summer 2015aogu.ascham.nsw.edu.au/nsw/ascham/uploads/files/aogu...hsc art show lunch dining room and...

Ascham Old Girls’ Magazine Summer 2015

Editorial Team The AOGU Committee greatly appreciate the support of Ascham School in the production of the AOG Magazine

Publisher Ascham School

Design Scribble & Think

Layout Ascham School

Founded 1899 Generations of heart and soul

AOG Calendar of events 2

Notice of Ascham Old Girls’ Union Annual General Meeting 2

From our Patron—Andrew Powell 3

President’s Report 4

Farewell Dea Richardson ... welcome to AOGU! 5

Old Girls in the dramatic arts 6

The Two of Us—Ali Yeldham and Bec Yeldham 9

Drama at Ascham: then and now 12

Drama in the early years 14

Business Breakfast 16

HSC Art Show Lunch 2015 18

Class of 1955—60 year reunion 20



North/North West Old Girls 50th Anniversary Lunch 23

Year 13 Drinks 24

Morning Tea for Mothers with Young Children 25

Announcements 26

Career updates 30

Ascham/Frensham Golf Day 2015 31

Celebrating 130 years of Ascham in 2016 31

Do you have any news? 32

Cover image—Tanya Goldberg (1993), Resident Director of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, more on page 8.

Madeline and Jemima Crawford, daughters of Ali Crawford (Higgs 1991) at the Morning Tea for Mothers with Young Children

Editorial noteI hope you enjoy this edition with its reference to past and present stars of the arts and drama world. Art and Drama have played a central role in Ascham’s curriculum for many years. The focus on preparation, presentation and debate is often mentioned when referring to the benefits of an Ascham education and this applies well to Art and Drama. Ascham Old Girls who experienced the frivolity of the Music Festival often mentioned it was a well-earned break in what can be a focused and somewhat serious attitude to education.

Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986)

Honorary Editor, Ascham Old Girls’ Committee

Annabelle Scott (2009) and Vanessa Au-Yeung (2013) at the annual Business Breakfast

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AOG Magazine Summer 2015

Drama plays a key role in the education of every Ascham girl. The study of Drama is compulsory in Year 7 and then becomes an elective from Year 8 onwards. Drama is both a theoretical and practical subject that involves the girls’ imagination and feelings. The study of Drama is not restricted to the girls in the Senior School. Many younger students in Hillingdon and Fiona take Speech and Drama as a co-curricular activity. This year we have over 400 students having weekly lessons and many of the girls participate in the end of term soirees and external public speaking competitions.

The girls in Fiona have the opportunity to be part of the Junior School musical every two years. I still have a vivid picture of walking to Suessical Jr. in 2014 and seeing a sign next to the fig tree saying that Saturday’s performance was ‘SOLD OUT!’ The Senior girls have opportunities to be involved in the biennial musical and/or the Senior production and each year there is the Middle School production. A recent addition to the Drama calendar is the Year 11 production where the girls produce, direct and act in a short play. The School’s philosophy is to have as much student participation as possible in the School productions. I would like to think that the girls will remember my stunning Friday afternoon Period 7 lesson on air pressure but the reality is this will probably be quickly forgotten. However, the memories of being in a play or musical last forever; whether they involve being on stage, backstage, or part of the lighting crew.

Many Ascham Old Girls hold dear memories of Music Festival. The first Music Festival Cup was presented by the Headmistress and Class of 1980 in memory of Chris Lee.

As I write this article the School is abuzz with excitement as the girls ready themselves for today’s Music Festival. As the last weeks of Term 3 draw near the grounds come alive with singing and dance moves being rehearsed. The time the girls now have to put together a House Music Festival performance of 15 minutes has been trimmed back from two weeks to one. During this time the strong Ascham traits of organisation, creativity, time management and leadership come to the fore. Many of the Year 12 students who have not had leadership roles take command of the girls in younger years to show them the dance steps and then they bring this together for the full production. The old saying ‘give a busy person a job and they will get it done’ holds true during Music Festival. The HSC looms large for the Year 12 girls, the girls from Years 7–11 still have their weekly assignment work, but they are all participating before school, at lunch, and after school to give their House the best opportunity to be successful in this wonderful tradition.

I asked Richard Charlton if he had any favourite memories regarding Music Festival:

One that springs to mind—In 1997 the theme was ‘OUT’: Out of Order / Outrageous / Outcast / Outsmart / Out of Sight / Out of Mind / Inside Out.

The Street House Chairman Alex Souvlis got the whole audience to stand up and swap places with the person next to them just so she could say, ‘now you’re all out of order!’

Andrew Powell Head of School

From our Patron—Andrew Powell

Theatre and dramatic arts at Ascham

AOG Calendar of events 2016

Wednesday 24 February 6.30pm Ascham Old Girls’ Union AGM

Marie Daley Room, Ascham

For more information please contact: [email protected] or telephone Skye Barry on (02) 8356 7065

Friday 11 March at 5.30pm Tildesley Jumper Presentation

The Glenrock Drawing Room

For more information please contact: Kirrily Scarfone at [email protected] or telephone Skye Barry on (02) 8356 7065

Monday 14 March Annual Golf and Tennis Day

The Royal Sydney Golf Club

Golf tee off from 8am, 9.30am and Tennis from 10am. The day concludes after a light lunch and trophies are presented.


Saturday 19 March 10am–12noon Morning Tea for Mothers with Young Children

Hillingdon Playground


Date in June to be confirmed Business Breakfast

Sunroom at the Ivy, 320 George Street, Sydney


Friday 26 August 11am HSC Art Show Lunch

Dining Room and Packer Foyer, Ascham from 11am–2.30pm

For more information please contact [email protected] or telephone Skye Barry on (02) 8356 7065

Music Festival 2015 Andrew Powell talks to Mary Arnold (Vyden 1955)

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The Annual General Meeting of the Ascham Old Girls’ Union (‘Union’) will be held on Wednesday 24 February 2016 at 6.30pm in the Marie Daley Room, Ascham School, 188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027, for the purpose of transacting the following business:

1. Report of the Union’s activities since the previous Annual General Meeting2. Presentation of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement3. Election of Office-Bearers and Members of the Committee

All past pupils of Ascham are welcome, whether or not they are members of the Union. A report will be given to the meeting by the Head of School.

Could you please reply to the Old Girl Liaison Officer, Old Girls’ Union, Ascham School, 188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027, or by email to [email protected] or phone the Liaison Officer on (02) 8356 7065 before Friday 19 February 2016, if you will attend the AGM.

Nominations for New Committee Members

Nominations for new Committee members are welcome. Nominations must be in writing on the Nomination Form obtainable from the Executive Officer and must be received, as per the Constitution, prior to the Meeting. Please note that only financial members of the Union are eligible to nominate for the Committee.

The Ascham Old Girls’ Committee is always looking for assistance. If you would like to be on the Ascham Old Girls’ Committee or would like to volunteer to help at AOGU functions, please contact the Old Girl Liaison Officer on (02) 8356 7065 or by email at [email protected].

Notice of Ascham Old Girls’ Union Annual General Meeting


The AOGU Committee has been very busy with changes to roles and the organisation of some major events.

Hannah Brown (2002), who joined the Committee in 2011 and became Vice President of the AOGU in 2012, has taken up an opportunity to study a Master’s in International Affairs at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

in Switzerland and has submitted her resignation from the AOGU Committee—unfortunately for us!

Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986), who you will know as a member of the AOG Magazine’s Editorial team, is now Vice President along with Caroline Stephens (Atwill 1976), a long-serving member of the Committee. We welcome Giselle to the role and she has already taken up the challenge with gusto.

Many of you who attended the AOGU HSC Art Show Lunch at Ascham in August will agree that the day was a great success. Guest speaker Kate Waterhouse (2001) entertained us with many stories in conversation with previous AOGU President Lea Stracey (Serafim 1973). We were lucky enough to have a member of Ascham’s Council of Governors, Old Girl Angela Kent (Saunders 1978), discuss and explain the many works of the Year 12 Art students. The works presented were of such a high standard you easily could have thought they were produced by professional artists. Thank you to Hattie Millett (Street 1980), who has been organising this event for several years now and each year does a wonderful job in making the event so enjoyable, and to Ascham’s Old Girl Liaison Officer, Skye Barry (Edwards 1994), who has also been essential in making the day run smoothly.

I met up with the North/North West Old Girls on 21 October to celebrate their 50th year of service and support for the AOGU and Ascham School. They had a lovely lunch at The Pavillion, in Nemingha near Tamworth. I had the pleasure of catching up with many of the friends I made at the Moree Lunch last year.

At the time of writing I look forward to the gathering of Ascham Old Girls for lunch in Brisbane on Thursday 12 November. Three of my sisters went to school at Somerville

President’s Report

Spring has sprung and the weather has been beautiful! It has been another successful and productive year for the Ascham Old Girls’ Union.

House, Ascham’s sister school; I wonder how many other Ascham Old Girls I will meet at the lunch who have a connection with both schools.

The annual Business Breakfast was held in June and was chaired by Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986) with guest speakers Elizabeth Stone (1990) and Belinda Hutchinson (1971) who were both entertaining and informative. Elizabeth and Belinda engaged in a lively discussion on changes in education and professional opportunities for women, reflecting on their own careers. As Principal of Queenwood School and Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney respectively, Elizabeth and Belinda enlightened the audience with their insights on differences to Ascham and changes to university education.

The Breakfast is a very popular event as it is available to those who work close to the city and provides opportunities to network and make contacts. We hope in the near future to elaborate on that concept with perhaps a database that Old Girls can tap into from a careers point of view. The AOGU is in discussions with Mr Powell and his staff on a micro website for Old Girls.

We thank the School for supporting the AOG Magazine and we would love to get feedback from Old Girls about the Magazine—your feedback may even be printed in the next edition and we are even considering a prize for the best letter! Please write to Skye Barry (Edwards 1994) at [email protected].

Vi et Animo

Jennifer Ridhalgh (Harvey 1981)

Hannah Brown (2002) at the Business Breakfast

Dea first came to Ascham in 1994 where she worked in the Library. During this time she immersed herself in the culture of the School and made good friends among the teaching and administration staff. The opportunity to move into the Registrar’s role came in 1999, when a maternity leave cover position became available. In 2000 she was offered the role permanently.

At that time the Registrar’s office was located in the little narrow room at the back of Glenrock. It was a one-person office and Dea was it. The boarders used to collect their mail from a clipboard outside Dea’s office. She loved the little drop in visits from the boarders at recess and lunch. It was during these early years that her comfortable relationship with the boarding community began. It was not uncommon to find a smiling face at the Registrar’s door with a dozen eggs, a pot of jam or a bag of apples!

Dea’s husband Ken joined Ascham as Head of Tennis in 1996 and retired in 2010. Between them there was barely a student or a family Dea or Ken didn’t know and their love for the School was made evident by the time and dedication they showed towards their roles. Dea and Ken have retained many friendships with Old Girls and families from that period at the School. In fact in April 2015 they attended the wedding of a former student from the Class of 2007, Stefania Bekiaris (D’Amico).

As Registrar, Dea held a very important role managing enrolments during and after the turbulent period of Susan Preedy’s appointment as Headmistress in 2004.

At the end of 2012 Dea resigned from her role as Registrar with the intention of transitioning to retirement. Her last two and a half years at Ascham have been spent in Communications and Community which Dea has enjoyed immensely. She has been able to maintain her connections to Ascham and pass on her knowledge of families and the School culture. Dea’s love for Ascham and its Old Girls is evident from the number of Old Girls who have enjoyed catching up with her at the many Old Girl events.

Over the past two years Dea has continued to foster relationships with our boarding community and country families, kindly hosting fabulous lunches in Yass and Scone.

Dea has been such a key part of the community at Ascham for the past 21 years. She has been responsible for the admission of many present and past families who have contributed to the culture and success of Ascham. Living locally, I suspect it will not be a full goodbye to Dea and I’m sure she will remain in contact with her friends amongst the staff and families in the area. Her heart and soul is very much aligned with Ascham and we are delighted to welcome her as an Honorary Old Girl.

Skye Barry (Edwards 1994)

Farewell Dea Richardson … welcome to AOGU!

After 21 years at Ascham, Dea Richardson has become a much-loved part of the fabric of Ascham’s community. With her retirement earlier this year, the Ascham Old Girls’ Union welcomed her to the AOGU as an Honorary Old Girl.

Ken and Dea at Stefania Bekiaris (D’Amico 2007)’s wedding

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Ursula Woodhouse (Finlay 1953)

When Ursula Woodhouse (Finlay) finished Ascham in 1953 she had one goal: not to be a secretary or a nurse. Although she wanted to become an actor, her father did not believe it was a suitable career so instead she pursued her acting interests by combining acting with work as a cadet journalist at the Sun Newspaper where she worked from 6am to 2pm. In the afternoons she acted at the ABC in various roles and worked on commercial radio programs.

In 1956 when Ursula had been married for just six weeks to her husband Hubert ‘Woody’ Woodhouse she was offered a role as Grace Storefield in the J Arthur Rank film, Robbery Under Arms which was being shot in London and South Australia. Woody gave up his job and they moved to London so Ursula could star in the film. Robbery Under Arms featured Peter Finch and was a successful film of the time. Ursula was proudly promoted in Australian newspapers as ‘Our Grace Kelly’ and applauded for being an Australian actress performing on the world stage. As Ursula reflects, ‘It’s amazing what you can do when you’re young and enthusiastic’.

On Ursula’s return to Australia in 1960 she worked in TV, which was booming at the time. She was in a number of series including Homicide, Whiplash and Riptide. Following the birth of Ursula’s third child she moved back into journalism to combine her career with family commitments.

Ascham was the fifth school Ursula attended. Her school years were during World War II and

her father was in the army so she moved often. Ursula loved her time at Ascham and was involved in sport, a school magazine she started herself, as well as acting. Her interest in acting developed at Ascham and she played the lead role wearing a boy’s grey suit in the medieval morality play Everyman. As there was no theatre at Ascham at that time the venue was the Conservatorium of Music. The play also ‘toured’ to Frensham!

Mandy Bishop (1987)

Mandy Bishop, best known for her comedic portrayal of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the series At Home with Julia, is a self-confessed late bloomer to acting. While she did musicals at Ascham in 5th and 6th Forms, Mandy claims she was too shy to even audition for lead roles in plays during her time at school. Eventually singing in the Music Festival to represent her House, Bailey, gave her the start she needed. The first time she sang, her older sister was one of the directors and then in her final year of Music Festival, she sang while her little sister accompanied her on the drums.

After Ascham Mandy completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of New England (Armidale) and then studied Musical Theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Since then she has performed for, worked in and created many Independent Theatre companies and eventually worked for the more well-known ones including Belvoir Street Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Opera House.

Old Girls in the dramatic arts

Ascham is proud to boast several Old Girls who have pursued successful careers in the performing arts. As actors, directors and film producers, they have fond memories of Ascham and how their passion for performing was encouraged during their years at School. In this story, we have profiled several Old Girls including Ursula Woodhouse (1953), Mandy Bishop (1987), Marta Dusseldorp (1990), Blazey Best (1991) and Tanya Goldberg (1993).

Ursula in 1950s

Mandy fondly remembers her time at Ascham, particularly her teachers, including Miss Nicholls; Mr Robinson in Physics; Patricia Forbes, her singing teacher; and Mrs Boyce, her brilliant and compassionate Mathematics teacher. She also feels grateful to Mrs Danziger for giving her a second chance in 3rd Form, after she left in 1st Form with severe homesickness! While she still has the occasional Monday night anxiety dream, she credits the Dalton Plan for ‘holding her soul together’.

Marta Dusseldorp (1990)

Marta Dusseldorp’s successful acting career has encompassed roles in many well known TV series including most recently A Place to Call Home, Janet King, Devil’s Dust, Jack Irish and Crownies. Her first play was Our Town at Ascham with Director Peter Murray. Marta recalls it was a very moving and profound piece which showed her ‘how words

could reach across space and impact people’s lives.’

Marta, who had been a dancer since she was four years old, says her transition to theatre was an epiphany—to find out that dance could be translated into thoughts, ideas, and more complex scenarios was a mind opening moment for her.

Following school Marta majored in theatre and film at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Initially she worked in theatre but now she has moved into television, which has given her more flexibility to be at home with her two children and husband Benjamin Winspear, who is also an actor. Marta says she loves the creative fulfilment and constant challenge that acting provides.

Marta’s strongest memories of Ascham are the incredible spaces to play, run, hide and laugh in with her friends, saying, ‘I grew up there so to me it was my world. It made me feel safe and supported: to dream and fly with my imagination’. She remembers the library in particular as a quiet space where there was only one rule: be quiet and read.

Mandy Bishop with Julia Gillard. Photo credit Kate McClymont

Ticket from Marta’s first play Our Town

Blazey Best (1991)

Blazey Best (1991) reflects that she never imagined doing anything else but acting. She says, with some humour, that she had a fleeting moment in Year 9 where she studied meteorology and found it fascinating, but says the interest didn’t last like acting did. While at Ascham in the early 1990s she performed in a string of plays and sang in the choir and the Madrigal group. Some of her strongest memories are of playing Abigail in The Crucible, Lady Bracknell in the Importance of Being Earnest and Adriana in Comedy of Errors, a role she later played with Bell Shakespeare in her 20s and would like to play again, now that she is in her 40s.

Blazey also recalls the Packer Theatre, which opened while she was at School, saying that to this day it has some of the best facilities of any theatre she’s worked in. She attributes her ability to read music from sight—a skill she learnt at Ascham under Sally Glover, ‘the best singing teacher I ever had’—was an incredible skill to have learnt for her future career.

After school Blazey took a year off and then enrolled in an Arts (Theatre and Film) Degree at UNSW. She never finished the Degree, she is uncertain if she even finished the first year, because she was too busy acting in plays and getting a lot of television work, for which she started to get paid.

Although Blazey auditioned for National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) twice and didn’t get in, she won a scholarship through Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) which enabled her to do a summer Shakespeare workshop at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. In her late twenties she worked with John Bell and the Shakespeare Company, which gave her the beginnings of a career. There followed a succession of jobs with the Bell Shakespeare Company and she became an Associate Artist. She also did a number of shows for the ABC. Currently Blazey is in a play called Ivanov at Belvoir Street, acting with John Bell.

Blazey dancing in Bell Shakespeare’s production of Much Ado About Nothing

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It was such a rich and busy time: hanging out at lunchtime; singing songs in assembly every single morning (some awesome, some appalling); the camaraderie

among my English class in particular (a large group of us were together all the way from Year 8 through to Year 12); trying to keep my green socks up in winter; always getting told off in choir rehearsals for talking (it was never me); playing netball (badly); the fig tree; spending

whole studies talking about life, the universe and everything, along with our teachers; great debating comps at lunchtime; setting off the alarm in the library (accidentally) when the book alarm system was first installed … seven years in a place hold a lot of memories ...

Tanya Goldberg (1993)

The Two of Us—Ali and Bec Yeldham

Ali has one of those careers that most people only dream of. In fact many of us would believe this to be the ultimate fairytale career: assist in the design of dresses for Princess Diana when only a few years out of school, be a creative designer in some large Paris fashion houses while in your 20s, and then open a successful contemporary Art Gallery in Sydney with international collaborations. Her sister Bec also impresses, with her LA lifestyle of film production and collaborations with top film directors after setting up her own film distribution company in New York. Wow!

In 1984, Ali finished school where she had won the Art Prize and shown a great interest and passion for Visual Arts. Ali explains that the Art Department was her sanctuary at lunchtimes and her teachers—Dianne Dowe, Vivienne Shannon and Brian Phipps—were exceptional thinkers who encouraged her to be exploratory in art and even in life itself.

Ali graduated from Sydney College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Design. She deferred her second year to go to London where she was an assistant to eccentric fashion designer, and favourite of Princess Diana, Zandra Rhodes. Ali spent 18 months in Zandra’s design team and worked on couture fashion parades. After returning to Sydney to complete her degree, Ali worked in Paris, initially creating fabric designs for Jean Paul Gaultier before working with Christian LaCroix. Ali then went into costume design, working on Harry M Miller’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar and the film Sirens, which was based on Norman Lindsay’s life. Ali also

undertook some costume design for other feature films and during this time became more involved in meeting artists who were working in the art departments on film sets without many opportunities to showcase their work. This became the inspiration to set up the Arthouse Gallery with her mother, Di Yeldham, initially in Paddington and then two years later at the current premises in Rushcutters Bay. The Gallery focuses on representing and exhibiting leading contemporary Australian artists including Charles Blackman and Ali’s brother Joshua, a well-recognised Australian talent. Other artists who have been under her wing include Martine Emdur, Belinda Fox, Deborah Halpern and Dean Home, as well as Aaron Kinnane whose work is currently hanging in the Art Gallery of NSW as part of the Wynne Prize. Ali comes across other Old Girls in her profession and has helped some of them to develop as artists, including successful Sydney-based artist Kate Dorrough (1983).

Ali Yeldham (on right with microphone) at her gallery

Tanya Goldberg (1993)

Tanya Goldberg is currently the Resident Director of the Australian production of Matilda the Musical. The production has received wide acclaim and has been greatly enjoyed by parents and children alike. Her career as a director started with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Law at University of Technology Sydney and while studying, she participated in as much theatre as she could. At the end of her Law degree she travelled overseas on an ATYP scholarship to study with the Moscow Art Theatre School, attend the Edinburgh Festival and visit New York. When she returned she was

Tanya Goldberg (1993) directing Clybourne Park for Ensemble Theatre March 2014. Photo credit Clare Hawley

accepted into the full-time acting course at NIDA. Although an actor, she always knew she wanted to direct and at NIDA she met many people who became her key collaborators in the years that followed.

Tanya’s love of theatre is fundamentally linked to her studies in English, Modern History and Visual Arts. She says, ‘My amazing English teachers really responded to my obvious interest, whatever little talent they saw in me and truly nurtured it and encouraged me.’ Among the teachers she credits is her Mathematics teacher Mrs Dubb, who taught her ‘a great deal about persistence—she never for a second believed that I “couldn’t do maths” like I always claimed. She was right, too.’

At Ascham Tanya was involved in a number of productions including The Comedy of Errors, The Crucible, The Merchant of Venice, The Little Rats and Der Güte Mensch von Szechuan. Tanya says, ‘I also didn’t get in to some shows. I remember being heartbroken when I didn’t get into Hamlet. Facing rejection is an unavoidable part of working in the performing arts, and so even at Ascham, I was learning how to manage those disappointments too.’

As a Director of a big production such as Matilda, Tanya claims she still ‘loves a deadline’. And unlike at school, she says she no longer leaves everything to the last minute—‘That’s a good thing!’


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The Gallery has become one of the most dynamic and well-regarded galleries in Sydney and celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year. The Gallery is participating in collaborative exhibitions in Hong Kong and its next international art exhibition is planned for Singapore.

Many of you may have attended Sydney Contemporary in September at Carriageworks in Eveleigh, during which Arthouse Gallery was featured amongst leading art galleries from around Australia. Ali sees art fairs as an opportunity to build new relationships with the general public and for more

people to engage in art. As a result she has met so many wonderful new people who have often purchased their first art works.

Ali has a strong passion for promoting and creating a greater awareness of Indigenous art. She helped to establish the career of Daniel Walbidi, who was awarded the 2014 Telstra General Painting Award, and exhibits Indigenous art such as that from Central Desert artists and the Bidyadanga artists from Western Australia.

Ali and her husband Angus enjoy working with Angus’s brother who has been supporting a remote school in the Northern Territory. Ali recently took her family to an Indigenous outstation community called Lilla to work on an art project with 80 local children. Her two children—11-year-old Ginger who will attend Ascham in 2016 and George who is in Year 4 at Cranbrook—said that this was the best experience of their lives.

In a similar way to Ali, sister Rebecca Yeldham works and collaborates closely with creative people, nurturing and supporting the careers of both emerging and established auteur film directors. Her great passion is filmmaking. Bec studied Arts/Law at the University of Sydney and in 1987 transferred to Brown University, an Ivy League College on the East Coast of America, ultimately majoring in Modern Culture and Media. On graduating, she moved to New York where she worked with a film distribution company specialising in the release of international and independent features and ultimately heading up acquisitions. In the late 90s she moved to Los Angeles, where she began programming for the Sundance Film Festival and ran international programs in Latin America and other countries to support emerging writers and directors. It was there that she was recruited to run the American Film division for the UK’s Film Four, which launched her career as a producer.

Over the last decade, Bec has produced such acclaimed international features as: The Motorcycle Diaries which was directed by Walter Salles, won a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and starred Gael Garcia Bernal; The Kite Runner, directed by Marc Forster and based on the acclaimed best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini; On the Road, another collaboration with Walter Salles and based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac; Anvil: The Story of Anvil, recipient of over 20 international awards including Best Documentary at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards and a News and Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming; and Australian actor Joel Edgerton’s feature-length directorial debut The Gift. Bec’s films have played at the Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals and have won multiple international awards. She is based in Los Angeles but remains very close to her Australian family who continue to support and draw inspiration from one another.

In speaking of her years at Ascham, Bec says:

I had the privilege of an education and upbringing where anything was possible and where the only impediments to success were my own fears or perceptions of failure. I owe a tremendous amount to my English teachers who cultivated and deepened my love of literature—almost all my films have been based on books—and my art teachers for helping me find my own voice and different vehicles for its expression. I’d also be remiss not to point out that were it not for Mrs Danziger, I might not even have come to the States. At my final school meeting before the HSC, Mrs Danziger urged me

to consider applying to Brown. I remember her saying, ‘It’s the school for you. It will give

you an opportunity to study what you love and explore everything

you’re passionate about’. She was absolutely right. It was the perfect school for me; it provided me with a wealth of opportunities and here I am nearly 30 years later.

I’m so inspired by the achievements of my brother

Josh, who is an artist, and sister Ali. I’m not sure where this strong gut of

ours comes from but each of us were raised to trust it and have had these amazing careers making art and collaborating with artists. All of us took a slightly unorthodox approach. The fact that Ali’s gallery is now so established and respected, given her dedication to supporting new voices and unproven talent, is testimony to the strength of her convictions, taste, and foresight. Joshua too toiled for years as an artist honing his craft, getting rejected and passed over by critics, always believing in himself until it become unavoidable that they too would come to recognise his talents. One could say, immodestly, that we all had a certain amount of talent, but I know we each couldn’t have achieved the success we’ve achieved without a strong work ethic, determination, self-confidence, self-reliance—all qualities fostered in us by Mum and Dad and reinforced by School.

Giselle Collins (1986)

Rebecca, Joshua and Ali Yeldham in front of Joshua’s work

I did not grow up in an ‘industry’ family like many people in the film business here in Los Angeles. But I grew up in a very creative family

who, like my teachers at Ascham, encouraged me to work hard, be true to my instincts and conscience, and

pursue my passions. Bec Yeldham

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Drama at Ascham has flourished since Rosemary Ricketts introduced Stages 4, 5 and 6 as an elective subject in 2003. The popularity of Drama as a subject escalated, determining the path for my appointment as a teacher in 2005. Within the strong foundation established by Rose in aligning the Drama syllabus with the Dalton Plan and Assignments, we worked together to create today’s dynamic department. Rose and I met in the 1990s as HSC markers and in 2002 we worked together on the Standards Package for Drama for the Board of Studies.

As interest continued to blossom a part-time position was created to accommodate the demand. Initially Alycia Ferguson from the English Department took this position, during which time she directed the celebrated Middle School production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Emily Weare followed Alycia and she directed the entertaining Middle School productions Hating Alison Ashley and Dust. At the end of Term 1 2013 Rose retired; I was employed as the

Head of Drama, Emily became full-time and Julie Hudspeth joined the team in the part-time position. Both teachers are also actors who have inspired the students with their expertise in the art of acting and zeal for theatre.

Every Year group in the Senior School has the opportunity to study Drama. There is a compulsory component in Year 7 for one semester, which then becomes elective for all years up to the HSC. The Dalton practices of collaboration, reflection and independence are synonymous with Drama, inherent in the dramatic context of playbuilding, which is the core component in each stage of the Drama curriculum. Ultimately, our programs aim to have students understand the collaborative nature of this art form and provide them with a range of artistic skills to become creators of theatre and communicators in life.

The Bard dominates in first term for Years 9, 10 and 11 as they work with challenging opportunities to interpret Shakespeare in a contemporary and innovative form. Year 9 students present adaptations where they explore themes and character situations to create an original playbuilt performance incorporating 50 per cent Shakespearean language with contemporary dialogue. Year 10 students present scenes or duologues, they also find a modern-day context, but perform the original text. Working with abstract and movement forms, Year 11 find symbolic and figurative meaning in Shakespeare’s plays to present innovative playbuilt performances. Students in Year 10 also create design projects during these units, while Years 11 and 9 explore design in later units. The popular annual Shakespeare Festival provides an opportunity for the students to perform their class work along with pieces from the Shakespeare Club, which is available to all students as a co-curricular activity.

Drama at Ascham: then and now

It’s a class act.

The pinnacle of playbuilding culminates in the compulsory HSC group performances; the students work in groups of three to six to create an original performance based on set stimuli, for example titles such as ‘Vanishing Point’ or ‘Keep Me Posted’. Our students’ innovative work in this section has been recognised by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) through the many OnStage nominations we have received over the years, including two groups this year. Only 10 groups and 10 individual performances from all over the State are chosen for this presentation of exemplary HSC practical work. Ascham has also had many individual nominations, and this year four students have been proposed.

Performance is not the only option for the individual section of the HSC. Students can also select from preferences in Scriptwriting; Design: promotion and program, costume, set or lighting; Critical Analysis: director’s folio, applied research project or a portfolio of theatre criticism; and Video Drama. Exemplary examples of these are also displayed in the foyer of the Seymour Centre during OnStage and Ascham has had a director’s folio, a portfolio of theatre criticism, a set design and two promotion and program projects included in the exhibition.

The final section of the three HSC Drama components is a written exam based on the practical exploration of two topic areas—one compulsory one on Australian Theatre and the other is selected from numerous options. Our HSC results have been consistently strong, some of the highest in the State and a testament to the quality teaching and learning in Drama classrooms. Five students have attained positions in the top 10 in the State with Amelia Burke being awarded first in Drama in 2012.

Appreciation of theatre is further enriched through excursions and incursions. Year 11 students attend a theatre subscription generally to Sydney Theatre Company or Belvoir Street Theatre. These experiences link directly to their study of Drama as they learn the semiotics of theatre appreciation and criticism in writing reviews. The student-directed production also provides enrichment. Initiated by Year 11 in

2005, this remains a popular co-curricular activity for aspiring directors. Theatre arts are integral to our programs and the Department benefits from the expertise of Theatre Manager Michael Linney and Assistant Manager Peter Mussared.

Ascham continues to offer co-curricular opportunities in production for students in Fiona through to the Senior School. Two productions are presented every year: the Senior Musical with the Senior Production, and the Middle School Production with the Fiona Musical, rotating on a two-year basis. In my first year, I was in awe of the professional standard of these productions and while I had directed numerous plays during my career, none had been to the professional level of Ascham productions. I co-directed two Senior productions, The Caucasian Chalk Circle in 2008 and The Stoppard Double Bill in 2010 with my husband, Leonard Homfray. Both were high points in my career.

There have been many memorable productions during my time at the School: Picnic at Hanging Rock and the thought-provoking Top Girls, directed by Rosemary Ricketts, provided challenging female roles. Musicals, West Side Story directed by Terry Brady with musical direction by Richard Charlton and this year’s extravaganza, Into the Woods, directed by Peter Mussared with Richard Charlton’s musical direction. Little Women presented a great collaboration between Music and Drama with Stephanie Mourmanis directing the Middle School choir.

Teaching Drama is one of the most rewarding experiences as it challenges students to maximise their individual talents for lifelong learning and, in conjunction with the Dalton Plan, they often exceed their potential. Ascham’s Drama Department is unparalleled. I have acquired great knowledge and skills from the dedicated colleagues I have encountered on my journey. I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities Ascham has afforded me in my career. I feel mixed feelings of excitement for the next stage of semi-retirement and sadness in leaving this wonderful School, which has the hardest-working students and teachers in the State.

Julia Homfray Head of Drama

Julia Homfray and Rosemary Ricketts The Caucasian Chalk Circle (2008) Senior School production

A Tom Stoppard Double Bill, The Real Inspector Hound (2010) Senior production

OnSTAGE HSC 2011—Matlida Hartwig, Sophie Morstyn, Amelia Wilson, Jessica Wotton

West Side Story 2013 Musical

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Sydney’s theatre scene was flourishing when Miss Wallis founded her school in 1886. The city had a thriving local theatre culture and had long been a desirable place for well-known actors from the northern hemisphere to tour. Meanwhile, school productions were regularly staged at Ascham, with elocution teacher Lawrence Campbell directing the first known Shakespearean production in 1896, with excerpts from The Merchant of Venice.

The girls and staff were encouraged to attend the theatre and take advantage of the School’s proximity to the city. In 1897, teacher and housemistress Miss Madeline Whitfeld wrote to her sister that she was being taken to the theatre by the Lingen family (who had four daughters at Ascham) to see The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown, a popular farce that had played for months in London and New York before coming to Sydney.

By this time, Inez Bensusan was already established in London where she combined the theatre with her work for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. In 1908, she joined fellow actresses, including Ellen Terry, Sybil Thorndyke and Lily Langtry to form the Actress’ Franchise League (AFL). As well as overseeing the writing, collecting and publication of plays by the AFL, Inez wrote three plays in 1911, including The Apple, protesting the 1911 Census, and Nobody’s Sweetheart, and the suffrage film, True Womanhood. In 1912,

she authored the play The Womanhood. She helped form the Jewish League for Women’s Suffrage in 1912 and in 1913 established The Women’s Theatre Company. Although the Company’s work was interrupted by World War I, she took the Company abroad to entertain the troops and later during the War appeared in the films, The Grit of a Jew (1917) and Adam Bede (1918). Inez was to perform in over 50 stage productions in the United Kingdom between 1897 and 1938.

When the School moved into the spacious mansion Mount Adelaide in 1902 under Mr Carter, the productions became more ambitious. It would be interesting to know if Sylvia Beamer, who attended Ascham from 1907 to 1910 as Sylvia Breamer, played a part in any of these productions, which received positive reviews in The Sydney Morning Herald. Sylvia pursued a career as a silent screen actress in America, beginning in New York in 1917 where she was later directed in her third film We Can’t Have Everything by Cecile B de Mille. She moved to Hollywood in 1920 and worked with actors such as Wallace Beery and John Gilbert, and made so many films during the 1920s that only an abridged list appears under her Wikipedia entry.

The timeline of Ascham School productions over the decades provides a fascinating insight into the changing tastes in theatre. In the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century, it was more common for the students to perform

Drama in the early years

The dramatic arts have been a feature of Ascham life since the beginning of the School’s almost 130-year history. Correspondingly, Ascham girls have been pursuing acting careers for almost as long, with Inez Bensusan, one of the School’s first nine pupils, becoming Ascham’s first professional actress.

excerpts than to stage an entire play. For example in 1913, scenes from Le Borgeoise Gentilhomme, The Rivals and Robin Hood were all performed on the one program, allowing a large number of girls to have parts. This had changed by 1946, when at the school’s Diamond Jubilee Garden Party, parents and students were treated to simultaneous performances. The Comedy of a Man Who Married a Dumb Wife by Anatole France was performed in the Assembly Hall, while A Mime play followed by The Prince Who was a Piper by Harold Brighouse was performed concurrently on the ‘side lawn’.

Shirley Ann Richards was one of Miss Bailey’s former students who followed an acting career, attending Ascham from 1925 until 1928. Shirley worked on Australian films during the 1930s under Ken G Hall before moving to Hollywood and being put under contract at MGM, appearing in numerous films throughout the 1940s. Margaret Vyner left Ascham in 1929 and began appearing in local theatre productions before leaving for London. According to her daughter, she left the ship in Naples, travelled overland to Paris and worked for Jean Patou as a general assistant, before becoming a highly successful model, even immortalised in a song by Cole Porter. She worked in London and North America before returning to Australia to play a part in the film, The Flying Doctor. She met her husband, English actor Hugh Williams, on board ship and returned to England where they made films until the outbreak of WWII. After the War, the two started to successfully collaborate on writing plays, one of which, The Grass is Greener, was a hit in the West End that was made into a film starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum.

With each era came new opportunities and new media. In the 1940s, Hope Suttor and Amber Mae Cecil worked on radio, the latter voicing The Argonauts while still at school. Ursula (Finlay) Woodhouse worked variously in radio, film and television during her acting career, before settling into journalism.

By the late 1940s, both the boarders and daygirls at Ascham had their own Dramatic Societies. In 1949, the day girls

performed And So It Goes On set in 1999, providing the cast with an opportunity to appear in an array of creative costumes, much to the audience’s amusement. The building of the War Memorial Hall in 1958 gave the School a larger performance space than the old hall built by Mr Carter in 1910 and by the 1960s, the Ascham Dramatic Club staged pieces as varied as the Mexican farce The Red Velvet Goat, The Boy with a Cart and Hair. While Junior School productions included the opera All the Kings’ Men in 1974, the era of the Senior School’s co-productions with Cranbrook and Sydney Grammar School began in earnest in the 1970s, with such productions as The Boyfriend, Pygmalian, and continued into the 1980s with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard II. While the co-productions called for large casts, Ascham has also continued to stage numerous smaller productions each year such as The Two Fiddlers and The Travelling Scholar from Paradise.

A number of productions from the late 1980s and into the 1990s and early 2000s are held on video and DVD in the archives. One of the earliest productions on video, The Ragged Child, was requested by an Old Girl but had degraded considerably over the years. Fortunately, the Sydney Grammar archivist has migrated their videos to DVD and was able to provide a good copy, a happy outcome of the two schools’ cooperation. Amongst the many Ascham productions captured on video from the 1990s and awaiting conversion (possibly a potential Old Girls project?) are Les Petits Rats, Form 1’s Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations, Michael Charlesworth’s production of The Taming of the Shrew and the 2000 Fiona production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. An unusual production and one worthy of mention is The Black Butterfly. Shot on Super 8, it is an original, silent film featuring members of Class 6.1 in 1974. Forty years old last year, it is now a period piece featuring Fiona and the Fairy Walk and is a fantastic homage to films of the day such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Amazing Mr Blunden. It too has been requested by members of the Class of 1980. Converted from film to DVD, it is now a favourite with Year 2 students who watch it on their annual visit to The Octagon.

Some of the Ascham Old Girls who have gone into the dramatic arts from Miss Roberts’ and Mrs Danziger’s era include Joanna McCallum, Lynne Rainbow, Melissa Docker, Nell Schofield, Saturday Jobbins, Arkie Whitely, Marta Dusseldorp and Blazey Best, to name but a few. The aforementioned have showcased their talents variously on the stage, on television and on film or through a combination of the three. Opportunities to perform at school abounded during their years and only increased with the opening of the Packer Theatre in 1988. The School’s location has continued to benefit day girls and boarders alike as trips to the theatre have continued to feature as an important part of Ascham’s English and now Drama curriculum, hopefully to continue to inspire a future generation of Ascham actors.

Marguerite Gillezeau Archivist

Jean Bulfin and Helen Shirley, Tartuffe, 1937, Jean Murray collection

Inez Bensusan, 1890s Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations, 1993 Drama Program, 1913

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It would have been hard for any act to follow last year’s exchange by Shemara Wikramanayake (1979), her many wonderful insights into her personality, and her career advice to simply do more than what is asked of you.

It is therefore with much pleasure that I let you know the interview panel with Belinda Hutchinson AM (1971) and Elizabeth Stone (1990) received fantastic feedback from those present. It was a joy to facilitate the event and be able to ask those really knotty questions to such accomplished Old Girls. Belinda, who has an amazing portfolio of Boards, is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney. Elizabeth is a Rhodes Scholar and the Headmistress of Queenwood and her anecdotes of her years of initially studying Law before transferring into teaching played nicely

with Belinda’s insights into her own role within the education sector. Both Elizabeth and Belinda have, or have had, girls at Ascham: Elizabeth’s daughter Adelaide is in Year 8, while Belinda’s daughter Emily graduated from Ascham in 2009.

I hope to see you at next year’s event. Each Breakfast is a great opportunity to see and hear from Old Girls in the lovely setting of the ivy. Even the ivy has links to Ascham with Old Girl Bettina Hemmes (1981), kindly assisting us so we could enjoy a breakfast buffet in the sunroom.

Please feel free to send me feedback on this event so we can continue to evolve it into being an even more rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986)

Business Breakfast

The annual Business Breakfast is a really popular event amongst Old Girls.

Committee Members assisting at the event: Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986), Skye Barry (Edwards 1994), Tina Milson (Bowman 1974), Mollie Maloney (2013), Hannah Brown (2002), Caroline Stephens (Atwill 1976) and Hattie Millett (Street 1980)

Jenny Ridhalgh (Harvey 1981), Elizabeth Stone (1990), Giselle Collins (Jollie 1986) and Belinda Hutchinson (1971)

Chloe Collett (Helene 1990), Elizabeth Stone (1990), Lucy Masters (Scott 1990) and Georgia de Graaff (Currie 1990)

Alexandra Feetham (2007) and Georgia Weekes (2007) Angela Armitage (Stanton 1986) Nicola Michel (Dowe 1985) and Danielle Stitt (Daisley 1985)

Shemara Wikramanayake (1979), Andrew Powell, Jacqui Suttor (2003), Sian Nagle (2003)

Vanessa Au-Yeung (2013), Nina Szewczyk (2013) and Zoe Sophios (2013)

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Angela provided some wonderful insights into the artworks of our Year 12 Art students and her dedication to the task was shown by her anecdotes from discussions with the artists themselves in various phone interviews. Her knowledge and understanding of the artworks, their meaning, and the mediums used enthralled the audience—listening to Angela was like being in the Art Gallery of NSW with a highly experienced guide. Once again the Year 12 girls have, without exception, created incredible art pieces in a variety of mediums including animation, photography, painting, drawing, etching, film and video.

From the Packer Foyer we moved up to the verandah of the Dining Room for champagne, giving everyone the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. This year we had Old Girls ranging from the years of 1950 to 2012 attend the lunch, which was very special. We also had many proud parents and even grandparents in attendance and there was a lovely buzz in the room with no shortage of conversation. It was also a perfect opportunity to see the progress of the refurbishment of Duntrim.

Over a delicious lunch once again provided by John Woodrow and his wonderful team, we were entertained by Lea Stracey (1973) who very ably interviewed Kate Waterhouse (2001), focusing on her years at Ascham and how Ascham has influenced her life and helped prepare her for the future. Lea has known Kate since very early childhood and so she was able to tell us some very amusing stories of Kate, painting for us a lovely picture of her unique upbringing. For example, with her mother Gai heading to the training track

HSC Art Show Lunch 2015

Drawing around 100 guests this year, the Old Girls HSC Art Show Lunch was held on Friday 21 August. It began with a tour of the HSC artworks that were hanging in the Packer Foyer by Old Girl and member of Ascham’s Council of Governors, Angela Kent (Saunders 1978).

Lea Stracey (Serafim 1973), Gai Waterhouse, Vass Serafim and Kate Waterhouse (2001)

Lizzie Wilson, Sarah Merrick (1986) and Jenny Ridhalgh (Harvey 1981)

Simone Arnotte (Pirenne 1950) and Barbara North (Bennett 1951) Kate Waterhouse (2001) and her final year Art teacher, Jeff Morabito

Pip Murray (1975), Shaughan Cooke (1982), Dea Richardson and Pip Hutton (1978)

Kate Waterhouse (2001), Andrew Powell and Louise Raedler-Waterhouse (Waterhouse 1974)

at 4am, Kate and her brother Tom developed a strong sense of responsibility, making their own way to school each day and even ringing doctors to book their own appointments when they were sick. Kate was warmly received by a very engaged audience that included her mother Gai and she explained how the deadlines of the Dalton System (and the late Monday nights) have ensured that she is able to do so much with seemingly conflicting deadlines. Her thorough approach to her work and ability to rework her stories following feedback from her editors is a skill she attributes directly to doing corrections at Ascham in Studies.

Kate studied Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication as well as a Diploma of Graphic Design when she finished school. She knew that she wanted to work in Media, although she didn’t know how this would transpire. Kate now has a lifestyle and fashion blog www.katewaterhouse.com and since 2014 she has been one of five main cast members of the reality show Fashion Bloggers on Foxtel’s E! Channel. This year she has collaborated with fashion house Skin and Threads to develop a ‘capsule collection’. She was warm and articulate and very excited to be a future Ascham mother to her 14-month-old daughter Sophia.

The Lunch gave Old Girls an opportunity to reminisce but also to be proud of our heritage. Thank you to everyone who helped organise this event. Special thanks to Skye Barry (Edwards 1994) who makes events like this one happen seemingly effortlessly—although this is never the case.

Hattie Millett (Street 1980)Caroline Feetham (Bray 1977) and Penny Buckland (Bray 1980)

Hattie Millett (Street 1980) and Anna Cobcroft (Buckley 1988)

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It was terrific to catch up with everyone, with so many boarders making such an effort to come. Special mention to Katie Hannan, who travelled all the way from Beijing, and Jane Benson, who joined us from Geneva.

The reunion actually started a week prior with a United Kingdom contingent getting together at Helen Barnes’ place in London.

The Sydney evening started with a tour of the School. Some of the ladies hadn’t been back since they were at school and were delighted with how much they remembered. By the time we wandered down to the 18 Footers so many memories and stories had already been shared. Louise Steiner (Stone) brought some old school photos which helped probe some more memories. We were definitely not short for conversation and the 18 Footers staff had to push us out the door so that they could close up. It was a terrific venue and we had a great night.

Jules Collins, Vanessa Koltai (Lendvay), Mel Marish and Gill Nairn

Class of 1985—30 year reunion

No one would have believed that we finished school 30 years ago if they walked into the Australian 18 Footers League Club and saw the 50 of us so happily gasbagging as if we were still in the locker rooms at school!

For most people this was their first reunion and it was really great to see everyone after so long and to see how the conversation flowed from the beginning as if everyone had been in regular contact in the intervening years.

What a diversity of paths we all took since leaving school! Some at home as mothers now grandmothers, a vet, a social worker, university lecturer, teachers and many interested in politics from both sides of the spectrum, refugees and English literature. Quite amazing when you think that higher education was not encouraged for girls in our era, although some had attended university as mature students.

We celebrated two birthdays, Margaret Macarthur (Downes) and Gail Hill (Fairfax Johnson) with two beautiful cakes made by the chefs at Ascham.

I would like to thank Skye Barry (Edwards 1994) for all her hard work in organising the event, particularly finding the addresses and sorting out the archives, which were a bit of a nightmare from that era. Altogether it was a very successful reunion which everyone enjoyed.

Sally Cullen (Crossing)


After 60 years since we left school, there were quite a few missing faces, but we ended up with 13 Old Girls. Considering we only had 18 in our final Leaving Certificate year it was quite a good attendance. Extraordinary, considering that 10 had died and three now live overseas. We included any Old Girls who had been in our year since kindergarten.

Birthday Girls Gail Hill (Fairfax-Johnson) and Margaret Macarthur (Downes)

Alida Stanley, Katrina Sweetapple (Harricks), Emma Ritchard (Ross) and Cathy Jackson (Niesche)

Melinda Latif (Wallman), Helen Newell (Barnes), Daniele Cole (Kingsley), Lucille Creis

Jules Collins, Mel Marish, Sarah Burke, Katie Gonzalez (Hannan) Emily Stone, Anna Cleary (Fairfax) and Marguerite Elwin (Byrne)

Sarah Presslaber (Hoskin), Nicola Palk, Mel Marish, Viv Reitberger, Vanessa Koltai (Lendvay)

Gail Hill (Fairfax-Johnson), Caroline Graham, Anna Ranken (Morrow), Sally Cullen (Crossing), Morna Brown (Burch)

The Class of 1955 on the School tour

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The class of 1995 celebrated 20 years after school with their reunion on Saturday 10 October.

We started by meeting at the fig tree (where else?) for a tour of the School—as it was and how it is changing. Viewing the boarding houses and going back to Fiona were particularly evocative—who could forget house points for putting rubbish in the bins, recorder lessons in the library and athletics carnivals on the lawns?

Andrew Powell talked to us about the future direction of Ascham and we had a lively impromptu debate about how to be motivated but not stressed at school and in life.

The party really got going at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. It was a time to catch up with each other and the feeling was really generous and warm—everyone talked to each other, whether they were close at school or not, and shared stories of work, life, travels and tribulations.

A video of our sixth Form Revue A Scam was an entertaining backdrop, as was a playlist from the 90s and an impromptu rendition of I Never Will Marry! The party kicked on in Double Bay.

Class of 1995 on the School tour

Boarders from the Class of 1995 at Raine House

The 50th Anniversary Lunch of the North/North West Old Girls of Ascham was held at The Pavillion Function Centre Tamworth on Wednesday 21 October 2015.

The lunch was attended by 48 Old Girls and judging by the amount of noise a good time was had by all, some having travelled long distances to be there.

We were lucky to have Andrew Powell, Head of School and Jennifer Ridhalgh (Harvey 1981), AOGU President, give up their time to join us. Thank you both very much. Fiona Hoddle (McDonald 1972) kindly met their plane and took them for a quick drive and a taste of Tamworth coffee.

The highlight of the day was Andrew speaking of all the changes to the School: Duntrim is nearly ready to accommodate 60 boarders with a Science block below, plus many other interesting points. It was good to hear that there is a strong commitment to boarding with numbers growing each year. Mary Wilshire (Park 1946) cut our Anniversary cake which we served as dessert! Jenny also proposed the toast to Ascham and said a few words.

North/North West Old Girls 50th Anniversary Lunch

Due to an early flight back to Sydney for Andrew and Jenny, unfortunately proceedings had to be hurried along. I am sure there were many who would have liked more time to talk to Andrew. Our thanks also go to Marguerite Gillezeau, Ascham’s Archivist, for organising the slide show of old photos which included some photos of the Old Girls who were present and was enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Til Symonds (Webb 1975) for being such a wonderful Secretary/Treasurer and for doing the gorgeous flower arrangements on the tables from her own garden.

We certainly hope the NNW Old Girls tradition will continue and someone will put up their hand to hold it in a different district next year.

Judy King (Kater 1960) and Til Symonds (Webb 1975)

Thank you to everyone who came, and particularly to Jane Utting, Chantel Brandtman, Georgia Gilkeson (Carpenter) and Skye Mason (Chapman) for organising.

Allegra Spender

Sara Winston-Smith (1999), Prim Winston-Smith (Archibald 1972) and Kate Ross (Winston-Smith 2001)

Jane O’Brien ( Irving 1976) Jane Ind (Drew 1977) and Belinda Norton (Futter 1976)

Andrew Powell and Mary Wilshire (Park 1946) Belinda McLennan (Tanner 1973), Judy Webb (Weaver 1942) and Angela Bettington (1970)

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Year 13 Drinks

Class of 2014—the first reunion

The Year 13 Drinks function has been organised at Ascham for several years now is are becoming an established part of the Old Girls calendar. It is usually the first time that girls have set foot back in Ascham after finishing the year before and judging by the noise in the room on Friday 9 October,

they were certainly happy to be back, reconnecting with their friends and their teachers.


Eliza AllenKate ArkinsSiena ArmatiEloise ArthyGeorgia BadgeryIsabel BarlowAdelaide BellAshleigh BerriganAllie BoyerAriella BuckleyLydia CadellHolly CampbellPaige CampbellIsabel CharnyVivian CheungEsther ChongOlivia ClarkJessica CollinsSarah CollisonJulia CooneyJamie CrawfordEmma CrossingMelissa CullenAnna Della Marta

Sarah DodaroClaudia DongPhoebe DunnMatilda ElliottMia Evans-LiauwAnnabelle GallCatherine GarroneAnna GartonGenevieve Gorman DeaneKatelin GreggAdelaide GuinnessLauren HeeAlexandra HeffernanLucy HeyworthLucy HigginsVictoria HofflinLucy HoldenPo Yi HuangChelsea HuiMichelle HuoCatherine HuynhAlexandra JohnsonNicola JohnstonAlice Jones

Jasmine KanavasGeorgina KingPhoebe LamAngela LambrosLi Hsien LeeChloe LeungPhiona LeungMegan LingSijia LiuPerzella LuiPhoebe Macintosh-EvansEvangeline MaguireYi Xin MaoMichela MawZoe McCathieMadison McGlennonHonor MijatovicMartha MillettNicola MilsonZoe MooreChanel MorrisDaisy MurrayIsabella NeedhamCatherine Nemanic

Alison NewsomeShirley NgIsabella PouldenIsabelle QuigleyClaudia RigbyHilary ShannonElizabeth SkalkosArabella StanleyAnnette SzetoHannah TaylorChristine TrinhAlexandra VerdicchioHolly WadsworthAlexandra WaldrenSerena WaldronZoe WatsonElla WilliamsGeorgina WilyMonique WuFiona YoungLouisa YueQingyu Zhang

The AOGU welcomes the following students from the Class of 2014 and encourages them to stay in touch:

Catherine Nemanic, Chloe Leung, Ms Nicotra, Louisa Yue, Megan Ling, Ms Dick, Chelsea Hui.

Isabella Needham, Shirley Ng, Paige Campbell, Evie Maguire

Morning Tea for Mothers with Young Children

The second annual Morning Tea for Mothers with Young Children was held on a beautiful October morning in the Hillingdon Playground.

While the small children busied themselves with the play equipment, Old Girl mothers were able to catch up and chat, in much the same format as playgroup.

This event is a fantastic opportunity for young mums to reconnect with old friends from school and share the learnings of motherhood, as well as visit the School and hear about what’s going on at Ascham. We encourage all mothers to save the date of Saturday 19 March when the next morning tea will be held.


Olivia Corbiau and Grace Corbiau-Knott (Knott 2002) Isla Barry and Skye Barry (Edwards 1994)

Deborah Cheung (1998), Alice Gruzman (1998) and Grace Corbiau-Knott (Knott 2002)

Ascham Old Girls’ children Madeline and Jemima Crawford with Ali Crawford (Higgs 1991)

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Engagements Marriages Births Deaths

Engagements

Monique Pratten (1995) to Stefan Troxler in March 2014 Kate Symonds (2001) to Mark Brien on 10 October 2015

Marriages

Philippa Dickison (2007), Kathryn Dickison (2011) and their mother Ruth Dickison

Philippa Dickison (2007) to Duane Collins on 25 October 2014. Her sister Kathryn Dickison (2011) was her bridesmaid.

Amanda Stern (2008) to Michael Pfeffer on 11 April 2015. Amanda’s chief bridesmaid was Ascham Old Girl Jessica Harper (2008).

Elizabeth Hourigan (1998) to Andrew Biggs on 21 March 2015

Harriet Pembroke (2003) to John Sutton on 13 December 2014

Stefania D’Amico (2007) to Anthony Bekiaris on 18 April 2015

Births

Elizabeth Biggs (Hourigan 1998)—daughter, Beatrice Olive (Billie) on 18 June 2015

Madeleine Campbell (Stracey 2000)—son, Felix John Oliver Allen on 6 June 2015

Nicky Clark (Willcocks 1998)—son, Matthew Arthur on 3 April 2015, a brother for Thomas

Anna Dukes (1999)—son, Rafferty James O’Connell on 22 January 2015

Pascale Helyar (Moray 1992)—daughter, Alexandra Sophia on 12 May 2015, a sister for Hugo and Charlotte

Nicole Johnston (Burton-Taylor)—son, Angus on 7 January 2015

Jemima Kalos (Neale 1997)—daughter, Isabella Helena on 8 April 2015

Charlotte Menogue (Board 1999)—daughter, Tilly Grace on 16 March 2015, a sister for Annabelle Sophie Menogue

Serena Noga (Kwong 1995)—son, Henry Charles Fane on 4 August 2015

Amandine Odouard (2002)—daughter, Hermione O’Neill on 2 April 2015

Peta Owens (Burton-Taylor)—daughter, Clementine on 4 April 2015

Moana Page (1997)—daughter, Matira Torr on 12 April 2015

Monique Pratten (1995)—daughter, Toni Bee Troxler on 23 February 2015

Harriet Sutton (Pembroke)—daughter, Louise Patricia on 18 May 2014

Nicky Clark (Willcocks 1998) with Matthew

Alexandra Sophia HelyarHarriet Sutton (Pembroke 2003) and John Sutton

Matira Torr Louise Patricia Sutton

Stefania D’Amico (Bekiaris 2007) with her husband Anthony and sisters-in-law, both Ascham Old Girls, Sarah-Eleni Bekiaris (2012) and Leah Bischoff (Bekiaris 2006)

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Deaths

John Allen on 19 July 2015, husband of Beverly Allen (1949), brother of Judith Anderson (1944) and Rosemary Holden (1948), father of Kylie Sutherland (1979) and Nicola Jackman (1981), grandfather of Georgie and Sasha Allen (Year 9 and Year 7) and of Hazel Jackman (Year 3)

Helen Mary Bettington (Baldock 1940) on 20 May 2015 mother of Angela Bettington (1970) and Bettina Bettington (1971)

Catherine Brown on 28 September 2015, mother of Clare Brown (2013)

Charles Burfitt-Williams on 5 October 2015, husband of Judy Burfitt-Williams (Davies 1946), father of Sally (1982) and Mary (1980) and grandfather of Nicole Burfitt-Williams (2011) and Natalie Farrow (2010)

Ros (Rosamund) Campbell (Harvie 1951) on 26 June 2015

Chiquita Cullip on 26 July 2015 at the age of 99, mother of Clytie Williams (1973) and grandmother of Clementine Williams (2010)

Erica Dunn (1964) on 2 June 2015

Ana Ferguson (Kitson 1988) on 14 August 2015, sister of Marama Kitson (1985)

Judy Furber on 10 September 2015, mother of Amanda Cross (1976)

Eveline Margaret Graham (1935) on 11 September 2015, aunt of Samantha Graham (1984), grandmother of Verity Smith (2007)

Nanette Godby (Waddy 1934) on 19 June 2015 (see obituary also)

Ronald Ninian Grieve OAM on 9 May 2015, husband of Patty Grieve (Thompson 1933) and father of Jill Grieve (1963)

David Hamilton on 30 August 2015, father of Nicola O’Driscoll (Macintyre 1984)

Margaret Inglis (Whitford 1938) on 4 June 2015, mother of Jan Minahan (1971)

Elizabeth King on 20 October 2015, mother of Margaret Warburton (1968) and Catherine Rawson (1972)

Joan Kelly on 22 April 2015, mother of Anne Douglas (1969)

Peter Loudon on 12 September 2015, father of Susie Loudon (1977) and Sally Sheehan (1982), grandfather of Penny (2011) and Emma (2013)

Nanette (Nan) Godby (Waddy 1934)

4 April 1915 to 19 June 2015

Nanette (Nan) Waddy is best known for her commitment to so many causes which are today the bedrock of civil society. She was an advocate for

obtaining justice, health and welfare of those who so easily miss out.

Nan was educated at Ascham along with her sister Phyllis ‘Bidge’ Waddy (1940) who later became a renowned Ophthalmologist. Following Ascham, Nan went to the University of Sydney, graduating a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1941. She served as a Squadron Leader in the Royal Australian Air Force from 1942 to 1947 and later became a medical officer at the Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, New South Wales. She also served as a medical member of the Northern Territory Mental Health Review Tribunal. In 1977 she was appointed MBE—Member of The Order of the British Empire (Civil)—for her services to medicine.

As a leading psychiatrist and community psychiatrist early in her career she, along with others, challenged the way mentally ill people were treated at the Callan Park Hospital. This led to a Royal Commission and a radical change to the treatment of the mentally ill in New South Wales.

She was President of the Australian Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Dependence, latterly the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. During the Hawke Government, Dr Neal Blewett approached Nan for help with formulating Australia’s approach to our ‘drug problem’ which led to Australia’s National Campaign Against Drug Abuse and later the National Drug Strategy which is highly regarded internationally. Nan developed a passion that all medical schools should include teaching about alcohol and drugs, and so all the Deans of medical schools were visited and shamed into saying yes, that alcohol and drug teaching was important but neglected in the medical curriculum. Then onto ministers, until the Government—through Dr Neal Blewett AC— funded coordinators of teaching in alcohol and drugs in all medical schools.

Nan was also a strong supporter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. She was President of the International Federation of Non-Government Organisations against drug abuse.

With thanks to Simon Cheatham (great nephew)

Elizabeth Dawson OAM (Lewis 1952)

26 May 1936 to 17 November 2014

Liz worked as a speech therapist in her early career and later lived in Indonesia and then in Nairobi before returning to Canberra in 1970. In the 1970s

she became a primary school teacher where she initiated programs in gender equity and parent participation in the classroom. In later years Liz became a passionate advocate for alleviating homelessness in Canberra. Her work with a women’s refuge and with the Salvation Army motivated her to initiate three Dental Support programs in the ACT and Queanbeyan and to found the Common Ground Canberra project, which provides 40 housing units for homeless and low income people. Liz’s contributions to the project included numerous presentations, lobbying, research and administration. Each program made a real difference to homeless and low income people in Canberra.

In 2013 Liz’s work was recognised when she was awarded an OAM for services to Canberra. She was one of the 100 ACT women honoured in the 100 Years 100 Women awards on International Women’s Day in 2013 as part of Canberra’s Centenary celebrations. She was a finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards 2012 and was nominated for the 2012 Canberra Citizen of the Year Award.

In March 2011, Liz lost 95 per cent of her sight. She joined the Canberra Blind Society Board and contributed to a project to provide hospitals with kits to assist blind and low vision patients. In July 2014, she wrote and published a book called Where is my left Eyebrow? Losing my sight overnight, which discusses ‘strategies to adjust to blindness and other disabilities, with practical tips and suggestions, and a list of useful contacts’. Liz had also been diagnosed with cancer several years before and survived two operations before deciding not to have a third. She finished the book, with the help of one of her daughters, while under serious medication.

Three days before she died it was announced Liz and her husband Peter would be included on the Canberra Honour Walk. Liz’s funeral took place at Old Parliament House in Canberra in the presence of over 200 people including the Chief Minister of the ACT, the local Federal Member and numerous colleagues and friends associated with her various activities.

With thanks to Jennifer Barnes (Henchman 1952)

Jessie Marsh (1987) on 12 February 2015, sister of Lucy (1986) and Kate (1989)

Marjorie Pagan on 6 June 2015, mother of Clarissa Mort (1971)

Audrey Perry (Trebeck 1937) on 12 July 2015, mother of Helen Rose (1962) and Clare Wagemans (1965)

Rodney Richmond on 21 August 2015, father of Samantha Harrington (1986), Tiffany Scotton (1989) and Amanda Haigh (1996)

Janice Street on 5 July 2015, mother of Pip Warrick (1971) and Tempe Onus (1974), grandmother of Kirsty Onus (2007), Sarah Onus (2010), Hannah Crawford (1994) and Katie Street (1996)

Stephanie Turner (Liddle 1961) on 16 May 2015

Fred Wrobel on 28 May 2015, father of Fiona (1975), Andrea (1977), Edwina (1980) and Jessica (1983)

Correction

Peter Sayers on 4 October 2014, husband of Jill Sayers (Stephens 1942) (deceased), father of Janet Chisholm (1972) and Katherine Christian (1970), grandfather of Alexandra Bell (2004) and Georgina Chisholm (2006)

Jessie Marsh

Obituaries

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Career updates

Janet Phippard (1967) Janet was a merchant banker in both London and Sydney, where she specialised in film financing for 10 years, before investing in and managing a multimedia company. In a further career change, she has been appointed as a consultant to Private Care, a leading home care company, to promote their services in the Eastern Suburbs.

Fleur Van Den Berg (2004) Fleur is currently living and working in Alice Springs as a high school music teacher, a career she credits to her teachers at Ascham. In October this year she will complete an Ironman 70.3 in Alice Springs in order to raise funds and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis Australia. This disease struck Fleur’s family in 2007 and they have worked ever since, through various initiatives, to raise money for those who suffer from the disease.

Brigitte Markovic (1982) Ascham congratulates Brigitte Markovic on her appointment as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia. Brigitte’s appointment took effect from 24 August 2015.

Anna Cobb (1976) and Penny Watt (Powell 1982) Anna and Penny are part of a team that delivers the ‘Love Bites’ program to schools in the Cowra/Canowindra/Grenfell area. Love Bites is an education program that focuses on the development of respectful relationships and violence prevention of 14–16 year olds. One of the aims of Love Bites is to break intergenerational cycles of domestic and family violence and sexual assault. The students are taught about respectful relationships and how to access local support services when needed. Anna is a Social Worker for Community Health in Canowindra and Penny is a Domestic Violence Worker for the Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service in Cowra.

Penny Watt (Powell) and Anna Cobb

We had a lovely fine day for the Ascham/Frensham Golf Day held on Monday 11 May. Ascham won, which is very exciting!

Our best teams were Berry Alexiou (Spry 1992) and Jackie Boyer (1979) with 6-up, and runners up were Jan Solomon (Buzacott 1959) and Julie Nisbet (Firehock 1961). The Long Drive was won by Camilla Edwards (1988) and Nearest the Pin by Alex von Weitersheim (Hardy 1956).

We welcomed three new players this year: Berry, Jackie and Camilla and they certainly starred on the day! Next year we are going to award new prize for the best dressed Ascham girl on the day. It should be fun!

Virginia Rundle (Robson 1974)

Ascham/Frensham Golf Day 2015

Berry Alexiou (Spry 1992) and Jackie Boyer Ascham/Frensham Golf Day

Congratulations to Julia Helen Burton Taylor (Woods 1971) for her Order of Australia Medal (OAM) on 8 June 2015 for her service to youth in rural and remote areas and the not for profit section (Country Eduction Foundation of Australia).

OAM

Save the Dates

Celebrating 130 years of Ascham in 2016

The entire Ascham community is invited to celebrate Ascham’s 130th Anniversary in 2016:

• Tuesday 26 April: Donor thank you event

• Tuesday 3 May: Founders Day and celebrate 130th with the students; Richard Charlton musical work

• Tuesday 3 May: Foundation AGM and Company AGM

• Friday 13 to Sunday 15 May: Senior School Drama production

• Sunday 22 May: Tennis and Family Fun Day

• Saturday 20 August: Open Science and Community Centre and Duntrim and celebrate 130th with everyone in our community; Paul Jarman musical work

1886–2016

CELEBRATING 130 Y

EAR

S

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Next AOG Magazine—do you have any news?

The AOGU office welcomes information including graduations, careers, reunions, engagements, marriages, births, deaths, items of interest and changes of address.

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Please send any suggestions and feedback to Editor, Ascham Old Girls’ Magazine, Ascham School, 188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff 2027 or email: [email protected].

NEXT ISSUE – Winter 2016

Submission deadline: Thursday 10 March 2016

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Founder Miss Marie Wallis

Patron Mr Andrew Powell

Office Bearers for 2015/2016 President: Mrs Jennifer Ridhalgh (Harvey)

Vice Presidents: Mrs Giselle Collins (Jollie) and Mrs Caroline Stephens (Atwill)

Honorary Treasurer: Mrs Sarah Merrick

Honorary Secretary: Mrs Amanda Pfeffer (Stern)

Committee Mrs Skye Barry (Edwards), Ms Lisa Anne Bell, Ms Julia Booth, Ms Anna Della Marta, Ms Amber Glajz, Miss Mollie Maloney, Mrs Tina Milson (Bowman), Mrs Cathy Lawrie Poulden (Lawrie), Mrs Sarndie Remond (Denison) and Mrs Jasmine Stone (Clubb)

AOGU Committee

Girls in Year 7 in 2010 and in Year 12 in 2015 with their Old Girl mothers: Pip Murray (1975) and Holly Baker; Shaughan Cooke (Littlewood 1982) and Susannah Cooke; Hattie Millett (Street 1980) and Eliza Millett

Ascham Old Girls’ Union

188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff NSW 2027 Australia

P +61 2 8356 7065 E [email protected]

www.ascham.nsw.edu.au

summer 2015aogu.ascham.nsw.edu.au/nsw/ascham/uploads/files/aogu...hsc art show lunch dining room and...

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