ESU President Update
Another busy term has flown by and once again we’re in sight of the end of the year. And once again the annual Garden Party was a particular highlight of Term 3. The biggest event on the College calendar, our Garden Party enables all parts of our Pymble community to come together to connect, have fun and raise money for some worthy causes. This year, funds from the Garden Party will benefit The Smith Family, and Dignity, who empower those at risk of experiencing homelessness.
We always hope for sunshine on Garden Party day and that was certainly delivered this year – in fact the weather was unseasonably hot, resulting in some competition for the shady spots on our beautiful Gloucester Quadrangle lawn. The Ex-Students’ Union (ESU) ran our traditional Chicken & Champagne stall, offering chicken sandwiches, cheese platters, strawberries & cream and a cold glass of bubbles. The stall was well received, and looked fantastic – the result of a true team effort. Thank you to all of the ESU Committee who contributed, and to all of our ex-students who spend time volunteering on the stall throughout the day. A very special thank you goes to three ladies in particular – to Lou Kellaway (Sutton, 1988), and Victoria Muller (Murray, 1992) for their hard work in preparing and putting the stall together; and to Cecelia Hutchinson, who volunteers her time every year as our RSA-qualified champagne server.
Whilst we ended the term with the Garden Party, at the start of the term in July we held our Commemoration Day service, which commemorates the dedication of the College in 1919. We were blessed with another beautiful (if not quite as hot) day, and we enjoyed a lovely service together. Helen Jarvis (Fisher, 1989) as our guest speaker talked about the significant benefits of volunteering, in keeping with the Pymble Gives Back theme for this year, and we enjoyed an impressive musical performance from Annabelle Kim (2018).
We were joined on Commemoration Day by our 1953 leavers who were celebrating their 70 year reunion. It was a pleasure to be able to meet them as they enjoyed reconnecting with each other and being back at the College. Just as our school song refers to the ‘unending chain’ of Pymble girls, we also welcomed our newest ESU members this term with our 2023 leavers coming to the end of their school journey – congratulations on all you have achieved, and we wish you all the best for your HSC exams.
As we head into the final term of the year, our focus will start to turn to planning for 2024. New committee members are always welcome, so if you are interested in finding out more about the ESU Committee or any of our events, please don’t hesitate to get in contact at pymble.exstudents@gmail.com.
Mrs Fiona Walmsley (McGeachie, 1996).