Fundraising for Nepal

The House Captains would like to thank everyone who donated and participated in the House activities.

Every year, each House hosts a House Day as our major fundraiser to support the Bhadure School in Nepal. The fundraiser usually involves a casual day, cake stall and a BBQ cooked lunch.

The first of these days was set to occur in early March, just as COVID-19 started to disrupt the lives of people in Adelaide, and had to be cancelled. During the period of online learning and the holidays that followed, the House Captains were unsure that they would be able to meet as a House group for our weekly meetings, let alone host a House Day.

During Term 3, we were lucky to resume House Meetings in person. The House Captains were all keen to think of creative ways we could fundraise while there were still restrictions around sharing food and staff socially distancing. In mid-August, Dr Sally Nobbs received and shared with the SRC and staff, a message from Ramprasasd Poudel in Nepal. It explained that the Bhadure School had closed until further notice because of the number of community transferred cases of COVID. This news was quite concerning for us, as we knew that the medical system is already very strained and testing would not be freely available. Sally wrote in her email to us:

“I think, even though the school is closed, the staff and students of the Bhadure, as well as the community of Junbesi still need our support, so I am hoping we can still make the donations to the school that we normally would do.”

The House Captains met the following day and agreed that we needed to raise not only money but awareness of the current situation in Nepal and the impact it was having on the Junbesi community. Together they planned a number of activities, starting with ’guess the number of lollies in the jar’ at the Middle and Senior School Athletics Carnival, followed by a raffle, a lunchtime faculty verses faculty Table Tennis Tournament and a Nepal themed casual day.

For the first time, an email was sent out to Wilderness families, asking for donations to be made directly to Wilderness In Nepal, via the Trybooking platform. In a little over a week, a total of $5521 had been collected through the activities run by the House Captains and the community donations. We were extremely pleased that the Houses were able to exceed the amount they pledge to contribute to Nepal in a year where our normal methods of fundraising had not been possible.

The House Captains would like to thank everyone who donated and participated in the activities. We would also like to thank Dr Sally Nobbs, Mr Mark Mackintosh, Mrs Yvette Lagozzino and Mrs Marg Keane for all their assistance behind the scenes.

Rhiannon Giles Head of Cedar House

WILDERNESS OLD SCHOLARS

From the WOSA President

The year continues to be one like no other. But amidst the COVID upheaval, there are many shining examples of resilience and new opportunities created that reassure me of the astounding creativity and resourcefulness to deal with change possessed by the people in our community.

Resilience and the courage to try new ways of approaching accepted norms are integral to dealing with change in a positive way rather than being paralysed by it. Many old scholars will have had to make changes to their lives this year that they would not have thought possible. Whether that has been the experience of home schooling (yes we now have a whole new level of appreciation for our amazing teachers!); working from home; mastering the Zoom meeting; changing the way we run our businesses; finding ways to visit and care for elderly parents; attending university entirely online; helping our children stay positive and connected with their friends. It is safe to say that the list is endless. We have been lucky in South Australia to have felt the ongoing impact less severely than other states. Most of us are managing to cope with the changes imposed upon us. I have heard many stories of people rediscovering the importance of immediate family, core friendships, and communities we belong to, and making time to consider the things that truly matter in our lives. These are the things that sustain us and help us look to the future with positivity.

On the topic of community, I have great pleasure in welcoming the 2020 Year 12 girls to our community of old scholars. Communities are built by people who feel connected to each other and part of something bigger than themselves as individuals. We share a common past in our schooling at Wilderness and have the opportunity to share a connected future as well. There are so many opportunities and ways we can support each other.

I encourage all old scholars to look for ways to do this beyond your immediate friendships. We want our newest old scholars to recognise the enormous value our diverse community of women represents.

To build and grow a connected and engaged community where members experience true value, requires commitment and a sense of relevance to our old scholars. As we are so diverse, we aim to offer different events that are relevant to different groups. In 2021, we are planning to offer a new series of business ‘breakfast’ forums for old scholars at all career stages. Each will focus on a specific industry and will be a moderated Q&A format with a panel of old scholars who have experience to share in the area of interest. We look forward to sharing

OUR MISSION REMAINS:

To provide a ‘go to’ community hub for Wilderness Women and girls through the provision of services and events that add value to their personal and professional lives.

further details soon and hope you will find it a valuable way to connect with each other.

Another great way for us to connect is for us to share our personal stories. You may not think so, but your story might have significance for someone else. Sharing our experiences and creating better awareness of who we are and what we do will make it easier to find the connections that are relevant to you. We are always interested in your stories, so if you would like to tell yours, please contact Emma Bishop, Old Scholar Liaison Officer, and we will share it within the community.

Finally, the WOSA committee and I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and holiday season as we fast approach the end of the year. We look forward to 2021 and a return to life with more certainty.

Jacki Smith (Class of 1978) President Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association

Giving every opportunity that you had.

What unites our old scholars is not that they shared a similar timeline at school, they shared a path of abundant opportunities. We invite you to share your opportunities and join our Green Door Society.

To learn more please contact our Development Office on 08 8344 6688