Wilderness Times - 92

AUTUMN 2021

ISSUE # 92

CONTENTS 4

Principal’s Thoughts

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Meet The Junior School SRC Executive

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International Women’s Day Breakfast

10 The Sisterhood of Boarding 12 Head of the River 16 Drama – Making Industry Links 17 Drama in Action 18 Professional Collaboration at Wilderness 19 Five Ways of Being Symposium 20 Faculty In Focus English 22 National Youth Science Forum 24 Welcome Jon Trovas 26 Wilderness Foundation 28 Stories from the Archives 30 Wilderness Old Scholars – From the WOSA President 32 Wilderness Women Leading the Way 36 Class of 2010 Reunion 36 Old Scholars’ Fleurieu Morning Tea 37 Coffee Catch Up 38 2021 Events and Celebrations 40 Wilderness Intergenerational Families 42 Announcements

Discover the latest news and connect with our community. facebook.com/WildernessSchool linkedin.com/company/wilderness-school twitter.com/wilderness1884

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Join the Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association page on Facebook to communicate, network and hear about upcoming alumni events. facebook.com/wildernessoldscholars

Our girls come from a rich tapestry of family histories, cultures and lived experiences. Together we are united in a shared purpose; a commitment to a Wilderness education designed to foster in each child the educational and personal dispositions and capabilities to thrive.

Ms Jane Danvers, Principal

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

PRINCIPAL’S THOUGHTS

The African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” has never been more pertinent.

The journey through childhood to becoming a young adult can be complicated and changeable. It is influenced by cultural norms and the zeitgeist of our times. We know that children learn to understand themselves through the ecology of influence that surrounds them, primarily driven by the relationships they develop as they mature.

Families are children’s first and most influential teachers. As they grow, this extends to those adults and associations outside of the family who play important roles in their life. Teachers, coaches, family friends and peers form the village that surrounds a young person as they mature. We all play a role.

Harvard University’s Centre for the Developing Child calls this an “environment of relationships”. The research tells us that a child’s healthy growth is dependent on the quality and reliability of this environment.

Her network of relationships affects the development of brain architecture, providing the foundation for all future learning, social and emotional wellbeing and interpersonal skills. Her self-identity and personal agency grow from the lessons and messages she receives about who she is, who she can become and who she belongs to.

Our girls come from a rich tapestry of family histories, cultures and lived experiences. Together we are united in a shared purpose; a commitment to a Wilderness education designed to foster in each child the educational and personal dispositions and capabilities to thrive.

In recent months, the experience of many young women across our society has been revealed in the public domain. Shared stories of pain, gender-based violence, abuse and suffering in some of our nation’s most powerful institutions and workplaces have been exposed. However, this is not confined to the adult context.

The testimonies of young women’s experiences while at school have

been harrowing and have challenged the role of schools in providing timely and age-appropriate education about respectful relationships, sexual health and consent.

Young people need to be equipped with information and skills that will enable them to navigate all their relationships respectfully. We must have the courage at home and at school to have discussions with our children to ensure they are not only well informed but have an opportunity to raise questions and speak with us should they wish to do so.

We know and appreciate that conversations about consent can be challenging for teachers, parents and girls. There is a complex interplay between age, readiness and need, but it is important to persist and for wiser adults to be accessible when children and young people have questions or concerns. While many young people use the internet to find answers to questions, they still report that school is one of their most trusted sources of information alongside their parents.

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Our curriculum must be relevant for the children it serves. The focus cannot and should not be the same as it was in the past, but must reflect the current social challenges our young people face. The implementation of the Artemis program is central in our commitment to provide for each student her entitlement to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding that will position her to make informed, healthy and positive choices. This program will incorporate the relationships curriculum in a developmentally and contextually appropriate way. It will give her a forum to ask questions, to acquire knowledge, develop lifelong skills, and understand how her values strengthen her capacity and right to use her voice.

While schools cannot, and should not, be solely responsible for teaching young people about consent and respectful relationships, we play a key role in shaping how young people understand and think about healthy relationships and grow as socially responsible, independent and resilient young adults. This requires us to work closely with our families

to ensure our girls have access to the information they need so they can develop and practise those life skills that will protect and enable them to develop respectful and reciprocal connections with others.

We recognise the importance of family in this journey. We know that when young people have a sense of belonging and feel safe, secure and supported, they can safely participate in a thoughtful and considered approach to relationships education.

As we walk together, it is essential that, we understand and share our aspirations and priorities for our girls. The decisions we make have consequences and impact our girls long beyond their time at school.

We take this responsibility seriously.

All of us are united in placing the safety of our children as paramount.

This is the role of the village.

Jane Danvers Principal

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

Eva Baggio President

MEET THE JUNIOR SCHOOL SRC EXECUTIVE FOR 2021

In my new role of Semester 1 President, I am most looking forward to being able to inspire my younger peers.

Whether I do this by teaching them about leadership or making them more confident with public speaking, I really hope that I am able to set a good example for each of them.

A legacy that I would like to leave behind during my time as President is that, even as a leader, it is okay to make mistakes. As I was starting in my new role, I was really worried about how independent I would have to be. I quickly learned that I have so many helpful friends and teachers around me that even if I made a mistake, it would be okay, and most of the time easily fixed.

I would like the next leaders of the JS SRC to know this as they continue to develop their leadership skills.

There are many people who inspire me, but my mum is the person who most inspires and impacts me.

She is so independent and always pours her heart and soul into whatever she has or wants to do. She is organised and always does the best for me and my family. I hope that one day I can be as great a mum, as well as a woman, as she is.

Wilderness School actively cultivates leadership qualities in our girls. We aim to build the understanding and skills of leadership through the curriculum and the many varied activities of school life in order to become respected leaders who act with integrity and model ethical behaviour.

Some things that many people do not know about me are: that when I am older, I would love to become a professional tennis player and play in the Australian Open or Wimbledon.

I have been playing tennis since I was five, and I think that tennis has helped me a lot with leadership.

Considering lots of tennis is played in singles, it has taught me to be independent. However, playing for a club has helped me become more collaborative and made me more adventurous when making new friends.

Many people also do not know that I love to play and sing music. I love participating in choirs and bands and find them fun and collaborative groups to be in. Choirs and bands have taught me a lot about commitment, as well as helping me become better at presenting, speaking and performing to large groups of people.

The last thing that many people do not know about me is that I am a great animal lover. My favourite animals are dogs and chickens.

Animals have taught me to be patient and kind, and they have also shown me that there are many different ways different creatures live and survive life.

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Jade Huntington Vice President

Sarah Mah Secretary

This year in my new role as Vice President, I am looking forward to representing the Junior School and Wilderness and being a great role model to all the younger girls who look up to me in my role.

This term, as Secretary representing the Junior School, I am looking forward to leading other young, passionate girls who, I have no doubt, can’t wait to take on the role of being the Junior School’s next leaders.

Most of all, I am looking forward to experiencing new things in my role as a leader and doing the best I can to inspire the whole Junior School to be confident and independent in what they do.

I want to inspire my younger peers to have the essential qualities of a proficient leader, that is, having the courage to do what is right, follow through with your promises and to put others first. The real challenge, however, is to be reminded of the responsibilities of a leader and carry out the pledges that you make. I want other girls to remember that you don’t have to worry about mistakes because no-one is perfect.

When I go off into Middle School, I want the girls to remember me as a hardworking girl who is willing to try new things and always puts others first. When I first started this role, I was really nervous and worried about how good a leader I was going to be. Then I realised it’s fine to make mistakes because they can always be fixed. Next year I hope the leaders of the Junior School remember this as they grow up to be amazing leaders.

Someone who I think inspires me are both my parents because they are hardworking people who show lots of grit and determination in their lives and what they do.

They inspire me because they never give up and keep working on what they want to succeed. My parents always have a growth mindset in what they do, and that’s part of my goal as being a leader and facing challenges that come through the year.

Something that people would not know about me is that I do Drama classes. Acting has helped me to overcome my fears of public speaking to large crowds and has also made me more collaborative with others. Another thing that you wouldn’t know about me is that I have a new dog named Felix. Felix is a Russian Toy and is very small.

This role has taught me that you don’t have to be independent all the time because great friends and guiding teachers are the best support. I hope that when I leave the Junior School, girls will remember me as a confident girl who is willing to take on any challenge that lies ahead of her and will never give up even during the darkest times.

Both my parents inspire me every day because they show grit, determination and courage. When faced with a challenge they teach me to never give up, work harder and even when you think you can’t do something, you can do anything you put your mind to.

They have taught me to be a successful, hard working girl with the power of passion and perseverance and have supported and helped me through every challenge I have overcome this year. Thank you, I couldn’t have made it without you.

A few things people don’t know about me are that I have travelled to Turkey! We stayed in several different cities, but one of the most interesting towns was Cappadocia, where my family stayed in a Cave Hotel! In the past, people carved caves and lived in them to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.

Surprisingly, it was quite big, but you didn’t have much fresh air. The accommodation also included a restaurant and an underground spa!

The next thing is that I like painting landscapes and sketching people. Most of my peers don’t know that I like Art and I find it a relaxing way to calm myself down sometimes. I like to sketch and paint realistic art, relating to how I feel. It could be vibrant because I feel happy or dark and mystical because I have some challenges to face. This helped me with my leadership because I could present my artwork and find the solutions to my problems.

Another thing is that I fancy Margays. They are very cute and are the size of a household cat. They are very rare and are found in Central and South Africa, and can climb down steep trees headfirst! I find these creatures bewildering and fascinating.

I admire how Margays persist in doing anything they put their mind to, whether it is climbing down trees headfirst or being nocturnal; I admire how they show grit in everything they do.

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY BREAKFAST International Women’s Day (IWD) is a significant day to celebrate our achievements whilst also acknowledging the struggles women worldwide continue to face to this day.

This year, the United Nations theme for IWD was Choose to Challenge, in that a challenged world is an alert world and change arises from challenge.

On Friday 5 March, the SRC Executive were lucky enough to host the 2021 International Women’s Day Breakfast.

In previous years, the SRC attended this event at the Convention Centre.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, the guest speakers presented online. To uphold the tradition, Wilderness School decided to host this special occasion on our campus. This was an incredible and unique opportunity for us to speak to two hundred other young, inspiring leaders from the Alliance of Girls’ Schools in South Australia. To make the most of this morning, we organised a Round Robin conversation

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where we took turns in sharing our ideas around our tables, guided by conversation prompts.

Aiming to inspire each other about ways to maximize our opportunity to make a difference as school leaders this year, over our delicious breakfast we shared our initiatives, challenges, and other aspects of our leadership journeys so far. We shared the best advice we have received, our favourite events and our successes so far. Many schools had similar goals to us, and we were able to have conversations about the importance of female leadership in our current world.

Discussing our initiatives was also extremely productive. Our Wildyness Instagram page inspired other schools as an accessible, casual and fun way of engaging with their peers.

Similarly, an idea that inspired us was an innovative platform for all students to share their personal ideas and potentially put them into action.

We organised for each girl to write down the three ideas that excited them most, so they could discuss these with their leadership teams back at school.

Following these productive discussions, we listened to the Hon. Penny Wong, and special guest speaker, Natasha Stott Despoja. As politicians, they shared their career journeys and experiences, with a primary focus on gender-based discrimination.

A particular idea that resonated with us was the power of female leadership and the importance of feminist role-models.

Natasha and Penny are examples of such powerful females. We were so inspired by them and will cherish their advice, not only throughout our Wilderness leadership journeys but also into our lives beyond school.

The United Nations theme of Choose to Challenge and the IWD guest speakers prompted us to further reflect on what we, as an SRC, wish to challenge. Relating to our theme of Authenticity, this year we choose to challenge the societal expectations which may limit us from voicing our opinions and being our true selves. By fostering an environment where we support each other in our identities, passions and aspirations, we can uplift each other and create an environment where everyone can choose to challenge society. And together, we can achieve so much more.

Ella Beinssen, Ishani Sood and Trinity Hong SRC Executive

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

THE SISTERHOOD OF BOARDING

Without the aid of a forensic archivist, I am quietly confident that 2021 will go down in the historical records of Wilderness School as the year that had the greatest number of sisters residing together in our Boarding House.

The sense of sisterhood and lifelong friendships that boarders experience is well documented, but what of the impact of sibling relationships when they share time in a boarding environment?

When the School gates opened this year, nine girls joined their older sisters in our boarding community.

After a period of separation and adjusting to the shift in family dynamic, imagine the readjustment again required when your younger sister joins boarding life.

We always feel extremely privileged when a family entrusts the care of a child to us at this critical time in their development and feel even more blessed when their siblings follow.

At Wilderness, we strongly believe that boarding is very much a shared experience for the entire family. It is fair to say that family life unravels somewhat when a family member leaves home to attend boarding school.

Significant adjustments are demanded, not only from the child leaving but often from the younger sibling who remains at home.

While boarding together as sisters doesn’t entirely mirror their nuclear family life, having a sibling in the nearby corridor generally offers more advantages than disadvantages.

Having spent three years apart and coming from Darwin, where visits home are rarer than for our regional SA boarders, Meredith Grice saw the opportunity of boarding with her older sister Annalise, as a chance for them to reconnect. Despite her age and the desire for support, she is also

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conscious of giving her older sister space for her friends and personal study time.

The Michael girls, Sophia and Isla really appreciate that they always have each other to turn to and feel mutually supportive in the Boarding House.

Amelia Shepherd joined her sister Sophie this year. She has found the experience of having an older sister in the House to be positive and has enjoyed getting to know more of the senior boarders.

The expansion of friendship groups beyond their year levels has been a common theme for all the sisters. They found having a sibling in a different year level helped them to get to know girls better across the depth of our boarding community.

Some admit to it not always being positive; like all sibling relationships, having a sister in the House can stir

the occasional annoyance at the loss of privacy and anonymity.

However, boarders in general share a unique bond. They defend each other at the slightest need. This collective shield has received an added layer of protection with the bond of these sisters.

The nuances and memories that are quintessential to boarding life are not only shared with their peers, but also with their sister. Together, we hope they keep these special and nostalgic memories for many years to come and look forward to seeing them grow and support each other along the way.

Rosie Broderick Head of Boarding

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

HEAD OF THE RIVER

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On Saturday 20 March 2021, the 99th Schools Head of the River was held at West Lakes on the Alex Ramsey Rowing Course.

With COVID precautions in place, the event was vastly smaller than the previous 10,000 plus crowds with tickets strictly allocated to each family.

The 4,000 person event was a fantastic outcome for the sport compared with the 2020 Head of the River which was reduced to Seniors only.

The Year 8 Learn-to-Rows (LTR) were the first age group to compete for the prestigious Head of the River title.

Wilderness had 30 girls competing, making them the equal biggest outfit in the competition with six crews.

After a very successful regular racing season, the crews did not disappoint.

The A, B, C and F crews all managed to record wins, with the D and E crews performing admirably despite some mishaps during the race. Thomas Sambal, Lead LTR Coach, was incredibly proud of the girls, especially the A crew who have recorded the first A division win for Wilderness rowing in many years.

The Year 9 Junior crews battled through various disruptions in the weeks leading up to the event with incomplete crews, illness, and injury setbacks.

Despite these challenges, our girls turned up ready to race and determined to finish their season on a high. The C crew rowed well to secure 3rd in a very competitive race. The B crew finished their season 4th, an outstanding achievement given one of their crew members had to remove a moon boot to race. Our A crew perhaps had the most difficult lead-up to the event with a rower away at REALISE and one spending the past month in a moon boot due to a club sport injury. These girls only had one row together before

taking to the water to race in Head of the River and put their best race of the season down, finishing a very close second to Loreto College who were unchallenged all season.

Our Year 10 Intermediate crews deserve recognition for their perseverance and sportsmanship this season. With several Year 10s rowing in the First VIII, these girls have essentially raced up a division all season. Unlike many school sports, you cannot select the division you would like to compete in and must enter your crews from the highest divisions down. These girls are commended for their excellent results, finishing with a 4th and two 5ths.

Tensions were high as we approached the final events of the day, with the Seniors taking to the water. The Second VIII crew have come through a challenging season but showed some exciting potential leading into the final row. Seymour College and Walford Anglican School for Girls had been dominant all season, winning events by 40-50 seconds over the remaining crews. Our girls left nothing unanswered and gave it their all to finish in a very tight race for the line in 5th place, just 20 seconds from the winning crew. This was an excellent row and the most closely contended race of the year for the Second VIII. The First VIII race was tipped to be the closest race in over 50 years, with Wilderness, Walford and Seymour having all recorded wins during the regular season and Scotch College having beaten all crews at least once during the regattas. Our Wilderness girls suffered a significant setback just a few weeks earlier as illness affected a week of training. Scotch took an early lead in the race and sat half a length clear for the first 1000m with Seymour in 2nd and Walford and

Wilderness battling out for 3rd. Having not had the start they had hoped for, the girls found themselves sitting in 4th place with the final 500m to race. Normally, the girls would plan to sprint to the line at 300m out, but the girls, inspired by the Wilderness crowd’s cheers, decided to go early.

With 250m to race, the girls were still in 4th with only a few metres separating 2nd to 4th. In the closing stages of the race, the girls held their nerve and pushed their bow in front for a nail-biting finish to record 2nd place - an outstanding result for the crew who recorded the best result in over 10 years.

Congratulations to all girls, coaches and parents on a successful end to their season. Mrs Eleanor Trovas, Director of Rowing, and Mrs Aimee Maling, Head Coach, are to be commended on their incredible results. Males mostly occupy head roles in rowing, so we are very fortunate at Wilderness to be the only Adelaide school with both positions occupied by internationally experienced women. Our Wilderness rowers are very lucky to be under the guidance and leadership of two incredible women, who are a shining example of women’s opportunity in sport.

The event results were a fitting farewell to our much-loved boatman and Logistics Coordinator, Mr Ron Mobbs, who retired this year after 10 dedicated years of supporting rowing at Wilderness. There are many Wilderness girls, both past and present, who have shared memorable experiences with Ron. On behalf of the Wilderness community, we wish him all the best during his next stage of life and thank him for his years of service to Wilderness School.

Jon Trovas Director of Sport and Recreation

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

Congratulations to all girls, coaches and parents on a successful end to their season.

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Help us raise funds for the Wilderness Bhadure Boarding House in Nepal.

BOARDERS’ FASHION PARADE Friday 30 July, 2021 7.00pm Wilderness School

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

DRAMA – MAKING INDUSTRY LINKS I recently had the opportunity to hear Professor Martin Westwell, CEO of the SACE Board, talk about the SACE Board’s promise to provide every student with the opportunity to thrive.

He explained the six elements which contribute to thriving: • The ability to transfer learning • Belonging • Agency • Human connectednes, • Lifelong learning and zest for life • Deep understanding and skilful action.

He acknowledged that these six elements are natural to Drama. It’s what we have always done.

We connect with others in the creation and presentation of dramatic ideas and critically appraise and find creative solutions to problems in authentic and engaging ways.

We draw on skills and processes formed in every other discipline and build agency and self-belief by encouraging young people to be brave and vulnerable and overcome challenges.

In all this, we create a safe space for students to explore ideas and experiment with creativity, while fostering a unique sense of belonging.

So, when he said to a room full of Drama teachers, ‘If you’re going to develop in Drama, you’re going to develop as a human being,’ I felt the weight of those words. He understands what we do and why we do it, and so does the SACE. With 2018 PISA figures revealing that one third of Australian

15-year-olds feel they didn’t belong at school, it is glaring that belonging underpins student achievement and their ability to thrive.

Over the last two years, the Wilderness Drama Department has reshaped how we deliver our Middle and Senior years’ programs, focusing on a Company and Production model. This model aims to develop students as authentic artists implementing dramatic and design thinking processes to realise their creative intentions and evolve their identity as artists. Classes operate as small companies and develop a mission and vision for their company that incorporates the values of the group, determining ways of working, identifying their audience and establishing a brand for the nature of work they will produce.

In Stage 1, students formed a new company which they launched at their maiden production in Term 1 and will build over the next two years. Our first SACE Drama company, StandUp Theatre Company, formed in 2020, will present their major production, ‘Girls Like That’ in Term 2. They had the good fortune to work with Ellen Steele (State Theatre Company, isthisyours?) and Matt Crook (State Theatre Company) in a developing a character workshop to inform their practice. Meanwhile, Aspect Theatre Company, formed in Stage 1 this year, launched their company at the end of Term 1 with their group-devised production, ‘The Games of Life’, which was informed by a devising workshop with State Theatre Company actor and theatremaker, Nathan O’Keefe.

We have a commitment to forming professional partnerships with local artists and industry professionals who are keen to support our girls in developing their skills as entrepreneurial artists, emerging companies and technicians.

We are also encouraging students to think about the transferability of skills and technologies such as coding, robotics and engineering to Drama: where is their place in the making and presenting of dramatic art? How could Wilderness girls revolutionise the theatrical experience using innovative technologies? How can drama and technology help create the future?

Student engagement in class companies from Year 9 – 12 is palpable, and it is, without doubt, the sense of belonging fostered through this model which allows them to achieve and thrive.

We are looking at ways to nurture this beyond the classroom with a planned project in Drama and co-curricular Drama program. The program will allow students to deepen their experience of devising and presenting theatre working across the Middle and Senior years as a larger company and will extend the entrepreneurial and industry-aligned practice developed through the Drama curriculum.

I look forward to sharing more with you about our thriving artists and companies and hope you will take the opportunity to support our artists in their future productions.

Aldo Longobardi Head of Drama

‘If you’re going to develop in Drama, you’re going to develop as a human being.’

DRAMA IN ACTION The Year 12 Drama students of StandUp Theatre Company had the opportunity to work with local actors and theatremakers Ellen Steele (State Theatre Company of South Australia, isthisyours?) and Matt Crook (State Theatre Company) in a developing a character workshop in preparation for their Term 2 production, ‘Girls Like That’ by Evan Placey.

The play centres on the topical themes of social media and consent as well as the challenges faced by women now and historically in having agency over their lives, their identity and their bodies. StandUp will present their show from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May in the Newman Theatre.

Meanwhile, the Year 11 students have recently formed their new company, Aspect Theatre Company. Their mission is to create theatre that provides insight into the reality and imagination of young people. Ms Jane Danvers helped officially launch their company ahead of their maiden production ‘The Games of Life’.

The production explored the challenges of teenage life through the lens of the games we play: trying to fit in is like a game of Tetris where trying to find something in common with a different generation can feel like a match game without matches.

Local actor and theatremaker, Nathan O’Keefe, spent time with the students developing skills for devising theatre to help inform their work.

The Year 10s participated in a full-day workshop on the Italian Renaissance slapstick theatre form, Commedia dell’Arte, with Australia’s leading expert in the style, Dr Corinna Di Niro. They devised and presented their original Commedia play, ‘Il Dottore’s Pizza Vaccine,’ which told a tale of love triangles at first sight, greed, dance battles and a surprising cure for COVID-19, which also helped to cure lovesickness! Who knew?

In other year levels, the Year 6s have started working on their musical. For the first time, they will collaborate with Year 6 Music. Their Musical will be presented later this year. Next term, the Year 9s will perform ‘The Girl Who Cried Wolf’ while the Year 8s will present ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, which will include a set design concept and technical plot they have all been able to contribute to.

Aldo Longobardi Head of Drama

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

LEARNING WITH AND FROM EACH OTHER:

PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AT WILDERNESS As Wilderness girls leave through the School gates at the end of the day on each Monday, Wilderness teachers gather together from 3.40 – 5.00pm to learn with and from each other.

Introduced at the beginning of this year, the collaboration recognises the importance of dedicated time for teachers to work with each other to continuously improve student learning and progress their professional knowledge and understanding. At the heart of this program lies the philosophy of professional collaboration as defined by Rick Du Four, whereby collaboration is seen as ‘a systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyse and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective practice in order to improve our individual and collective results’.

Professional Collaboration is designed to realise part of the Wilderness School Strategic Plan (2020-2022):

“By designing and delivering high quality professional learning, we will enrich our teachers’ capacity to apply deep pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge in flexible and innovative ways.”

In Term 1, Junior School teachers have primarily focused on Mathematics. They have met twice with Mathematics expert educator and academic, Di Siemon, via

Zoom, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Di’s ground breaking research into what she calls ‘The Big Ideas in Number’: ideas, strategies, or ways of thinking about some key aspect of mathematics, without which students’ progress in mathematics will be seriously impacted. To date, Wilderness teachers have engaged in an in-depth study of the first ‘big idea’: trusting the count. This refers to students’ capacity to have access to a range of mental objects for each of the numbers to ten, which can be used flexibly without having to make, count or see these collections physically.

Junior School teachers used the tools Di has developed to expose students’ thinking about their mathematics.

This enables them to identify where students may have misunderstandings and then implement strategies targeted at supporting girls to develop the understandings they need to progress further in their Mathematics’ learning.

The Middle and Senior School focus has been the Curriculum Review and Renewal process introduced in the middle of 2020. This work aims to deepen disciplinary knowledge while also building a shared understanding of what really matters in each subject.

From the development of an Essence Statement in each subject discipline, teachers interrogated current curriculum and units of learning to ensure that the units are aligned with the Essence. They have then designed or adapted existing curriculum and redesigned common assessment tasks in each year level. Other activities have included moderation of student learning and rubric writing.

While acknowledging the demands of this initiative, Wilderness teachers have unanimously endorsed the benefits of this professional collaboration.

Their feedback has included comments such as: ‘I have grown professionally by being able to focus on learning that has been specifically tailored to my needs and the needs of my colleagues. Working with my colleagues has allowed me to learn from their expertise.’

‘With a clear structure and intention to each session, these programs have been valuable in strengthening our faculty and building positive and productive relationships. We have also managed to have challenging conversations and engage in appropriate dialogue and discussion to reach decisions and reflect on practice.’

‘It has been highly professionally beneficial for new staff and existing staff to collaborate on a shared vision for our curriculum… We are continuing to achieve our goals, but it has provided time for us to not only document and plan, but also share and review progressively as we have implemented changes.’

‘Mondays after school are my new favourite time of the week.’

Heather De Blasio Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence Reference List: DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T., Mattos, M., Grift, G., & Sloper, C. (2017).

Learning by doing: A handbook for professional communities at work (3rd ed.). Hawker Brownlow Education.

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FIVE WAYS OF BEING SYMPOSIUM On Friday 19 March, almost 100 senior educational leaders from around South Australia met at Wilderness to explore their leadership identity.

storyteller are key levers to genuinely move the emphasis from what we do as leaders, to who we need to – and can – become.

and the environment, to ensure they are congruent with their leadership identity and the purpose at hand. In short, authentic.

The one-day symposium was led by Ms Jane Danvers, Mrs Heather De Blasio and Mr Gavin Grift, authors of the book Five Ways of Being – what learning leaders think, do and say every day.

Based on the premise that the core mission of educational leaders is to enable learning and growth in others, and that to do so requires leaders to be brave, trusting, purposeful, growthfocused and a storyteller, the key questions of the day were:

At the heart of this is the idea that leaders who are truly committed to the learning of those in their communities, must first be committed to their own learning. This includes learning about the work of leadership, ‘the doing’, as well as learning about the way we are with those we lead when we are doing that work, ‘the being’.

The plenary session led by Jane and Heather brought together the various threads of the day and invited participants to project into the future to imagine themselves as learning leaders who had integrated the five ways of being into their leadership identities. They then brainstormed what they would see themselves and others thinking, saying and doing.

The elements identified through this process provide a personal leadership roadmap to guide the way leaders knowingly shape the ongoing development of all their leaders and people. The final commitment to action ensured the day left an indelible imprint on the ongoing unfolding leadership stories of all in attendance.

• How do we genuinely lead learning in others?

• How do we create an environment for our colleagues to become learning leaders?

• Who do we need to become to make this happen?

Jane, Heather and Gavin facilitated a series of workshops to engage participants’ deep thinking about these questions and their current leadership identity and its implications. In their workshops, they explored how a commitment to being trusting, brave, purposeful, growth focused and a

Work on self precedes work on others and shapes the levels of success that leaders achieve.

Workshop participants actively participated in a range of strategies drawn from the book, all of which help leaders intentionally develop, practise and integrate the various ways of being into their leadership identities.

These strategies included thinking routines, role-plays of learning conversations, practice sessions of coaching and reflective listening and storytelling. Participants also explored the elements over which leaders need to make conscious decisions such as assumptions, values and beliefs, actions, body language, voice, stance

Heather De Blasio Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

FACULTY IN FOCUS

ENGLISH Connecting and empowering through language and story Over the last six months, Wilderness School has encouraged and supported each academic faculty in undergoing a renewal of their curriculum.

and reflective works of their own, they become empathic, confident young women who trust in the power of their own unique voice and feel inspired to enact positive change in the world.

This process has involved reimagining our faculty’s purpose, vision and creating an Essence Statement - an articulation of the faculty’s identity and mission. This has led to faculties creating their own set of learning requirements, which explain the educational entitlement of each student within the context of the subject area, and performance standards, which are used to assess and provide feedback to students on their learning and growth. In the English Faculty, we are proud of our collaboration and shared vision for English and are excited to share our ‘essence’ with the Wilderness community.

Students will be exposed to a range of provocative texts. Through this, we foster their bravery, challenge their assumptions and open doors to new perspectives. In this way, every Wilderness girl is enabled to learn and live creatively, independently and authentically.

At Wilderness School, our students will become connected and empowered individuals who appreciate the beauty and potency of language and recognise that stories sit at the heart of the human experience. Through engaging with a range of literary and other works and creating imaginative, analytical

By sharing and appreciating stories across a range of contexts and media, we celebrate vulnerability, empathy, and recognition of the beauty and diversity of the human experience. Through engaging with the narratives of others, we teach our girls to understand themselves and their world and build relationships founded on respect. In doing so, we help to develop a student’s moral compass. We invite girls to discover and develop their personal voice as they consider and navigate their role in an ever-changing world. We teach our girls to advocate for, and enact, their beliefs, live ethically and use language to incite positive and sustainable change.

LEARNING REQUIREMENTS At Wilderness School, English students will: • Use language with purpose in the oral, written and multimodal forms.

• Analyse the relationship between ideas, context, language, audience, medium and purpose.

• Appreciate the beauty and potency of language and literature.

• Develop a sense of themselves as author and as responder.

• Interrogate texts to develop a personal and critical response.

• Analyse intertextual connections.

• Reflect upon their own creative and learning processes in order to grow and learn.

• Discover and develop their own unique voice and feel empowered to use it with bravery.

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Head of Art, Brooke Porter, produced this artwork as part of the 2020 Year 9 Student Story Slam as an expression of the colour that stories bring to our lives.

In the English classroom, students will develop a sense of themselves as an author and as a responder.

We foster self-awareness through the lens of language and story.

By developing an appreciation of the power of words and exposing girls to narratives containing perspectives and experiences beyond their own, we empower our girls to become confident in their skin. We develop their knowledge of how language can be used for specific audiences and purposes in a range of contexts so they can intentionally articulate themselves with clarity and confidence.

As their responder self, students analyse, evaluate, and interrogate authors’ works in a range of modes and mediums to develop a personal and critical response. They analyse the relationship between audience, purpose, context, form and language and consider how the deliberate manipulation of language features, stylistic features and conventions create meaning. They investigate and question the dynamic relationship between author, text and responder and make connections between texts.

They construct arguments about texts and ideas and demonstrate discernment in using textual evidence to support their ideas.

As their authorial self, students consider carefully the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of the creative process.

They consider their audience, purpose and context and make intentional decisions when manipulating form and language to impact responders in particular ways. They demonstrate courage in, and command over, their language choices and experiment with new ways to create meaning.

Students reflect on their own creative process to explain, analyse, justify and critique their own authorial decisions.

Through their study of English, our girls discover and develop their own unique voice and become empowered in using it to be the best they can be throughout their life.

Leah English Head of English

AUTHORIAL SELF

RESPONDER SELF

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM

From Tuesday 5 to Friday 22 January, a group of students was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in the 2021 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF).

Traditionally held at ANU in Canberra, this program is available to students entering Year 12 who are interested in STEM and careers in science-related fields.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year the NYSF ran for three weeks and combined both online and in-person experiences with an adaptive hybrid structure. We absolutely loved our experience and had several highlights from both the online component and the in-person visits.

In our first week, we received a virtual tour of CERN (The European Organisation for Nuclear Research) and were able to see inside the large hadron collider, the world’s largest machine. We also conducted some at-home experiments (including DNA extraction from fruit and renewableplastic creation from potatoes) inspired

by Questacon. The highlights of our in-person visits included trips to the Adelaide University Health and Medical Sciences Institute, the Institute of Machine Learning and the Flinders

University Tonsley campus, along with an exclusive tour of the Defence Science Technology Institute at Edinburgh. We loved meeting other students from local and interstate areas who shared similar passions and enjoyed the exposure to the many fields of science.

Despite the challenges of being run online, passionate and engaging presenters made the experience significantly more enjoyable. We were privileged with the opportunity to listen to not one, but two Nobel Laureates.

Professor Barry Marshall and Brian Schmidt, ANU Vice-Chancellor, talked to us about their journeys, discoveries and challenges in navigating the STEM world. We also enjoyed listening to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Justin Clarke, a Rhodes Scholar and retired AFL player.

As an additional part of the program, Nikita was lucky enough to attend a small in-person session at Lot 14, the centre of South Australia’s rapidly growing space industry. Unaware of the nature of the event, it resulted in a small surprise, as she ended up in the background of a press conference with Premier Steven Marshall. He was announcing the launch of Australia’s first satellite!

This very exciting day also included a tour of Myriota and Inovor Technologies facilities, two companies that play an essential role in satellite development.

A visit to the Space Discovery Centre’s construction site, which opened earlier this year was also enjoyed.

The program was an impressive, inspiring and highly enjoyable experience that presented us with an eclectic range of careers, opportunities and people.

We strongly encourage any girls with an interest in STEM to give it a go.

Nikita Page, Hamayel Abaid, Tasmia Alvi, Rhea Joshi, Lucy Percival, Bronte Sleath and Gauri Wechalekar.

CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY CAMP Sunday 26 - Tuesday 28 September, 2021 St Peter’s College Boarding House Hackney Road, St Peters

Wilderness School and St Peter’s College are proud to be hosting the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp for children between 8 and 14 years of age with special needs.

This camp is offered free of charge thanks to the Sony Foundation and the generosity of the school communities involved. The camp will offer a variety of activities including: • Art and craft • Dance and music • Aquatic activities • Mini fair Year 11 students from Wilderness School and St Peter’s College have been selected as companions for the campers. They will be provided with training and assisted by the camp coordinating team including nursing staff.

Please contact Bess Smith at Wilderness School if you have a child who is interested in participating esmith@wilderness.com.au

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

WELCOME

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Born in Brisbane, I have spent most of my life living in Queensland. After a short amateur sporting career and an even shorter-lived accounting career, I realised my passions were sport and coaching. After many years working in the same environments, Eleanor and I decided to take an opportunity to move to Adelaide to take over the Rowing Program at Seymour College in late 2017.

Since moving to Adelaide, Eleanor and I have found our home, become engaged, then married and now have our beautiful 10-month-old boy Talbot along with our two Frugs (French Bulldog x Pug) Frankie and Fergus.

What personal qualities do you value most?

I have always appreciated honesty, hard work and humour. Honesty because I believe it is important to know exactly where you stand and that you can genuinely trust someone when speaking. Hard work and commitment because they serve you well no matter what you choose to do in life. You will never be left wondering what if?

Humour because it is important to laugh and find time to be happy even on the worst days.

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JON TROVAS

DIRECTOR OF SPORT AND RECREATION

We are delighted to welcome Jon Trovas to Wilderness School in 2021. It is always wonderful to meet new members of staff and learn what inspired and led them to their current role. We sat down with him and asked a few questions to get to know him.

Why Wilderness?

When Eleanor and I moved to Adelaide, one of the first things we did was drive around and, doing our best to find our bearings, ended up on a bit of a ‘School Drive-by Tour’.

We were both initially impressed with the School and its location and gradually learned more about it through word of mouth and competing against Wilderness in the annual intercollegiate competition.

After our first season in Adelaide, I asked El “If you had a choice of any school to be Director of Rowing at, what one would you choose?”

Eleanor was very quick to convince me that Wilderness would be a great opportunity for several reasons and in January 2020, Eleanor was fortunate to be employed at her dream Adelaide school. Eleanor came home every day telling me about the staff, the students and the parents saying how much she loved the role. The Wilderness values are also something that both Eleanor and I managed to connect with very well.

In 2020, many of us experienced tumultuous times of uncertainty. I must say, I was envious but relieved to see how well Wilderness supported my wife, the staff and community through the initial COVID landscape.

At that time, I knew if there was ever an opportunity to work at Wildy, I had to take it. I am grateful every day to be able to work alongside great people and my family.

coach or team captain before a game.

It is exciting to have the opportunity to work with young developing people and have a small part in creating a positive change in their lives.

What are you looking forward to most in your new role?

The result is always exciting at the end of a journey, but I have learned to appreciate the importance of enjoying the process of the journey itself over the years. The result on that day is often just relief, but if you can enjoy the journey with everyone involved and see the smiles and enjoyment every day, it is easy to love what you do.

Every career opportunity I have had has been different. There are always similar outcomes you are striving for, but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for success. While you always have that nervousness from the unknown of starting a new role, there is a thrilling excitement to look at something with your own eyes, solve problems and find ways to use the good foundations to build the future.

Having spent the first term at Wilderness, I have had the opportunity to start meeting many of our girls and coaching staff. I am very excited to work together to find ways to engage our community and work toward our goals.

What is the most rewarding aspect of the work you do, and what makes it so worthwhile?

Without a doubt, it is getting involved in sport and working with so many aspiring young people. It is a very motivating experience to be around the edge of a passionate speech from the

I say this a lot to students I have worked with over the years. Make sure you do not take what you have for granted. I made the mistake of wishing school would end and life would begin when I was their age. But it is not until you have finished that you appreciate how special having an entire community behind you in sport is.

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

SOMETHING PERSONAL, MEANINGFUL AND LASTING Each year, Wilderness School recognises the individual achievements of our girls by conferring prizes across the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools.

classroom, on the sporting field, or through providing support services.

Some prizes are recent, while some are decades old.

Some are named, with stories behind them that provide inspiration and a tangible connection with our School’s history for the girls.

We are delighted that several past staff have been in touch, accepting our invitation to support a prize. A named prize will ensure their influence at Wilderness can continue through an annual award that matches their story and impacts generations of girls.

In February, retired staff were invited to commemorate their deep connection to and enduring affinity with Wilderness by endowing a perpetual named prize. Our past staff have played an enormous part in making Wilderness the school it is today, whether through teaching in the

Named prize opportunities are not limited only to past staff.

You can express your interest in establishing a named prize or obtain a list of various prize naming opportunities by contacting our Head of Advancement, Rebecca Foster, on 08 8343 1088 or emailing rfoster@wilderness.com.au.

YOUR WILL. A PERMANENT EXPRESSION OF YOUR MOST IMPORTANT VALUES Despite being the most important document that a person will sign during their lifetime, it is surprising to learn that some people simply do not have a will.

Contrary to popular belief, making a will can be a positive experience that allows you to consider what you leave behind as a lasting statement about your life.

Once your loved ones’ future is safeguarded, a philanthropic bequest to an organisation that has been important to you during your life, is often included in a will. Choosing to leave a gift in your will to Wilderness School is a continuing statement about you, your support of education, and your commitment to its impact on future generations.

When you confirm your intention to make a gift in your will to Wilderness, you join a group of incredibly committed old scholars, parents, friends, and supporters of the School as part of the Green Door Society.

For more information, Head of Advancement, Rebecca Foster is available to discuss your wishes in complete confidence.

Please contact 08 8343 1088 or email rfoster@wilderness.com.au.

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ROGER MASTERS DRAMA FELLOWSHIP 2021 I want to say thank you to Wilderness for the excellent education I received, and I want to give someone else the same opportunity.

The Roger Masters Drama Fellowship is an annual Fellowship generously funded by an anonymous old scholar in honour of former Head of Drama, Roger Masters who taught at Wilderness for almost 28 years.

GREEN DOOR SOCIETY MEMBER

It enables a Senior School Drama student to broaden her Drama education through world-class training by undertaking a course, program, workshop, mentoring, or coaching experience.

We are delighted to announce the 2021 recipient as Year 11 boarding student, Tessa Moloney. Tessa plans to participate in acting classes through the Fellowship and hopes to develop new skills and methodology from working with professional actors.

Tessa says, “To be awarded the Roger Masters Drama Fellowship is an absolute privilege. I have the passion and persistence to reach my acting goals and this opportunity will help my pathway into the industry I live and breathe.”

We congratulate Tessa on her achievement and look forward to seeing what her future holds.

Rebecca Foster Head of Advancement

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

STORIES FROM THE ARCHIVES

a

In commemoration of ANZAC Day, the Wilderness Archives collection is currently featuring a selection of stories of Wilderness Women who served in WWII. As in all parts of Australian society, the war years had a significant impact on life at the School.

It is both fascinating and sobering to read of the changes wrought across not only day-to-day habits but also across the campus. In 1942, the School Magazine records that

“ The biggest and heaviest job facing the School was the digging of the (air raid) trenches, which was splendidly done by fathers, brothers and friends of the children and staff.”

Likewise, a Lower School poem confirms the ongoing threat of air raids that permeated the consciousness of the girls:

AIR-RAID PRECAUTIONS

Should you hear the air-raid sirens e, Screeching forth their warning not Take things quietly, do things quickly, Do not panic, little goat.

Take your satchel, put your hat on, If you’re hungry, take your lunch.

Jump down the trench in single file, Don’t start clambering in a bunch.

Bob down quickly, hide your faces, ds, Keep quite still, don’t show your han It’s not likely you’ll be spotted, If you follow these commands.

School Magazines from this era are punctuated with references to the war effort and updates of old scholars serving in the Australian General Hospitals, Imperial Forces, Women’s Army Service, Voluntary Aid Detachment, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, Women’s Royal Naval Service, and Red Cross Field Force.

B

Many old scholars worked in munitions and other ‘male’ areas as Land Army girls, delivery van drivers, and bank tellers to release men for active service. Many served overseas, with at least eight women becoming superintendents or higher.

In 1943, Miss Mamie Brown and Assistant Head Mistress Miss Miriam Powell wrote,

“ You girls are facing a great attempt in the building of a fairer, brighter world – the greatest adventure of all time and one in which women must take their full share.”

A. Sisters Quinlan and Laffer with C.C.S. men. (1942). Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://hdl.handle.net/10070/738850.

B. A young woman assembling an oil tank for a Beaufort bomber in a ‘munitions factory. (1943). Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/ B+7798/433.

C. Portrait depicting Sister Lorna Laffer, Australian Army Nurses Service (AANS), wearing ‘walking out’ uniform, Darwin, 1942. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C176884.

D. Adelaide River, N.T. Australia. 1942-10-13. Sister L. Laffer (right) and Sister E. Quinlan giving inoculations to members of area headquarters, at 119 Australia General Hospital.

Retrieved April 29, 2021, from Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C10781.

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C

LORNA LAFFER 1927 Year Group 15 APRIL 1909 – 16 JANUARY 1995

THE LATE LORNA LAFFER (1927), certainly took her full share of this adventure, enlisting in the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941, being made a Captain in 1942. She was one of two nursing sisters on a hospital train that transported sick and wounded troops from Darwin to the 119th Australian General Hospital, 112 kilometres away and sometimes down to Katherine, a further 205 kilometres.

In Survivors and Achievers – Wilderness Women Speaking, Lorna shares her incredible experiences. Still, she admits that she was scared, not only for herself but for the other men and women who were involved in the War:

When we returned from War we were split up into the states that we came from. That was like being deprived of your family. The other sisters and even some of the patients had been very close associates for all the time you had been away.”

Lorna’s story and that of other old scholars can be experienced through the current exhibit in the School’s Archive collection that recognises and honours the war effort of Wildy women through shared memories of service and sacrifice. Lest we forget.

To make an appointment to view the Archives collection, contact our School Archivist, Marg Keane on 08 8343 1066.

“It wasn’t very nice to be under fire, even if it wasn’t directed at you. There were many sad and tragic incidents… I try to remember, not these, but the funnier times.

The security… was so tight you didn’t know where you were going until you reached your destination. Not knowing where your friends were going or if you would hear from them again was hard to deal with, but I think we got used to it after a while.

The nursing conditions were very poor. If you didn’t have bedding, you just had to live with that. Some of the equipment was from World War I… We might have had a few bowls, forceps and maybe a few kidney dishes. We might have had a sterilizer if we were lucky…

D

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

WILDERNESS OLD SCHOLARS

From the WOSA President “Volunteering plays a valuable role in sustaining healthy, resilient communities and contributes significantly to the quality and vibrancy of our society.” (Volunteering SA) I am sure that everyone reading this will share my appreciation for the people in our communities who offer their time as volunteers. At the time of the 2016 Census, 21.4% of South Australians had volunteered in the previous 12 months, second only to the ACT. The volunteering effort is valued at $5 billion annually in South Australia.

If we were to ask our old scholars, we would find they volunteer in many ways across many communities. In our community volunteering takes many shapes and forms - short-term, long-term, or once-off. Volunteering can be formal, such as joining our committee, or informal through

involvement in events, mentorship or the sharing of skills and experience with Wilderness students.

Recently we held the first of an ongoing series of Industry Forums.

Our panel members Kathy Nicholson (1994), Elsinore Mann (1999), Natalie Redmond (2008) and Sarah Damin (2017) willingly volunteered their time to share their insights and experience in Science and Engineering over breakfast. We sincerely appreciate their help in making it a success and building an ongoing conversation with other old scholars and Wilderness students.

WOSA is also committed to assisting the Girl Up Committee. The girls are sewing sanitary items for women who don’t have access to these basic needs. We will be calling for volunteers to assist at a ‘Sewing Day’ later in the year.

I want to thank the WOSA committee and the extended WOSA community for their volunteered time. Without it, we would not be able to push forward with the events and services that we hope will reshape and continue to build the connected, engaged community we strive for.

I encourage anyone who has a passion for being involved in the old scholars’ community in any capacity to contact either Emma Bishop, our Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer, or me or connect with us on LinkedIn. Building a community only comes with willing participation – the more, the merrier!

Jacki Smith (Class of 1978) President Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association LinkedIn: Jacki Smith Email: president@osa.wilderness.com.au

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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.

SERVICE TO OUR SCHOOL Since the founding of Wilderness, right through to today, ‘service’ is a core value instilled throughout our time at school.

I am confident it is a value that stays with us for life. No individual better exemplifies this core value than our Principal, Ms Jane Danvers who I am delighted to announce was recently inducted as an honorary Wilderness Old Scholar in commemoration of her outstanding 15 years of service to the School. The WOSA committee proudly presented Jane with her own Wildy signet ring at its first meeting of the year in what was a very special and touching moment. I am sure our entire old scholar community will join me in welcoming Jane as a member of the Wilderness Old Scholars’ Association.

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

WILDERNESS WOMEN

LEADING THE WAY You need to learn equally from your failures as well as successes. When you trip, take time to stop and reflect. You have often gained more than you think.

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Wilderness School is proud to be able to celebrate the success of all our past and present students and their many outstanding achievements. Leading the Way offers our community insight into our amazing old scholars’ lives, beyond the gates of Wilderness.

Jane Jose FAICD Class of 1972 CEO, Sydney Community Foundation

ABC reporter, Deputy Mayor, urbanist, philanthropist, and author… Jane Jose’s CV makes impressive reading.

opportunity to roll out several key initiatives including supporting the renewal of North Terrace.

Two decades ago, Wilderness old scholar Jane Jose was best known for her role as Adelaide’s Deputy Lord Mayor and former ABC journalist.

Her capacity as an influential leader was underpinned by a growing parallel interest in urban design. Her relocation to Sydney saw her embark upon a new career where she shaped the design of urban places and wrote the village plans for the City of Sydney. In Jane’s view, “cities are designed by listening to the community and their needs” and this dovetailed with a desire to benefit the public interest. Through action, listening, and outstanding leadership, Jane extended her passions wider, ultimately leading her towards philanthropy that would enlarge her influence even further.

Now established in Sydney, where she has lived for the past 21 years, Jane is recognised for her work as an urbanist, philanthropist, and author. Her extensive board and professional experience, combined with deep personal values, makes Jane an influential change-maker, acknowledged across the nation.

After completing literature studies at the University of Adelaide, Jane initially trained as a journalist for the ABC and later wrote freelance for Cleo and the Women’s Weekly.

Married to ABC Foreign Correspondent, Chris Rann, Jane was one half of a media power couple that established Rann Communications, a successful communications consultancy in Adelaide.

Spring boarding from journalism, Jane’s desire to influence change saw her enter local politics in 1989 and serve as Deputy Mayor of Adelaide 1991 - 1995. During this tenure, one of her proudest achievements was the changes she brought about through urban design and heritage activism, shaping and informing public policy to protect and preserve the city’s colonial architecture. Creating “outstanding places for people to enjoy” was both her aim and reward. Jane had the

Her first book ‘Places Women Make’ was published in 2015. It is a collaboration of thoughts, insightful representation and reflective commentary around women, cities, community life, and the stories of women behind the renewal of public places. It was awarded the 2016 National Bates Smart Award for Architecture in the Media.

As CEO for the Sydney Community Foundation and Sydney Women’s Fund, Jane continues to focus her attention on philanthropy. The independent public foundation established in 2004 raises funds for grassroots organisations, supporting those most in need. Its focus is Sydney Women’s Fund which gives women the courage and support to thrive personally and professionally, and it is Jane’s particular passion.

“During the pandemic, we launched with nothing but an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and raised $1m” says Jane, adding that although she is a natural optimist, it is definitely hard work and persistence that has paid off.

“I am very proud that the Fund has given those who are in the position to contribute an opportunity to give, and has raised over $10M for women in the greater Sydney area since it began.”

Memories of Wilderness As President of the SRC in 1972, Jane recalls that it was the first year at the School that peers selected student representative leaders rather than the Headmistress appointing the position.

Wilderness gave girls not only an education but “opened the world to us”, teaching students that there are “no roadblocks as a woman....it gave us the confidence to use our voice and have people listen. My early and deep belief in women having the opportunity and a voice was formed through my education at Wilderness.”

Words of advice Jane describes losing the Adelaide Lord Mayorship as public and difficult but says she lost because she stayed true to her values and beliefs.

“You need to learn equally from your failures as well as successes.

When you trip, take time to stop and reflect. You have often gained more than you think.”

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

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Natasha Sampson-Ly (Sampson) Class of 1991 Director, Tashly Consulting

What ignited your passion for your career choice? Can you describe your journey?

In Year 12 at Wilderness, I had the opportunity to take Business, Maths and Computer Studies and I found those subjects so relevant and interesting! We learned about shares, interest rates, and basic accounting principles, which I could really connect with. I recognised that proficiency in computing was the way of the future.

After leaving school, I completed a secretarial course where I learned typing, shorthand, phone etiquette and basic accounts. The structure, organisation, and order of accounts really resonated with me, so my career in that field began. I initially started in the accounts team at a legal firm, then moved to a public accounting firm, and then a winery.

In 2000, I launched my own business, which helped business owners with their bookkeeping and compliance needs. I discovered that many business owners are highly skilled and talented in their chosen field of expertise but managing the accounts function can be challenging. I saw an opportunity to help them meet their obligations and provide them with a strong knowledge foundation about their business’s financial position.

What advice would you give aspiring Wilderness girls?

Be brave and have faith in yourself!

I was terrified when I left school because I didn’t know what I would do with my life. Leaving the comfort and safety of the Boarding House and jumping straight into being self-sufficient in the city was overwhelming and intimidating.

I learned that stepping forward with courage and backing yourself will take you on a journey far greater

than you could ever imagine. “Fake it ‘til you make it” and “Dress for the position you want, not the one you have” were personal mottos I lived by back then. They are still relevant now.

In other words, always strive forward and reach further than you dared dream possible.

What have been key defining moments in your career and life?

The first big turning point in my life was the opportunity to attend Wilderness School. Coming from a small country town, where most of the Year 12 curriculum was delivered by correspondence, the chance to learn in an inspiring, nurturing and supportive environment gave me an opportunity. I was so relieved and thrilled that I was determined to do both myself and my family proud.

After three years of dedication and commitment, I graduated from Year 12 with straight As. For this small-town country girl trying to survive independently in the city, the next significant milestone was receiving my accountancy degree.

It took me five years to achieve this, attending lectures at night after working a full-time job during the day. The days were long and hard and very isolating at times, but I was determined to have my day wearing the mortarboard and gown. Walking onto the stage and receiving my degree was a defining moment for my whole family; I was the first to have gone to university and attain a degree.

Another defining moment was when I took the brave step to resign from full-time employment to start my business. Gathering the courage to walk away from the security of a job and into the unknown of business ownership was a truly pivotal moment in my career and life.

Taking the ‘sink or swim’ approach

to learning and growth taught me resilience, tenacity, courage, and determination and set me on the path to helping others with their business finances as they work on building their businesses.

Favourite professional memory/day?

There have been so many wonderful successes and memories during my professional career. Being recognised in 2016 as the SA/NT Bookkeeper of the Year by the Xero Accounting Software Group was the first significant public recognition I had received after 15 years of hard work building my business. In 2020 we were recongised as the SA/NT Practice of the Year through the Institute of Public Accountants, which was a huge triumph - considering we were a bookkeeping firm not an accounting firm. But even this paled into insignificance when we received news that we also won the National Practice of the Year Award in the same year. I believe we were the first South Australian firm to take out the National Award, which is quite humbling. For me, it wasn’t about being in the limelight; instead, it was about being seen and recognised for the contribution we have made to our industry. That’s what makes it such an honoured memory.

Please provide one motivational/ inspirational quote that might appeal to our current students.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

For me, this means never underestimating your potential and ability and always stepping a little outside your comfort zone. Strive for excellence and always give a little more. That’s where true growth begins, and success awaits.

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

10 YEAR GRADUATING REUNION SATURDAY 13 MARCH

CLASS OF 2010 OLD SCHOLARS’ FLEURIEU MORNING TEA

I was delighted to represent the School in March at the Old Scholars’ Fleurieu Morning Tea at Victor Harbor.

Accompanied by Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer, Emma Bishop, we hosted more than a dozen Wildy women spread across the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s with coffee, cake, and a warm Wilderness welcome.

Despite the passage of time, ties with the School still run deep and friendships still hold strong.

Examples of these friendships were evident amongst a small group of 1981 boarders who enjoyed reminiscing about times past, including a special treat of staying up late to watch Prince Charles marry Diana Spencer in their graduation year. To this day, the group of women remain fast friends.

Two of our guests discovered ‘parallel lives’ that had seen them enter the same industry, live and work in London at the same time, return to Australia, and now live as close neighbours in Victor Harbor!

Much hilarity and laughter followed a discussion about the old Myrtles and the ‘haunted’ nature of the building, with ghost stories shared aplenty.

It was wonderful to hear tales of where life has taken ‘our’ women and the part Wilderness has played in their respective journeys. I look forward to many more future opportunities and occasions like these to get to know our Fleurieu cohort even better.

Rebecca Foster Head of Advancement

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The Class of 2010 had a delightful afternoon and evening celebrating our 10 Year Reunion.

It was made all the more special by an extra 12 months of excitement building up to the day after COVID threw an initial spanner in the works! We were lucky to have classmates attending from both near and far. Some live locally and even now work at Wilderness, while others live interstate or even overseas, but made time to come.

Most of us could not believe the incredible changes that the School has undergone since we left. The School Tour had people talking well into dinner. Even in the relatively short time since we attended, a Wildy girl’s experience looks quite different.

The opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives was such a pleasure. The Kentish provided the opportunity for a lovely meal and a very conveniently located bar right next to our tables!

From PhDs to babies, and art shows to engagements, you can imagine the stories everyone had to share since having left school. On behalf of the class, I want to thank Emma Bishop, the Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer, for all her help in putting the event together.

We are already looking forward to the next one!

Megan Meredith

COFFEE CATCH UP Sharing cherished memories with Mary Shierlaw (Russell) from the Class of 1945.

I had a lovely lunch in March at Victor Harbor with one of our old scholars, Mary Shierlaw, following the Southern Fleurieu Morning Tea. Since leaving Wilderness, Mary has had a fulfilling life and I felt very privileged to hear her stories. Her long career involved teaching Maths to returned soldiers wishing to reskill and rejuvenate their careers after the war.

Before becoming an educator, Mary grew up in Hindmarsh Valley cattle grazing with her family. She shared idyllic memories of swimming in the river that flowed through their property from Hindmarsh Valley Falls.

It was a joy to see the pleasure in her memories as Mary pored over yearbook pictures and pointed out old classmates and friends.

Mary was a keen sportswoman at school and was Amaryllis House Captain. She recalled leaping over hurdles on The Running Track and fiercely competitive tennis matches with her doubles partner Jo Dollard

(Redwood) (1945). Tennis comprised a good portion of Mary’s social life as a young adult.

Her family had a close relationship with the Misses Brown. Mary remembers Miss Annie baking brownies for the children to share while the adults played tennis at her aunt’s house. Being a capable Maths and French student, Mary earned Miss Mamie’s distinct approval. “I was one of her pets,” laughed Mary.

Mary’s endless love for Wilderness can be seen in the enduring friendships she has maintained. Once a month, she and her dear friend Pat Grayling (Ellis) (1945) who currently resides in Canada, enjoy a phone call over a cup of tea and shared stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mary and look forward to another catch-up very soon.

Emma Bishop Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

2021EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS UPCOMING DATES WOSA Quiz Night Friday 14 May, 2021, 6:30pm Wilderness School Gymnasium

Founders’ Day Celebration Thursday 20 May, 2021, 10:00am Wilderness School Gymnasium

Class of 2011 - 10 Year Reunion Saturday 22 May, 2021, 10:30am School Tour followed by lunch at Furg’s Wine Bar 8A Union St, Stepney SA 5069 Contact: Madeleine Bain Email: madeleine.bain1@gmail.com

Class of 1991 - 30 Year Reunion Save the date: Saturday 14 August, 2021 Contact: Alison Hay (Gunner) Email: alisonhay@y7mail.com

Class of 1990 - 31 Year Reunion Save the date: Saturday 28 August, 2021 Contact: George Duncan (McCurdie) Email: wgduncan@optusnet.com.au

GRADUATING YEAR REUNION CONTACTS Class of 1961 - 60 Year Reunion Contact: Pen Rowe (Frayne) Email: penrowe@msn.com Mobile: 0438 753 077

Class of 1970 - 51 Year Reunion Contact: Jane Lee Email: janelee@internode.on.net

Class of 1971 - 50 Year Reunion Contact: Charlotte Ehrlich Email: ehrlichc@bigpond.net.au

Class of 1980 - 41 Year Reunion Contact: Susie Clarnette (Potter) Email: richard.susie@clarnette.com.au

Class of 1981 - 40 Year Reunion Contact: Booie Hayward Email: booie@xentech.com.au

Class of 2001 - 20 Year Reunion Contact: Heidi Saunders (Crawford) Email: Heidi.crawford@cmv.com.au

WOSA AGM Tuesday 8 June, 2021, 6:30pm The Chrysalis, Wilderness School www.trybooking.com/BQGYY

For further information regarding any of the interstate reunions or events please contact: Emma Bishop Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer ebishop@wilderness.com.au (08) 8343 1029

Don’t forget to follow us on facebook facebook/wildernessoldscholars

ARE YOUR DETAILS UP TO DATE? To receive information relating to events and reunions, please ensure your details are up to date with us by contacting Emma Bishop Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer ebishop@wilderness.com.au (08) 8343 1029

e c n e r e f f i d a t a Wh a d ay makes GIVING DAY 2021

www.charidy.com/wilderness21

SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY 24 JUNE

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

WILDERNESS

INTERGENERATIONAL FAMILIES

Gosse Family Amaryllis and Cedar House

It was the start of 2011 when I first stepped into the Wilderness.

I remember that first day in the Boarding House. My mum Sophie Gosse (McCurdie) (1988), also a Wildy girl, behind me, recounting stories from The Running Track, telling me all about the success of the pink house and which lawn she would play elastics on at recess.

I don’t think I was listening to these stories in detail. I was so excited to be in this new and busy rabbit warren that I would call home for the next five years.

My grandpa, Hamish Gosse, attended Wilderness in the Early Learning Centre in 1945. He remembers his mother dropping him at school on her bike and making friends with lots of other children whose fathers were also away at war. A few years down the track, in his final years

at St Peter’s College, my grandpa remembers playing basketball against the Wilderness girls – a tradition that continued through to my time at school.

Hamish’s daughter Kirsty (1985) attended Wilderness as a day student. Her fondest memories are of Mrs Birrell’s support and kindness.

Kirsty was nostalgic in recalling the time she spent drinking orange juice in Mrs Birrell’s office and how this show of care made the change from small Mintaro Primary School to the big Wilderness just that little bit easier. Kirsty recalled Wildy’s “give everything a crack” attitude and remembers fully embracing this.

Mum started at Wilderness in Year 4. It was an easy decision for her to send me here after all her fond memories from the School. She tells of sports days at Kensington, and

toffee stalls on The Running Track, or how she used to be jealous of the boarders’ food. I have always loved hearing the stories Mum tells me from School and seeing her still carrying on with her school friends.

I feel very lucky to have the same connection to my school friends and believe the friendships made are one the most notable things about Wildy.

It was very special to follow in Mum’s footsteps, and I will always remember being asked by multiple teachers ask if I was Sophie McCurdie’s daughter as they were also her teacher. It was also special to be Amaryllis (Amy) House Captain some 27 years after Mum was.

My sister, Millie, is now flying the flag for us at Wildy, and the one being asked if she is Georgia Gosse’s younger sister. Although I think now, she has made her mark

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Hamish Gosse (1956)

Kirsty Gosse

Jock Gosse

(1985)

married

Sophie Gosse (McCurdie) (1988)

Georgia Gosse

Mille Gosse

(2015)

(2023)

From left: Kirsty Grosse (1985), Hamish Gosse (1956), Georgia Gosse (2015), Sophie Gosse (McCurdie) (1988), Millie Gosse (Current Year 10).

too, as a keen sportswoman most recently rowing in the First VIII. I was sad not to spend any of my years at school with Mille, but she has had her cousins, Eliza (2018), Lucy (2020), and Annabel (2024) Duncan, also in Amy House.

stint and continues to be involved in organising her graduating year reunions. My dad Jock Gosse is involved too, not just as a supportive parent but also as the Rowing Club’s current President (and king of the morning breaky BBQ).

I don’t think you can ever truly leave the Wilderness. To do this day Mum will hear a name of an old scholar and after a second or two will comment with “oh yes, she was in Amy.”

Since leaving school, I have worked at Wilderness as a rowing coach and boarding house supervisor and currently take great pride in being a part of the Wilderness Old Scholars’ Jazz Choir.

In my first year of university, I went to see one of the academics. I was stopped while talking to her as she noticed the ring on one of my fingers. She flashed her matching ring back at me and we smiled, noting the lion rampant.

Our family is still involved in the School. Mum was President of the Boarding Parents Committee for a

The support of the Principal was a common theme in our discussions about Wildy. Between Mrs Birrell and Ms Danvers, all of us have experienced a true sense of care, support and encouragement from these women. They have taken the time to learn our names and also provide us with ongoing support, even past the School gates.

I think my grandpa summed it up the best – in a confused tone he said to me

“Wildy girls just seem to really enjoy going to school.”

And that’s just it. It was a place we were happy to be. A place where we were encouraged. And now, my sister can continue to carry on the legacy.

Georgia Gosse Class of 2015

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Wilderness Times | Autumn 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS We congratulate the following old scholars on their special milestones.

Wilderness Babies 1. Adelaide Kidman (Boylan) (2000) and Nicholas Kidman welcomed Edward Michael Kidman on Monday 1 February, 2021.

2. Amber Rundle (Walsh) (1994) and Jeremy Rundle welcomed Madeleine Scarlett Rundle on Wednesday 10 March, 2021.

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3. Daniela Leska (Jedrzejczak) (2005) and Sunny Gandhi welcomed Zara Gandhi on Tuesday 29 September, 2020.

4. Lucy McConachie (Haskett) (2010) and Jamie McConachie welcomed Olive McConachie on Thursday 7 January, 2021.

5. Hannah James (Williams) (2009) and Anthony James welcomed Meadow Elsie James on Tuesday 30 March, 2021.

Wilderness Weddings 6. Lucy Cappelluti (Munn) (2011) married Michael Cappelluti on Saturday 23 January, 2021 in Naracoorte on her parents’ property.

7. Lily Schuller (2012) married Theo Squires on Saturday 19 September, 2020 in her Nanna’s garden in Norwood.

Old scholars in the bridal party included Lily’s sister Stella Schuller (2014) and Millie Shinkfield (2012).

8. Kirsty Wallman (Gillen) (1995) married Marcus Wallman on Friday 26 March, 2021 at Ukaria Cultural Centre.

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If you are an old scholar, we would love to hear from you so that we can share your milestones and celebrate your success. Please email your news and accompanying photo to oldscholars@wilderness.com.au

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In Memoriam We extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following old scholars: Pat Sprod (Watson) (1941) June Westover (Flower) (1947) Merilyn Pedrick (Mortimer Marsh) (1956) Gil Basedow (Nield) (1944) Judy Chapman (1962)

To keep our records as up to date as possible, we need your help.

If you know of an old scholar, friend or past staff member that has passed away, please let us know by emailing: Emma Bishop Old Scholars’ Liaison Officer ebishop@wilderness.com.au

30 Hawkers Road, Medindie SA 5081 Phone + 61 8 8344 6688 www.wilderness.com.au CRICOS Provider Code: 00375B