Experiences in Borneo 12 When you educate a girl, she can

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

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6 7 8

CONTRIBUTORS

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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

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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)


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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.


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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 °


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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.


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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.


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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


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Lauriston Life


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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.


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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.


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


23

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


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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


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.


28

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.


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.


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.


32

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



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



34

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


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]

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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

Documents

Experiences in Borneo 12 When you educate a girl, she can