From the Archives
I think we often make comments about how time passes by so quickly, but I think that saying rings true so poignantly for 2024!
It was another big year at Pymble Ladies’ College with the girls participating and contributing to so many amazing things. And it was my first year working here at Pymble as the College Archivist. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here this year. I particularly enjoyed meeting so many of you and exploring your stories and times at the College.
Thank you to all of you who have reached out, or sat down with me and shared a yarn, or offered your personal memorabilia to add to the heritage collection of the College or even just read these very words. The role you have all played in the ever-evolving story of Pymble is so valuable and I love to lean into (and learn from) your colourful experiences and personal insights.
I thought for my final post for the year, I might share some of the treasures that have come to light this year. Prior to now, these specific items were not part of the historic collection of the College. Each forms part of the rich tapestry that is Pymble. Perhaps some of these items may spark your curiosity or transport you back in time with a trip down memory lane … or perhaps excite or surprise you! This is just a taste of a very small number of the artefacts and connections made this year with the Archives, with many more behind the scenes adding up to reflect more of our story.
New acquisition: Excursion Bag
This bag was offered to me for the Heritage Collection/Archives by an alumni – an excursion bag used by students in the past to head offsite for adventures. In delving into the experiences of this ex-student, she divulged how she tried to utilise this non-regulation school bag on a normal school day, instead of having to carry the hard school case to school. If she was seen with said bag by a prefect, on a non-excursion day, it was a detention for her! There were sometimes elaborate stories shared with the prefects to try and convince them that she was indeed going on an (fake) excursion and hence the bag was necessary! She recalls legitimately using this bag for an excursion to Warragamba Dam and afterwards seeing lions get fed at what we assume would have been the African Lion Safari. I wonder how many of you remember a bag like this?
This bag dates to c1970 and has soft presentation, a comfortable long strap and a hard inner base. There is no longer an excursion bag for the Pymble students of today.
New acquisition: Library key
This is the key to the McIlrath Library – which was once located in the base of the Chapel building. This very key was used at the official opening in 1953, by a family member of the Governor of NSW who performed the official duties. For all these decades, this key has resided in a bedside drawer of that original user, until a family descendant found it and offered it for the College’s archives! The key making its way to become part of the Archives is a testament to the power of people keeping things (if even by accident rather than by design!) and then to those who see the value in things and come forward to offer them for our collection.
The Archives comes alive: Year 12 Major Work
This is a story about a student who wanted to incorporate archival material into her major art work. It was delightful to work with year 12 student Imogen Hawkins and hear of her vision. Together, we delved into the Archives to unearth historic architectural plans, photographs and letters which Imogen then wove (literally) into her artwork to reflect her experience as a Pymble boarder. In describing her artwork (entitled ‘Home Away from Home’), she says that “Every element contributes to the richness of our boarding house community throughout history, as we girls bring our unique experiences to add to the beauty of our shared space. This work is a testament to the resilience of sisterhood as we navigate the complexities of life together, intertwined.” Imogen’s artwork shows the value of history to the students and to Imogen’s school journey – a shared experience that boarders have been experiencing since Pymble began in 1916. Through her major work, she was also able to learn even more about the history of her school and go behind-the-scenes to see the storage collection area that holds a broad range of the Archives. The end result is her story, which is part of our story.
Collecting and recording today too
It’s not just the past that is being collected … current day College life, along with day-to-day life is also being recorded for posterity … trucks lined up along Avon Road for the new building works; the hedge on campus shaped to say ‘Pymble’; lettuce grown onsite; Turi – one of the College wellbeing dogs; chalk drawings on the asphalt with the sunlight streaming in … the story of Pymble continues …
Many treasures …
Pocket squares from a blazer, a bag of ephemera from a previous principal, a leather-bound marriage registry from the College Chapel (referencing ‘bachelor’ and ‘spinster’ inside), a modern-day winter hat that was recently phased out of the College uniform, an end-of-year book prize with a hand written book plate inside … these are just some of the objects that I have gathered or been given just this year to form part of the continuing story of Pymble … and there are many more.
For every object we do have, there are many more thousands of moments shared and felt in the hearts of you, our alumni, that are priceless memories of your Pymble days that remain with you forever. We value the physical objects and I am privileged to have some of you share your stories with me too.
I look forward to meeting many more of you and hearing your own accounts in the years ahead – please reach out to me at any time if you’d like to share at kmurray@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
