6 Two weeks in chargeExperiences in Borneo
12 When you educate a girl, she can change her worldInspirational humanitarian, Morgan Koegel
16 Taking the next stepGreat alumnae return for careers night
EDITION 2 | JUNE 2017
Lauriston LifeThe magazine of Lauriston Girls’ School
Lauriston Girls’ School38 Huntingtower RoadArmadale VIC 3143 Australia
t: +61 3 9864 7555e: [email protected]
CRICOS number 00152FABN 15 004 264 402
1. Arielle Blokker 2. Sally de Guingand 3. Fiona Ireland 4. Susan Just (Principal) 5. Kate Nixon 6. Sam Ridley 7. Lara Stebbens 8. Chris Toms 9. Louise Torney 10. Katrina Walter 11. Tim Watson 12. Di Wood
ON THE COVER: Morgan Koegel Photographer: Ben King DESIGN: Actual Size PRINTING: New Artworx
4 5
6 7 8
CONTRIBUTORS
1
2
10 12
3
9 11
CONTENTS.
FEATURED STORIES
6 In their own words Lara Stebbens and Arielle Blokker on taking charge in Borneo
8 People have the powerSarah Jessup, our social service guru
THIS ISSUE
4 From the PrincipalService and action in our communities
22 KindergartenThis year ‘loose parts’ is the big idea
16 Senior SchoolCareers Night alumnae inspire Vice-Principal Di Wood
24 Consultant turned teacherJesse Roth-Barton on why she made the swap
27 Foundation NewsA new president for the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle
10 School MusicalLittle Mermaid Jr was a huge hit
12 Educating girlsMorgan Koegel, One Girl CEO
COVER STORY
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Service and action in our communities Each year we o�er a broad range of activities to our students outside of the classroom. These co-curricular activities are integral building
blocks in shaping our young women and giving them
the capabilities needed for living and working in the
world today.
A degree is no longer a guarantee to find gainful
employment. Along with a set of analytical and
interpersonal skills, young people need social and
cultural knowledge that can best be acquired through
a blending of
academic programs,
experiential
activities and
co-curricular
participation. We
know that the work
undertaken in our
wellbeing program
and pastoral
support of our
students is integral
to their ability to develop resilience, self-regulation
and interpersonal skills. It is on this last point that we
believe we could do more work to help contribute to
our students’ lives.
In 2016 we set ourselves the task of developing
a unified mission that would direct all our plans
regarding service and action. Encompassing all facets
of community engagement, including exchanges and
trips, our students will gain a better understanding of
the world and be given more opportunities to give back
around the globe.
Our purpose is to engage our School community and
local, national and international partners in meaningful
and reciprocal learning experiences which enhance
students’ academic learning and community service,
prepare them for global citizenship and enable them to
be actively involved in seeking out varied perspectives
and solutions to problems within their own community
and world.
Our broader goal is to connect community service,
student initiated service, global excursions, exchanges,
and educational partnerships that:
• Involve participation in experiential and reciprocal
learning which respects that each individual can learn
from each other
• Develop global perspectives and citizenship
• Strengthen relationships and cultural understandings
and acceptance
• Develop collaborative and interdisciplinary
learning projects
• Expose students to current social issues to enable
them to develop their understanding and guide them
to meaningful action
• Support students by enabling them to clarify their
ideas, define clear goals, develop an action plan, then
evaluate and reflect on the success of their action plan
• Support engagement with people from the
community to better understand their perspectives
and lives
• Enable students to engage with real-world
problem solving
• Build partnerships that address a shared purpose and
collaborate with others
We need to think about the sort of people we need to create tomorrow’s world, and what are the fundamental building blocks to shape that?’– ANDREAS SCHLEICHER,
OECD DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION
AND SKILLS
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
We have begun conversations with some international
schools that hold similar values to our own about
student and teacher exchanges. We want to develop
meaningful exchanges with these schools which will see
our students participate actively in learning activities,
both inside and outside the classroom.
The strategy we have developed is really about
allowing our girls to fi nd their own voice and inspiring
them to take meaningful action in their community
and the world. They will build on their social and
cultural knowledge and overcome what Nigerian writer
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls the ‘danger of a single
story’. By listening to the stories of other people whose
lives are di¦ erent from our own, we have the ability to
empower and humanise groups within our society and
the world about whom we may have previously formed
incorrect and generalised impressions.
SUSAN JUST
Principal
By 2020 it is our intention to achieve the following goals:
• O¦ er national and global excursions to students which
encompass the pillars of: service, cultural/global
perspectives, curriculum learning and sport
• O¦ er student and teacher exchanges with
international schools covering the Asia/Pacifi c, United
States of America, United Kingdom and Europe
• O¦ er an enhanced Service to the Community program
for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 which
encompasses partnerships with the local community,
student initiated service activities, project-based
learning initiatives and an enhanced understanding of
local and global issues
• Establish a Local and Global Issues Student
Leadership committee with a view to enhancing
understanding, engaging in real-world problem-
solving and enabling meaningful action
• Establish a Girls Leadership Initiative which will enable
us to develop core competencies which encompass
the knowledge and skills required for leadership;
enhance understanding about philanthropy and
the value of giving; and promote female leadership
through speakers and special activities
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
5
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Eye-opening fortnight in BorneoOur World Challenge trip to Borneo, Malaysia, was a
truly amazing, eye-opening experience and definitely
the start of lives filled with travel adventures. To be
given the opportunity to undertake such a journey,
far away from the comfort of home and with a group
of close and new friends is something that we will be
forever thankful for.
Though the trip came up so quickly, we all greatly
benefitted from the training day, gear check and
meetings and felt prepared to confidently board the
plane to Kota Kinabalu.
The main reason most of us went on the trip was for our
community project. We were based with the Kampung
Kiau community; the time spent there was time we
would not have wanted to spend anywhere else. We
loved developing friendships with the children who we
know will stay in our hearts forever. It is great knowing
that we have made even the slightest impact on their
lives and their community, as they have made such a
huge impact on ours. We spent time playing soccer,
building a room for a local priest and understanding
how their community runs. It is so di¦erent to
Melbourne but all the more incredible.
It was the time spent in the community that really
changed the way we look at the world, and gave us so
much more gratitude towards what we have at home.
It is easy to forget that there are so many people
struggling to find drinkable water when living the
comfortable Melbourne lifestyle. The children in the
community are so intelligent and, if given the same
opportunities as some of us, would thrive in the world;
it was really astounding to think about, and made us
appreciate every chance we have so much more. These
moments were why we were so eager to take part in a
World Challenge journey.
We also had an incredible chance to visit the orangutan
rehabilitation sanctuary and the sun bear rehabilitation
centres in Sepilok. They do so much work for these
animals which we all hear about, but you don’t truly
understand the work that goes into preserving the
limited environment left for them to live in until you’re
there.
None of this would have happened without the
incredible sta¦ members on our journey who helped
us feel safe. Their good humour and approach to the
trip enabled us to make the most of it. It was always
strangely amusing to be in the rare position of having to
tell the teachers what to do, as we were encouraged to
be independent as we ran the trip.
A large part of what we will all take from the trip is
developing such close relationships with the other girls.
People who we barely recognised from seeing around
the Armadale campus have become such incredibly
close friends and we all adore each other’s company,
hilarious stories and genuine, kind personalities.
LARA STEBBENS (Year 10)
and ARIELLE BLOKKER (Year 11)
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
STAFF PROFILE
People have the power ‘Kindness is the new cool’. This is the motto of Sarah Jessup, the Community Services Co-ordinator at Lauriston. Sarah used this phrase at a recent Senior School
assembly and got quite a reaction.
On refl ection, however, this philosophy underpins her
work at Lauriston and is not new to her: Sarah has
always followed this path.
‘Relationships are the key to life. Having positive
relationships and open communication with people at
home, at work or in the community is a great way to live.
You fi nd out so much more about people and then they
help and trust you. Connection means a lot to me,’ says
Sarah.
The Service and Action program aims to encourage
Lauriston students to be doers and change makers in
their local, national and international communities. The
School has a new centralised way to determine the cause
supported at each year level and, wherever possible, the
community support undertaken is linked to the curriculum.
‘When I hear that the girls have busked or set up
puppet shows to raise money, set up lemonade stands,
sold second hand books, donated their birthday money,
participated in the Live Below the Line challenge or
they approach me in their own time and say, “What
can I do? How can I be more involved?” this is job
satisfaction for me,’ says Sarah.
Sarah took over this key role in 2016 and transformed
the program with her e¦ ervescent style. Sarah is best
described as positive and can-do. An example of her
making things happen was the incredible Treadmill
Challenge that was run at the School on a wintery
Sunday last year.
In just a couple of months, Sarah, along with Sharon
Baddeley (Head of Mitchell House), created an event of
epic proportions to support the local children’s hospice,
Very Special Kids. More than 200 girls aged from 10 to
18 years ran in teams on treadmills for six continuous
hours and through incredible community support raised
over $50,000.
Sarah is a qualifi ed teacher and has worked in a number of
schools including Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar and Presbyterian
Ladies’ College before coming to Lauriston in 2010 as a
sports teacher. There is also an entrepreneurial talent in
Sarah. When she was a new mother, she identifi ed a gap
in the market for children’s furniture so set up Yarra Valley
Furniture with a friend to make red cedar cots, high chairs,
and table and chair sets.
Another venture she runs with her brother is a board
shorts business called bluue.com.au (formerly Jess and
Bass).
On a recent trip to Borneo with the Year 10 and 11
students, Sarah assisted the students in planning
the entire journey including all transport, food and
accommodation.
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
‘It was wonderful watching their initiative develop
especially when we were staying in the local village
near Mount Kinabalu. As well as building the designated
room as part of the project, the girls learned to look
for other ways they could help and so they also made
soccer goals and a table tennis table while we were
there,’ says Sarah.
Sarah unwinds from her busy life at Sorrento. She stays
in her family house bought by her grandmother in the
1950s which is old but where her close-knit family come
together. It’s her special place where she has time to
slow down and think.
‘We live in a society that is overworked, time-poor and
risk-sensitive and, increasingly, down time is spent
on screens. The social service program at Lauriston is
about getting girls to think about people, to be kind
and to get involved,’ she says.
KATRINA WALTER
PR Manager °
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
9
SCHOOL MUSICAL
Little Mermaid Jr The classic Hans Christian Andersen story and the
Disney Film, Little Mermaid Jr, about a beautiful
mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human
was re-interpreted by Lauriston this year for the
School’s musical. The years 5-8 musical provides
an opportunity for girls in the Junior and Senior
Schools to work together and build friendships.
They learn to support one another, understand the
value of hard work and dedication and to explore
their passion. Congratulations to the entire team
for the creation of a superb show.
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
10
Lauriston Life
SENIOR COLLEGE PLAY
EverymanThe Senior students embarked on a very ambitious
medieval morality play called Everyman. The play
was written in Middle English during the Tudor
period but our students performed a version that
was recently adapted by Carol Ann Du¦ y.
Three students (Mary Baras-Miller, Shuyi (Emily) Li
and Lucinda Roper) played the role of Everyman
so as to represent the changing face of humanity.
The performances were to take place outside but
due to bad weather, they were moved to Irving
Hall. Undeterred by the last minute changes,
the girls delivered great shows with powerful
messages that continue to be relevant today.
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
11
COVER STORY
A little bit naughtyHow many 25-year-old CEOs do you know? Morgan Koegel (2009) is one.Morgan was born in Ohio, USA, in 1991 and her parents
deliberately chose an androgynous name so she would
not be pre-judged for being female.
If anyone can be born a humanitarian, Morgan is an
example of that. When she was five she was saving sick
and injured animals, and decided she could no longer
eat anything that had a face so became a vegetarian.
When she was seven, she remembers her mum, who
was a lawyer working in the USA, recounting a story
about saving a man from the death penalty. She knew
then she was going to save lives too and become a
lawyer when she grew up.
Morgan is not only really smart but she is also a really
good person. She is the sort of young woman we all want
our children to be like and the current girls can aspire to.
Morgan loved public speaking and debating and won
the Victorian Plain English Speaking Award in 2009.
In true Morgan form, her topic was about capital
punishment.
Morgan also won a Long Tan Award for Youth
Leadership and Teamwork. It’s sponsored by the
Australian Defence Force and reflects the values the
soldiers demonstrated at the battle of Long Tan in
Vietnam. Morgan donated her prize money to the ‘Jocks
and Socks’ drive she initiated to provide Melbourne
shelters with clean underwear to help those residing
there retain a little dignity.
She was awarded the VCE Achiever Award for
community service work, mainly for working in a soup
van outside St Kilda’s Gatwick Hotel and coordinated
the bread supply from Bakers Delight, the bakery where
she worked part-time.
Morgan went on to study Arts and then the Juris
Doctor (JD) degree at the University of Melbourne. She
worked for the Prison Legal Education and Assistance
Project presenting legal education seminars in prisons
across Victoria. She also worked with the Federation
of Community Legal Centres and Victoria Legal Aid
predominately in prison reform and represented vulnerable
individuals in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.
In 2016 Morgan became the CEO of One Girl, a girl-
focussed development organisation with bases in Sierra
Leone and Uganda working to educate one million girls
across Africa. Leading a team of people in Melbourne
and West and Central Africa has become Morgan’s life.
Women’s education is the thing that gets her out of bed
in the morning. She firmly believes that knowledge is
the spark that can change the world we live in for the
better.
Morgan does find time to have a life outside of work
and giving back to Lauriston. She loves bush walking
and outdoor adventures. She listens to painfully dry
legal podcasts and enjoys pampering her vegetable
garden. She loves op-shops and hasn’t bought any new
clothes for two years.
Morgan wasn’t always the model student. Her school
friend Sarah told me that in Year 11, Morgan dyed her
hair blue. This was in protest, of course, as a fellow
Lauriston girl had to change her newly dyed bright
red hair back to its original colour. It didn’t go with the
school uniform.
As Tim Minchin’s Matilda: The Musical lyrics state in
the ‘Naughty’ song: ‘Even if you’re little, you can do a
lot, you mustn’t let a little thing like ‘little’ stop you ...
sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.’
For more information about One Girl go to onegirl.org.au.
KATE NIXON
Alumnae Relations Coordinator
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
12
Lauriston Life
LEARNING AND INNOVATION
Looking to the future As teachers, we never stop learning. Recently I attended a professional learning day
anchored around preparing young people for the future
and the perils that may come.
We looked towards
the year 2030—the
age that young
people entering our
schools now will
leave and need to
be prepared for the
changing tertiary
and work spaces
they will navigate.
Jan Owen, CEO of
the Foundation for
Young Australians,
insisted that there
is one question
which educators,
parents and policy
makes must ask: ‘What is it that we need to do now,
with a sense of urgency, to prepare, equip and inspire
our young people for a very di¦erent future?’
The question is a tricky one. What we do know is that
automation, globalisation, and growing flexibility are
going to cause havoc with our traditional understanding
of work. The growing ‘gig economy’ looks set to be one
of the predominant modes of working and our girls are
likely to have to master ‘portfolio work’ in order to carve
out a niche in the complex multi-faceted workforce.
All of these changes can be frightening, indeed raising
these ideas with my Year 8s as we began our dystopian
novel unit caused a sharp intake of breath, but it does
provide us with great opportunities.
The research about the current generation of students
is clear: they are far more interested in social good
than any previous generation. They want to make a
di¦erence, and they are keen to make that di¦erence
as quickly as possible. For young people today, in a
fractured and disrupted work environment, a sense of
purpose is crucial and something that we must develop
and encourage in the young people in our community.
At Lauriston we continue to work towards preparing
our students with the skills of critical thinking, creativity,
digital literacy, but also, most importantly, empathy and
understanding. Our recent signature speaker series has
exposed our girls to a number of ways of seeing the
world; our experiential learning programs are helping
girls to understand di¦erent ways of working; and our
curriculum continues to grow and develop as a thinking
curriculum, one based on developing young women
who are thoughtful, articulate and compassionate.
The o²ce of the future will look di¦erent, as will the
boss and the way we navigate the career ladder; but,
what will remain important, is ensuring that Lauriston
girls are prepared to face the uncertainty, have learnt
to learn, and are able to find the opportunities for
themselves and their communities during these
dynamic times.
TIM WATSON
Vice Principal – Learning and Innovation°
‘Throw away the briefcase: you’re not going to the o�ce. You can kiss your benefits goodbye too. And your new boss won’t look much like your old one. There’s no longer a ladder, and you may never get to retire, but there’s a world of opportunity if you figure out a new path.’ – TIME MAGAZINE
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
10 jobs that did not exist 10 years ago
App developer
Social media manager
Uber driver
Driverless car engineer
Cloud computing specialist
Big data analyst/data scientist
Sustainability manager
YouTube content creators
Drone operators
Millennial generational expert
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
15
SENIOR SCHOOL
Careers NightPreparing our students for a life beyond Lauriston is a core tenet of the School, and is reflected in our vision, ‘A School for life’. Alongside their academic studies, Lauriston sta¦
members work with students to help prepare them for a
global market, where ethical and compassionate young
women can seek to resolve new-world problems while
working collaboratively as responsible, global citizens.
One of the highlights of the Senior School calendar is
the annual Careers Night, hosted by Lauriston alumnae,
which showcases the diverse nature of employment.
This year panels were held on a number of topics,
including health; finance; creative arts; engineering
and construction; law; media and communications; and
veterinary and animal care.
For Jess Stockton (2009), post graduate studies gave
her the idea to be a zoo keeper. She now works at the
Melbourne Zoo with hooved and large animals. This
year Jess was the spokesperson for World Tapir Day,
to generate awareness about this shy and endangered
animal. Habitat destruction is largely responsible for
the Malayan tapirs decline, and the Melbourne Zoo is
helping promote awareness about sustainable palm
oil plantations. Being a media star is not in Jess’
job description but being flexible and open to new
challenges is all part of the modern workforce.
During this evening our students were consistently
encouraged by our alumnae to keep an open mind
when considering their future. The Old Lauristonians
emphasised that an ATAR score did not define you and
quickly became old news in the workforce. They instead
encouraged our students to follow their passions, be
tenacious and open to opportunities.
Ann Boyce, the School’s Careers Advisor, does a
sterling job providing the link between Lauriston and
the tertiary providers beyond our School. She also
reinforces the advice from so many of the alumnae.
She makes sure the girls are aware that to truly future-
proof your career, your first step should be to think
beyond the obvious technological change and imagine
new possibilities. The second step is to develop a set of
capabilities that are transferable across job roles, rather
than focusing on the job.
Ann’s role is crucial in ensuring our students understand
the vast array of possibilities that are now on o¦er
to our Year 12 students. While the ATAR is important
as a direct entry to a course, as demonstrated by
the Careers Night speakers, there are many ways to
accomplish the same outcome, from bridging courses
to completing courses interstate.
The future for our school leavers may be unpredictable
in terms of the careers on o¦er but we as a School
are keeping pace with these workplace needs. Our
curriculum and our wellbeing and careers programs are
designed to address these needs. We acknowledge the
need to value mistakes as stepping stones for future
achievement; we embrace technological advancements;
we are at the forefront of innovation in our teaching and
curriculum; and we are helping our students, through
their learning, to become resilient and adaptable. With
this approach we hope our Year 12 students will be
fully prepared to contribute to their community and be
excited about a life beyond Lauriston.
DI WOOD
Vice Principal – Head of Senior School
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
Health panelOdette Edelstein (1987) – psychiatrist
Katie Blunt (2013) – medical student
Katie Minogue (2010) – clinical nurse specialist
Jackie Bowker (1995) – functional nutritionist
Jodie Porter (2000) – musculoskeletal
physiotherapist
Carlye Weiner (2007) – psychologist
Coco Bernard (2005) – neuropsychologist
Law panelClara Jordan-Baird (2006) – law graduate
Emily Jordon-Baird (2004) – corporate counsel
Stephanie Glover (2007)- lawyer
Georgina Overend (2007)- lawyer
Creative arts panelHattie Read (2015) – photographer
Zoe Blow (2012) – graphic designer
Maggie Kus (2006) – graphic designer
Fleur McHarg (1989) – florist
Media and communications panel Lexie Jeuniewic (2013) – associate producer
Genevieve Alison (2010) – Cadet reporter,
News Corp
Caroline Scott (2007) – senior account manager
Engineering and construction panel Hannah Weste (2008) – contracts administrator
Melanie Davey (2004) – project manager
Ella Gauci-Seddon (2006) – landscape architect
Veterinary and animal care panel Diana Barker (1997) – vet surgeon
Jordyn Chodziesner (2013) – dog wash owner
Jess Stockton (2009) – zoo keeper
Lucy Tissot (2010) – vet nurse
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
17
HOWQUA
Helping in the communityFrom the time that the girls first step o� the bus at Howqua, we speak to them about the importance of community. What a¦ects one student, a¦ects others: while we are
all individuals, we are here to support and help one
another throughout the year.
It can be a simple smile and hello;
o¦ering to help someone on a
house or campus responsibility;
o¦ering support during the
Fitness Program; assisting
another student with their
academic work; helping them
when they are a little unwell; or
being there on a challenging day.
During Term 2, we undertake our Community Service
program for the last four or five Tuesdays and
Wednesdays. The students are placed in groups with
other girls who have expressed similar interests and
who have indicated that they can o¦er some help and
assistance in this area. The girls do not choose what
activity they undertake, it is reinforced to them that the
aim is to help others.
The students take part in a variety of activities.
Students have designed sports programs, computing,
and art programs for the three local primary schools
in Mansfield, and helped the Department of Water,
Environment, Land and Planning clear non-native
vegetation from campsites along the Howqua River,
rebuild fences and clean up. This year one group is
working on our own running track management and
stabilisation on campus so we can o¦er a new running
track option for the rest of the School for terms 3 and 4.
Groups have designed, prepared and broadcasted their
own special radio program on the local radio station,
while others have been involved in setting up and
hosting sausage sizzles, raµes and morning teas to
raise money for the local wildlife shelter.
Each year our Timor-Leste group raise awareness and
funds for one of the villages in East Timor, Uai Bua, with
whom we have a partnership. A designated group carry
out research and host an evening for all students to
share their knowledge about what village life is like and
how our contributions make a di¦erence.
Two further groups work in Jamieson. One collaborates
with the Jamieson Community Group assisting the
elderly residents with everything from gardening
and raking leaves, to using the internet and social
media. The other works with the Jamieson Primary
School, assisting the students with computing, music
and academic work, and preparing and performing a
concert for Jamieson residents.
A further two groups work with the elderly in Mansfield
at both Bindaree Retirement Centre and Buckland
House Nursing Home, assisting in their care and also
keeping them entertained by playing music and games.
It is a very diverse program and the girls not only
develop fundamental skills but also mature from the
experiences.
We continue to work through a campus community
service program in terms 3 and 4 and as I have often
said to the girls, ‘There is no “I” in Howqua, we are all in
this together.’
SAM RIDLEY
Vice-Principal – Howqua Campus
‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ – MAHATMA GANDHI
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
JUNIOR SCHOOL
The more civic-minded, the stronger the problem-solver Involvement in community service is a significant component of the educational development of young people. Volunteering teaches people of all ages and
backgrounds compassion and understanding, while
putting on service events is a way to advocate for
causes that we may be personally passionate about.
The Lauriston Junior School has a proud tradition of
community service, supporting organisations including
UNICEF, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the Art
Cabriolet, Cancer Council, and the Malvern Emergency
Food Program. Initiatives such as these underpin
our School values, especially those of ‘relationships’
and ‘engagement with life’. They are often carefully
considered and selected by our students and, in some
cases, are a direct response to an event that they have
experienced or heard about, motivating and inspiring
them to make a di¦erence. Through our Service to the
Community program, our students become actively
contributing citizens and community members as a
result of the service they perform.
The National Education Longitudinal Study found that
students who are more civically engaged perform
better in subjects such as reading, history, science and
mathematics. Researchers have also discovered that
community service enhances students’ problem-solving,
teamwork and planning skills.
In addition, students build character and become active
participants as they work with others in their school
and community. The value of helping others and not
being compensated for it monetarily may be new to
some children unless it is part of their lifestyle. Students
who complete community service work discover that
they can make a di¦erence in the world they live in.
This enables students to better understand their own
abilities and develop a can-do attitude that can drive
their academic pursuits.
Students participating in community service are
often faced with challenges and di²cult problems to
overcome. By working through them as a volunteer,
they learn how to e¦ectively solve problems and they
enjoy the satisfaction of overcoming the challenge.
Last year, we observed our Year 4 girls take what they
had learned about endangered animals in the classroom
and adapt it with their own decision-making. During
a visit to the zoo, the girls learnt that recycling their
mobile phone would help lessen the demand for coltan,
a metal mined within the gorilla habitat. Subsequently,
the girls decided that they wanted to help save the
gorillas so donated their old mobile phones so that they
could be recycled.
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
Through their community service contributions, the
Junior School girls discover more about themselves,
meet new friends and develop a greater sense of
connection to their community. We hope parents will
continue to graciously support and celebrate our girls
in their endeavours to serve the community. When the
Junior School girls volunteer, they discover more about
themselves, develop a greater sense of connection
to their community and enjoy a sense of personal
satisfaction, knowing that they’re making a di¦ erence in
other people’s lives.
CHRIS TOMS
Vice Principal – Head of Junior School
Our Year 6 Community Service Leadership Team plays
a prominent role in the Junior School. The purpose
of this team is to inspire the girls to be ethical and
compassionate young women who strive to be
responsible, global citizens. They discuss and research
various organisations and possible partnerships that
we can develop in order to strengthen relationships
and awareness of others within our world and better
understand their perspectives and lives. The girls also
visit the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Very
Special Kids, supporting children diagnosed with life
threatening illnesses and their families. The team, led
by Mrs Sarah Jessup, also undertakes a number of
activities throughout the year, from collecting cans of
food; selling poppies and badges for Remembrance Day
and ANZAC Day; coordinating the Biggest Morning Tea;
and attending conferences.
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
21
KINDERGARTEN
Loose parts provide endless play ideas Each year in the Kindergarten, a ‘big idea’ is chosen to guide the teaching and investigations of students. Past ideas have explored how children can connect with
nature in combination with the digital world, and how
the Indigenous perspective can be embedded into the
Kindergarten curriculum. This year, sta¦ and students
will be delving into all things ‘loose parts’.
Loose parts are materials that encourage open-ended,
infinite play possibilities for young children. Though
many of these items may be seen as debris and detritus,
to children these materials o¦er the possibilities of
multiple outcomes as they can be moved, changed,
combined with other materials, taken apart and used
again in di¦erent constructions. Loose parts are like
magnets to children as they are naturally curious and
gravitate towards objects that are alluring and o¦er
endless possibilities. Loose parts come with no sets of
directions and can be used in an endless variety of ways.
The term ‘loose parts’ came into use in the early
seventies after the UK architect Simon Nicholson
published a paper ‘The Theory of Loose Parts’. Nicholson
describes loose parts as variables: materials that can
be manipulated in many ways. Nicholson believes that
any environment which o¦ers children opportunities to
interact with these variables allows for the development
of concepts, including the laws of motion and gravity,
force, balance, how sound is created and the mechanics
of energy and mass. Children further develop oral
language skills as they collaborate with others to
imagine, create, design and construct. The richness
of the environment depends on the opportunities it
provides to stimulate higher order thinking.
Nicholson argued, ‘In any environment both the degree
of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of
discovery are directly proportional to the number and
types of variables within it.’
The outdoor environment is a perfectly balanced
playground for children. Nature provides an
abundance of loose parts that promotes curiosity and
inventiveness. Children find wonder in leaves, rocks,
insects, snails, hidden spider webs, clouds, grass, twigs
and branches. These natural items can be used to
enhance their imaginative games.
Last term I watched a group of children moving all the
small boulders from the dry riverbed up onto one of the
decks. They moved them for a purpose as part of the
game they were playing, working as a team bounded
by rules they had invented. They formed them into a
huge pile, which at times collapsed but they persevered.
Though they were supervised, the only time an adult
stepped in was to help them create a structure over the
top as a shelter. This pile was at times a mountain that
they clambered over and a campfire that they fed with
sticks and small branches. The boulders were used to sit
on and contemplate.
The higher levels of complexity and diversity that nature
o¦ers to children invite longer and more complex play.
In their book, Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young
Children, authors Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky
remark ‘when children interact with loose parts they
enter a world of “what if?” that promotes the type of
thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical
reasoning.’ Loose parts play gives children endless
opportunities for unique creative engagement that
allows them to manipulate the environment, problem-
solve and explore unique concepts.
Loose parts appeal to the interests and curiosity of
children, and cater to each unique stage of a child’s
development. Loose parts play enhances children’s
ability to think imaginatively, see solutions, and bring a
sense of adventure and excitement to play.
FIONA IRELAND
Director of Kindergarten
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Lauriston Life
STAFF PROFILE
From corporate o� ce to classroomOne night while on a call with her team in India, Jesse Roth-Barton decided that she didn’t want to be in technology consulting anymore. Instead she wanted to become a teacher.Jesse had previously researched renewable energy but
soon realised that the energy market was a political
hotbed and the best way to bring about change in
society was to teach.
‘My work in technology consulting was feeling
pointless. I was tired of writing reports and making
recommendations that had no meaning. I wanted a real
purpose,’ says Jesse.
Jesse had heard about the program Teach for Australia,
a government-backed not-for-profi t that fast tracks
people with strong undergraduate degrees into
the teaching profession. With an honours degree
in Chemistry and a PhD in solar energy, Jesse was
accepted in Teach for Australia’s next intake.
Teach for Australia found her a teacher placement
immediately at Mill Park Secondary College teaching
Year 11 and 12 Chemistry. Before starting in the
classroom, Jesse and her cohort worked solidly for six
weeks from 9am-9pm on their Masters of Teaching.
They completed a third of the course in this time and
undertook extensive psychological and emotional
training for their new roles.
Jesse was excited to start at Mill Park and do on-the-job
training while she continued her studies. She learned
so much at this large co-educational school and built a
strong bond with her students.
‘I soon learned to deal with disengagement towards
school. I gained an understanding about the reasons
why some kids did not want to be there and an
appreciation that some students have much tougher
lives than others. My placement at the school was
incredibly rewarding and I was inspired by my students’
achievements,’ says Jesse.
Jesse continued on to complete her Masters and chose
a topic about how attitude a¦ ects learning chemistry.
It was during the research for her thesis that she
found references to Lauriston’s FabLearn Lab. She was
intrigued because females who enjoy science more at a
younger age tend to continue with it and she thought
Lauriston’s space was a good way to make science fun.
After two years at Mill Park, Jesse decided she didn’t
want to commute across town any more so decided to
try and fi nd a teaching job on her side of the city. That
school with the FabLearn Lab, Lauriston, was looking
for a senior chemistry teacher.
Jesse started working at Lauriston in January this year
and teaches four Year 11 Chemistry classes (VCE and
IB), as well as years 7 and 9 Science. She is working on
new opportunities to get into the FabLearn Lab with
her younger classes.
‘I really appreciate the community building that happens
here. Teachers are busy at Lauriston but we have time
for professional development and getting involved in the
sports and wellbeing program,’ says Jesse.
Jesse is a great example of what an impact the Teach
for Australia program is having in schools.
We’re all glad that she had the epiphany a few years
ago and decided to give up her corporate o² ce for the
classroom.
KATRINA WALTER
PR Manager
EDITION 02 | JUN 2017
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Lauriston Life
FIND YOUR REASON TO GIVELAURISTON ANNUAL APPEAL 2017
There are many great reasons to give to this year’s annual appeal including a new Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship.
Whether you choose to give to our new scholarship or existing Scholarship Fund, our Building Program or our Library and Resources Fund, your gift will be helping to change a girl’s life.
While Lauriston staff continue to provide the highest level of academic and extra-curricular tuition, your generous contribution will help us provide new and amazing opportunities for our girls. Your support will help us prepare girls who are ready to take their place in an ever-changing and challenging world.
For more information, please contact Sally de Guingand, Director of Advancement, on 9864 7582 or [email protected].
We want to attract the best and brightest in the fields of visual or performing arts, music or theatre, so that we can learn from each other, challenge each other and continue to push creative boundaries. The scholarship will be awarded to a student who could not otherwise afford to attend Lauriston.
The scholarship will commence next year, if we can raise a quorum of funds. Who knows, your donation may help us unearth the next Chloe Hooper – Author (1991), Amanda Morgan – Artist (1988) or Deborah Conway – Musician, (1977).
Donate online today atlauriston.vic.edu.au/giving
FOUNDATION NEWS
Find your reason to give As we enter another Melbourne winter with foggy mornings and chilly days ahead, the Advancement Office is staying warm and we are really excited about what lays ahead. In May, in partnership with the Lauriston Foundation,
we launched the 2017 Annual Appeal. This appeal
is the biggest annual fundraiser for our School and
ensures we continue to provide outstanding educational
opportunities that help Lauriston continue to lead the
way in girls’ education in Victoria. The theme is ‘Find
your Reason to Give’ and features a number of tax
deductible funds you can contribute towards.
As many of you will have read in past Advancement
reports, we are keen to open up the conversation about
the importance of philanthropy in our community.
Whether it is to get involved through one of the
volunteer opportunities, support fundraising initiatives
for important causes like the Asylum Seeker Resource
Centre or to give back to our School, we can all make
a difference in ensuring the continued success and
future of Lauriston and our girls. Everyday our girls are
learning the importance of being caring and having
experiences that connect them with issues and ideas in
the community.
Lauriston is a leading school in the Victorian landscape,
creating new and unique opportunities. From learning
how to be makers to working with local community
groups, our girls are extended in many ways to ensure
they have every chance to influence the future.
The 2017 Annual Appeal is an opportunity for our
community to help Lauriston continue to create future
leaders and change makers. Howqua, the FabLearn
Lab, the Foundation Scholarship program, and the
new Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship cannot
happen without the support of our community and the
Annual Appeal.
I ask you to consider supporting Lauriston in our
2017 Annual Appeal. This appeal is essential for us to
continue to raise funds for innovative and vital projects
and scholarships that will benefit our girls and School,
today and into the future.
We can all make an impact.
SALLY DE GUINGAND
Director of Advancement
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Lauriston Life
FOUNDATION NEWS
A new presidentThe Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle is named after one of Lauriston’s most esteemed leaders and aims to uphold the traditions of the School and ensure the development and continuation of important programs. We are pleased to advise that Alix Bradfi eld, a past
School Council Chairman and grandparent to two
current Lauriston students, has accepted the role of
Honorary President to the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle and
confi rmed a bequest in the future.
‘I am dedicated to the School’s history, to its present
vitality and to its robust future as girls continue to grow
into thoughtful confi dent women. I am pleased to be
back and sharing the message about the important
role the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle plays in the future of
Lauriston,’ says Alix.
The Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle is an important
component of the Lauriston Foundation and will
continue the advancement of our School long into the
future. Established in 2011, this bequest society is a
program set up to make a positive impact for the long-
term and will help Lauriston safeguard its future.
We are delighted to also announce that Principal
Susan Just, School Council Chairman Rick Ball, and
Foundation Chairman John Morrison have each decided
to leave a bequest in their wills to the Elizabeth
Kirkhope Circle.
With our leaders’ commitment and that of others in our
community giving to the future, Lauriston is ensuring
we will always be able to provide educational excellence
for all our girls.
Across the School we have examples that prove every
day the positive impact of leaving a bequest and how
it can help shape the future. Bequests of any size really
do make a di¦ erence and help Lauriston continue to
provide outstanding opportunities and facilities; the 7/8
Centre, Sarah Hollyer House (Howqua) and the Diana
Robertson Scholarship Annual History Prize are all due
to those that had the forethought to leave a bequest.
If you are considering a bequest and have any
questions, including the role of the Foundation
in ensuring the careful management of all gifts, I
encourage you to contact me or Kate Nixon, our
Alumnae Relations Coordinator.
SALLY DE GUINGAND
Director of Advancement
An Inaugural Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle Morning
Tea will take place on 16 October 2017
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
27
OBITUARY
Mary Roberta Owen OAM (Evans, 1936)8.2. 1921–24.3.2017, aged 96
Advocate for women, health care and workplace equalityMary (Molly) Owen, daughter of Mary Pitt Withers and
Tyrrell Granville Evans, grand daughter of Heidelberg
school artist Walter Withers, grew up between the
wars in the genteel suburb of Glen Iris, learning good
manners, good grammar and that a good wife worked
at home.
At 16 months, young Molly lost her mother after the
birth of twins Shirley and Joyce. Her father re-married
and stepmother Maisie produced Marian and Tyrrell.
Now the oldest of five, the little girl soon learned about
responsibility, caring for and trying to control those
around her.
Molly loved school, and thought about being a
journalist, but after studying shorthand and typing
found herself working in clerical jobs.
In 1942, aged 21, she married Richard (Dick) Owen, and
after the war expected to tend to family a¦airs while
her husband ‘went out to work’ and dealt with finances.
In 1947, Molly had her first child, Rosemary, then
Wendy (1950) and David (1953). For eight years, her
life revolved around family, home, mothers’ clubs and
church. But with her youngest at kindergarten, she
began part-time work with the Electrical Supply and
Service Company (ESCO), beginning the end of what
she called her ‘first life’.
‘I wasn’t really unhappy in my first life although I
complained about a lot of things,’ she told Jocelyn
Scutt in Living Generously. ‘This may have been because
I was naturally argumentative and contrary.’
Those ‘natural’ tendencies, familiar to her family and
close friends, were to become hallmarks of her ‘second
life’.
For ESCO, Mary worked door-to-door, demonstrating
and selling Supermix food processors. Though her
husband was horrified, she was elated that her powers
of persuasion helped her earn as much as a man. This
new confidence caused conflict at home and eventually
she abandoned her adventures on the road for duties in
the o²ce. But she was never going home again quietly.
By 1967 Mary had separated from her husband.
(Divorce was granted in 1973). Having tasted economic
independence she was further inspired after reading
Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. However, she
declined to join the new Women’s Electoral Lobby
(WEL) declaring she did not believe in separate female
groups.
Mary’s entry to the world of politics began in 1969
after she joined the Progressive Reform Party which
ignited her interest in advocacy for women, their health
care and workplace equality. Until then, she had only
bothered about politics at election time, voting for the
‘man’ who sounded most convincing.
Mary was finally convinced to join WEL in 1972 when it
planned to interview all candidates for the forthcoming
federal elections on their attitudes to matters of
importance to women.
In 1974, after the Whitlam government made tertiary
education free, Mary, now in her mid-fifties, enrolled
in a Bachelor of Arts degree at Melbourne University,
majoring in psychology and politics. Work and
advocacy commitments often interrupted study but she
graduated after retirement in 1986.
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Lauriston Life
As so many had been unable to attend that special
dinner, another was proposed the following year.
For 20 years, the annual Mary Owen Dinner drew
hundreds of women, premiers, top public servants and
organisational leaders included, dressed in feminist
colours of green, white and purple, to celebrate the
changing status of women.
In her ‘third (post-retirement) life’, Mary hardly slowed
her pace until, her diary full of appointments, she died
on 23 March, aged 96, still waiting for the Premier to
support her Women’s Museum project.
This is an abridged version of the obituary published
in The Age, written by her daughter Wendy Owen
Antonini.
While studying and working full-time, Mary assisted
Edna Ryan in presenting a WEL submission on a
minimum wage for women to the National Wage
Case in Melbourne. As International Women’s Year
approached in 1975 she was part of a committee that
asked the Whitlam government for money to set up a
resource centre for working women. Its success meant
more work, and less job security for Mary.
The Working Women’s Centre was eventually taken
over by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
in 1979 and despite some pressure to retire in 1984,
Mary accepted the role of Social Welfare o² cer and
continued to work until she turned 65. Even then, she
did not go quietly. The day before her 65th birthday in
February 1986, 540 women crammed into the Hawthorn
Town Hall to celebrate Mary’s achievements, while
another 200 had to be turned away.
Mary attended the Lauriston Senior Old Girls’
Chamber Music Lunch last October. She appeared
on a video that day and said she was grateful to
the Irving sister who set up Lauriston for girls’
education, loved playing hockey and her advice to
women today: ‘have a go. You can do anything.’
Perhaps there is no greater evidence of this than
Mary herself, whose lifetime of achievement was
recognised in many ways, including a Queen’s
Silver Jubilee Medal and an Order of Australia
(OAM) for services to the community, in particular
to women.
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
29
OBITUARY
Janet Guthrie (Hasker, 1959)13.2.1942–2.1.2017, aged 74
A full life with little fussJanet Guthrie passed away earlier this year and the OLA
sends its deepest condolences to the extended Guthrie
and Hasker families.
Janet was born in Melbourne in 1942 to Mary and Jack
Hasker, with two brothers John and Tom. Janet started
school at Lauriston in 1946. She was a keen student
who loved all sports. She later studied Science at the
University of Melbourne and, after completing her
Bachelor’s degree, worked at the Clinical Research Unit
of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Janet worked
with Sir Ian Wood and then Dr Ian Mackay in the
then relatively new field of autoimmune disease and
published research on the identification of antibodies in
these diseases.
After travelling overseas Janet returned to work at the
Baker Medical Research Institute at the Alfred Hospital,
where she attained her Master of Science, studying the
factors which e¦ect the contractility of cardiac muscle.
Janet married John Guthrie in 1966 and they had their
first son, David, in 1967 while Janet completed her
Masters. James followed in 1969 and then William in
1972.
In 1973, she returned to work as a sessional teacher
at Monash University in the Department of Botany
and Zoology. Whilst there, she completed a Diploma
of Education. She started as a tutor and then lecturer
at Lincoln Institute (now La Trobe University), where
she taught in the Department of Human Biosciences
to Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
students, one of whom was Robyn, who would later
become her daughter-in-law.
Janet worked at Lincoln and La Trobe University for 17
happy years and made lifelong friends.
During her time at La Trobe, Janet also took some
study leave. The first in 1986 was spent working at
the Murdoch Institute at the Children’s Hospital with
Professor David Danks on copper metabolism and
the second in 1991 was at the Key Centre for Women’s
Health at the University of Melbourne, working with
Professor Lorraine Dennerstein, who was studying the
health of midlife women.
The work with Dr Dennerstein shaped the next phase
of Janet’s career. Janet commenced a PhD and in 1994,
she left La Trobe to become the Project Director of
the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project. This
project involved initially interviewing a population
sample of 2000 mid-aged women and following
the experiences of 500 of them as they transitioned
through menopause. This project was a landmark study
and involved a large number of co-investigators. It was
important work because there were concerns about
the long-term health e¦ects of Hormone Replacement
Therapy but very little data to help understand the risks
or explore alternative therapies.
From 1991 until 2006 this project enabled Janet
to travel to various parts of the world to speak at
conferences and collaborate with other investigators
in the same field. Janet was very thankful for the
opportunity to work on this project, and particularly
thankful for the encouragement she received from
Lorraine to be part of it. It was very rewarding work
and meant she was able to complete her PhD on ‘Bone
density and the menopause in Australian-born women’.
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Lauriston Life
After an 18-month battle against a rare and aggressive
cancer, Janet died on 2 January 2017. Janet’s life was
celebrated in February at the golf club, where around
400 of her friends and family came to pay tribute to her
life. It was a fi tting tribute to someone much loved by
her family and friends.
Janet will be hugely missed by her loving family: her
husband John, her three sons, three daughters-in-law
and eight gorgeous grandchildren.
Four generations of Guthries, Haskers and Robinsons
have attended Lauriston. They include Janet’s mother
Mary Hasker (Robinson, 1922), her niece Lisa Hasker
(1985) and her great niece, Sophie Hasker who
commenced in Year 7 this year. Sophie’s mother, Diana
Hasker, also attended Lauriston.
During this time, Janet was also a member of the
Lauriston School Council from 1993 to 1996, which she
enjoyed very much. A highlight of this period was the
School’s decision to establish the Howqua campus as a
12-month experience for all year nine students.
From 2001 to 2008 Janet’s beloved grandchildren were
born: Charlie, Sam and Annabel; Max and Stephanie;
and Juliet, Ruby and Michael. Janet adored her
grandkids and spent many hours and days looking after
them, and enjoyed nothing more than going to watch
them in their various pursuits.
After retiring from the Women’s Health Project,
Janet took up various volunteer roles, such as the
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee for
Volunteers and at the Prahran Mission.
Janet was a keen golfer throughout her life, fi nding the
time to play regularly despite all her other work and
family commitments, and in 2007 took on the role of
Vice-Captain for two years and then Captain for another
two years at the Metropolitan Golf Club. She loved the
club and the many friends she made playing there over
the years.
Janet had a very full and rewarding life, achieving much
with little fuss. She found a great balance between
pursuing her academic and research career, spending
time with family and friends, and fi nding the time to
commit to her hobbies like travel and playing golf.
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
31
OBITUARY
Dr Katy Freed (1981)10.3.64–1.1.17, aged 52 Katy loved her schooldays at Lauriston, going all the
way through from Prep to Year 12.
She and her older sister, Jan, were granddaughters of
Anne Bailhache (Andrews) after whom Andrews House
at Lauriston was named. Katy was therefore a proud
member of Andrews House.
At Lauriston, she excelled at tennis, hockey, French and
science. These formed the basis for a career in science
research, with Katy even using her French while working
for a short time in a science lab in Paris.
She graduated from Melbourne University with an
Honours Degree in Science, a Diploma of Education
and a PhD in Molecular Biology, subsequently doing
research into pregnancy-related conditions at Monash
Medical Centre and The Royal Women’s Hospital.
For the last 10 years of her life she worked in San
Antonio, Texas, USA, working on the genetic basis of
the rare childhood disease of cystinosis.
Despite a diagnosis of scleroderma three years ago, she
continued to work up to the weeks before her death, at
age 52.
Her Lauriston friends and sister Jan will remember her
for her loyal friendship and sense of fun in any situation.
She had a love of food, travel and dogs, especially her
loyal companion Kimba.
Everyone will continue to be inspired by her sense of
wonder of the world.
Louise Catherine Niall (Barr)14.8.1920–19.12.2016, aged 96Lauriston Girls’ School wishes to pay their respect to
the family and friends of Louise Niall. Louise was the
wife of Gerry and mother to Robert, Rosemary (dec.
2014) and Geo¦ .
Louise died peacefully after a long battle with
Alzheimer’s disease.
Lauriston’s Niall House was named after the Niall family.
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Lauriston Life
PAST TEACHER NEWS
Teacher returns It was great to have past teacher, Loreen Chambers, speak to the girls at this year’s ANZAC Day Assembly on Friday, 28 April. Loreen says she was honoured to do so in memory of
the six Chambers men who went to World War 1, two of
whom were lost at Gallipoli.
Loreen was a teacher at Lauriston for 25 years
(Head of House, Head of History). She also taught at
Scotch College and Camberwell Girls Grammar. Her
daughter Jacqueline attended Lauriston too and left
in 1990. Jacqueline always addressed her mother as
‘Mrs Chambers’ when she was at School. I know the
feeling—I too did that a few times when we talked and
it is a hard habit to change. Loreen’s daughter-in-law
Fleur (Geer, 1995) was also a Lauriston girl.
Contrary to what I thought, Loreen was not a student
at the School. I feel as though she should have been as
she is very connected to Lauriston. Her knowledge of
Lauriston’s history is, undeniably, extensive. Loreen was
fortunate to teach with Miss Gwyneth Fox, who was
Head Prefect in 1920 and then a teacher at Lauriston
for more than 50 years. She was a wonderful mentor
to Loreen who was, in turn, instrumental in delivering
Lauriston’s Centenary Celebrations.
Loreen had the opportunity to teach first under Gladys
Davies from 1966 to 1969 and then again in 1983 for
another 22 years under Headmistress Ruth Tideman and
then Meg Hansen. Loreen and Ruth still catch up.
Loreen was Head of History and Head of House
(Andrews) during her time at Lauriston, and also taught
English. She was there for the introduction of the IB
program as well. Now retired, Loreen gives lectures
at the University of the Third Age (U3A) and various
historical societies on nineteenth century Melbourne
and England. She is also Vice President of the C J La
Trobe Society of which she was formerly editor. She
is passionate about family history and this passion
regularly takes her and John her husband of fifty years
to Great Britain. They live in Canterbury and also have a
cattle property in Gippsland.
KATE NIXON
Alumnae Relations Coordinator
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
33
ALUMNAE NEWS
Nothing ever prepares youMerran Anderson (Hunter, 1985) is many things: Old Lauristonian, mother, daughter, employee, fl ight attendant and small business owner, military wife.Not many people know what it is like being married to
someone in the military: the one who has to manage the
house and the children all while forging her own career;
the one who has to remain calm and be the tower of
strength for the children.
Merran is a strong woman and who gets stronger year
upon year. For a military wife, strength is a necessity for
sanity.
But let’s rewind a moment. Merran has been busy since
she left school. After leaving Lauriston in 1985, Merran
started work in the travel industry. First, she worked
in reservations with Australian Airlines, then as an
Australian Airlines fl ight attendant travelling all over
Australia. This led Merran to Qantas where she fl ew
for 13 years. She also worked as a supervisor at the
National Press Club in Canberra, in sales and marketing
for Fernwood Fitness Centres and in co¦ ee sales before
living in the USA at Fort Leonard Wood with her family.
Merran is well-travelled and so it makes perfect sense
that she now has her own travel consultancy business.
Fortunately in our digital age, she has been able to set
herself up working from home.
Merran met John Anderson in 1994 at a Qantas fl ight
attendant ball when she was 27. She couldn’t resist a
man in uniform: they dated and married two years later.
Fast forward 23 years and they have two teenage boys,
Darcy (18) and Clancy (16). She has moved frequently
due to her husband’s postings and has said goodbye
to John far too many times. Merran has recently moved
to Brisbane and her boys are boarding in Canberra
which means they don’t have to move schools at the
pointy end of their secondary education. It’s a stable
environment without too much change.
John attended The Royal Military College, Duntroon,
the Australian Army’s o² cer training establishment
in Canberra. In 2003 he was deployed to Iraq as a
weapons inspector. In 2012 he spent seven months in
Afghanistan and another 10 months there in 2015.
Despite knowing that John was a military man when
they married, the harsh reality of what that life entails
and what that life really means is far from easy.
‘Nothing ever prepares you for them leaving. Leaving,
saying goodbye to the children when they’re little, then
when they’re in primary school, then as teenagers.
Trying not to think the unthinkable. It is not easy for the
family,’ says Merran
Merran, at times a single mum, has done a great job
of keeping it all together for her family. She has a
world map at home and has drawn lines from Kabul to
Canberra with time segments acting like a count down
until John would be home again. The visual has worked
well for her family.
Finally, Merran concedes: ‘close friends and family, that’s
what gets you through.’
KATE NIXON
Alumnae Relations Coordinator
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Lauriston Life
ALUMNAE NEWS
Scholarship winnerOlivia (Ollie) Brown (2015) has won the prestigious
Charles Hawker Scholarship for 2017. Ollie is a second
year student at Burgmann College and is enrolled in the
Bachelor of Philosophy (Science) (Hons) degree course
majoring in Theoretical Physics and Pure Mathematics
at Australian National University in Canberra.
ReunionsClass of 2012 5 Year Reunion
Class of 2007 10 Year Reunion
Marriages and birthsJacqui O’Bryan (Cooper, 2008)Edward O’Bryan and Jacqui Cooper were married at
Xavier College chapel. Nine months after the wedding
they welcomed their healthy baby boy Edward Jeremy
O’Bryan (Teddy) on 6 February 2017. We wish Jacqui
and Edward every future happiness.
Upcoming OLA eventsWednesday 26 JulyClass of 1962 55 Year Reunion
Friday 28 July Class of 1987 30 Year Reunion
Friday 4 AugustLauriston Life Series Breakfast
Saturday 12 AugustClass of 1997 20 Year Reunion
Monday 14 August OLA Committee Meeting
Friday 25 August Class of 1977 40 Year Reunion
Thursday 31 AugustSenior Old Girls High Tea
Lauriston LifeEDITION 02 | JUN 2017
35
Term 3 2017 Events
Lauriston Life is digitalLauriston Life is distributed to more than 5000 families, both in Australia and overseas. In order to reduce our environmental footprint, we are now off ering the Lauriston community the option of receiving this magazine via email.
If you would like to receive future issues of Lauriston Life electronically, please email our Communications Offi cer at [email protected].
Advertising in Lauriston LifeIf you have a business or service that you would like to promote, consider placing an advertisement in Lauriston Life, which goes out to more than 5000 readers—alumnae, Lauriston parents, current and past staff , and all of our donors—and can also be viewed online. Our advertising rates are: full page $800, half page $500, quarter page $350.
For further information, please contact our Communications Offi cer at [email protected].
38 Huntingtower RoadArmadale VIC 3143 AustraliaCRICOS number 00152F ABN 15 004 264 402
t: +61 3 9864 7555e: [email protected]
facebook.com/LauristonArmadaletwitter.com/LauristonGirlswww.lauriston.vic.edu.au
Lauriston Girls’ School
Apply now for Kindergarten placesLauriston’s Kindergarten has limited co-educational four-year-old program spots available based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy. For more information contact the admissions offi ce on (03) 9864 7555.
Tuesday 18 JulyTerm 3 commences
Monday 24 JulyPoet-in-Residence welcome
Thursday 27 JulyExperience Lauriston
Monday 31 JulyMalvern Emergency Food Program Appeal Commences
Monday 7 AugustPrincipal’s Forum: Building Resilience
Thursday 10 AugustGala Concert
Monday 14 AugustExperience Prep to Year 2
Monday 21 August – Wednesday 23 AugustFabLearn Hackathon
Thursday 24 August Experience Lauriston
Tuesday 5 SeptemberLAA Chamber Music Lunch
We’re on Social Media/LauristonArmadale
/LauristonGirls
/lauristongs
/company/lauriston-girls’-school
/LauristonGS