OGA eNews Archive Issue 2 2022

I have written in the past about the main goals of the Old Girls' Association. These include:

•            to preserve a spirit of good friendship between the Old Girls and alumni of St Margaret’s

•            to foster and develop links with the school and present students.

However, I am acutely aware that things that were once a regular everyday part of our lives (like attending school) if it loses the regularity or we stop doing it, it loses importance in our lives. The Old Girls' Association is working to bring back the once important connection to our school.

Staying connected with the place that gave you a chance to learn and discover yourself can be refreshing. The bonds that you built while learning and the friends that you made become even more important as time passes. The varied experiences we all had as a student at St Margaret’s really made an impact on the people we are.

The Old Girls' Association every year organises and assists in running events to help you stay connected. These opportunities across the year help you relive some of your most precious memories. However, it is important to remember that there are certain benefits that are beyond personal gains of connecting and reliving the good old days every five years or so at reunion events.

One such event that celebrates our association is the annual Past Student Awards. Principal Ms Ros Curtis shares in this newsletter information about the recent Past Student Awards. These awards are presented annually in April at a dinner function at the school. Each year, I look forward to attending and hearing about and connecting with past students who have forged amazing careers and lives. Maybe next year you will nominate someone or even attend. Sally Thomson (nee Harris) attended this event for the first time this year and now is committed to attending each year as she enjoyed connecting with and hearing stories of what those in our association have achieved past the school gates.

If you are due for a 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60+ year milestone reunion, keep your eye out for information from the Development and Community Office with regards to these events that occur in July each year.

Another way to connect to is attend the OGA Cocktail event.  This event will  be held on Saturday 24 September. Ticketing information will be sent shortly, so save the date.

Much research has been conducted on the importance of giving back and paying it forward to people and groups who help ourselves and others. Giving Day is a way for Old Girls and alumni to give back to the school. Again, this year the Old Girls' Association will be a matcher for funds donated on the day. Ms Ros Curtis is often heard to say that it is not about the amount, it is about the participation. If all in our association on Giving Day participated and donated $20, we would have the capacity to donate over $100,000. This would enable the school to dream big when it comes to building and improving facilities or assist students with bursaries to attend St Margaret’s and be afforded the education that we were afforded.

You do not just have to give money to support the school. Another great initiative this year that the Old Girls' Association is supporting is the student mentoring program that is being run by the school. It is common knowledge that no one reaches the heights of success without being pulled by the people above them. Members of our association are donating their time to mentor current students to guide and assist them with pathways past the gates of their formal school years. If you are interested in donating time, please contact the Development and Community Office to discuss how you can get involved.

We all have our memories of school. Some of these memories are happy and full of joy, and some are of hard times when we may have experienced disappointment. However, it is these experiences that have shaped us and provided us with a foundation to be the best we can be.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of the newsletter, and as always, feel free to contact me via email if you have any suggestions for the committee.

Nicole Devlin

ndevlin73@gmail.com

In 2015, as part of the School’s 120-year celebrations, the school introduced and announced, with the support of the Old Girls’ Association, the recipients of the first ever Past Student Awards. These awards have a relatively short history and are not particularly common in schools; they are more likely to be found through universities and tertiary residential colleges who understand the importance of recognising the achievement of Alumni. It is fitting that we acknowledge the efforts and contributions of our past students as we are proud of them and their relationship with their school should not cease once they walk out of the gates at the end of Year 12.

These awards were established to:

•            Recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s Past Students, both professionally and personally

•            To celebrate the diverse achievements of Past Students and provide an opportunity to share stories of success with our current students and members of the community

•            Increase connection between the School and Past Students

I would like to encourage you all to consider those you may wish to nominate for the 2023 awards.  Award criteria and eligibility details is available on the school’s website and we are happy to receive nominations (which stay current for two years) at any time.

Elsewhere in this newsletter is an invitation to become a mentor for our current Years 11 and 12 students. We have had many students sign up for this program and we have been fortunate to have support from our past students. However, more mentors from diverse fields of work and study are still required and I encourage you to consider contacting the school to volunteer your time and expertise.

Our Giving Day is coming up on May 25 and I also encourage you to participate through a donation to either the Building or Scholarship Fund. I know most Old Girls value the experiences they had at St Margaret’s and remain proud of their school. This is another opportunity for you to support the work of the school and the impact that it has on the students. Participation in Giving Day and any form of support are always appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your continued interest in St Margaret’s.

Per Volar Sunata,

Ros Curtis

Your donation, if received prior to or during our Giving Day on Wednesday 25 May, will be DOUBLED by our generous matching donors and will help a generation of young women make their ambitions come true.

A donation to the Scholarship Fund will, through needs-based bursaries, help us provide a St Margaret’s education to some girls who thought such an opportunity would never exist for them. While a donation to the Building Fund will help us to develop new learning spaces so that we can continue to deliver the best education to St Margaret’s students.

Donations can be made online via the Giving Day platform: www.charidy.com/everygirl

St Margaret’s students and staff have planned some exciting fundraising initiatives to take place on Wednesday 25 May to support this Giving Day, and in celebrating house spirit, we will be recognising the house with the best participation and most funds raised. When you donate, don't forget to nominate your house!

M's Cafe on campus will be the site of our Giving Day Operations Room on the day. If you would like to help us on the phones with calling members of our community to spread the word about Giving Day, please complete our Volunteer sign-up form at www.charidy.com/everygirl.

We sincerely thank those within our community who have already generously given in support of this campaign.

Please join with us on Giving Day, and together, let’s give for all the girls in brown, white and blue.

Lara Pickering

Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement

If you would like further information, please contact our Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement, Lara Pickering, by calling 07 3862 0884 or email foundation@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Our Year 11 and 12 students are excited about the initiative where they will be matched with a mentor from our Old Girl community, in the field they’re aspiring to study or enter when they graduate. So far, we have 80 students who have signed on!

The range of study and professions that our students pursue is wide and diverse, so mentors from as many fields as possible are invited to participate. The response to the Mentoring Program from the students has been great, in enthusiasm and volume and as a result I am in search of mentors in some specific fields; Library Services, Performing Arts and Youth/Social Work.

Should you know of any Old Girl working in these areas, it would be greatly appreciated if you could forward me their name, and if you have them, contact details. If you are interested in nominating as a mentor or would like further information on the program, please contact me via email at DGuinea@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Danielle Guinea

Mentoring and Relationships Manager

If you would like to find out more about ways you can volunteer at St Margaret’s as an Old Girl, please contact the Development and Community office on (07) 3862 0825 or developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

All the girls who commented, remembered the ballgame competition and the training associated with it, with great fondness. The rapid fire of the Captain Ball action, the speed at taking the turns around the leader and end player in Leader Ball, the stamina of Star Relay and the precision of File Gap were all mentioned.

St Margaret’s was one of the three founding schools (BGGS and Somerville being the others) of the QGSSSA in 1908 and the schools conducted fixtures in tennis only. Swimming was included in 1909 and athletics in 1918. Under 15 Goaling appears for the first time in 1923. Ballgames proper made its first appearance in 1928 with Twelve-man Tunnel Ball, Captain Ball, Zig Zag Pass, Overhead Pass and Long Tunnel Ball. The Ballgames competition formed part of the Athletics Carnival. Our 1928 LINK proudly boasts that we were placed first in senior tunnelling!!

1941 saw the introduction of a new Ballgame – Leader Ball. In this year, there were only three ballgames – Leader Ball, Captain Ball and Tunnelling. The athletics captain of 1941 did not hold back when she wrote in the LINK that ‘the ballgames were not up to the standard of the rest of the team. More concentrated practice in this branch should make our prospects for the next sports very bright’ Sadly in the 1942 LINK, the Athletics captain reported that ‘our ballgames, on the whole, were not up to standard’. In 1944 and again in 1945, things had definitely improved in the ballgame department – we gained a place in every team event! There is a memory from an Old Girl that one ballgame team was recalled after its convincing win in the Captain Ball. Officials were concerned that they were a player short – such was their winning margin. An official count was conducted, and St Margaret’s was declared the winner in a new record time!!

During the Fifties and Sixties, new games were added – File Gap, Tunnel and Zig, Square Spry. In 1971, Ballgames became an independent competition from athletics. In 1991, BGGS and St Peters withdrew from the competition and in 1996, the last QGSSSA Ballgames competition was held. The decision to abandon ballgames was taken to make way for other sports in which girls could achieve representative (state and national) honours.

During competition, the accompanying ballgames judge was someone to be very wary of. When she raised her finger (to advise the team of a warning), the team would hold its breath. Six warnings and the team was disqualified! It was a very serious business!

In 1962, St Margaret’s became part of the Andrews Cup Association. There is no record of when ballgames began in the primary school competition, but it was always fiercely contested with additional games of Star Relay, Exchange Ball Relay and Circle Gap making appearances in various years. The primary students were a little more committed to their training sessions and we did achieve first place in many of the ballgames.

Sadly, the decision was made to abandon ballgames in the primary school with 2000 being the last time we participated in the competition. Being a part of a ballgame team elicited many benefits – not the least of which were camaraderie, teamwork, hand-eye co-ordination and resilience. Whilst the competition is long gone, for many Old Girls, it is definitely not forgotten.

Mary Surtees
School Archivist

Talitha is currently the Programme and Project Management Advisor for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Mali Unit, in Bamako, Mali in West Africa. She works in support of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) within the UN's Mali peacekeeping operation, called MINUSMA. Prior to Talitha’s posting in Mali, she has worked for the UN in New York, Geneva and Lima. Talitha inspired the room with her message that, although the path ahead is not always clear or easy, students should follow their passions and trust their instincts when navigating their career aspirations. She finished with the advice that not every effort will feel like a forward step, but students should own their journey, take feedback and never give up.

It all started in 1996 when she started at St Margaret’s in Year 7, which was a part of the primary school. “I wasn’t too happy about it as I was leaving my friends from my old school.  But as soon as I got to St Margaret’s, I loved my teachers and peers, and never looked back.”

While she was at school, she focused her energy on her own perceived misgivings, rather than focusing on her strengths.

When she got into UQ at Ipswich, she was devastated as all of her friends were studying at UQ St Lucia or at QUT. After working hard in her first semester she received the highest GPA she could receive and started considering her next steps.

"Everyone told me not to get my hopes up, but I got into the University of St Andrews!"  A few of her friends from St Margaret’s farewelled her through her tears at Brisbane airport as she embarked upon her next journey.

But the same thing happened at St Andrews as when she first started at St Margaret’s. She loved it.

St Andrews is an international university, and it was thrilling to work with people from all around the world.

“After graduating I felt the push and pull again.  Should I follow the path that was mapped out for me or keep trying. I decided to study Law in London. On my first day, I realised it was the wrong thing for me. But I stuck with it and graduated.”

“I decided to be true to myself.I went to South America to learn Spanish, to tick the box so I would be able to work for the UN.This experience solidified my path, both in working for the UN and studying peace and security.

“I then shadowed an Australian Diplomat at the UN and went on to study international security and relations at the Fletcher School of Tufts University in Boston.

“I then realised I had ticked all of the boxes!I thought I should now be able to work for the UN. I applied, and applied, and applied, but I kept being rejected."

She then came across a colleague, who suggested entry to the UN via a short-term role, and suggested I apply with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – which focuses on maternal health. “While in this role, I kept applying to roles within the UN.I connected with an alumnus from St Andrews, who suggested applying to UNOPS, where I am now, and I finally got a job!

“In this role, I got to go on missions, which solidified that I was on the track that I wanted to be on.I worked in Switzerland and am now in Mali in a leadership role, running six offices within Mali to remove land mines.”

“What’s next? I don’t know.  As many of you who are coming into your final chapter, many of you may have the same questions, and that is okay.

“When I was at university, I always thought there would be a destination, but I realise now that isnot always the rule.

“I may move to Nairobi or back to Geneva, I don’t know.

“Let the key take way for everyone be: Focus on our strengths, and again if you don’t know what to do, trust it will be okay.At university, leverage the skills that St Margaret’s has given you. All of those team-building skills is something I use every day that I still use in my role.

“Utilise your summers. There are a whole lot of activities you can take advantage of such as internships and international experiences. Find a mentor, talk to people along all parts of life.

“It is not about a destination; it is about navigating through your personal and professional life. Don’t be disheartened if things don’t work out.

“'Lean in' – you may have heard of Cheryl Sandberg – women supporting women. You have some really amazing women who will support you in your dreams. I encourage you each to support each other through your journeys and your paths.

“Don’t listen to anyone who says to will be difficult to follow your dreams.You can become anything you want to become.”

It was only fitting, then, that the school’s International Women’s Day assembly guest speaker was Old Girl Dr Natalie Wright (’86), a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, School of Architecture and Built Environment at Queensland University of Technology and a trailblazer in contributing to sustainable and climate-friendly design initiatives.

Through her work in education and research, Dr Wright supports the designers of the future to be responsible consumers and producers, shaping sustainable communities, and she has been fortunate to work with the Queensland Children’s Hospital to improve the health and wellbeing of parents and families in the paediatric intensive care environment.

Dr Wright spoke of the importance of an education for all girls and our collective responsibility to ensure gender equality around the world.

“We are lucky that we live in a country where women have the right to twelve years of free, safe and quality education. We are lucky that we live in a country where women, who make up 51% of the population, have reproductive rights and represent almost half of the Australian workforce.

“Yet, there is so much more that needs to be done across the world. And women and girls are very much part of the solution, including all of you,” she said.

Dr Wright shared statistics highlighting gender inequality within the Australian education sector, including disparity in pay and leadership positions for women.

She implored students to “treasure and make the most of your educational opportunity at St Margaret’s”, highlighting the fact that 130 million girls worldwide do not get the same opportunity to go to school.

Dr Wright also shared the story of Pakistani education activist and youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who has spent the best part of her life fighting to ensure that every girl can learn and lead.

“Malala is a role model who reminds us that each and every girl plays a part in raising the visibility of education and gender equality as fundamental elements of sustainable development initiatives,” Dr Wright said.

To conclude, Dr Wright set students a task: “I challenge you to think about how you might contribute to gender equality in education for a better world and write an inspiring letter to send to your future self.

“Today, let’s celebrate the progress we’ve made, even since I left St Margaret’s 35 years ago, and the contribution we will all make to the world in the next 35 years.”

Earlier in the day, Year 10 students Matilda Boone and Stephanie Gerber attended the QRC/WIMARQ International Women’s Day Breakfast at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event celebrates the outstanding contribution by women and men across the resources sector towards making the industry more diverse and inclusive.

The keynote speaker at the event was Liz Broderick, Australia’s longest serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner.

Stephanie found the event inspiring: "Liz Broderick showed us the importance of taking accountability and that change is always possible. She used one phrase that really resonated with me "just because something is sticky doesn't mean it is stuck". She explained that just because the gender inequalities are high in society and hard to change, that doesn't mean that they are impossible to change and if all of us work hard enough together it can become unstuck.

"I plan to #breakthebias by not letting myself believe that I cannot work in an industry because I am female. Just because an industry is male dominated doesn't mean that women shouldn't work in that industry or be able to make a difference."

Matilda found Liz’s message regarding sexism quite eye-opening: “She said just because you have not heard of misogyny, sexism or exclusion in the workplace doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. This made me realise just how prevalent sexism can be in some workplaces, particularly in the resources industry. I plan to ensure I learn more about this workplace issue and what I can do to stop it in the future.”

St Margaret’s is proud to inspire the next generation of female changemakers, not just on International Women’s Day but every day, empowering students to contribute to the global effort to advance gender equality.

“You know you're an adult when you think spending a Saturday night at your school is fun...

It was just that though! I attended the St Margaret's Anglican Girls School Past Student Awards in Brisbane over the weekend. Hosted by Principal Ros Curtis, the Awards celebrated the two recipients for 2022, Christine Wells ('91) and Grace Tobin ('05). 

The awards were established to honour the many achievements of St Margaret’s Past Students, both professionally and personally. Both ladies have achieved so much in their time since graduating - Christine Wells in the world of publishing and fictional writing; and Grace Tobin in the field of investigative journalism and true crime writing.

Christine has carved out a fantastic career as the author of historical fiction, her latest inspired by the real-life events of Catherine Dior in the French Resistance during WWII. Her next novel comes out in October, a tale of intrigue based on the real-life 'Miss Moneypenny' - a huge James Bond fan, I cannot wait to read this next one.

Grace Tobin's career has seen her awarded with two Walkley Awards, and the street cred that goes with working for '60 Minutes', 'The 7:30 Report' and 'Four Corners'. Her commitment to uncovering the truth led to her writing 'Deal with the Devil', the firsthand account of the ordeal experienced by the family of Matthew Leveson following his tragic death and subsequent search for his body. I'm sure Grace's career is going to continue on the same trajectory for years to come.

Another highlight of the evening was the performance by the string quartet comprised of current students and led by teacher, Jonny Ng. Quite a few us were itching to kick up our heels to the dulcet tones of "Come on Eileen", and we were all floored by the talent of the young violinist who treated us to a beautiful performance of one of Mendelssohn's Sonatas.

As a proud third-generation St Margaret's Old Girl, I see the awards evening as a great opportunity to pay homage to the school's legacy, but also to serve as inspiration for the next cohort preparing to graduate later this year. With over 125 years of history, it's gratifying to know that the school has produced so many women of leadership and influence in business, community, the sciences and education. 

Per Volar Sunata!”

Yasmin Sethi (’91)

Christine Wells ('91) is an award-winning, internationally bestselling author of 14 historical novels. Her books have been published by New York houses Penguin, HarperCollins and Macmillan, as well as Penguin (Australia), with more than 250,000 copies sold worldwide and translations in nine languages. Her new novel, 'One Woman's War, A Novel of the Real Miss Moneypenny', is out from HarperCollins (New York) in October 2022, and her next book, 'The Royal Windsor Orphan', will be published in 2023.

Grace Tobin (’05) is an investigative reporter at the ABC's premier current affairs program, Four Corners. She previously worked as a reporter at 7:30 and as a producer at Nine's 60 Minutes, where she travelled the world extensively on overseas assignments.

Grace is a two-time Walkley Award winner for excellence in journalism. In 2019, she produced a joint investigation with Nine Newspapers on Crown Casino, which sparked two Royal Commissions and the Bergin Inquiry in NSW and triggered a clear-out of the board. In 2017, she was recognised for the 60 Minutes story on the death of Matthew Leveson, subsequently authoring the true crime book 'Deal with the Devil', a first-hand account of the Leveson family’s ordeal throughout the four-year police reinvestigation of the case.

Grace completed a Bachelor of Journalism (QUT) and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism’s Summer Investigative Reporting course. Her journalism career began in regional Queensland as a crime and court reporter.

Robin played basketball at St Margaret's and loved her schooling there. She went on to work at Wincombe Carson's where she gained a wool classing qualification and then travelled to New Zealand on a year-long working holiday. When she returned, Robin became an Air Hostess with TAA and travelled around regional Australia and overseas to Timor and Papua New Guinea. Robin married Ivor Colquhoun in 1967 and they moved to Ashgrove where she lived for 53 years until she passed away.

Mum loved to attend Old Girls' reunions and always took visitors past the school to show them where we were educated and the beautiful buildings and view that make St Margaret's such a remarkable school. Robin is from a long line of St Margaret’s Old Girls, with her mother, Dorothy Garde (nee Taylor) attending St Margaret's when the school was at Community House. Dorothy was a boarder and often stayed with her great uncle, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, who lived in the grand house on Circular Drive which was then called Avoca. Sir Thomas was a member of the Queensland Parliament.  Robin’s daughter Sarah Liliburne (‘90) also attended St Margaret's.

Robin’s passing was sudden and she will be greatly missed by her family and friends.