their skills.

each one. “Ellie really impressed me with the work she put in for her seven Amazon interviews and exam. She smashed it!”

It was facilitated by award-winning Business Coach, Jen Harwood who gave the girls invaluable tips on how to meet and greet people at business events. As she said, the only way to let people know what you can offer is by putting yourself out there and promoting yourself. The girls learnt how to shake hands properly, make eye contact and ask interesting, insightful questions.

Eleanor and Julia share a special bond, forged by their connection to Wenona and their love for their School. Julia is about to attend her 30-year reunion and her closest friends remain Wenonians.

She feels the mentoring program is extremely valuable. “Women are told we can do anything, but a support network is important.” For Eleanor, her connection with Julia has proved hugely meaningful to her career progression.

“When I first met Julia, I just felt like I already knew her.”

Speed Networking with Alumnae Year 10 students had an opportunity to practise their networking skills at a Speed Networking event with 15 recent alumnae, all of whom had left Wenona between 2007 and 2010.

The alumnaes’ careers spanned a wide variety of industries, including marketing, structural and chemical engineering, property development, jewellery design, accounting and law. The students were under strict instructions to put their networking skills to the test, drawing on everything they’d learnt in previous workshops, as well as the skills they’d picked up during work experience placements. Alumnae were asked to give the students constructive feedback if they didn’t network effectively.

Eleanor Lobb really values the time she spends with her mentor, Julia MacDonald

“Networking is one of the most useful skills any of us can learn, both professionally and personally. We are incredibly grateful to the employers and alumnae who help our students.”

Ms Samantha McFetridge, Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education

Year 9 students also had an opportunity to network with younger alumnae, many of whom are still at college or university.

After all, it’s never too early to learn the art of networking!

Top: Business Coach Jen Harwood with Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education, Ms McFetridge Above: Alumnae at Speed Networking event

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“I really love being at Woodstock.

I get to go to school with my sisters and see them and their friends during the day. Wenona is so much fun, I don’t like it when mummy picks me up to take me home after school. I just want to play.”

THE POCKLEY/KENNARDS FIVE GENERATIONS OF WENONIANS

Lara Kennard (Year 2) Over the 100 years they have been involved with Wenona, the Pockley/Kennards have witnessed significant change - social, technological and political. They have seen their School evolve over time, along with the rise in educational standards and the expansion of opportunities and possibilities for women.

The relationship between Joan Connery OAM (Kennard, 1955) and her family with Wenona dates back more than 100 years to the School’s founder, Miss Edith Hooke. Her sister Helen was a teacher at Wenona and was married to the uncle of Theodosia (Theo) Pockley. Theo was Joan’s mother. She started at Wenona

in 1913 when the School was situated in St Thomas’ Hall. Theo was ahead of her time. “My mother was very bright. When she left Wenona, she got a job at the Benevolent Society. Most girls didn’t work, but charity work was acceptable.”

Today, the Pockley/Kennard’s association with Wenona continues with nine of Joan’s grand-nieces attending the School (the grandchildren of her two brothers) and a tenth arriving next year.

Joan herself attended Wenona in the mid-1950s during the principalship of Miss Ralston. “Miss Ralston just loved geology, so we all studied it, and came to enjoy it.

We went on a field trip to Kiama to study volcanic rock and an excursion to the Jenolan Caves.”

In 1955, Joan gained her Leaving Certificate. “I was at school in an era when it was common for girls to leave in Year 10. As such, our Leaving Certificate

year was small; just 26 girls.” After obtaining a Commonwealth Scholarship, together with four other students in her year, Joan launched into a year of Chemistry. “There was little in the way of sciences at School. Only two students did Chemistry and STEM was a long way off. HECS was also far away.” She then enrolled in the Pharmacy Department at Sydney University. At the time, options were limited for women, with the majority pursuing nursing, teaching or completing a secretarial course. However, Joan’s year in Pharmacy was almost fifty per cent female, so change was afoot.

Joan has always been driven by the love of languages she developed while she was a student at Wenona. “I studied French at Wenona. We had a French teacher from the Alliance Française who came once a week for oral French. It was very unusual in those days to hear the real living language, and this certainly fired my determination.’ Joan is keen for other Wenonians to share her joy of language and awards the Pockley Kennard Prize for French each year to a student who shows promise in Year 10. “I have a deep passion for languages and am keen to see them studied widely and not forgotten in education. I enjoyed two different careers using languages: Italian in pharmacies and French as a tour guide.”

Graduating in 1960, Joan decided to pursue her languages overseas at the University of Florence and at the Sorbonne

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Top photo: Theodosia Kennard (Pockley, 1920) Main photo: (back row) Joan Connery OAM (Kennard, 1955), Lexie Kennard, Chloe Kennard, Olivia Kennard, Ashley Kennard, Kirsty Kovacs (Kennard, 1990), (front row) Ava Kennard, Ruby Kovacs, Scarlett Kennard, Lara Kennard, Xanthe Kennard , Amelie Kovacs

in Paris. “I wasn’t able to be registered as a pharmacist until I was 21, so I had a year to devote to studying languages and working in the lab of the Pharmacy Department.” She studied Italian and attended lectures in Florence for four months, speaking very little English during that time. She then travelled to Paris to immerse herself in French. “It was unusual for a young woman to travel and study overseas at that time – it made the social pages! I had the support of my parents to go. My father thought women were capable of everything; a ‘feminist’ ahead of his time.

He was very proud when I graduated. I was followed in the next generation by my niece Kirsty Kovacs (Kennard, 1990) who had a fine career at Wenona and later, was also very interested in languages.”

Kirsty was at Wenona during the time of Principal, Miss Barbara Jackson. She says, “A lot has changed since my time, including the increase in STEM subjects and the introduction of new sports such as touch football and water polo. It’s wonderful to see the next generation together at Wenona, supporting one another on the sidelines at sport and in other school activities.”

“My father thought women were capable of everything; a ‘feminist’ ahead of his time. He was very proud when I graduated.”

Top: Joan Connery OAM (Kennard, 1955) and classmates (Joan is second from the right, back row)

“I have been at Wenona for seven years now. I’m here with my two sisters and seven of my cousins and second cousins. The good thing about having lots of family at school is that sometimes we get to be on the same team. Olivia and I played in the Junior Firsts for Touch Football this year and it was great playing alongside her. I am also on the Snowsports team with two of my cousins and it is fun being able to support each other at races.

It’s pretty amazing to know that my aunty, great aunty and great grandmother were all at Wenona before me.”

Chloe Kennard (Year 9)

“I feel privileged to be part of the Kennard family, which has such a strong history at Wenona. I find it so special that I can see my cousins every day and are so close with them. I am thankful for all the opportunities I have had and all the friendships I have made during my time here.”

Lexie Kennard (Year 11)

Drawing on Wenona’s motto of Ut Prosim, that I may serve, Joan holds philanthropy close to her heart. In 1989, she and her husband founded Stepping Stone House, a refuge for homeless young people, including an increasing number of Aboriginal youth. “Helping people is the most worthwhile thing I have done in my life.”

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FOUNDATION DAY “Wenona equipped me to ask the big questions.”

DR SARAH IRVING-STONEBRAKER (1998) SENIOR LECTURER IN MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY On the last day of Term 2, the School community came together to celebrate a very special birthday: Wenona turned 133! To mark the occasion, staff, alumnae and special guests joined more than 1,100 students in the Big Gym for Foundation Day. Dr Scott, Chair of the Board, Mr Gary Turner, and Vice President of the Wenona Alumnae Association, Ms Fiona Nix (Corbett, 1981) all addressed the audience, before leading Historian, Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker (1998) gave a powerful speech

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about the power of a Wenona education. Graduating as Dux of the School, Dr Irving-Stonebraker has enjoyed a stellar academic career. She was awarded First Class Honours and the University Medal in History from Sydney University, she won a Commonwealth Scholarship to undertake a PhD at Cambridge, and she was then awarded a Junior Research Fellowship to study at Oxford. In Dr Irving-Stonebraker’s words, “Wenona gave me the freedom to think… but above all, Wenona equipped me to ask the big questions.”

As tradition dictates, the youngest student in the School, Leela Kishor, helped Dr Scott and Dr Irving-Stonebraker to cut the cake. This was followed by a rousing rendition of the School song, before the students dispersed to eat cupcakes and prepare themselves for the fiercely contested Inter-House Choral Festival, which was won by Palmer House.

Above: Youngest girl in the School, Leela Kishor cuts the cake with Dr Iving-Stonebraker and Dr Scott

Top: Sarah Caruana (Year 12) receiving the Wenona Alumnae Spirit Award at Foundation Day I Middle: Sally Douvis (Crennan, 1993) with daughter Eliza (Year 5), and Fiona Daniels (1987) with daughters Chloe and Phoebe (Year 5) I Jillian Masselos (Stacker, 1995) with daughter Alexandra (Year 5) and mother Margaret Stacker (Robertson, 1953) I Bottom left: Dr Scott, Dr Sarah Irving-Stonebraker (1998), Fiona Nix (Corbett, 1981) and Gary Turner I Right: Robin Laforest (Kelso, 1951), Judy Campbell (Beardsmore, 1955) and Jenny de Forest (Joyce, 1955)

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Back to School Day In May, Wenona welcomed 12 alumnae from the Classes of 1939 to 1956 back to School.

Guests started off their day with morning tea in the dining room of the Boarding House, before heading out on a tour of the School, including the library, which was renovated last year. The ladies were thrilled to have an opportunity to take part in a Choir lesson with the Kindergarten to Year 2 students in Woodstock, where they sang Puff the Magic Dragon and the School Song. It was then back to the Boarding House for lunch with Dr Scott, where the ladies were very excited to look through copies of the Wenonian that dated back to their time at School. All in all, it was a lovely trip down memory lane, which was topped off when they were each presented with a handmade thank you card from our Woodstock students.

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Top: Fleur Treffry (Year 10), Allison Treffry (Helliar, 1986), Kate Thurgarland (Shelley Jones, 1982), Caroline Elliott (McCredie, 1986), Brooke Elliott (Year 11), Phoebe Shelley Jones (Year 12) and Claudia Thurgarland (Year 12) I Middle: Jenny Virtue (Illingsworth, 1955) with Dr Scott I Ruby Laforest (Year 8) I Dianna Crebbin, Dr Scott and Hosny Guirguis I Bottom: Young Wenonians I Dr Scott with Leela, Elvyn and Nish Kishor

Top: Alumnae gather in the Boarding House for lunch Middle: Margaret Brown (Morse, 1953), Dr Scott and Ann Morgan (Fenwick, 1939) enjoy a chat I Janet Garnett (Jamieson, 1950) and Margaret Brown (Morse, 1953) Bottom: Alumnae are entertained by Woodstock

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WENONA PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (WPA) As I near the end of nearly two and a half years as WPA President, I feel incredibly grateful for the fantastic team of people I’ve worked with.

The WPA is integral to ensuring that our community remains connected and that everyone feels welcome. Having such a close-knit community is beneficial for our daughters. And it really does ‘take a village’ to make all this happen.

I’d like to acknowledge some of the key members of the WPA team (featured in the box below) and take this opportunity to encourage all parents to consider participating in some capacity during their daughter’s time at Wenona.

Mrs Denise Harvey Wenona Parents’ Association President

Meet the WPA Executive Committee The role of Secretary has been rewarding, interesting and fun. I have enjoyed learning how the WPA operates, as well as working with a great committee that brings parents together and shares helpful information.

The Year Representatives have been amazing - organising events and making everyone feel part of the Wenona community. The role for me has also been a good insight into how the School works, and how tirelessly Wenona staff work with the aim of educating and caring for our girls.

I have found the Vice President role very rewarding. I wasn’t sure what Denise Harvey with to expect, but have really enjoyed Dr Briony Scott working with the Year Representatives and overseeing the communications and social events. I am impressed by their generosity and creativity.

It has been inspiring to see particular year groups rally together and provide support to families in crisis too. You really see the best of the Wenona community in this role.

CLAIRE KENNARD, VICE PRESIDENT

TANYA SINGER, SECRETARY What fun! As the WPA’s Treasurer, it’s been a great opportunity to look after the financial affairs of a small not-for-profit organisation. Key areas of focus are records of accounts, controls, governance and risk management. It is rewarding to see that goals can be achieved within allocated budgets and for the benefit of the broader Wenona community.

Tanya Singer, Denise Harvey, Claire Turner and Claire Kennard

CLAIRE TURNER, TREASURER

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Wenona staff and parents came together in February for Wenona’s Welcome Cocktail Party

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Welcome Lunches As a new family to Wenona, the WPA events have provided wonderful opportunities to feel included in the Wenona community. The Welcome Lunch enabled me to meet existing and new families and share our experiences and insights in a relaxed atmosphere. The Year 7 Mother Daughter movie night was fantastic as we had the whole theatre and reception area to ourselves. I could connect the names to faces of my daughter’s friends and mothers. I felt much more connected to Libby’s year group, and we talked non-stop about the movie and her friends all the way home.

Barbara Whitnall, Year 7 parent Settling our daughter into Year 5 at Wenona has been a smooth transition for our family, made easier by the Meet and Greet Picnic at Clifton Gardens before school started for the year and the Welcome Lunch for parents just a couple of weeks into first term. Our Year Reps have been a fantastic resource, organising social events, as well as sending plenty of emails outlining upcoming dates and events. Whenever I’ve had a question, they have been very quick to respond and have always had an answer or solution. The second hand uniform sale was also a great opportunity to stock up on near-new items. We couldn’t be happier with the support we’ve received!

Jude Jarvis, Year 5 parent

It’s a big step to join a community like Wenona, and the WPA and our fabulous Year Representatives made the transition to the School so enjoyable. They have kept us informed through regular emails about Woodstock and WPA events and they have organised some great social catch-ups. It’s been a terrific journey so far. We have already met so many amazing families, and with 13 years ahead of us, we look forward to the opportunity to meet many more. Thank you to Denise, Claire and the entire WPA for supporting and encouraging such a warm, vibrant and inclusive school community.

Jessica and Thomas Sutherland, Kindy parents

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Staff and parents at the Wenona Welcome Lunches hosted by parents and organised by the WPA

Being a new parent to the School when my daughter started in Year 7, the welcome we received from the School and through the work and coordination of the WPA was so important. The Year Group Welcome Lunch was such a nice way to meet other mothers.

All it takes is meeting a few friendly faces to make you feel welcome, make contacts for the next event or ask questions of. The WPA coordination of Year Representatives also adds to the sense of inclusion and feeling informed on how to navigate the first year, which for me, was very foreign being my first child in high school.

Keri Chittenden, Year 12 parent

Wenona Walkers at Mother’s Day Classic The Mother’s Day Classic is all about coming together as a community and enjoying the festive spirit while doing something positive to raise funds and awareness for those affected by breast cancer.

Once again, the Wenona Walkers under the leadership of the WPA were out in force to proudly form the largest group of mums, dads, brother and sisters, with more than 300 people pounding the pavement together to show their support.

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Spring Fair Yet again, the biennial Wenona Spring Fair was a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community to have fun and raise money for the School.

For the first time, the WPA worked with the Wenona Alumnae Association to incorporate the Art Show into the Spring Fair, which was a big success.

As always, a huge amount of effort went into the organisation of the stalls, with every year group participating. There was a huge variety of stalls, selling everything from cakes, fairy floss and flowers to beautiful homewares! Carnival Corner proved popular with children (and adults), along with all the delicious treats on offer. The home grown produce from some of our boarding families was, as always, amazing. And of course, the opportunity to dunk a teacher was a huge drawcard for students!

A huge thank you must go to the WPA Spring Fair Coordinator, Trish Lunn and her hard-working team, as well as all the year representatives who helped to make the day so successful.

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Top: Year 9 parents on BBQ Stall I Girls enjoying sno-cones I Some of the stalls in the Undercroft Main picture above: Fiona Daunt, Denise Harvey and Spring Fair Coordinator, Trish Lunn

Our wonderful Wenona community coming together at the Spring Fair to have fun and raise funds for the Wenona Foundation’s means-tested scholarships

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WENONA ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION Women of Spirit Breakfast CELEBRATING 10 YEARS On Friday 10 May, the Association held its 10th Women of Spirit Breakfast at Luna Park to raise funds for the means-tested Wenona Alumnae Scholarship and Awards Program.

Dr Scott and Wenona Alumnae Association President, Mrs Jennifer Mildren (Stiel, 1987) welcomed 168 guests, along with 10 former Association Presidents and three former guest speakers. This year, former Head Prefect for the Class of 1977 and Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs for Sydney Trains, Ms Michelle Sloane OAM was the guest speaker. Michelle shared fond memories of her school days at Wenona and the motivating force that was then Principal, Miss Barbara Jackson. She recalled how Miss Jackson encouraged her to be ambitious and brave, and to embrace every opportunity in life.

10 YEARS OF INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS Over the past 10 years, the Women of Spirit Breakfast has attracted some incredible guest speakers.

They include Catherine West (1986), Lawyer, Board Member and Wenona parent; Kate Obermayer (Locke, 1997), Global Customer Engagement Coordinator, Cochlear Ltd/Recipient of the Australian Human Rights

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Community Award; Sophie Hamley (1989), Non-fiction Publisher, Hachette Australia; Alexandra Green (2005), Paralympic Cyclist, London 2012/ Previous World Champion in the C4 3000m individual pursuit/Mechanical Engineering Graduate UNSW; Mandy Chang (1981), Commissioning Editor at the ABC; Edwina McCann (1990), Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Australia;

Lou Pollard (1984), Sydney Clown Doctor, The Humour Foundation; and Lyndey Milan (Hall, 1971), Chef, Author and Businesswoman. The guest speaker for the inaugural Women of Spirit Breakfast in 2010 was Natalie Isaacs, CEO of Climate Coolers, 1 Million Women. She spoke about how little things we do can make a difference to halt climate change.

Left: Dr Scott addresses the audience I Top: Amelia Clubb, Michelle Sloane OAM, Fairy Sparkle, Dr Scott and Bella Price Middle left: Michelle Sloane OAM, Liz Hing (Ronfeldt, 1978), Trent Zimmerman MP and Dr Scott I Centre: Michelle Sloane OAM, Dr Scott, Jennifer Mildren (Stiel, 1987) I Right: Dr Scott, Robin Laforest (Kelso, 1951) and Nina Charley

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Alumnae Mother Daughter Breakfast An annual highlight, the breakfast was held on Wednesday 13 March, with 47 mums and 56 daughters in attendance.

Thanks to the invaluable assistance of the Community Relations team at Wenona, as well as support from Association members, guests had a lovely morning celebrating the unique bond shared between alumnae mothers and their daughters. It was a wonderful opportunity for Wenonians of all ages to reminisce and share stories.

Looking to the future The Wenona Alumnae Association Committee is reviewing its constitution in order to articulate its purpose in a more contemporary way, while remaining faithful to its founding purpose of providing connections, scholarships and opportunities for its members.

Each year, the Association helps to facilitate connections and opportunities via social media platforms, events, and reunions. In March this year, the Association held an informative LinkedIn discovery session for

alumnae at its flagship stall in Sydney.

The Association’s Awards Program, which includes the Wenona Alumnae and Barbara Jackson Scholarships, is supported by membership fees and fundraising events. As Wenona’s alumnae community continues to grow, the Committee will assist the School in an advisory capacity to ensure the development of support and investment for alumnae.

During my involvement with the Association, I have enjoyed working with many skilled and professional Wenonians on the Committee. I look forward to getting to know more new members as they join us in the future!

Mrs Jennifer Mildren (Stiel, 1987) Wenona Alumnae Association President

Wenona Alumnae Spirit Award The Association has always enjoyed being part of Foundation Day celebrations (you can read more about Foundation Day on page 44). This year, the Association awarded its inaugural Wenona Alumnae Spirit Award to acknowledge actions or deeds that embody school spirit, community service and the values of Ut Prosim.

The recipient of the inaugural award was Sarah Caruana in Year 12 for her leadership of the Jeans for Genes initiative at Wenona, raising funds for the Children’s Medical Research Institute to find treatments and cures for children’s genetic diseases.

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Top: Mums and daughters together I Left top: Fiona Daniels (1987) with daughters Chloe and Phoebe (Year 5), Jennifer Mildren (Stiel, 1987), Kate Crowe (Donahue, 1987), Poppy Crowe (Year 11) and Rosie Crowe (Year 9) I Left middle: Olivia McKay (Year 11), Ann Folbigg (1985), Georgie Ohlsson (Bull, 1985) and Arabella Ohlsson (Year 10) I Left bottom: Marie Soghomonian (Seferian, 1992) and Dr Scott I Right: Abigail Craig (Year 2) and mum Natalie Craig (Guirguis, 1995)

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Alumnae Café

Art Show

The Alumnae Association has contributed to the Spring Fair for over 40 years, raising funds for its Scholarship program.

For the first time, the Alumnae Association held an Art Show in conjunction with the Spring Fair to showcase the talents of the Wenona community. Alumnae, parents, students and staff were all invited to submit works that focused on the theme ‘Reflections’, with all artworks sold contributing to the Scholarship program.

Prior to the show, artist Kate Clarkson held two Artist-in-Residence workshops for parents and their daughters, which proved both popular and inspirational.

This year’s café was supported by alumnae and Year 12 students and parents, who served coffee, tea, and delicious sandwiches and cakes.

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Top: Lindy Hill (Champion, 1989), Jaz Schmatloch (2017), Cath Schmatloch (Leverrier, 1983), Juliet Steel (Economo, 1992) Kirsten Collier (Treharne, 1981) and Charlotte Collier I Middle: Stephanie Anderson (Vogan, 1973) and Merrianne Sinclair (1979) Bottom: Students relaxing I Making delicious baguettes I Family enjoying food

Top: Parents and their daughters enjoying the Artist-in-Residence workshops with artist Kate Clarkson Middle: Jennifer Mildren (Stiel, 1987) with Event Coordinator, Fiona Nix (Corbett, 1981) I Artist Louis Douvis with his artwork I Artist Kate Clarkson with her work

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Wenona Alumnae Scholarships BARBARA JACKSON SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

CREATIVE ARTS PRIZE WINNERS

Amirah Yazici (Year 10) Amirah Yazici shares Barbara Jackson’s passion for education and discovering all the world has to offer.

“Barbara Jackson was one of Wenona’s many strong and resilient principals. She focused on ensuring the girls had a worldly and holistic view on life.”

Involved in Music, Sport and Debating at School, Amirah hopes to study occupational therapy at university and help people better their lives in her own practice in the future.

‘I was happy and overwhelmed by the generosity of the Wenona Alumnae in awarding me this amazing prize.

I am so grateful for the opportunity.”

ALUMNAE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Safi Wheeldon (Year 11) For Safi Wheeldon, winner of the Alumnae Scholarship, Wenona is part of her DNA. “I started here in Kindergarten and I have loved attending Wenona.”

Safi believes the Wenona Alumnae Association creates a lifelong community and connection to the School. “It provides support and cohesion for students when they leave, and friendship and assistance in their personal and professional lives.” Busy with Sport, Debating and Music, Safi is set on a finance or design career. “I would love to spend a gap year doing community work in Laos before going to ANU. I am grateful to the Wenona Alumnae Association for the opportunities this prize provides.”

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Sarah Golchin (Year 12)

Molly Dixon (Year 12)

Sibel Stening (Year 12)

Winning the Creative Arts Prize is a recognition of Sarah Golchin’s passion for Visual Arts. “To me, this prize is more than just the prize money. Being chosen based on my artworks and dedication means a lot to me.”

Creative Arts Prize winner Molly Dixon feels thankful to receive a Creative Arts Prize as it enabled her to attend the 2018 National Association of Charitable Recycling (NACRO) conference on the Gold Coast.

From early beginnings sketching fashion designs in scrapbooks to visions of an international career, Sibel Stening’s artistic passion and journey has been rewarded by winning the Wenona Alumnae Creative Arts Prize.

Submitting five artworks in her favourite mediums, charcoal and ceramics, Sarah’s win has allowed her to extend her artistic skills and knowledge of ceramics through a pottery course at the National Art School. “I hope to enrol in a design course and explore painting and sculpture. I want to keep creating art and exploring new mediums.” Sarah feels fortunate the Wenona Alumnae Association awarded her the prize. “It has enabled me to create a Body of Work for HSC that I am very proud of.”

“I was able to mix with thought leaders in recycling and charity, including the ABC’s War on Waste.” Molly’s HSC Design Major Project ‘Vinnie’ is a solarpowered talking clothing donation bank, which will help charities to reduce the $13M annual spend disposing of poorquality donations. “I have been invited back to this year’s NACRO conference in Melbourne to showcase my Major Design Project and am considered a thought leader on charitable recycling.

I could not have done this without the Wenona Alumnae Association.”

“For me, it was about the recognition I received for my creative endeavours.

I felt so honoured to receive an alumnae prize, as they are so renowned at Wenona.” Sibel showcased her Major Work ideas and creative intentions, as well as examples of her previous work to the prize panel. “Design is my creative outlet. It definitely got me through my other content-heavy subjects as it has never felt like work.” Sibel has always had a passion for fashion design. “I am looking into international design schools. Whatever I do in the future, if fashion is involved, I will truly enjoy it!”

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DalCorp Scholars’ Dinner The annual DalCorp Scholars’ Dinner celebrates the ongoing relationship between the DalCorp Foundation and the Wenona Foundation. Over the past 14 years, this partnership has provided 17 young women with the opportunity to enjoy a Wenona education.

To acknowledge the achievements of past and current DalCorp Scholars, Dr Scott and the Wenona Foundation hosted a dinner at Cala Luna in North Sydney in May. Undoubtedly, the most sought after guest was baby Digby, son of Ms Camilla Guest (2007), one of the first DalCorp Scholars.

Ms Amy Hargrave (2010) Policy Adviser, NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research, who attended the dinner said, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend Wenona.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without that”.

“The Foundation gives young and vulnerable people the opportunity to discover untapped abilities.”

WENONA FOUNDATION

Mrs Sonia Brennan, Director of the Wenona Foundation 62

Mr Michael Callanan DalCorp Foundation Director A small group of the Foundation’s major supporters tour the new building in February 2019 to see its progress

“ We are so grateful for the ongoing support and generosity of the Wenona community. Together, we are helping to make dreams come true by raising funds for means-tested scholarships and new facilities, which will benefit current and future students.”

Inspecting the new building Building work on Wenona’s new Sport Centre and STEM facility - or ‘Project Archimedes’ as it is affectionately known - continued to make steady progress in 2019. A small group of the Foundation’s major supporters had a chance to inspect the construction site prior to the School’s Welcome Cocktail Party in February.

The group included senior members of the Kane Constructions team - NSW General Manager, Mr Brett Moore, NSW Operations Manager, Mr Brad Mason, and Senior Project Manager, Mr Darren Gordon - as well as Directors of the Wenona Board of Governors and

Foundation, Dr Scott and members of the Wenona Senior Executive team.

Dr Scott addressed the group in the Miller Street Courtyard before Chief Operating Officer, Mr Andrew Leake took the group on a tour of what will be the School’s new STEM and Science laboratories. Despite the scaffolding, everyone was thrilled to see the extent of the building’s transformation over the last 12 months.

Thanks to the support of the Wenona community, the Foundation has raised more than $5M towards the cost of this project, which will transform teaching and learning at Wenona for generations to come.

“When I give to the Foundation it makes me feel really, really good.”

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Wenona Sports Lunch $160K FOR MEANS-TESTED SCHOLARSHIPS Following the success of the inaugural Wenona Sports Lunch last year, which raised $100K for meanstested scholarships, the wonderful dads who make up the Wenona Sports Lunch Committee were back again, determined to raise more than $150K. Neil Schiller, Steve Bealing, David Begg, Matt Lunn, Karl Turner and Carl Peterson, along with Director of Foundation, Sonia Brennan and Events

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Manager, Vicky Laforest, worked tirelessly to organise the Wenona Sports Lunch 2019 at the Kirribili Club in May. During the lunch, Chief Rugby Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, Georgina Robinson hosted an entertaining Q and A session with professional Australian Rugby Union player Emilee Cherry OAM and former Australian Netball Diamond and Sydney Swifts player, Megan Anderson.

Thanks to the extended Wenona community, who donated gifts, bought tables, participated in raffles and auctions, and gave up their time to wrap prizes in the lead up to the event or volunteered to help out on the day itself, the event was a huge success, raising $160K for means-tested scholarships.

Thank you to everyone who supported this event.

Top: David Begg, Vicky Laforest, Steve Bealing, Karl Turner, Sonia Brennan, Matt Lunn, Neil Schiller, Carl Peterson Bottom Left: Sports Lunch volunteers I Bottom Right: Jane Shen, Rosanna Nam, Cherrie Chan and Kelly Lee

Above: Some of the highlights from the Wenona Sports Lunch which raised $160K for means-tested scholarships

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Congratulations to…

Alumnae Reunions

Vale

The Honourable Dr Annabelle Claire Bennett AO SC (1967) - appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for eminent service to the law, and to the judiciary, particularly in the field of intellectual property, to higher education, and to sports arbitration.

Dates and contacts for Wenona Reunions are shown on the Wenona website: www.wenona.nsw.edu.au

The Wenona community extends its sympathy to the family and friends of the following Wenonians:

A Snapshot

Mrs Pauline Tees (Hazelton,1958) - Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community through charitable initiatives, including hosting the annual Charity Golf Day at Penrith Golf Club for the past 26 years.

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Ms Virginia Howard - Former Director of the Wenona Foundation, awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community of Mosman.

Mr Geoffrey Brunsdon - Former Foundation Board member and past parent, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to finance, banking and insurance sectors, and to charitable organisations.

Ms Emily Scott (2009) - who was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 most influential women of 2019. Ms Scott is Chief Executive Officer of Out for Australia, which supports and mentors aspiring LGBTIQ professionals as they navigate the early stages of their career.

Weddings We’d love to hear from any alumnae who are getting married this year or have had a baby.

Please contact alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

Dr Ann Moyal (1942), Mrs Jean Beale (Burbury, 1947), Miss Camille Daymon (1953), Miss Enid Langfield (1953), Mrs Kathryn Mills (Warton, 1961) and Ms Alexandra Balnaves (1992)

2019 REUNIONS Reunions planned for the remainder of 2019 include:

5-year reunion

Class of 2014 The Treehouse Hotel Saturday 19 October, 2019

10-year reunion

Class of 2009 The Greens, North Sydney Saturday 2 November, 2019

20-year reunion

Class of 1999 Green Moustache, North Sydney Saturday 19 October, 2019

25-year reunion Class of 1994 2 November 2019 Venue tbc

40-year reunion

Class of 1979 26 October 2019, lunch at private home Contact alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au for details

2020 REUNIONS Wenona alumnae will celebrate the following reunions in 2020: Class of 1960

60-year reunion

Class of 1970

50-year reunion

Class of 1980

40-year reunion

Class of 1990

30-year reunion

Class of 2000

20-year reunion

Class of 2010

10-year reunion

Alexandra Balnaves (1992) pictured on the back row, third from left

MS ALEXANDRA BALNAVES (1992) Alexandra was a trustee of The Balnaves Foundation, a wonderful teacher and a philanthropist. She was a passionate advocate for the Indigenous community, people with a disability, the environment and for access to education for all. She graduated from Wenona as joint Dux of her year.

DR ANN MOYAL (HURLEY, 1942) AM FRSN FAHA Ann was a celebrated historian and a respected figure at the Australian National University. She pursued the history of Australian science through her many books and publications. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a first-class honours degree in History. From 1954 to 1958 Ann worked as a research assistant to the Canadian-British press baron and influential politician Lord Beaverbrook. Much of this time is recounted in her autobiography Breakfast with Beaverbrook.

Congratulations to alumna Ms Evett Baranov (2009) who married Mr Harold Mattner at Vaucluse House in April 2019.

MISS CAMILLE DAYMON (1953)

MISS ENID LANGFIELD (1953) A boarder from Cowra, Wenona, Enid was a regular visitor to the Class of 1953 Reunions. She was the oldest of the three Langfield girls.

MRS JEAN BEALE (BURBURY, 1947)

If you would like to organise a reunion alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au.

Kathie was academically brilliant. She was also a Sports Captain at Wenona, representing the School in the Tildesley Tennis Shield. With a degree in Science, she went on to study horticulture due to her love of Heritage Roses. Kathie helped to establish and develop the Rose Garden in Cook Park in Orange, as well as the Heritage Rose Garden in the Botanic Gardens.

She also led trips to visit rose gardens in England and France. She opened her own glorious garden to the public to raise money for the restoration of Trinity Church in Orange. Kathie is survived by her husband, Arthur; her three children, Heather, Stuart and Alison; and her sister, Sue Mills (Warton).

Camille joined Wenona in 1949 and completed her Intermediate Certificate here in 1951. She was a member of Palmer House.

Contact us: for your year group, please contact:

MRS KATHRYN LOUISE MILLS (WARTON, 1961)

Ann Moyal with her portrait painted by Pamela Thalben-Ball

A boarder, Jean had fond memories of the wonderful friendships she made at Wenona, particularly of the girls who spent holidays with her at her home in Tumut.

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Director of Community and Service Learning (K to 12) Ms Kate Seale heads out to the Sydney Asylum Seekers Centre to deliver donations along with student helpers from Year 6

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Educating young women in a global learning community, to serve and shape their world.

Founded 1886

WENONA SCHOOL LTD 176 Walker Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 T (02) 9955 3000 E reception@wenona.nsw.edu.au ABN 83 000 250 304 I CRICOS 02275A

www.wenona.nsw.edu.au