Wilderness Old Scholars – From the WOSA President

WILDERNESS OLD SCHOLARS

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.

FROM THE WOSA PRESIDENT

It is my pleasure to present the President’s Report for the year ending 31 January 2021. Throughout the past year, there has been no person or organisation that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted. Humanity has shown remarkable resilience as we have learnt to adapt to the changes required to live and thrive in a world that looks very different than a year ago. For the Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association, 2020 encompassed a six-month period from April to October when most events were cancelled. Our community was very understanding, and some reunions have been rescheduled for 2021.

Fast forward to October, and we welcomed Year 12 graduates as our newest old scholars at a breakfast held in the School gym. A new format was introduced with a panel of our young old scholars Isabelle Greco (2017), Lily-May McBain (2017)Lydia Li (2019) sharing their post school journey to date. It was an engaging forum and we are very grateful to the girls for being involved.

In addition to the 2020 graduates, we also welcomed Principal, Ms Jane Danvers, as an Honorary Life Member of the Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association. Jane has served the School as Principal for 15 years and prior to that as a teacher. She has worked tirelessly to uphold the School’s values established by the Browns and advocates for women, especially Wilderness women, in education and business environments. Jane is a dedicated supporter of WOSA and we warmly welcome her as an old scholar to our community. Golfing enthusiasts among us were pleased to be able to participate in the Annual Golf Day held at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club in November, hosted by Seymour. Thanks to Vicki Thwaites (Bruce) (1975) for her event organisation of what is always a fun day. I am pleased to report that although the Quiz Night, our major fundraiser, was cancelled in 2020, the Association was still able to donate $10,000 to the School. These funds contributed to the purchase of robotics equipment used in the Design, Technology and Engineering curriculum for Year 9 students. Wilderness is committed to providing a STEM pathway for girls and we look forward to seeing future old scholars building careers in this industry. The Committee took time during the year to try and better understand the connection old scholars have to each other, the Association and Wilderness School. Now more than ever we believe that our community represents a powerful network that can provide enormous value to each other. We are also committed to developing a series of industry-focused events, with forums in STEM, as well as the wine and medical industries during 2021. With a new focus on the sharing of knowledge, experiences and connections at a professional and business level, we aim to add value and deliver greater levels of engagement to our community. I would like to thank the WOSA Committee, our Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer, Emma Bishop, and the School for their ongoing support, vision and dedication. It takes the collaboration of all, with a shared purpose, to achieve our objectives. We look forward with confidence to an exciting year ahead! Adapted from the report given at the WOSA AGM on 8 June, 2021.

Jacki Smith (1978) President Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association (WOSA)