Ut Prosim | Spring 2016

130 YEARS OF WENONA Our 130 Concert traced the history of our school through performance, music and narrative

FAREWELL TO AN INSPIRATIONAL LEADER Honouring renowned Yolngu woman, passionate advocate and grandmother of Wenona girls

“THE BEST RETURN ON ANY INVESTMENT YOU WILL EVER MAKE” An excerpt from Dr Briony Scott’s Capital Appeal Ball speech

SPRING 2016

UT PROSIM THAT I MAY SERVE

UT PROSIM – 2016 WRITTEN BY: Emma Froggatt EDITORS: April de Haan Hazel Flynn DESIGN: Chello PHOTOGRAPHY: Willow Belle Rowena Clarke Gilbert Corr Emma Froggatt Anthony Khoury Photography James Morgan Photographic Consultancy Wenona staff, students and parents COVER IMAGE: Musical Theatre Group A performing ‘Perfect Young Ladies vs Sister Suffragette’ at the 130 Concert, © Anthony Khoury Photography.

CONTENTS

02

Welcome

04

News Bites

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Success Stories

Board Chair Mr Gary Turner and Principal Dr Briony Scott reflect on Wenona’s legacy and future.

A glimpse at Wenona life across the arts, the sciences, the outdoors and boarding.

Discover Wenona’s rising stars, artists, athletes and problem-solvers.

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Features

Celebrating 130 years of Wenona, honouring an Indigenous elder, and investing in girls education.

Wenona Parents’ Association

Read about Wenona’s connected and changing parent community.

Wenona Alumnae

Meet Wenonians at work, in the community, in the news and across the generations.

UT PROSIM WELCOME

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FROM THE BOARD CHAIR The past year has been an emotional yet incredibly exciting one. It has been a year where Wenona and our students have reached new highs, our community has strengthened and we have continued to invest in our aspiration to be a leader in girls’ education.

The recent 130th birthday celebrations provided a glimpse into the range of activities and talents of our students, but also put our current era into a historical context. At every step since foundation, Wenona has challenged contemporary thinking and provided opportunities for young women to pursue their dreams and passions. Under Dr Scott’s leadership we are educating and empowering a new generation of women who will successfully serve and shape their world.

Later this year we plan to commence the building works for our new STEM Centre and Sporting Facility on Miller Street. This will be a very visible manifestation of our investment in

our School’s future, but we also continue to invest heavily in our staff through teaching fellowships, seeding grants, supporting further education, and professional development and coaching. Our goal is to be an employer of choice for great educators and professional services staff, and I would like to thank them for all they do for the girls.

Dr Briony’s Scott’s first five years as Principal have seen significant progress on all fronts, a snapshot of which is captured in these pages.

I have no doubt the momentum and excitement will continue to build over the next five years, as we collectively lay the foundations for future generations of Wenonians.

I would also like to recognise the multiple committees and groups of people who contribute to the leadership of our School.

The Wenona Foundation, Capital Appeal Committee, Wenona Alumnae, Wenona Parents’ Association and Year Group representatives have all worked tirelessly through the year serving our community. On behalf of the Board of Governors I would like to thank everyone for their efforts. Finally, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to my fellow Board members for their time, wisdom and support over the last 12 months.

Mr Gary Turner

Left: Mr Gary Turner at the Wenona Art Fair 2016. Right: Mr Gary Turner speaking at Foundation Day 2016.

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UT PROSIM WELCOME

CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

WELCOME Dr Briony Scott and Mrs Beth Oakley with Jessica Hodgson and Imogen Gay of Year 11.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL What a wonderful year 2016 has turned out to be! It has been a whirlwind of activity as we celebrated the 130th birthday of Wenona across a range of arenas, including on the stage, the sporting field and in the classroom.

As you turn the pages of this edition of Ut Prosim, the vibrant culture, the successes and the contribution that students, staff, parents and alumna have made to this thriving community reflect the same courage, conviction and strength of our founding Headmistress, Miss Edith Hooke. She had the courage and vision for girls’ education, service and scholarship that has shaped this school and its evolving community since 1886.

All communities are defined by the relationships at their core, and Wenona is a proudly relational and community-focused

school. The strength, care and compassion of our community are all attributes reflected in the achievements and events featured in this magazine.

Our birthday celebrations culminated in the recent 130 Concert at the State Theatre, where we were treated to a walk through Wenona’s history via dance, performance, speech and song. A brilliant audio-visual backdrop placed events at Wenona against the sweep of national and international history. It was a magnificent concert and one that will be remembered for many years to come.

Later this year we will be publishing a visual history of the school - Wenona: Celebrating Scholarship, Service & Spirit for 130 Years.

This beautiful book, curated and developed by Miss Rosie Stevenson, our Head of Library and

Information Services, lifts the lid on our archives and takes the reader on a visual journey across Wenona’s history.

As we look towards the future, our community continues to grow from strength to strength, yet still reflects the core values that we hold as sacred to the School’s character. It is a great privilege to lead this community at such a significant moment in the School’s history, and it is with great joy and anticipation that we look forward to the next 130 years.

Dr Briony Scott PRINCIPAL

UT PROSIM WELCOME

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THE ARTS

news bites

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4 NEWS 4 NEWS BITES BITES

NEWS BITES Clockwise: Olivia Lombardini of Year 1 working in the giant nest; Woodstock girls working in the giant nest, Caitlyn Saurajen and Matilda Ilaug of Kindergarten with their shadow-puppets.

WOODSTOCK’S DOME, NEST AND SHADOW-PUPPET THEATRE In the middle of Woodstock sits a big geodesic dome. The girls play in it, thread twigs through it, and cast shadows against its fabric. In a year, the dome has been transformed from an engineer’s habitat, to a bird’s nest, and now, a shadow-puppet theatre.

It came into existence after Teaching Assistant Mr Daniel Silver asked Woodstock students what kind of habitat might suit an engineer.

They came up with a geodesic dome and he organised an engineer to come and construct one. Six months later, wondering how the learning space could be transformed, Woodstock teachers Ms Kate Gordon, Mrs Carolyn Martin and Mrs Clare Froggatt found themselves contemplating the pigeons that populate the School. “We began to imagine the roles these birds could play as secret

messengers, inspiring students to write out their own messages and one day make global connections with the schools around the world these pigeons might inhabit,” Mrs Froggatt says.

Students responded by threading wool, leaves and feathers around the dome, converting it into a giant nest.

After reading Speck Lee Tailfeather’s Architecture According to Pigeons, Kindergarten students wrote the names of the School’s buildings on leaves and attached them to the nest.

For Year 1 and their teacher, Mrs Martin, it became a starting point to consider architectural interpretation of nests in locations including the Great Glasshouse in the National Botanic Garden of Wales and the Bird’s Nest used in the Beijing Olympics. In Art, students learned about the wrapping masterpieces of Christo and Jeanne-Claude and put their own spin on it by wrapping the dome.

Later, as students worked on STEM projects with lights and batteries, teachers saw the opportunity for a shadow-puppet theatre which would link to syllabus outcomes. “We try to provoke their learning and give them ownership,” Mrs Froggatt says. The puppet theatre will be used to work in with Year 1 and 2’s study on myths and legends in English, as well as Kindergarten’s exploration of Indigenous legends in the History subject ‘My Family, My Story’.

“We wrapped the dome because we wanted to be like Christo. Christo wraps buildings, chairs, tables and furniture. He wraps objects in material like wrapping paper, cotton and paper.”

Samantha Fernandez, Year 1

“This is the dome and we wrapped it. It’s going to have a shadow show with the lights up there shining onto it.”

Zoe Graham, Year 1

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CREATIVE ARTS EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAM ‘Light and Shadow’ and ‘Textile Geometry’

“The Creative Arts extra-curricular program has grown from strength to strength over the past 12 months,” says Director of Creative Arts Ms Katie Waud. Girls across the school have eagerly taken up its offerings.

The works were exhibited at the School in April. With the help of Mr Silver, the students curated the exhibition space and arranged the various installations. They also discussed their work with attendees.

The newly launched Design School program for Junior School students offered ‘Light Shadow’, ‘Small Worlds’ and ‘Maker Sound’ workshops. In ‘Light Shadow’, Teaching Assistant Mr Daniel Silver led 19 students from Years 3 to 6 as they designed and created light sculptures from upcycled and reclaimed materials, taking inspiration from shadow sculpture, lantern design and projection art.

Meanwhile, Senior School students undertook courses in fashion illustration, film-making and typography as well as a ‘Textile Geometry’ workshop in which award-winning and innovative quilt designer Sarah Fielke led girls from Years 8 to 11 in art patchwork, appliqué and quilt design.

Mr Silver encouraged the girls to experiment, fail, and reflect. “Things never really turn out exactly the way you imagine them,” he says.

“To open, accept and embrace that is a really beautiful journey for the girls to experience.”

Among the works exhibited was an orca whale

by Ella Cherrington and Zara Fite of Year 5. “It was great to see their creativity and ingenuity in trying to bring to life what they wanted to do,” says Zara’s father, Mr David Fite.

TAS Assistant Miss Lily Ferres was concerned that students’ might hold outdated ideas about quilt-making but was thrilled to find the workshop was fully booked. “Patchwork is a technical, mathematical process that requires precise stitching and spatial intelligence.”

The students used a variety of techniques to produce cushion samplers and “they loved it,” Miss Ferres says. “They all came out with their own style, wanting to do more of it.”

Top right: Cicely Lomas and Holly Houssarini of Year 6. Middle left: Sophie Loxton of Year 9 with her patchwork piece.

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NEWS BITES Clockwise: Emily Jeffrey as Thomas and Amelia Spencer as Mrs Amersfoort in The Book of Everything; Uma Barnes as The Black Skirt in Children of the Black Skirt; Cordelia McLeay as Harold Horricks in Children of the Black Skirt.

Annabelle said delving into these themes in her role was challenging, but other characters brought light into the story, “not softening the issue, but rather providing a contrast”.

YEAR 10 DRAMA STUDENTS TACKLE BIG THEMES From the Australian bush to Amsterdam’s canals

After a term of rehearsals, Year 10 Drama students performed Angela Betzien’s gothic fairytale Children of the Black Skirt and Richard Tulloch’s translation of The Book of Everything

by Dutch author Guus Kuijer.

Head of Drama Ms Tiffany Crittle directed Children of the Black Skirt, the story of three lost children who stumble across an abandoned orphanage in the bush and find themselves interacting with ghosts from key moments in Australia’s past, as well as the fearful Black Skirt, a cruel governess wielding an enormous pair of scissors.

Antonia Foster of Year 10 says all the actors played multiple parts, which tested their skills: “We had to change our acting style when we flicked between roles.” However she nominates as her greatest challenge, and greatest reward, performing an Aboriginal lullaby. “After doing that I felt my confidence in drama has been boosted considerably as there isn’t much that could be more nerve-racking than singing a solo in a different language.”

Drama teacher Mr Stephen Colyer directed The Book of Everything, about a boy called Thomas Klopper who lives in post-WWII Netherlands with his mother, sister and angry, fundamentalist father. A sweet child, Thomas takes refuge from his often difficult life in his vivid imagination. Mr Colyer emphasised this innocence by opting for a staging style reminiscent of children’s theatre, with cast-members not in any given scene forming a semi-circle on the stage around the action.

The play’s strong themes include domestic violence and the role of religion in society, leavened by Thomas’s innocent perspective and the surreal humour of his inner life.

Annabelle Mosse of Year 10 played Thomas’s mother, who suffers abuse at the hands of her husband. Delving into these themes in her role was challenging, she says, but other characters brought light into the story, “not softening the issue, but rather providing a contrast”.

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EPHEMERA CHALLENGE Finding beauty in the simple and the small

The true artist finds inspiration at every turn, as Year 10 Visual Arts students confirmed when they undertook the ‘Ephemera Challenge’ proposed by Head of Visual Arts, Photography and Digital Media Ms Michele Brennan.

intricate little surprises of art from the natural materials in the environment around us. In a way, we were presenting our audience with a special gift from nature that highlighted the natural beauty within our wider community.”

The idea came as a result of Ms Brennan’s familiarity with the work of local artist Rachel Honnery, gained while working beside her at a Masters’ residency. Honnery set herself a 365-day challenge: to use discarded or naturally occurring objects - ephemera - to create miniature sculptural artworks which would transform and disintegrate with the natural interactions of everyday life. “Rachel’s research is robust and meaningful, while her artworks transform the disastrous and ugly into something very beautiful,” says Ms Brennan.

Amy Spencer had a similar reaction, saying the challenge made her look at the world with an ‘artist’s eye’ and find beauty in the simplest and smallest of things.

Undertaking the project over a full year was viable for a professional artist, but the students tackled a more manageable 14-day version. For Eleni Gorgas it was an opportunity “to acknowledge the simplistic beauty found within nature, through creating

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The girls’ responses are exactly the kind Ms Brennan was hoping to trigger, with a project she says is not purely about aesthetics but also mindfulness: “It forces [students] to stop, look, be still, and then create with what they find. The benefits are manifold, ranging from a reassessment of one’s surrounding to the creation of beauty, care and gratitude for the spaces we occupy, and agency over our immediate environment.”

news bites

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Junior School students at the Transport Showcase.

Harriet Raper and Celia Motteram of Year 4 at the Transport Showcase.

Daniella Cussell of Year 3 explained they got to build a car from plastic and race it. “You had to connect some wiring that made it go because it connected to the battery. We had to build a circuit and the aim was to make it go fast.”

TRANSPORT SHOWCASE UNVEILS RACERS, ROBOTS AND AIRCRAFT

Term 2 this year saw the third annual Transport Showcase come to the School, bringing not only vintage and high-powered cars, but also solar racers, robots and a light aircraft. The showcase was originally intended to engage Year 10 Science and Year 11 Physics students learning about various aspects of transport but now draws in girls across all stages.

The Warringah Radio Control Society, who brought in their light aircraft, also ran a flight simulator for students to try out their model flying skills. It was a big hit - in fact Josephine Mezrani of Year 9 was inspired to fundraise to take flying lessons. “I’m going for my recreational pilot’s licence. So I can get the full licence when I’m 16 and fly by myself. It’s just a light aircraft,” she said.

There were also robotic rovers courtesy of the University of New South Wales’ BlueSat Group, enabling Hooke House girls to learn about the electronics involved. Daniella Cussell of Year

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3 explained they got to build a car from plastic and race it. “You had to connect some wiring that made it go because it connected to the battery. We had to build a circuit and the aim was to make it go fast.”

Year 3 and 5 students teamed up for a knowledge treasure hunt where they had to find the newest and oldest cars and identify symbols such as stallion and jaguar on various cars and find out their significance. “The animals represented speed and power,” says Olivia Bondi of Year 3. They also discovered how cars have changed over the years and that they have become cheaper to make. Amy Turner of Year 3 learned, “that not all cars are front-wheel drives, some are rear-wheel drives”, while Charlotte Fouter of Year 3 found out that it is relatively quick and easy to make the base of a car, “but it takes a long time to build everything else”.

Collaborative problem-solving builds skills

For an hour a week over four weeks, the classes of Ms Kate Gordon, Mrs Carolyn Martin and Mrs Clare Froggatt came together to tackle a series of challenges: build a basic circuit, add a switch, create a sculpture and explore shadows.

Working in teams of three, students used scientific method to create a hypothesis, experiment, then analyse the results. They were provided with instructions and a help video if they got stuck, however the idea was not to hand them answers but rather “set them up to find solutions,” says Woodstock Coordinator Mrs Froggatt.

Each task had to be completed using only the materials in the box and part of the task was to photograph, video or sketch the process. They used their iPads to document their work and were required to upload a comment or question at the end of each session.

Within the teams, each member took a turn serving as director, manager and speaker for the group. “Students needed to work collaboratively, listen to one another, take turns and complete tasks using the raw materials provided. Not only did girls develop and deepen relationships across Kindergarten to Year 2, they also developed their abilities to be resilient, solve problems and persevere when they didn’t know what to do,” says Mrs Froggatt.

Head of STEM Mr Andy Draper notes that it is important to foster a culture of experimental learning from a young age: by starting early, students develop a confidence that allows them to tackle increasingly complex problems as they grow: “A lot of it is to do with the girls’ perception of ability. We don’t want them saying ‘I can’t do that,’ or ‘It’s too difficult.’”

“A lot of it is to do with the girls’ perception of ability. We don’t want them saying ‘I can’t do that,’ or ‘It’s too difficult.’ ”

Jenna Xenos of Year 1, Sophie Dundon of Year 2 and Theodora Xygalas of Kindergarten working on STEM-in-a-Box.

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NEWS BITES

WOODSTOCK’S STEM-IN-A-BOX

Inspired by architect Dr Stephen Collier’s School-in-a-Box, in Term 2 Woodstock students embarked on the STEM-in-a-Box project.

Left: Applied STEM students at the Young Creators Conference. Right: Ella Leavey with an official from the Kuwait delegation.

YEAR 9 APPLIED STEM STUDENTS USE CODE TO BUILD BIONIC HANDS

The Year 9 Applied STEM course is one of the few subjects where students don’t need to finish a project to do well. In the subject, it’s not the completion of a project that matters, but the learning that occurs in the process, says Head of STEM Mr Andy Draper, “The learning is separate to the so-called success of completion.”

The elective course, introduced in 2016, encompasses coding and computing. It was designed by a broad team under the umbrella of Design and Technology, including Mrs Jan McNally (TAS), Mr Alex Johnson (Mathematics), Mr Greg McArdle (TAS) and Mr Andrew Merrick (IT), who wrote course outcomes and designed a program they thought would engage students.

It teaches the girls to program in the language ‘C’, allowing them to explore real-life applications for coding. The aim is that by the end of it they will be able to write code to achieve desired outcomes. “That’s ‘maker’ or ‘hacker’ culture,” Mr Draper says. “With Mr Merrick being a coder, he was a great help as to how to use it in the real world.” Mr Merrick explains that ‘maker’ culture incorporates coding, electronics and physical building, often re-using equipment or systems in new and inventive ways.

The aim is that by the end of it they will be able to write code to achieve desired outcomes. “That’s ‘maker’ or ‘hacker’ culture,” Mr Draper says. “With Mr Merrick being a coder, he was a great help as to how to use it in the real world.”

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In the first module, Biomechanics and Electronics, students designed a prosthetic leg and a bionic hand. They began by learning about microcontrollers, then designed artificial fingers which could replicate real movements, working out what to use for joints and how to calibrate them. The girls then 3D-printed basic ‘hands’, palms with separate phalanges, to put their theories to the test. Assessment was based not on completion of a working hand but on the understanding of the code.

In their next module they will build submarines and race them across the pond. Their creations will not be judged on appearance but on functionality: the fastest across scores 100 per cent.

The Duke of Edinburgh Awards

The Duke of Ed., as it is fondly known, is an internationally recognised program designed to challenge young people aged 14 to 25 and help them develop a variety of skills and qualities including strength, knowledge and commitment that will benefit them in work and in life.

It can be achieved at three progressively more challenging levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Wenona’s Bronze-challenge girls headed out on a pack-and-paddle through Berowra Waters and Kangaroo Valley; the Silver group undertook an Amazing Racestyle urban odyssey; while those seeking their Gold award hiked Tasmania’s Overland Track.

“I was constantly challenged by different tasks along the journey, such as sleeping in a tent every night with freezing temperatures and carrying a pack that was half my weight for around 10km a day,” says Arabella Davey of Year 11, one of the hikers whose treasured memories include running as a group to a jetty to watch the sun rise, drinking hot chocolate and playing cards in camp at the end of the day. For Lily Collins of Year 11, “My favourite part of the expedition was climbing Cradle Mountain and looking out at the amazing view from the top.”

The girls agree the experience was rewarding and memorable. “We were able to trust each other through the trip, and rely on each other when we found situations tough. I formed closer relationships with extraordinary people,” Arabella says. “I would definitely go back if I had the chance,” adds Lily.

The Gold students were split into two groups of 10, completing the 75km track in eight days.

The girls agree the experience was rewarding and memorable.

“We were able to trust each other through the trip, and rely on each other when we found situations tough. I formed closer relationships with extraordinary people,” Arabella says.

Wenona’s intrepid adventurers on the Adventurous Journey component of the Duke of Edinburgh through Tasmania’s Overland Track.

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NEWS BITES

TESTING LIMITS AND FORMING BONDS

In 2016 approximately 200 of Wenona’s intrepid students hiked, camped and paddled through national parks in Greater Sydney and Tasmania to complete the Adventurous Journey component of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS The Gender Equity Group

What is the Gender Equity Group?

“We talk about relevant issues to do with gender, particularly gender equality. We are all self-proclaimed feminists and proud of that.

We come together to talk and try to create some difference outside this group.”

- Lucia Dominguez, Year 11 When did this group start?

“It started two years ago. Since then it’s grown and expanded outside Wenona as well.”

- Hannah Kingsmill, Year 11 What do you do?

“We discuss issues and if there’s a particular fundraiser we organise that. (We have to meet fundraiser requirements to be a UN Women’s school; they channel the money into most needed areas.) At the moment we are creating a social media platform. We’re trying to get involved with boys’ schools and other girls’ schools all over Sydney: private, public, it doesn’t matter.”

- Annabelle Mosse, Year 10 How has being part of the group affected your views?

“I changed to seeing gender equity as men and women being equal. I started to realise

Maddison Sedgwick, Hannah Kingsmill and Lucia Dominguez, all of Year 11.

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that men can have the ability to be sensitive, or to dance, which is something that I love.”

- Mya Meldrum, Year 7 “The group enlightened me on so many issues. I only came to Wenona at the start of last year; before that I was at a co-ed school and didn’t have opinions on gender equity because I wasn’t informed. When I came to Wenona I loved Dr Scott’s speeches about gender equity.”

- Holly McDonald, Year 11 What are some challenges the group examines?

“Stereotypes, they are hard to break. In the 1950s, women were in the kitchen but now we’re starting to change that view. That’s especially happening with Wenona offering science and creative subjects for girls.”

- Jesse Skelhorne, Year 11 “I think a lot of people think feminists are trying to be better than boys and that’s not what gender equity is. It’s about trying to get women and men equal. It’s about how we view each other.”

- Chloe Hinckfuss, Year 10

NEWS BITES Dr Briony Scott, Mr Tim Bowden, Ms Elizabeth Broderick, Lt Gen (Rtd) David Morrison, Han Joo Ann, Jack Jacobs and Wenona students Jemima Davison and Lily Towers.

CHAMPIONING CHANGE Influential speakers at Wenona’s first HeForShe event

by Ms Kate Seale

At the end of Term 1 Wenona’s Gender Equity Group hosted 250 students and staff from 25 schools across Sydney at their first HeForShe event, ‘Champions of Change: Positive Relationships and Gender Equity’.

The keynote speaker was 2016 Australian of the Year and Chair of the Diversity Council Australia, former Chief of Army Lt. General David Morrison AO (Rtd). He was joined by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Ms Elizabeth Broderick, AO; Inaburra School Principal Mr Tim Bowden; Dr Briony Scott; Willoughby Girls High School student Han Joo Ann; and Newington College Senior Prefect Jack Jacobs.

Lt. General Morrison spoke about turning points in his defence-force career which made him determined to create a culture where women were not only safe and equal but were recognised as critical to the organisation’s success. Ms Broderick challenged the audience to put on their ‘50:50 glasses’ when reviewing gender representations in politics, business and other public leadership events and institutions.

Following a panel discussion, students broke up into smaller groups to focus on issues such as domestic violence, gender equity in sport, and gender in the media.

Why was the event important?

“I think it’s important to communicate with other schools, especially boys’ schools, to spread understanding of the issue. Being able to share with boys’ schools, see their perspective, see how interested they are in it, and hear from those who don’t have the opportunity in their own schools or environments to express and explore them is important.”

- Hannah Kingsmill, Year 11 “It was encouraging to see lots of people there, I thought, ‘Wow, people really care about this,’ and that’s not just boys and girls but older women and men. To hear their views connected to the one central idea [gender equity] was really great.”

- Chloe Hinckfuss, Year 10 “From the planning side, we wondered if people were going to come. But it was a huge success, which was so satisfying. After all the hard work we put in, the message got across. Other schools are now starting their own gender equity clubs. Wenona has a name for hosting that event, which I find amazing because I want Wenona to be that kind of community.

- Lucia Dominguez, Year 11

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Boarders Lillian Scott of Year 11, Ellie Peart of Year 7 and Camryn Grattan of Year 11.

Lillian and Boarding Co-Captains Lily Collins and Rosie Garnock, both of Year 11, set to test that boarder knowledge. During the Term 3 Closed Weekend, they created and presented a Boarding Trivia Quiz. “It got quite competitive,” Lillian says. Participants were tested on general knowledge, boarding knowledge and celebrity knowledge, “and the winners got edible prizes”.

Now the entire school has the chance to test their boarding knowledge:

Q1: How long have Ms Buchanan and Ms Collinge been working in the boarding house, combined?

Q2: Which boarding staff member is best known for the expression, ‘You are pushing the envelope’?

Q3: Who is the tallest member of the boarding community?

Q4: Which boarding staff member appeared on the Nine Network TV show Underbelly?

Q5: Who is the youngest person in the boarding house?

Q6: Which boarding house staff member owns a vegan dog?

Q7: Where is ‘the boarding house piano’ located?

Clockwise: Boarders’ Closed Weekend sleepover; Head of Boarding Ms Sue Newton in the garden with boarders; Boarding Prefect Lillian Scott and Boarding Co-Captain Rosie Garnock; Boarders participating in the Colour Run.

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NEWS BITES

TRIVIA IN THE BOARDING HOUSE

“Boarders have a special kind of knowledge.

Most day girls don’t know what time the school closes at night or when the security comes,” Boarding Prefect Lillian Scott of Year 11 says.

“Some don’t even know where our dining hall is.”

Answers: A1: 24 years A2: Ms Arto A3: Laura Keir A4: Ms Bullimore

A5: Amber Macpherson A6: Ms Bullimore A7: In the Student Office, down the stairs

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Georgia Taplin of Year 6 starring as Matilda in Tim Minchin’s Matilda the Musical, © James Morgan Photographic Consultancy.

NEWS BITES

Expanding Snowsports team wins Outstanding Achievement award

Taylor Ruber invited back to National Mathematics Summer School

Georgia Taplin wins Helpmann Award for Matilda the Musical

In the six years leading up to 2015, Wenona’s Snowsports grew from a single competitor to a team of 17. The team won last year’s Secondary School Pointscore and achieved even greater success in the 2016 Ski and Snowboard Australia awards, held in April, where they won Outstanding Achievement of the Year for Small Schools (Cross Country).

Taylor Ruber of Year 12 has been invited to make a return appearance at the National Mathematics Summer School (NMSS), a twoweek program held at the Australian National University each January for mathematically gifted and talented high school students.

Georgia Taplin of Year 6 was co-winner of Best Female Actor in a Musical at the 16th annual Helpmann Awards for her performance in Tim Minchin’s Matilda the Musical.

The award is based on the 2015 season, in which the girls won a number of state and national interschool events. In Division 1 of the state competition Lara Hamilton (2015) won a silver medal; two teams entered Division 2 and scored a gold medal in the team and relay events; and Wenona scored gold in the team and relay events in Division 3, and in Emily Champion of Year 9’s individual event.

In the national competition the Division 2 team won their team and relay events and Chloe Hinckfuss of Year 10 won a bronze medal in her individual event. The Division 3 team won bronze in the team event and silver in the relay event.

The team has been fortunate to have former Slovenian Olympian Barbara Jezesek as a coach, and has received additional instruction from APSI Nordic Technical Director Warren Feakes and world class juniors Alecia Phillips and Jillian Coleburn. A number of the girls have trained with NSW Cross Country training groups and competed in non-school events.

Taylor attended what she describes as the ‘challenging and extensive’ program at the beginning of 2016 and has been invited to return as an Experienced Group member.

The NMSS program is not aligned with the school syllabus. Instead it is intended for students to see the depth and breadth of the discipline. Participants study a small range of topics in great depth; sometimes up to the level of third-year university courses. The focus, says Taylor, is firmly on doing Mathematics rather than listening to someone else talk about it.

“I was delighted to be invited back to the Summer School,” she says. “One of the highlights was being able to connect with so many other students who shared a common passion for Maths. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to continue and extend my studies, particularly as I plan to undertake tertiary studies in Maths and Economics.”

The prestigious award is shared with the seven other Matildas (Molly Barwick, Dusty Bursill, Tiana Mirra, Alannah Parfett, Sasha Rose, Bella Thomas and Ingrid Torelli) who starred in the Royal Shakespeare Company production in their respective cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Each girl performed the show about 60 times. The young actresses won ahead of established performers Amy Lehpamer (The Sound of Music), Antoinette Halloran (Sweeney Todd) and Esther Hannaford (Little Shop of Horrors).

Tim Minchin’s stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel won all 13 of its Helpmann nominations including Best Musical.

This follows the Olivier and Tony awards it won for its West End and Broadway productions.

Georgia has said she is considering her next career move which, with so few stage roles available for children in Sydney, may mean looking overseas.

Left: Georgia Taplin (centre right) with James Miller, who played Miss Trunchbull in Tim Minchin’s Matilda the Musical, and fellow Matildas. Right: Emily Champion of Year 9, Olympic gold medalist Alisa Camplin AO, Chloe Hinckfuss of Year 10, Isobel Logan of Year 9 and Pia Stoner of Year 10.

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Clockwise: Xanthe Muston of Year 11 with her drawing One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Kneeling: Xanthe Kennard of Year 3, Olivia Lombardini of Year 1 and Leni Bombelli of Year 2. Sitting: Katie Brennan of Year 3, Jessica Oppen of Year 4, Sophie Dundon of Year 2, Molly Dundon of Year 4, Ava McCann of Year 4 and Charlotte Donnelley of Year 4; Back row: Megan Price of Year 7, Leah Chalabian of Year 7, Zoe Stanley of Year 7, Fleur Treffry of Year 7 and Ellie Deveson of Year 7. Front row: Ashley Kennard of Year 8, Frida Listorti of Year 7, Claudia Cowan of Year 7 and Eloise Siow-Lee of Year 7; Students writing out equations in Mathematics; Taylor Ruber (front right) with fellow Year 12 Physics students.

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Wenona has had more girls participating in Snowsports than ever – and with impeccable results. Below are the results from Snowsports across the regional, state and national competitions in 2016.

Junior School Regional competition: 2016 Sydney Interschools Snowsports Championships Wenona placed second (out of 10 schools) in the Primary Female Skiing Championships.

State competition: 2016 State Interschools Snowsports Championships Wenona placed second (out of eight schools) in the Primary Female Cross Country Championships and second (out of 13 schools) in the Primary Female Overall Championships (including skiing, snowboard and cross country).

National: 2016 Australian Interschools Snowsports Championships Wenona placed fifth (out of 16 schools) in the Primary Female Overall Championships (including skiing, snowboard and cross country).

NEWS BITES

Snow mean feat: Wenona scores big in Snowsports

Budding artists recognised in Mosman Art Prize Senior School Regional competition: 2016 Sydney Interschools Snowsports Championships Wenona placed second (out of 13 schools) in the Secondary Female Overall Championships, fifth (out of 13 schools) in the Secondary Female Skiing Championships, and third (out of seven schools) in the Snowboard Championships.

State competition: 2016 State Interschools Snowsports Championships Wenona placed first (out of 12 schools) in the Secondary Female Cross Country Championships, and sixth (out of 18 schools) in the Secondary Female Overall Championships (including skiing, snowboard and cross country).

National competition: 2016 Australian Interschool Snowsports Championships Wenona placed ninth (out of 24 schools) in the Secondary Female Overall Championships (including skiing, snowboard and cross country).

Two of Wenona’s budding artistic talents have been recognised in the Mosman Art Youth Prize for 2016. Initiated in 1988 by Ken Done AM, the prize aims to encourage the creative talents of young people and provide a showcase for their works.

Year 11 student Xanthe Muston’s drawing One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was selected to be included in the exhibition while Katerina Xenos of Year 10 received the Encouragement Award (Environment and Open Space, Mosman Council) for her sculpture The Heart of the Reef.

“Both Xanthe and Katerina are very committed to their endeavours in the world of art,” says Head of Visual Arts, Photography and Digital Media Ms Michele Brennan. “They have both unfailingly demonstrated exemplary skills and approaches to creating artworks here within the Wenona community. It is so wonderful to see them recognised within the wider community.”

The Heart of the Reef sculpture by Katerina Xenos of Year 10 (second from the right).

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Zara McCaughey, Bronte O’Conner and Tess Parker, all of Year 3 at Taronga Zoo.

NEWS BITES Clockwise: Year 3 girls at Taronga Zoo; Year 9 Geography students using anemometers at Long Reef beach; Year 9 Visual Arts students in the Southern Highlands; Year 7 students at Taronga Zoo.

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Clockwise: Woodstock students at Centennial Park; Jessica Lavan and Nina Mitchelhill holding their nests; Woodstock students at Centennial Park; Rebecca Karnani of Year 10, Emily Levisohn of Year 10, Sarah Fowler of Year 9 and Grace Barrett-Lennard of Year 10 at the Science and Engineering Challenge; Year 5 students in Bathurst for camp; Mrs Roslyn Mahony and Year 6 Junior School Prefects Kate Ahuja, Olivia Smith, Maya Gales and Abbey Wagner at the National Young Leaders Day.

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NEWS BITES Clockwise: Paige Henaghan and Amber Sawyer, both of Year 10 at the Psychology workshop; Year 10 Psychology workshop; Year 4 students visiting The Rocks; Year 8 Science students at Luna Park; Year 9 Photography and Digital Media students at Cockatoo Island; Music Therapy Group students at St Anne’s Nursing Home.

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STUDENT EXCHANGE

Teigan Collister Year 11 Looking back I realise how much excitement there was in the build-up to going away. After the nerves settled I made a close connection with my host sister, Coline, and her parents and two brothers. Going to school was, surprisingly, one of my favourite things - apart from having to wake up early on dark, freezing cold winter mornings. Although the language barrier was very apparent at the beginning of my stay, friends were more than happy to help and I soon felt at home. Leaving was harder than I thought it would be, because of all the friendships I had made and the experiences I had shared.

Épinal Lorraine France

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Lucy Waterson Year 11 I went on an eight-week exchange to Bordeaux, where I attended school. I also travelled throughout France. It was without a doubt one of the most amazing experiences I have had.

Not only did I have the chance to improve my language skills and independence, I was able to make a lifelong friend of my host sister and she has since come to stay with me and attend Wenona. I can’t recommend highly enough that younger year students participate in an exchange if they can!

Bordeaux Aquitaine France

Cate Carson Year 11 I went on exchange to a small town called La Sauve, about 40 minutes from Bordeaux. At first it was very hard as there was a language barrier. But I soon learned how to communicate and get over this barrier. I learned so much and it was character-building. Overall it was a great experience and I made friends that I will have for life.

La Sauve Aquitaine France

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Teigan Collister, Year 11 Épinal, Lorraine, France

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Lucy Waterson, Year 11 Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France

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Cate Carson, Year 11 La Sauve, Aquitaine, France

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Emma Turner, Year 11 Saint-Symphorien, Aquitaine, France

Emma Turner Year 11

Alexandra Solterbeck Year 11

In all honesty, my exchange was a lot more challenging than enjoyable. But the experience remained a learning one, in terms of both language and general life. Going overseas for two months at a young age forced me to tackle new obstacles and despite not enjoying my exchange, I do not regret it.

The most challenging part of my exchange experience was having a host mother who did not speak any English, but after a few weeks I realised how helpful that was for improving my German. I don’t think I would have been nearly as confident with it as I am now if she were able to speak English. I loved my host family and still keep in contact with them now.

Saint-Symphorien Aquitaine France

Dorsten North Rhine-Westphalia Germany

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Alexandra Solterbeck, Year 11 Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Hannah McHardy, Year 12 Freiberg, Saxony, Germany

Hannah McHardy Year 12 I went to Freiburg, in Germany on an allexpenses paid SAGSA scholarship with the German Australian Student Society. I went to a town in the South of Germany, right near the border of Switzerland and France. I was there for 10 weeks and the exchange really helped my German. I come from quite a secular background; in my host family both parents were Evangelical priests, and church was two metres from the house. It was extreme culture shock, but really enjoyable. At Christmas, we prayed approximately eight times a day! They also eat so much bread in Germany. My host dad rode his bike out to market every morning to buy fresh bread and we had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Freiberg Saxony Germany

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Musical Theatre Group A performing ‘Perfect Young Ladies vs Sister Suffragette’ at the 130 Concert.

FEATURE

130 YEARS OF WENONA

In August Wenona celebrated its 130th anniversary with a concert that traced the history of the school through performance, music and narrative. As with the forthcoming history book Wenona: Celebrating Scholarship, Service & Spirit for 130 years, the 130 Concert was structured around seven narrative pieces covering the history of the school, the development of women’s rights, and key local, national and global events.

“The idea was that the book would inform, and its images be the starting point, for the whole concert,” says Director of Performing Arts Ms Kim Lemon, who oversaw the show.

Her aim was to produce “a sophisticated, graceful event”.

“I went through the archives and found [performance] pieces that had been featured across the eras.” These were woven together in a way that illuminated the changes wrought over time. “‘Perfect Young Ladies’, from The Boyfriend, is a piece that has been performed

at least two or three times in Wenona’s history,” says Ms Lemon. It was coupled with ‘Sister Suffragette’, a song that, “though never been performed, spoke to the wider school and national history”.

Ms Lemon sought a musical thread that would tie the concert together, engaging composer and conductor Ms Stella Talati to compose variations on a theme. Ms Talati incorporated strings, woodwind, brass, piano and orchestra in a suite of variations of the Wenona School Song. “She created little masterpieces; not repeats of the School Song, but new material,” says Ms Lemon.

The resulting concert was a wonderful, memorable event involving a huge cast and crew from Kindergarten to Year 12.

“I loved having the chance to perform with the Woodstock girls. Being in Year 10, I don’t have a lot of contact with the younger students and this concert made me feel very connected to the whole school. I usually get quite nervous performing, but having the Woodstock girls on stage made me feel really comfortable. I had so much fun interacting with them on stage.”

Kate Carey, Year 10

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Clockwise: Kindergarten students performing with the Woodstock Choir; Matilda Parker of Year 7 and Sophie Watson of Year 8 performing their narration; Middle School Contemporary Eisteddfod Dance Troupe; Emily Joyce of Year 11, Sophie Keddie of Year 10 and Montanna Teh of Year 10 performing with the Stage Band.

“I enjoyed being in the 130 Concert. Not only was it an exhibition of the diversity and history of the school, it also provided an opportunity for girls to showcase their individual talents. The concert allowed me to meet more girls from other years, and form relationships I wouldn’t have made otherwise.”

Charlotte North, Year 11

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FEATURE Clockwise: Musical Theatre Group A and C performing Another Op’nin’, Another Show; Eleanor Foster of Year 11 performing Non, je ne regrette rien; Rehearsals at the State Theatre; Sophia Wallace and Annabelle Mosse of Year 10 performing Much Ado About Nothing.

“The 130 Concert was an incredible opportunity to showcase the various skills of Wenona students while retelling the history of our school. One of my favourite aspects was getting to work with fellow performers, musicians and actors to create a show we were all proud of. It was a privilege to perform at the State Theatre.”

Montanna Teh, Year 10

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WENONA: CELEBRATING SCHOLARSHIP, SERVICE & SPIRIT FOR 130 YEARS A Q&A with Miss Rosie Stevenson

Head of Library and Information Services Miss Rosie Stevenson undertook the enormous task of searching 130 years of Wenona’s archives, then culling her discoveries to create a visual history of the School for Wenona: Celebrating Scholarship, Service & Spirit for 130 years.

She tells us about the experience:

I used Ngaire Souter’s The Wenonians as a really good base, as well as The Wenonians: The next decade by Mrs Michele Ginswick, and Ut Prosim, that I may serve by Denise Thomas. They were really useful for getting a blow-by-blow account of what was happening in the school.

What did you discover as you trawled through the archives?

Director of Community and Service Learning and History teacher Ms Kate Seale wrote the book chapters; how did that work?

I found lots of really quirky things that showed how much more people appreciated things in the past than we do now - they kept trinkets and letters to each other. Shore boys would actually send handwritten replies to invitations to dances, which was very sweet. The uniform change was really interesting to see. And it was good to see earlier generations clearly had a lot of fun at school.

How did you weave the memorabilia you found into a visual narrative?

For each decade I thought, ‘What are key things that not only sum up visually the time, but also what was going on?’ That’s how I pieced it together, grouping things thematically.

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I approached Ms Seale to see if she would be interested in collaborating and helping me contextualise the memorabilia. We discussed how the book might be laid out and agreed that breaking the history into significant timeframes would be the best.

Ms Seale’s knowledge of Wenona is immense.

Being on staff for a number of years and also being the niece of a Wenonian meant she had firsthand stories of what Wenona was like during the war. As a historian, she was able to provide an overview of events on a global, national and local level that gave the memorabilia context.

Why do you think it’s important for students to have an understanding of Wenona’s history?

I think it’s good for students to remember the school is not just here for them: it’s been there for a lot of other people. The reason they do some of the things they do now lie in Wenona’s history. It’s really important to understand tradition.

How do you feel about the final product?

It was a really exciting opportunity and it is a beautiful publication. I hope the girls read it and say, ‘That’s really cool; I’m a part of that,’ and that Wenonians reflect on it and have a lovely time reminiscing.

ORDER FORM

Title:

Given Name:

Surname:

If a Wenonian, maiden name and year of graduation: Postal address: Suburb:

State:

Contact number:

Postcode:

Email address:

I am happy to be added to Wenona’s mailing lists I would like to be contacted about donating memorabilia to Wenona’s archives

Quantity:

Cost: $45 + postage ($15 Australia-wide), including GST.

Note: One copy of the history book will be gifted per family (current students) in Term 4, 2016.

Method of Payment Cheque, to be made out to Wenona School Credit Card: Mastercard, Visa, AMEX

Card number:

Expiry date:

Name on card: Signature:

Please post your completed order form to: Uniform Shop 283 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060

For further information, or to email or phone through your order, contact the Uniform Shop on (02) 9409 4455 or uniformshop@wenona.nsw.edu.au.

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WENONA’S VISUAL HISTORY BOOK

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FEATURE

FAREWELL TO AN INSPIRATIONAL LEADER WHO REACHED ACROSS WORLDS AND CULTURES

In 2016, Ms Gurruwiwi, a Yolngu woman, Board Member of the Yothu Yindi Foundation and dear friend of Wenona School, passed away. Ms Gurruwiwi was a leader of her large Galpu family, and grandmother of a number of Wenona students. She was integral in fostering relationships between the Wenona community and her own. She was involved in numerous community projects, directed the annual Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land, and was instrumental in supporting Yolngu prisoners.

Dr Briony Scott was privileged to deliver a eulogy at her memorial service. Below is an excerpt.

Ms Gurruwiwi was a rock. She was small in size, but strong as iron in spirit. Thoroughly Indigenous, she cherished and adored her heritage, her people, her land. Yet her heart reached across the rivers, oceans and cultures to embrace others and fully include them in her world.

In 2015 I had the privilege of spending time at Mata Mata, the homeland of Butambil, and Gi’kal, where our dear friend Ms Gurruwiwi hoped to retire. We cased out her house, looked at the garden and measured out the path. The peace was extraordinary, the beauty breathtaking. We had talked and dreamed about the future, about dreams she had for her granddaughters.

Ms Gurruwiwi came from a line of great strength: natural born leaders; women who loved their land and their family; who knew

who they were; and yet who moved seamlessly between different and, at times, conflicting worlds.

As we stood on the headland looking out to sea, she spoke of the place where both fresh water and salt water meet - and mix. They are different but the same, she said. They are both water but from different worlds. We need both.

She was very black and I very white. We came from different worlds. But we were the same: strong women leaders who want the best possible life for our young people. Salt and fresh water.

She loved life, loved people, and she loved me, as I loved her. Her kind acceptance and our mutual respect of each other forged a friendship that defied stereotypes and stood firm against worlds that would seek to divide.

Her family meant the world to her, and her love of her granddaughters was renowned. I can still picture her on ABC’s Q&A when it was filmed at Garma. She looked to the camera and told her granddaughters to finish school - a message that was heard around the world.

She believed in education. She was a fierce advocate of two-way learning. She wanted the young women of this area, regardless of their clan or tribe, to have choices - but only when they were strong in their identity, in their culture, in who they are and who they are called to be.

Being Indigenous was the rock. Education was the water. You must know who you are and where you come from first. And then you learn all you can about other cultures, about other worlds.

She believed in education. She was a fierce advocate of two-way learning. She wanted the young women of this area, regardless of their clan or tribe, to have choices - but only when they were strong in their identity, in their culture, in who they are and who they are called to be.

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Clockwise: Dr Briony Scott with Ms Gurruwiwi’s granddaughters, Mahalia, Shakiera and Budatnga and her daughter Steph; Gi’kal - Sacred Galpu Homeland; Ms Gurruwiwi’s painting (the rock symbolises how she stood out in the community); The back of the t-shirts made for Ms Gurruwiwi’s funeral © KOMPAS.com/Caroline.

Over time a way forward emerged where our girls could move seamlessly between worlds from their homeland to their school and back again. I understand now that this process is called ‘Galtha’, moving from our heads and our hearts to action, to a plan.

The dream became real. A number of young Yolngu women came to Wenona. There are ups and downs. Sad times and happy times.

This is normal. This is life. But like the famous Yirrikala School and other schools across the Nhulunbuy region, we believe our young women have a calling to lead this nation, and our Indigenous women in particular, have a voice that is strong and clear and must be heard around the world.

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Today I speak on behalf of Mrs Gurruwiwi’s Wenona family. Because of the relationships, the great pride with which Budatnga, Shakiera, Whitney, Mahalia and Sherita represent their family when away from home, there are hundreds, even thousands of people who stand behind me and alongside me today as we grieve.

As we move forward we are not defeated. We are bereft at the loss of our mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, and are overcome with grief. But we have her spirit within us. She has shown us the way and left clear signposts as we move forward.

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Dr Briony Scott speaking at the Capital Appeal Ball 2016.

“THE BEST RETURN ON ANY INVESTMENT YOU WILL EVER MAKE” The following is an excerpt from Dr Briony Scott’s Capital Appeal Ball speech

“Wenona has had a demonstrable commitment to excellence in educating young women, and we have done so for 130 years.

Our early principals were visionary female leaders who recognised the value of education for women when the world had strong opinions on what they could and couldn’t do. Their legacy has held strong for well over a century, and continues to this day.

In 2016 we are accepting enrolments for young women who will graduate in 2035, a third of the way through the 21st Century. As we look forward and picture who our graduates will be, we set the strategy and invest now in a future that is already here.

It is tempting when working from a strategic plan to stay on ‘safe ground’. If we choose this path Wenona would continue on as it has always done, and would still be considered an outstanding school. However, Wenona, education more broadly, and our society, are at a point of inflexion.

With the rapid uptake of technology, future careers for our young women have yet to be invented. Children in primary school talk about being robotic engineers as we talked, in our day, of being firemen and ballerinas.

Education is changing, and we ignore these signs at our peril. We are in a perfect position to challenge the status quo and to engage with educational forces that are global in perspective and counter-cultural, if not revolutionary.

We don’t want to do things a little bit differently or be defined by incremental changes. To take this path is to be left behind and to render the contributions of our women largely irrelevant.

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We want to stand for ideas that shape the competitive landscape of education and help redefine the agenda. We don’t want to define ourselves by other schools, but by our own passion for the renaissance education of young women and their wellbeing. To do this we must view the world through alternative frameworks, even as we ground our community in values that go back centuries.

Maybe not this week as you argue the toss over clean bedrooms and mobile phone usage. Maybe not next year when they make subject choices that make you twitch. Maybe not even in 10 years when they study degrees you’ve not heard of and work in areas that make no immediate sense. But education is an investment - and we’re playing a long game.

Our focus is on being innovative, creative, and global. There is a shift away from algorithmic and linear thinking to design thinking, and holistic problem solving. We can no longer teach in silos but must create an environment where different disciplines combine in leftfield combinations to come up with solutions previously undreamed of.

We have girls at our school who will go on to be poets, songwriters, aeronautical engineers, actors, traders, doctors, architects, actuaries and, for a great many of them, mothers. They all want to live life the best they can. They have a strong sense of social justice and a relentless desire to contribute to the world and make it a better place.

We ask ourselves: If Wenona is going to be graduating the most educated women in history, for the purposes of creatively solving the big issues, and from whom we expect the highest levels of moral, ethical and egalitarian leadership, what would our school look like? I believe that strategy can be utilised as a form of advocacy. And we have much to advocate.

Not every girl has the opportunities that Wenona provides. Not every girl has parents who will have the means or the education to actively defy stereotypes and work hard to see gender equity a reality.

As we bemoan the lack of women in political roles or in public leadership, the number of women in directorships or ASX 200 boards sits at less than one in four. The representation of women in Australia’s parliaments hovers around the ‘critical mass’ of 30 per cent regarded by the United Nations as the minimum level necessary for women to influence decision-making.

Investing in young women works. Here is a generalisation for you: every single one of them is different.

As we claim we want equity, the pay gap in Australia between men and women, remains around 18 per cent with no real movement over the last two decades.

As we talk about the need to treat women with respect, leading university colleges refuse to acknowledge a culture of demeaning and humiliating behaviour against women, invariably fuelled by alcohol, arguing they are nothing more than ‘rites of passage’.

As we seek to embrace 21st Century learning, we are subject to narrow, simplistic, testing regimes reminiscent of 19th Century education; tests that serve to rank schools, not improve student outcomes.

As we argue education is supposedly genderneutral, and so many question why would we possibly need single-sex schools these days, we have defiantly introduced Engineering Studies, a subject with a state cohort that is 98 per cent male.

Investing in young women works. Here is a generalisation for you: every single one of them is different.

Not one of them wants to live a ‘safe’ and protected life that is neatly laid out in front of them. Not one of them wants to earn 80 per cent of what their brother or boyfriend earns. Not one of them wants to be mocked, demeaned, hit or devalued. Not one of them.

There is not one stereotype or cardboard cut-out of a woman among them. They are adventurers. They are brave, courageous, funny, relentlessly curious, and clever. They will pay back - you, me or our world - a thousand-fold on any investment you make in them.

But I unreservedly guarantee that if we can invest in this generation of young women, here at Wenona, they will change the world for all women, for all men, and for all of those who do not have a voice, and who cannot be heard.

They will engage in egalitarian and proactive leadership because they have already seen it in action, they have engaged in it themselves, and they know it works.

They will be the poets, the songwriters, the artists. They will work with international teams to cure cancer, they will speak at the United Nations, they will manage the refugee crisis, they will work in the slums of Manila, and they will lead families, communities, states and nations.

These women will change the world, if we invest in them. This is my unreserved promise to you.

When we release these young women on an unsuspecting world you will discover they are the best return on any investment you will ever make. And their legacy, your legacy, will impact generations not only here at Wenona but around the world. For this, for your investment, at whatever level you’re able to contribute, I cannot thank you enough.”

FEATURE

WENONA’S STEM CENTRE AND SPORTING FACILITY

Wenona is committed to providing leading-edge experiences designed to foster the flexibility and creative thinking needed for complex problem-solving challenges of the future.

The first stage of our Master Plan implementation is the construction of the Wenona STEM Centre and Sporting Facility.

This university-style building is designed around a multi-level open space to create a social ecosystem with connectivity the key to its flexible, consultative and collaborative learning spaces.

pool, a learn-to-swim pool and change rooms; a sports science hub including a gymnastics centre and biomechanics sports equipment; university-grade learning areas, seminar spaces, exhibition spaces and interchangeable learning and collaboration areas; and internal and external green spaces for reflection, study and collaboration.

To find out more about the new STEM Centre and Sporting Facility, visit: www.wenona130plus.com.au

It will include: a purpose-built STEM Centre with learning areas, laboratories and Food Technology kitchens; an ecologically designed aquatic centre including a 25m swimming

Clockwise: Artist’s impression of Elliot Street; Miller Street; the School Atrium; and the Pool Deck.

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2016 Welcome Cocktail Party.

WPA

FROM THE WPA PRESIDENT

During my first year in the role as President of the Wenona Parents’ Association (WPA) I have overseen welcome lunches, the cocktail party, a golf day and Year Group events, each of them well-supported reminders of how connected our community is.

We have great involvement from mothers and fathers who have stepped up as year representatives, who have offered their homes for events, who have driven boarders to sporting games, and who have helped others by dropping meals off to families dealing with serious illness or bereavement.

With the Foundation organising the Capital Appeal Ball, the WPA executive has had time to consider our role and the part we play engaging Wenona’s large and diverse community. We have completed work on clarifying our purpose. It is to create and support opportunities to bring the community together through social events, and to provide support for families in times of need through Wenona c.a.r.e.s., in partnership with the school executive, board and alumnae.

The changing makeup of the wider community has prompted us to engage more broadly with the Wenona community to ensure we are delivering on our purpose. We want to reflect our dual-career families, our boarding families, our past parents, our international and Australian-based families, our stay-at-home mothers and fathers and our grandparents, all of whom play an important part in raising our girls.

With that in mind, we have created a short survey seeking opinions on ways in which the WPA can change, continue or enhance what we do. With your feedback, we will refresh some of our events, although the biennial Spring Fair will be in full swing again next year.

We can’t wait to keep building on the spirit and community that is so intrinsic to Wenona.

Mrs Rachel Banks WPA President

The changing makeup of the wider community has prompted us to engage more broadly with the Wenona community to ensure we are delivering on our purpose. We want to reflect our dual-career families, our boarding families, our past parents, our international and Australian-based families, our stay-at-home mothers and fathers and our grandparents, all of whom play an important part in raising our girls.

Parents and staff mingling at the 2016 Welcome Cocktail Party.

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Top: Michelle Charrock, Cecilia Gatto, Wallis Graham and Claudia von Hauenschild at the Woodstock Welcome Lunch 2016. Bottom: Sharna Hinchliff, Michele Baric, Pauline Byrne, Mr Andrew Watt and Jodie Vass at the Year 3 Welcome Lunch 2016.

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WPA Clockwise: Tracy Ashton, Jonica Palmer, Georgie Dixon, Katharine Motteram and Lisa Bennett at the Year 4 Welcome Lunch 2016; Fiona Nix, Judy Beatty, Shelia Rickard and Kate Pearson at the WPA Golf Day 2016; 2016 Welcome Cocktail Party.

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alumnae

Sophie Hamley (1989), Fiona Daniels (1987) and Sally Douvis (Crennan, 1993) at the 2016 Wenona Art Fair.

ALUMNAE

FROM THE ALUMNAE PRESIDENT One of the biggest decisions the alumnae made in 2016 was to embark on developing a three-year strategic plan. This will show us what we are doing well and what further opportunities there is for the alumnae to increase its contribution in Wenona’s rich community. We hope to officially launch the plan in 2017.

The year started with our biennial White and Blue morning tea reunion for Wenonians who graduated more than 40 years ago. It was a privilege to listen to their stories on schooling.

May brought the biennial Wenona Art Fair, my first event in the role of President and one which, as always, drew together a large crosssection of our school. I was extremely proud of the creative management displayed by fair coordinators Fiona Nix and Caroline Foldes.

The event was a tremendous achievement

which set a new benchmark for excellence, including adding a new prize to our portfolio the Wenona Alumnae Creative Arts Prize.

In August alumna Rebecca Barry (2000) spoke at our second Professional Networking Group event at the Republic Hotel. She shared valuable insights gained on a variety of leadership boards and in her role as Westpac’s National Manager Strategic Partnerships for Migrant and Expatriate Banking, in which capacity she recently represented the bank at the Australia China Millennial Project.

Of course the Wenona Capital Appeal was an important focus this year. The alumnae were extremely proud to contribute $10,000, which was presented to Marie Soghomonian (Seferian, 1992), Capital Appeal Chair, and the Foundation Board.

Watching Year 12 move through their endof-school events is always a sentimental and emotional time. This milestone is commemorated by the alumnae with customised gifts to the girls at Valedictory and by hosting their festive farewell lunch.

The final event of note for 2016 was the alumnae’s seventh annual Women of Spirit Breakfast. Publisher at Hachette Australia Sophie Hamley (1989), who has previously held positions with HarperCollins, Penguin and the Seven Network, spoke at the breakfast hosted at the Luna Park ballroom on Friday 14 October, 2016.

Mrs Sally Douvis (Crennan, 1993) Wenona Alumnae President

Top: Dr Briony Scott speaking at the Women of Spirit Breakfast 2016. Bottom: Wenona Alumnae Committee members Jen Mildren (1987), Carolyn McLean-Foldes (1990), Sally Douvis (Crennan, 1993), Stephanie McCann (2003), Fiona Nix (Corbett, 1981), Georgia Carver (2000) and Juliet Steel (Economo, 1992).

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MISS EDITH RALSTON Principal, pioneer, philanthropist

In 1958, Wenona Principal Miss Edith Ralston transferred control of the School, which she had built up from 24 pupils, to a non-profit company. It was an act of philanthropy emblematic of her desire to serve Wenona into the future.

We shall not travel by the road we make, Ere day by day the sound of many feet Is heard upon the stones that now we break, We shall be come to where the cross-roads meet For us the heat by day, the cold by night, The inch slow progress and the heavy load, And death at last to close the long, grim fight With man and beast and stone: for them - the road.

For them the shade of trees that now we plant, The safe, smooth journey and the ultimate goal Yea, birthright in the land of covenant: For us day-labour, travail of soul.

And yet the road is ours, as never theirs: Is not one thing on us bestowed?

For us the master-joy, oh, pioneersWe shall not travel, but we make the road!

V H Friedlander, The Road

Left: Miss Edith Ralston, Headmistress from 1920 to 1963. Right: Miss Edith Ralston escorting a young boarder to an appointment in the city.

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Though we cannot ascertain whether Miss Edith Ralston, who makes her simple appeal for the building fund on the following page, asked for it to be included, we can see it is fitting.

The poem speaks of pioneering, adventure and service - values of the early suffragettes and values that, for over 130 years, have been core to Wenona.

Wenona archivist and former Deputy Principal Mrs Michele Ginswick reflects on Miss Ralston being ‘a perfect living example’ of the poem’s content.

“She believed in girls’ education. While her father supported her, she was essentially making her own living. While she wasn’t out there marching, she would have believed in [the pioneering of the early suffragettes].”

“Miss Ralston was an instinctive feminist. She believed women can do anything and she imparted that belief,” Dr Edith Ziegler (Jones) wrote in Denise Thomas’s Ut Prosim, that I may serve.

On the opposite page of the booklet Miss Ralston wrote her appeal: “It is not considered necessary to stress the need, in uncertain times like the present, for the continuance and growth of an educational establishment such as Wenona, serving a real and vital purpose in the community and instilling in its pupils, the womanhood of tomorrow, the truest form of education, culture and citizenship.”

A philanthropic act Miss Ralston wrote those words three years after she had transferred ownership of Wenona School to a private, non-profit company.

In 1958, she had been plagued by illness.

With a limited time to live, and “her usual good sense and unselfishness, she set to putting her house in order,” Ngaire Souter wrote in The Wenonians.

This meant transferring one of the largest girls’ schools in New South Wales, of which she, as sole owner, had built up from twenty-four pupils, to a company, for a fraction of its real value so it would be perpetuated and not die with her.

“She believed in girls’ education. While her father supported her, she was essentially making her own living.

While she wasn’t out there marching, she would have believed in [the pioneering of the early suffragettes].”

The 1961 Wenona Building and Acquisition Fund Appeal booklet is the only surviving document that explains this generous act of philanthropy.

Mrs Ginswick agrees this act was philanthropic. This was at a time when property development around North Sydney was in full flux. “The fact is that the land the school was on would have been worth a fortune.”

Preparing for change in education

ALUMNAE

This poem, penned by early suffragette V H Friedlander, is found in the Wenona archives - on the first page of the Wenona Building and Acquisition Fund Appeal booklet from 1961.

Moving into the next century Now, 54 years later, the school stands at another juncture in education. A new road is to be paved as Wenona challenges traditional concepts of schooling to develop the next generation of pioneers, creative thinkers, and leaders in their fields.

The Wenona community have responded to this challenge. Beginning in 2014, Wenona’s Board of Governors developed a Master Plan to take the school into the future. Its preliminary stages involve building the multipurpose educational facility that includes STEM laboratories, an aquatic centre, a purpose-built Food Technology kitchen and a university-grade learning common space for Senior College. It’s a physical space to foster a new style of learning, one that is diverse, and appropriate for the next century’s challenges.

In Term 2, 2016, more than 600 Wenona parents and alumnae attended the Capital Appeal Ball. Many others contributed to the appeal during the course of the year. This is in keeping with the spirit of generosity instilled in Wenona ever since Miss Edith Hooke first sewed onto a hat band the school motto, Ut Prosim, that I may serve.

“Miss Hooke had every right to abandon that motto when she reopened her little school as Wenona. But she chose to carry it on,” Mrs Ginswick says. “And of course Miss Ralston carried it on too, that quiet support of serving one’s community in whatever capacity.”

In 1962, the Wyndham Scheme was brought into effect, broadening the curriculum and extending secondary education from five to six years. Science classes would become compulsory and the state government would eventually inject funds to build science labs.

(1967 would bring Wenona’s first group of what would now be called Year 12 students.)

For Miss Ralston, preparing the school for the implementation of this scheme was important.

“The whole business of handing the school over meant fundraising was possible under New South Wales law,” Mrs Ginswick explains.

Miss Ralston envisioned the erection of an adequate School Hall, the purchase of Mr Clarkson’s property (now appropriately named Ralston House), and the erection of more modern classrooms. “For her to throw her weight behind this is indicative of her awareness of the needs of the school. If the school was going to grow, there needed to be an injection of finances.”

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WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

Edwina Foulsham (Mesley, 1996), Marine Scientist and Spatial Analyst at the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage “I would encourage girls to see marine science as a real option,” says environmental scientist Edwina Foulsham (Mesley, 1996). “There’s a huge variety of jobs and roles in the sector: science in policy, applied science, research… the list goes on.”

Science wasn’t Edwina’s first choice, though.

“I started by doing photography at university,” she says. “I wanted to be a documentary photographer.” Realising she wanted to understand the subjects she photographed at a deeper level, she undertook a Bachelor Image © Willow Belle

Edwina Foulsham (Mesley, 1996) exploring biodiversity in marine areas.

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of Science with Honours at the University of Sydney, graduating in 2003. For the past nine years she has worked as a marine scientist and spatial analyst at the NSW’s Government’s Office of Environment and Heritage. She maps seabed habitats, examines the risk of erosion and coastal inundation, and assesses biodiversity in marine areas, “in order to, hopefully, impact policy”.

She says she works with many talented women but says there is still an underrepresentation of women in the sciences. Still, for her being female hasn’t been an impediment: “There’s no opportunity I haven’t been presented with because I am a woman.”

Edwina reflects on the inspiring teachers she had at Wenona. “They encouraged me to think, to feel the world was my oyster, they said ‘whatever you put your mind to, you can do’”. This is the same advice Edwina would give young Wenonians today, adding to any interested in marine science: “Go for it!”

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Associate Professor Simone Strasser (1979), Hepatologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney

Margot Lloyd (2001), Senior Digital Designer at NewsLifeMedia

Anna Bowden (1984), Operations and Development Manager at the Nangala Project

As a schoolgirl Simone Strasser knew she wanted to study medicine. She also knew she wanted to pursue a medical specialty, but wasn’t sure which. “I kept my options open,” she said. “I think it’s important to do that.” She set her hopes on a specialty that would allow her to both consult with patients with chronic conditions and be involved in procedural work.

Gastroenterology appealed; securing a liver transplant fellowship at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney opened up the field which has fascinated her ever since.

When Margot Lloyd was at school she knew she wanted a creative career, but it wasn’t until her final year that she honed in on design. “I decided that if I became a designer, I would have the flexibility to work in lots of different job sectors,” she says. “Every company needs a designer!”

Anna Bowden has always been interested why people do what they do and how to create a more socially just world.

Becoming a medical specialist requires patience. Now an Associate Professor, Simone got her first permanent job at the age of 37.

“That’s the path most specialists take,” she says. “It’s a long journey, but it’s worthwhile.”

Her job sees her involved with the government approval and funding of new medication; she is on the board for Hepatitis NSW; is honorary treasurer of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia; runs clinical trials and sees more than 80 patients per week.

Over the past 15 years, she has witnessed vast changes in the rates of liver disease. The severity and prevalence of viral hepatitis has increased, as have the rates of obesity and diabetes (which contribute to liver diseases).

In 2015, 98 people in NSW received liver transplants - the most ever. “Fortunately we are seeing an increase in organ donation. But it’s never enough,” she says.

Simone believes Wenona set her up well for academic achievement and is thrilled that her daughter Nathalie, Dux in 2010, has followed in her footsteps. Nathalie is in her third year of postgraduate medicine and “loves every minute of it!”

After completing an arts degree in 2005 at the University of Sydney, Margot got her diploma in graphic design and advertising. “At the time, I was convinced that’s what I wanted to be, a print graphic designer. But it’s funny where your career takes you, where life takes you.”

She is now a senior digital designer at NewsLifeMedia, managing a team of designers across websites such as Delicious, taste.com.au, Vogue, InsideOut and other publications.

Hers is a rapidly changing industry. “Print magazines will always be around but digital publishing will take over as people’s prime source of content consumption,” she says.

Unlike students in the current Design and Technology course at Wenona, Margot’s focus at school was on creating physical pieces. She remembers cutting up wood and spending time in the workshops. Yet some elements, notably principles of design thinking, remain as relevant now as they were then.

Her key piece of advice is to stay open to opportunity, particularly in digital media: “Don’t be pressured to put a timeline on your career; you just can’t predict what will happen.”

At school she didn’t have a clear vision of what she wanted to do, but did appreciate Wenona’s emphasis on social justice. She started studying Economics but realised she wanted a job with a stronger human interest. Completing a marketing degree, she worked in hospitality marketing and events before moving to the not-for-profit sector, working at Planet Ark from 2006 to 2013.

There Anna focused on changing consumer and business purchasing behaviour, advocating the use of recycled paper, hybrid vehicles and eco-friendly lighting. “Once you get into the neuroscience, you see how our culture impacts our decisions and social outcomes. The question is, what do we need to change around our culture to change our social outcomes?” she says.

She is now Operations and Development Manager at the Nangala Project, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to relieve poverty and disadvantage among Indigenous Australians.

Nangala runs a sports program and an early literacy program in remote parts of Northern Territory, mainly around the Gulf of Carpentaria, a 12-hour drive east of Darwin. “I am really interested in the way we can work with remote Indigenous communities to actually effect change,” Anna says.

Her advice for students is to find out what you enjoy, “go with your natural skill set, and marry that with a social justice perspective”.

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Anika Fletcher (1999) on a field trip to Pokhara, Nepal.

EMILY SCOTT SPEAKS OUT TO COMBAT THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS Setting out to correct misconceptions and stigma about anxiety and depression, Emily Scott’s greatest tool is her own story. It’s one the Wenona alumna (2009) shares in her role as a public speaker for mental health group

ANIKA FLETCHER LENDS A HAND FOLLOWING THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

Studying Geography in Year 12 and “learning about the gross inequalities in standards of living around the world,” fired Wenona alumna (1999) Anika Fletcher’s desire to help those in need. But she never imagined

was no longer able to manage. “I didn’t want to get help. I knew I should, but I didn’t know how.”

Emily often talks to school and university students who are struggling but are ashamed to admit it, something with which she can empathise. A high achiever in Senior College, she was Dux of her grade and played Water Polo at Junior Nationals. She felt in control.

“I never had anxiety with the HSC, never got stressed. In fact, I remember thinking people who had anxiety and depression made it up,” she says. But at university things changed.

Her aim was to get a high distinction in every subject, continue playing Water Polo, and attend every college social event. The pressure became unmanageable.

Finally, after reaching out to a friend, she sought medical help, finding a psychologist who felt like a good fit. “The main thing for me was relearning how I thought about things … [not] catastrophising things, being a perfectionist,” says Emily.

“Over time, I began to get really bad anxiety. It was debilitating. I was obsessed with managing my time, I was a perfectionist and was no longer positive, which wasn’t conducive to learning.” Things started to fall apart and Emily

Now completing a Bachelor of Law and Science degree at the University of Sydney, she is in a much better place - “I know how to look after myself” - and for the past 18 months has worked with Nous Group, a positiveinfluence management consulting group. Her message for girls stressed by end-of-school marks is to try to see the bigger picture: “You can’t classify yourself on your HSC. That’s easy to say, but takes a longer time to realise.”

that would translate to shifting rubble by hand from homes destroyed in the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

were walking along a street in Pokhara, about 200km west of Kathmandu, when the earthquake struck.

On completing a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law degree, Anika accepted a graduate job at Deloitte. She enjoyed it but “ultimately wanted to work in an area that would allow me to make a difference to communities less fortunate than my own,” and it was as a Project Officer for microfinance enterprise Good Return that she returned to Wenona in 2014 to speak about her work.

Following this devastating natural disaster, many non-essential things, including Anika’s internship, were put on hold. It was risky to stay in the country, with serious concerns being raised of food and water shortages, the possibility of another major earthquake, and a risk of outbreaks of disease, but she felt driven to do so: “Here was a unique opportunity to make an immediate impact and help in the relief work.” She contacted various organisations including the not-for-profit, All Hands, and the very next day began lifting rubble from collapsed homes.

Later that year, having undertaken a Masters of Laws and International Development Studies, Anika moved to Nepal to pursue her career: “It was my first experience of living on my own and in a country where I had no family or friends, so it was quite daunting.”

In April 2015 she was about to start an internship with the British Department for International Development (DFID). Her mother had arrived to spend time with her before the role began and the pair

Eventually, as normality resumed, Anika joined DFID, which led to an unexpected encounter of the royal kind. Given the task of researching the history of British aid in Nepal, she was on the spot when Prince Harry visited to mark 200 years of relations between the two countries, an experience she describes as “incredible and quite surreal”.

Left: Anika Fletcher (1999) meeting Prince Harry as part of the British DFID’s commemoration of 200 years of British aid in Nepal. Right: Emily Scott (2009) sharing her story with school students for Batyr’s Being Heard program.

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Batyr. “If you hear a story from a peer who says ‘I’ve been through this’, it’s easier to relate,” she says.

ALUMNAE SUCCESS

Scholarship recipient Tempe McMinn’s royal seal of approval

Entrepreneur Ziah Lane wins award for ‘tree-free’ tissue product

Hannah Buckling selected for Olympic Water Polo team

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark personally congratulated Tempe McMinn (2004) on receiving one of the two namesake Crown Princess Mary Scholarships to the University of Copenhagen. She described Tempe as an outstanding student with high academic achievement and strong social commitment.

In May 2016, entrepreneur and designer Ziah Lane (1995) won The Australian Women’s Weekly/CPA Australian Women in Business award. Her business, No Issues Tissues, received a cash injection and Ziah was given a high-level one-on-one business mentorship.

Hannah Buckling (2009) was one of six debutants selected to represent Australia in Water Polo at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

She received a call from Gail Miller, a member of the victorious Sydney 2000 Stingers team, telling her to pack her bags for Rio. “It was amazing hearing it from someone who has been there before and succeeded in what anyone could only dream about, winning a gold medal at the Olympics for Australia,” Hannah said.

Tempe has now returned from a six-month exchange at the university, where she studied international law. She is now back at the University of New South Wales, and is about to complete her Juris Doctor. “My decision to go to the University of Copenhagen was driven by my interest in human rights and international law,” Tempe says. “I see it as a most suitable place from which I can combine a commercial practice with advocacy for those who are most vulnerable.”

It is an interest shared by Princess Mary. At the scholarship ceremony she spoke about her recent trip to Africa and the important role of education and gender equality in meeting the challenges facing women and young people in countries such as Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe.

Tempe says it was “quite the honour” to meet the Crown Princess.

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It’s a great result for a product that arose as a way to counter the nightmarish possibility of her children growing up in a world without trees. Ziah’s answer was to design 100 per cent ‘tree-free’ tissues, toilet paper and paper towels made from renewable and sustainable bamboo, which she had described as “the future of the paper industry… a grass that grows back in front of your eyes”.

She began in 2011, creating a prototype of the designs for a No Issues Tissues box as part of a Masters in Design at the College of Fine Arts. Without that program, she would never have started up the company, she says, or more importantly, followed through on the concept. She took the bold step of presenting the concept to Woolworths and it is now carried nationally in Woolworths, Coles and Harris Farm stores.

Being a ‘disrupter brand’ can be challenging when competing with competitors’ huge marketing and advertising budgets, Ziah says, with big challenges around cash-flow management and raising money at short notice. But her ambition to develop a range of innovative and environmental solutions for the modern day consumer sustains her as she works towards selling to airlines, petrol stations, hotels and overseas markets.

Hannah started the sport at Wenona at age 13. By Year 11, she had her first international cap during the 2008 Australian Junior Tour and she was a member of the Australian team which finished third at the 2011 FINA Junior World Championships and the senior team which took home gold at the 2011 Canada Cup. To cap off that momentous year, Hannah was selected for national honours and was voted Australian Junior Female Water Polo Player of the Year.

She has received a Water Polo scholarship from the NSW Institute of Sport, completed a Bachelor of Science, Immunology at the University of Sydney and is now studying a Doctor of Medicine. Hannah has also found time to coach Water Polo at Wenona and the girls cheered the Stingers on as they made it to the quarter-finals.

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Paralympian Alexandra (Alex) Lisney goes hard at Rio 2016

Pharmaceutical clinical research company founder Melissa Croker wins industry accolades

Jan Bowen’s service to the performing arts recognised in Australia Day Honours

“Family comes in many forms” said Paralympian Alex Lisney (Green, 2005) on receiving a good luck video from Wenona students before her race. “Thanks to my Wenona family for the support!”

In 2009, Melissa Croker (Easy, 1995) saw a gap in the pharmaceutical market: inefficient matching of clinical trial doctors to pharmaceutical products. She founded the global clinical trials, technology and management company DrugDev to improve the situation.

Our warmest congratulations go to Jan Bowen (Cochrane) who was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in this year’s Australia Day Honours, “for significant service to the performing arts, particularly to youth orchestral music performance, and to the community”.

A member of the Australian Paralympic Cycling Team, she prepared for four events, but in the lead-up to the Games there were two on which she was particularly focused, saying, “I’m going to have to go above and beyond to win the gold, but that’s what I’m aiming for. The road time trial and individual pursuits are my main events where I’m aiming to really smash it.”

Her mild cerebral palsy hasn’t proved a barrier to Alex, who was a Netball, Hockey and Touch player before discovering para-sport. She began competing in 2010 and was on the national stage just a year later. She won bronze at her first cycling World Championship in 2011 and bronze in the individual pursuit in the C4 class at the London Paralympics in 2012. She has also competing internationally in Rowing.

Off the sporting track Alex is a Non-Executive Director of Cerebral Palsy Alliance and a structural engineer, who began working with Taylor Consulting Engineers after completing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New South Wales in 2013.

Her focus was bringing pharmaceutical companies and clinical trial doctors together by focusing on the needs of the doctors and providing them with better technology-driven solutions, service, and open communication.

She succeeded brilliantly, as evidenced by the host of accolades she won last year alone.

These included ‘Partnerships in Clinical Trials’ Woman of the Year; Philadelphia Business Journal (PBJ) Healthcare Innovators’ Individual of the Year; and inclusion in PBJ’s Top 40 leaders under 40, Main Line Today’s Women of Distinction, and PharmaVoice’s Top 100 Most Inspirational People.

Having built up more than 15 years’ experience in the industry, “I like to think I am making a difference by making clinical research more efficient,” Melissa says. “This means more life-saving and life-altering drugs can make it to the patients who need them quicker.” She adds that the global nature of her creation means life has turned out differently than she could have ever imagined.

“I have lived in three continents, am married to an Australian, have one English and one American son, and have started my own business, which now employs over 300 people.”

Since 2006 Jan has been Chair of the Board of Directors of Sydney Youth Orchestras (SYO). This comprises 11 orchestras made up of 500 talented young musicians aged from eight to 25 and is one of the country’s premier orchestral training organisations.

Jan is also a well-known and best-selling author, having written some 30 books. These include volumes aimed at demystifying the law for the general public, travel books and collections of profiles of interesting people.

Two of her granddaughters, Meg and Imogen Davies, did their schooling at Wenona and the school was fortunate to have Jan on the Board of Governors for some nine years, the last three as Chair.

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Lindy Hill (Champion, 1989), Tahlia Hill of Year 9 and Caroline ‘Tommie’ Champion (Thompson, 1956) at Foundation Day 2015.

WENONA ACROSS THE GENERATIONS A chat with Caroline ‘Tommie’ Champion (Thompson, 1956), Melinda Hill (Champion, 1989) and Tahlia Hill (Year 9)

When the parents of Caroline ‘Tommie’ Champion (Thompson, 1956) made the decision to send their daughter to Wenona it proved to be the beginning of a family tradition. Tommie didn’t hesitate to follow the same path when it came to her own daughters, Melinda, nicknamed Lindy (1989) and Amanda, nicknamed Mandie (1986).

“Because I loved the school, I thought to send Lindy. There were really no negatives for me,” she says. Melinda ‘Lindy’ Hill (Champion, 1989) enrolled her own daughter Tahlia for the same reason: “I loved it”. Tahlia, who is now in Year 9 will be joined by her sister Sybella in two years’ time.

Reflecting on her Wenona friendships, Lindy presents two photos; ‘”I’ve got to show you this!” she laughs. The first is of her Tennis cohort in Year 7, and the second was taken at a dinner in 2016.

Tommie was at Wenona during Miss Ralston’s tenure; Lindy was there under Miss Jackson, and Tahlia is of course a Dr Scott girl. “The values have remained the same, definitely,”

that year, Lindy moved into the then-brand new Hooke House. “It was so new for us, so exciting at the time,” she says. Tahlia jumps in to talk excitedly about the swimming pool that will be part of Wenona’s new STEM Centre and Sporting Facility.

Tommie says the house system was very strong in her time, “and has come back to being very strong again.” Lindy feels houses were a big part of her schooling, although there were no house debates or plays like the ones Tahlia enjoys now.

Tommie and Lindy agree that the school motto, Ut Prosim, that I may serve, has inspired them to continue to give back, and they help out where they can. Tommie spent a number of years on the Old Girls’ Committee and in the early days helped organise the ‘old girls’ ball. “When we talk about Ut Prosim I think of community,” Tahlia says. “We talk about serving the community, which we do through Duke of Edinburgh and Service Learning.”

Sport is an area where there has been change across the generations. “There was no Hockey in my time,” Tommie reflects, “no hurdles, nothing ‘unladylike’.” She and her friends played Tennis and Basketball “Which was really Netball”. Going through school with the same Tennis group was a particularly special part of Lindy’s time at Wenona. The increase in sport options means that is far less likely to happen now, she notes. “People swap, they do a term here, a term there, all with different students.”

Indeed, Tahlia loves playing a different sport each term: Touch, Soccer, Hockey, then her favourite, Touch again.

These girls are proud Allardians - except for the particular shade of brown. But for Tommie, the colour was never a problem it was only ever identified by a badge.

It’s at camp Tahlia believes the funniest memories are made. In February she experienced her most intense camp yet, mountain biking in the summer heat and going without a shower for five days. Lindy says, “It was so hot, Tahlia said, the bike tires stuck to the road. I think it’s good for the girls!” The closest thing to camp Tommie experienced were occasional overnight Geology excursions, to Long Reef, Kiama and the Blue Mountains. But her group stayed in little hotels, very different to Tahlia’s recent bush bivouac.

Tahlia is completing her Duke of Edinburgh community service hours at after school care at Castle Cove Primary School. “But the school is also a community and we are like a family who do things to help each other out,” she says. She loves the family aspect of Wenona: “Being a smaller school, students know the teachers and having Pastoral Care groups is really good.”

Lindy says that while Wenona is a small school, it offers a lot in terms of subject selection.

“When I was here, it offered Japanese, which is rare,” she says. “Tahlia’s doing Psychology - I tell people and they say ‘Wow!’ There’s not just the traditional selection of classes.”

The other thing Lindy loves is the relationships the girls have with the boarders. “Boarding at Wenona is so integrated. The boarders come out on weekends with the day girls and Tahlia will spend a holiday at a friend’s farm. That’s so good for both of them.”

Although some things change, memories stay clear and when Lindy took Tahlia to her first class in Year 5 she found it was in the same classroom where she had spent her own second year at Wenona. In Term 2 of

Lindy Hill’s Tennis cohort in 1983 (left) and at dinner in 2016 (right).

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says Tommie. “Miss Ralston was all about, ‘Whatever you do, do it well.’ Everyone in my leaving year did well in their chosen field. While Miss Jackson was sometimes intimidating, she was all about women making their own way in the world,” Lindy adds.

SCHOLARSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Bianca Currey 2016 Barbara Jackson scholarship recipient

Elyse Killingback 2016 Wenona Alumnae scholarship recipient

It might have been a last-minute submission, but Bianca Currey of Year 10 had reason to be thankful she went ahead with her 2016 Barbara Jackson scholarship application when she was announced as the successful recipient.

Elyse Killingback of Year 11 has applied for various scholarships since Year 7 but she had a special feeling about the Wenona Alumnae scholarship: “I thought it fit me best in terms of the application criteria.”

The late Miss Barbara Jackson, MBE, who was Wenona’s Principal from 1967 to 1994, was a woman of strength and conviction.

She inspired students to be the best they can be and the scholarship that bears her name is awarded to a young woman who takes advantage of all the school has to offer, demonstrating strong academic ability and participating in creative and performing arts, debating and public speaking, leadership, service and sport.

The scholarship is granted based on academic achievement, leadership qualities, active contribution across all aspects of school life and a genuine service to the school, in keeping with the motto Ut Prosim, that I may serve. “As clichéd as it sounds, while I may not be the strongest in any one field, I really do try my best, and I love my school,” Elyse says.

Bianca, who says she is either “on the field doing Soccer, Touch or Hockey, or in the art studio after school doing what the Year 11s are doing,” fits the bill perfectly.

While she excels in a range of areas, she has found her passion in art and English and would like a career in design or fashion, as an art critic, or in the world of journalism - or maybe all of them. “I’d love to study writing, explore world issues and write about current affairs. Then maybe go and be an art critic. I’d also love to study art and fashion and do collections that inspire people,” she says.

She agrees with Miss Jackson’s view that a woman should have unlimited horizons. “I think a Wenonian is an independent Renaissance woman who does whatever they are passionate about,” says Bianca. “A Renaissance woman challenges herself, uses her imagination, is creative with her mind, imagines the world as she wants it to be - and makes a difference!”

Bianca is grateful to the Wenona Alumnae for the donation of this scholarship.

Wenona’s motto is one of her mother’s favourite things about the school and Elyse says it’s something she too cherishes. “One of the responsibilities that comes with the privilege and opportunity of being at a school like Wenona is giving back to the community.

I aspire to be someone who is able to give back.” She does so through the Amnesty International Group, the Gender Equity Group, as a host of bake sales, and through involvement in the Young Athletes program in Collaroy. Human rights is a passion and Elyse says doing work experience with a human rights barrister was incredibly motivating.

She has set her sights on studying law. “I would definitely like to go down that path. This year I started Legal Studies, which I’m really enjoying.”

As well as being involved with service groups, Elyse swims competitively, plays Water Polo and has been involved in Netball. And, “I always put my name down for things like interhouse debating and drama.”

Elyse was thrilled to be announced as the scholarship recipient and is thankful to the Wenona Alumnae for offering her a secure position. “It really meant a lot that the school has faith in me, values my contribution, and inspires me to give back the best way I can.”

Mr Andrew Watt, Elyse Killingback, Charlotte Doughty, Marie Soghomonian, Bianca Currey and Maddison Sedgwick.

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ALUMNAE Clockwise: Wenona Alumnae Professional Networking Event 2016; Rebecca Barry (2000) speaking at the networking event; Sally Douvis, Taylor Stiffe and Dr Briony Scott at the Year 12 Wenona Alumnae Lunch 2016; Dr Briony Scott and Kate Burleigh (1986) with Grace Walker-Barker of Kindergarten at Foundation Day 2016; Taya Lindner of Year 10, Jennifer Lindner, Jessica Hammond and Caroline Hammond at the Wenona Art Fair 2016.

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Clockwise: Class of 2010 Reunion; Class of 1976 Reunion; Class of 1995 Reunion; The White and Blue Reunion 2016.

The girls chatted and laughed throughout the night. It was also nice to have some of the girls travel from London, Japan, and parts of the country. The Class of 1990 has been able to catch up every five years, which is always a lovely night. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to come. I look forward to seeing you all again soon, and even more of you at the next event in 2020.

Katrina Howard (Hart), Class of 1990

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REUNION NEWS

Class of 2010 The Class of 2010 had their five-year reunion in November, 2015 at The Greens, North Sydney.

Kate Murray organised the event, and said the girls loved catching up with one another, and look forward to the next event!

Class of 2005 The Class of 2005 had their 10-year reunion in December, 2015 at the Imperial Hotel, Paddington. Zoe Paulsen organised the event, which was attended by about 30 women. On the night, she pinned a number of signed black and white school photos around the room that her twin sister Nicola had accidentally taken home on her final day of school. Zoe said that to everyone’s surprise, it seemed no one had changed!

Class of 1996 The Class of 1996 had their 20-year reunion in October, 2016 at The Greens, North Sydney.

Alex Panikkar (Bagot) organised the event.

Class of 1995 The Class of 1995 had their 20-year reunion in October, 2015 at The Greens, North Sydney.

Kim Lemon organised the event.

It was fantastic to see just over 30 members of the Class of 1995 return for our 20-year reunion. With so many of the year group overseas or interstate, it was wonderful to catch up with friends, some who still see each other each week, others who haven’t caught up for 20 years. The school has changed enormously since we last left as students, and seeing the garden, Woodstock building as well as everything from the aerial bridge heading over into the Miller St building, and the Independent Theatre was quite a shock for some. After the tour, we finished up at The Greens for lunch which ended up being extended to well past dinner time! Thank you to everyone who attended, as well as the staff at Wenona for helping with the organisation of the event. I look forward to the next reunion!

- Kim Lemon Class of 1991 The Class of 1991 held their 25-year reunion at The Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney in August, 2016. Rebecca Tomezak (Whiley) organised the event.

Class of 1990 The Class of 1990 had their 25-year reunion in August, 2016 at The Greens, North Sydney.

Katrina Howard (Hart) organised the event.

Class of 1986 The Class of 1986 held their 30-year reunion at Firehouse Hotel, North Sydney in October, 2016. Meredith Dahlsen (Cameron) organised the event.

Left: Class of 2005 Reunion. Right: Class of 1960 Reunion.

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Class of 2011 The Class of 2011 had their five-year reunion in September, 2016 at The Greens, North Sydney.

Antonia Curry organised the event.

Class of 1981 The Class of 1981 held their 35th year reunion in October, 2016. Kirsten Collier (Trehorne) organised the event, held at Kylie Clarke (Virtue)’s home in Mosman.

Class of 1976 The Class of 1976 held their 40-year reunion at the Firehouse Hotel, North Sydney, in May, 2016. Katrina Lucas organised the event.

Class of 1975 Jane Thompson (Wolstenholme) who organised the Class of 1975’s 40-year reunion in October, 2015 said the ladies had a wonderful night, with over 30 in attendance at Jane’s Clontarf home.

Class of 1971 Jann Debney (Berkmen) organised for the Class of 1971 to meet for lunch at the Kirribilli Club, Milson’s Point in July, 2015. While the event was planned at short notice, a number of girls were able to meet and share stories.

“It was a great day and one we hope to repeat again next year,” Jann said.

Class of 1970 The Class of 1970 held their 45-year reunion at the Kirribilli Club, Milson’s Point in October, 2015. Robin Wheeler (Sommerville) organised the event.

Class of 1969 The Class of 1969 held their 47-year reunion at Cammeray Golf Club in February, 2016.

Carolyn Love (Shead) organised the event.

There was a buzz of excitement as we recognised friends from 50 years ago, feeling the familiarity and the differences all around us. We were led on a most interesting tour of the school by Mark Staker and Alexandra Middleton. For them, it must have been like herding cats, but for us, it was truly enthralling. We were delighted by Woodstock – the innovative architecture, so light and functional while still retaining the charm of the old buildings. We were amazed to hear the number of languages being studied, the variety of subjects offered, and of course the wonderful sporting facilities. So many of us were exclaiming how we would love to come back and study art in this space, or woodwork in that classroom. I, personally, was delighted to learn of the STEM program, which is so important in a rapidly changing scientific world. I would have loved to have had that opportunity, but we lived in a different era.

To quote Mary Tout (Mason), “it is so good to see that the School is going from strength to strength. Wenona came from simple beginnings, in buildings and in studies, and now it is up there with the top schools. I thank Wenona and especially Miss Ralston for giving me an education.” We had a great time catching up and chatting all afternoon.

Everyone seemed reluctant to leave and we vowed to meet again well before the next big anniversary.

White and Blue Reunions Class of 1961 The Class of 1961 held their 55-year reunion at the White and Blue Reunion in February, 2016.

Jillian Sheehy (Schick) organised the event.

Class of 1956 The Class of 1956 held their 60-year reunion at the White and Blue Reunion in February, 2016.

Class of 1955 The Class of 1955 held their 61-year reunion at the White and Blue Reunion in February, 2016.

Class of 1951 The Class of 1951 held their 65-year reunion at the White and Blue Reunion in February, 2016.

- Janice Wilkinson (Ahem) Class of 1960 The Class of 1960 held their 55-year reunion lunch at Northbridge Golf Club in October, 2015. Valerie Kelly-Johnson (Lincoln) organised the event.

Class of 1965 The Class of 1965 held their 50-year reunion at Wenona in October 2015. Janice Wilkinson (Ahern) organised the event, and 31 women attended.

Twenty-eight ladies attended the lunchtime function overlooking Lavender Bay on a beautiful spring day. Susan Davies had put together a slideshow which was projected on the wall and on a television screen - it caused great hilarity during the afternoon as people recognised themselves and others. Everyone was able to move around and mingle or sit down with friends as the afternoon progressed. The boarders were very well represented as always which shows what a close-knit ‘family’ they are even after so many years. Hopefully in another five years we will have an even larger function celebrating 50 years.

Robin Wheeler (Sommerville), Class of 1970

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Catherine Turner, Class of 1960

Regional reunions were held across the year. Clockwise: The Victorian Alumnae reunion at NGV Melbourne in May, 2016; Dr Briony Scott and Wenonians at the Queensland reunion in Brisbane in April, 2016; The Class of 1970 reunion. There was also a reunion held in Dubbo in May, 2016.

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Thirty girls attended, with a strong contingent of boarders from Brisbane, Moree and Bathurst, and day girls from as far afield as Darwin, Toowoomba and Wagga. The informal afternoon was filled with reminiscences and a traditional recitation of the class roll from 1956. One girl remarked that she was so engrossed in chatter that she forgot to take any photos. We marvelled that even in our seventies, we still regard ourselves as ‘Wenona girls’ and acknowledge we have been so influenced by our life there. We all value friendships formed at school so many years ago, and look forward to our 60th reunion.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wenona Alumnae AGM 6pm, Monday 21 November, 2016 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au Women of Spirit Breakfast Friday 12 May, 2017 (tentative) alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au Professional Networking Event Tuesday 8 August, 2017 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au 2017 Spring Fair Saturday 16 September, 2017 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

2017 REUNIONS

Paris Alumnae Reunion Friday 21 April, 2017 Join current students and staff as part of their European History Tour for dinner on the Champs Elysees. alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

The school is seeking reunion coordinators for the following years to come forward: • Class of 2012 • Class of 2007

Canberra Alumnae Reunion Saturday 27 May, 2017 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

• Class of 2002

New York Alumnae Reunion Thursday 6 July, 2017 Join current students and staff as part of their USA Creative Arts Tour for dinner in New York. alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au

Please contact the Wenona Community Relations Office on (02) 9955 3000 or alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au to find out how to register as a coordinator and book a school tour.

Melbourne Alumnae Reunion Wednesday 9 August, 2017 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au Class of 1967, 50-year Reunion Saturday 23 September, 2017 alumnae@wenona.nsw.edu.au www.facebook.com/groups/WenonaClass67

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• Plus all other years ending in ‘2’ and ‘7’

All reunion dates are subject to change.

TRIBUTES In fond memory We acknowledge the passing of the following Wenonians and friends of the School and give thanks for their diverse contributions.

Gail Warton (1962) Gail passed away on 10 November, 2014. She was a Prefect, an active member of Hooke House, and a master on the tennis court. Gail continued her tennis success at the Royal Sydney Golf Club, where the tennis locker room is emblazoned with her wins in singles and doubles. All Saints Church in Hunters Hill held Gail’s funeral service, which was attended by a number of her school friends.

Classmate Vicki Schramko (Edwards) said “Gail was a true woman of spirit whose love, dignity, kindness, humour and grace will always be remembered by those who were privileged to know and love her.”

Lisa Siswoyo (Keith, 1984) Lisa passed away peacefully on 10 August, 2015 after a six-year battle with cancer. She left an adoring husband, two daughters and a son. Her funeral took place on what would have been her 49th birthday and was attended by many of her classmates. Her sister Merissa Walker (1985) gave a eulogy, referring to the way Lisa took every day as it came, and how cheerful and forgiving she was. “She always had a smile no matter the next mountain that had to be climbed,” her sister Margaret wrote. She is missed by her extended family, including five siblings and their children.

Diane Schick (1969) Diane, who attended Wenona from 1956 to 1969, passed away on 13 August, 2015 after a battle with cancer. Diane was a member of the Tildesley tennis team and the basketball team and was a Prefect and House Captain of School House. Diane’s sisters Jillian Sheehy (Schick, 1961), Jacqueline Schick (1968) and Kathryn Kovea Vueti (Schick, 1977) also attended Wenona, as did her niece Annabel Baynie (Sheehy, 1993).

Patricia Hankins (Day, 1963) Patricia passed away at her home in Taupo, New Zealand, on 22 October, 2015. She boarded at Wenona between 1957 and 1962.

As featured in the 2015 Ut Prosim magazine, she was a key figure in New Zealand’s golf administration and in 2014 became one of only seven women to be awarded membership to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Patricia fostered the development

ALUMNAE

Gail Warton (1962) who passed away on 10 November, 2014 Helen Peters (Campbell, 1950) who passed away on 15 July, 2015 Lisa Siswoyo (Keith, 1984) who passed away on 10 August, 2015 Diane Schick (1969) who passed away on 13 August, 2015 Marie Isabel Black (Houston, 1940) who passed away on 15 September, 2015 Patricia Hankins (Day, 1963) who passed away on 22 October, 2015 Judith Boadie (Ottley, 1963) who passed away on 7 December, 2015 Valmai Jewkes (Percy, 1945) who passed away on 10 December, 2015 Rosemary Patricia Brown (Caldwell, 1952) who passed away on 13 February, 2016 Ailsa McPherson (1952) who passed away on 7 March, 2016 Dr Sue Baddeley (Sayers, 1960) who passed away on 28 March, 2016 Margaret Sandham (Stiles, 1955) who passed away on 27 April, 2016 Jane Bishop (Macqueen, 1953) who passed away on 30 May, 2016 Jean McMordie Williams (Spencer, 1945) who passed away on 15 June, 2016

of women’s golf, and had a core role in amalgamating men and women’s golf in New Zealand. “Her kind and gentle manner and wonderful warm-hearted personality ensured she was loved by all,” NZ Golf Magazine noted in its obituary.

Rosemary Patricia Brown (Caldwell, 1952) Rosemary died peacefully at the age of 80 at Mona Vale House on 13 February, 2016.

She began at Wenona in 1949 and enjoyed playing piano at school concerts under the guidance of Music teacher Miss McAllister.

After gaining her Leaving Certificate in 1952, she completed her Associate in Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She went on to play for the Smith Family Junior Orchestra, and later for the National Youth Symphony Orchestra. She was followed at Wenona by her daughters Sheridan (1977) and Helen (1988). Rosemary is remembered as a gentle shining light, with a caring nature and beautiful smile.

Ailsa McPherson (1952) Ailsa passed away on 7 March, 2016, just short of her 80th birthday. Her cousin Ann Pugh said Wenona had a profound impact on Ailsa’s life. An inspiring young History teacher sewed in her the seeds of a passion for the subject while the support of Doris Fitton of the nearby Independent Theatre, nurtured love of theatre. Ailsa was one of the first female directors in Australian TV. She worked as a director’s assistant, in training recruits, and as a television studio and news director. She pursued a secondary career as a scholar; working as a freelance historian, contributing to The Dictionary of Sydney and The Australian Dictionary of Biography.

the world’s largest and longest study of Indigenous health. In 2013, she was named as a state finalist for Senior Australian of the Year. She was the mother of four children including a daughter, Lucy Baddeley (2005) who boarded at Wenona, and grandmother of two boys.

Margaret Lorraine Sandham (Stiles, 1955) Margaret passed away on 27 April, 2016.

Margaret graduated from Wenona in 1955 and her sister, Elizabeth Robinson, graduated five years later. Margaret was a mother of three daughters, and had six grandchildren.

She was a founding director and co-owner of an art gallery in Eltham, Victoria, which she ran for many years. Widowed in 1984, she remarried in 2005. With her husband, sister and brother-in-law, she trekked through Cambodia, New Zealand and Tasmania in her later years. She loved her family, travelling and taking photos. She was a loving, generous and forgiving person, sadly missed by all who knew her.

Jean McMordie Williams (Spencer, 1945) Jean passed away on 15 June, 2016. The daughter of Arnold and Freda Spencer (who attended Woodstock and was a cousin of Edith Ralston), she grew up near Barraba, a town in New England, New South Wales. She boarded at Wenona between 1937 and 1943, and fondly recalled travelling to North Sydney by steam train. Jean returned to the country to marry in 1948 after working in the city for some years. Her daughter Julie described her as a resourceful and generous woman, saying she was, always “very caring of others and her eyes lit up with pleasure when she talked to her friends, whether they be long term or newly acquainted”.

Dr Sue Baddeley (Sayers, 1960) Sue passed away on 28 March, 2016. She attended Wenona between 1948 and 1960 and studied Medicine at the University of Sydney. “The parable of everyone having a talent had been well learned and the Wenona code of behaviour for life had been ingrained,” she later said. Sue pursued a career as a paediatrician and researcher, predominately based at Menzies School of Health and Royal Darwin Hospital. In 1987 she established the Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC) study,

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