News From the Pymble Alumni Team

Here we are, at the end of Term 2, 2025 already!

My name is Kate Murray and I am the College Archivist here at Pymble. Katrina Corcoran (your fearless Alumni Relations Manager) is away enjoying her long-awaited long service leave and in her absence, I am holding the fort in the world of Pymble Alumni.

It has been my pleasure to meet, talk, or write to a number of you in the time I’ve been filling in this role, and I look forward to meeting more of you as time goes on. Perhaps I might see you at the upcoming Commemoration Day Service? Everyone is welcome to join us for this historic day on the Pymble calendar.

At the time I write this, Katrina has travelled to 14 different countries so far with many more to come on her current odyssey – I am sure she will share some of her adventures with you when she returns. She was thrilled to be able to attend the Pymble reunion in London recently whilst on her trip – see the pics she has shared in the Reunions section in this newsletter.

Our Alumni give back in so many ways, such as Linden Barnes (Senior Ethics Solicitor) who recently came and spoke to the senior students at the College, the lovely ladies who give up their time to work on the reunions (including two 87-year-old Alumni who are passionately reaching out to their cohort to get as many people for their reunion as they can), and so many more of you who give back in so many ways.

It is my pleasure to work with you all in Katrina’s absence. Please reach out to me at any time (I will hang up my Alumni hat upon Katrina’s return at the end of August, but I will still maintain my Archivist hat). I love the enthusiasm and passion you all share for your school and your classmates. It is a testament to the wonderful legacy that it is to be a Pymble girl.

Strive for the highest …

Ms Kate Murray

Acting Alumni Relations Manager

College Archivist

ESU President Update

It’s been a busy few months for the ESU, with the standout moment being the Alumni Networking Event held at the Qantas Head Office in May. It was a truly inspiring evening, featuring insightful career stories from panellists Fiona Ellis-Jones (2001) and Li-Enn Koo (1991) and a wonderful opportunity to connect with many Alumni.

Looking ahead, we’re excited for Commemoration Day on Sunday, July 27 at 10:30am in the Pymble Ladies’ College War Memorial Chapel. This year’s guest speaker is Zoe Robinson (2001), a passionate advocate for children and young people. We’re looking forward to her address. The service will also feature a performance by the ESU Choir, followed by a morning tea for all attendees.

Meanwhile, the ESU continues its important structural review, with further consultation sessions planned for the second half of the year. Keep an eye out if you’d like to be involved.

Dr Rowena Ditzell (1986)

ESU President

From the Archives

In the same vein with which Katrina is off travelling the globe, I thought we might ‘travel’ around our beautiful College and explore a few of its events and spaces and share a few bits and pieces with you.

Anzac Day Event

The College celebrated Anzac Day with a merging of history and tradition, with students past and present.

We welcomed back to the College past students Beth Kannegieter (Tierney, 1950), her daughter Cathy Lisle (Kannegieter, 1976) and granddaughter Anna Lisle-Turner (Lisle, 2005) who attended the service. Their family also has four generations at Pymble with Cathy’s great-granddaughter Harriet currently Boarding.

Also joining us were more Alumni – Jean Poole-Williamson (Newling, 1940) and her daughter Linda Milne (Poole, 1973). Jean, who joined the WAAF during World War II, celebrated her 102nd birthday earlier this year. Their family has four generations following in her footsteps at Pymble.

More events

We hosted the first-ever Autumn Family Festival in May, the annual Boarders breakfast, and our annual First Nations Scholarship program morning tea. This is a program supported by Alumni and donors who enable the program to continue. The College is grateful to the Alumni who contribute to this program and so much more.

Campus changes

For many of you, the Lower Colonnade may have been home to the gym of the College where many a limb was stretched and trained. The space fulfilled its duty as a gym for a significant part of the College’s history, but in 2024, it began a new life as the Common Room for Upper School (Years 9 and 10). I include a ‘now’ and ‘then’ comparison here as a reflection of how the College continues to change and evolve over time to meet the needs of its students.

And our jewel building, the Colonnade, was one of the first buildings here onsite when we opened in 1916 and housed classrooms for much of its life. Today, it has been sympathetically restored to house the Principal and Senior Executive Team and other key College functions. (The original drawings for the building were hand-drawn in 1914).

And in the future, more of our masterplan rolls out with the opening of our newest building on campus currently known as the Grey House Precinct, due to open in 2026. It will house dance studios, an early years school, health care and more.

The College continues to evolve

Each of these disparate elements listed here have the commonality of being varied parts of Pymble. We continue to add more elements to our evolving story, which will in all, in turn become part of our history.

Kate Murray

College Archivist

Where are they now? – Jessica Woo (2023)

Catch up with Jessica Woo in New York

After graduating from Pymble only two years ago in 2023, I’m now studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Within the first month of moving to New York in September 2024, I was working backstage at New York Fashion Week, coordinating models and organising the runway order and order writing for Coterie, a premier trade event. Being only 18 at the time, it felt surreal to work at these two major events in the fashion calendar.

Something about me is that I will always put my 100% effort into anything. Knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry, it only made sense to move to the fashion capital of the world. Working hard to make this happen, my life has changed immensely. New York is a city where so much is constantly happening. On top of school, I’ve been attending events and meeting industry professionals like David and Sybil Yurman, founders of the jewellery company David Yurman, and Simon Porte Jacquemus, founder of Jacquemus, while also interning for a senior thesis collection that was featured on Vogue runway. It’s inspiring but sometimes intimidating when you’re surrounded by people who all have that same passion and drive as you.

I always get asked how I ended up in New York and what the application process of getting in was like. A large part was my portfolio, something I had been working on extensively for many years, and of course, good grades and extracurriculars too! Textiles was my favourite subject at Pymble, and in Year 10, lockdown emphasised this as I was inseparable from my sewing machine, making new tops and dresses despite having nowhere to wear them. In Year 11, I was working as a design intern, heading to the studio after school and staying there late at night before a full day of school the next day. I continued this internship throughout Year 12, and on the side, I was also building new techniques, working on a flatbed knitting machine, beading and couture construction techniques. Throughout this whole time at Pymble, I was also a dancer, highly involved with the program as Dance Captain and performing with the eisteddfod team. Time management was definitely important, as much as I loved this busy schedule and constant work, I was still completing all my school assignments.

I applied to some of the top design schools—Parsons, Fashion Institute of Technology, Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, and while I was waiting to hear back, I worked at another internship and stayed in Sydney studying business and law. April came around and many happy tears were shed after receiving offers from all these universities.

So why New York? The hustle, the opportunities, the atmosphere. Of course, moving to a new city by myself comes with its challenges, but it has taught me to become extremely independent and only more determined. From buying my own groceries to networking and dealing with the nerves of starting a completely new chapter of my life, making this move has been so rewarding. The lifestyle of the city is something so refreshing and meant to be. As everyone is living their own lives, minding their own business, it’s a reminder to work hard to get things done or sometimes slow down and take a break.

Finishing off my freshman year, during my summer break, I landed an internship with Vogue Australia as an editorial intern, where I’ve published two bylines on GQ. A day-to-day consists of lots of writing, editing and e-commerce updates. My past work experience has always been design-related, so it’s been super insightful to take on this new perspective on the digital content side of this industry.

My work ethic and determination are something Pymble has built in me, to work hard and push myself to achieve goals. The reality of New York is competitive and cut-throat, but growing up in the disciplined environment of Pymble and dance has prepared me for the big steps I’ve already had to make. From extracurricular activities, friendships, to the support of mentors, these factors have definitely inspired me to pursue this path.

Reunion Updates

Principal’s Gap Year Reunion in London

“Once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl.”

Our care for our students extends beyond graduation, with the College committed to supporting our Alumni in their lives post-Pymble through a series of formal and informal events. When Dr Hadwen was in the UK recently, she was delighted to reconnect over high tea with some of our recent graduates who are studying, working or on gap-year placement in England.

“It was so rewarding to see these impressive young women pursuing their dreams as compassionate, influential and highly engaged global citizens thanks to their Pymble education,” Dr Hadwen said.

The high tea package chosen was the ‘Mid-summer night’s dream’ package, which a student remarked, in the thank you she sent after the event, was a book she studied whilst at Pymble. She said that the occasion was lovely and enjoying that package was a full-circle moment.

Saturday 17 May 2025 – London Reunion

On a beautiful sunny afternoon in May, approximately 30 Pymble ex-students gathered for brunch for the London Reunion in central London.

The reunion coincided with the long-service leave of our Alumni Relations Manager, Katrina Corcoran (1987), who was thrilled to attend with her daughter Sophie (2022). Chelsea Cambridge (2017) also flew over from Paris for the weekend to attend the reunion.

Also in attendance was a former staff member, Mrs Sue Knox, who was Head of the Junior School before moving back to England approximately 10 years ago. Mrs Knox’s daughter Poppy, who returned to the UK in 2015, and an ex-student herself also attended with her mum. Mrs Knox really enjoyed catching up with a group of girls who went through the Junior School whilst she was there.

The food was wonderful, the company was engaging and everyone felt so connected to each other, irrespective of age or length of time in the UK which is a wonderful testament to our motto “once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl’.

Saturday, 24 May 2025 – Newcastle Region Reunion

It was a lovely afternoon for the reunion of the Newcastle Region in May.

The mixed-year get-together was held at Calais Estate Winery in Pokolbin – a beautiful setting, which is run by the Bradley family (Katrina, Joanne and Susan are ex-students of Pymble). A delicious lunch was enjoyed by all the ladies that came and by all reports, there was plenty of it!

There was lots of chatting and laughter amongst the girls, and so many memories shared on their years at Pymble. The host even gathered memories from each of the alumni, of their memories at school including happy memories of:

• the wonderful camaraderie shared
• weekend afternoons lying on picnic rugs listening to pop songs on transistor radios
• the beautiful grounds, the giant stride, making wonderful friends …

The most enduring and common highlight of these ladies was the friendships they formed and grew whilst at Pymble, no matter which era or year they were there.

If any Newcastle region alumni would like to get news of future get togethers up here, please join our Facebook group: Pymble Ladies College Alumni – Newcastle/HunterValley/Port Stephens

Ex-Student Tours

Are you interested in visiting your old school grounds for a walk down memory lane? Every term we hold our much-loved Ex-Student Tours where our former students tour the campus, share some funny stories along the way and discover how much the College has grown and changed since they left.

If you would like to join one of our Ex-Student Tours in 2025, please email our Acting Alumni Relations Manager, Kate Murray at  kmurray@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to save your spot.

Reunions and Events 2025

UPCOMING REUNIONS AND COLLEGE EVENTS

For further information about the reunions below, please visit our website – https://www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au/community-and-events/events/#/reunion

Sunday 27 July – ESU Commemoration Day Service

Sunday 27 July – 1960 – 65 Year Reunion

Saturday 6 September – 1980 – 45 Year Reunion

Saturday 6 September – 2005 – 20  Year Reunion

Saturday 13 September – 1995 – 30 Year Reunion

Saturday 20 September – Garden Party

Saturday 27 September – 1965 – 60 Year Reunion

Wednesday 29 October – 1975 – 50 Year Reunion

Saturday 8 November – 2000 – 25 Year Reunion

Saturday 8 November – 1985 – 40 Year Reunion

Sunday 9 November – Melbourne Reunion 

Saturday 15 November – 1955 – 70 Year Reunion

Saturday 22 November – 2010 – 15 Year Reunion 

Saturday 29 November – 1970 – 55 Year Reunion 

Please contact Kate Murray, Acting Alumni Relations Manager on kmurray@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au if you would like assistance to convene your reunion.

Behind the Curtain – Celebrating our Alumni in the Performing Arts

Our inaugural ‘Behind the Curtain’ event was the vision of our Head of Senior School, Nikki Wyse, designed to celebrate student achievement in the Performing Arts and foster connections with our Alumni who have pursued successful careers in the industry.

Beautifully facilitated by our Director of Co-Curricular Performing Arts (Strategy and Operations), Kurt Schweinberger, the event attracted 50 enthusiastic students from Years 7 to 12. The girls participated in a dynamic panel discussion, engaging Q&A sessions with our inspiring alumni, and heard from a special guest to the College, acclaimed casting director Lisa Campbell.

A highlight was the ‘speed dating’ style lunch, where students rotated through tables, gaining invaluable insights from our guests and Pymble performing arts staff aimed at fuelling their career aspirations in the performing arts.

We extend our sincere thanks to our inspiring Pymble alumni who generously shared their time, wisdom, and experience with our students:

• Genevieve Graham (2013) – costume designer
• Ally Morgan (2012) – writer, actor, musical comedian
• Safia Arain (2016) – actor
• Freya Finocchiaro (2012) – arts management
• Catherine D’Souza (2016) – script writer and film producer

The occasion also marked the launch of the first edition of our Hall of Fame publication, dedicated to celebrating pathways into the Arts. We warmly welcome additional Alumni to contribute to future editions, sharing their stories, advice, and inspiration with our Pymble community.

If you’re interested in supporting our students on their Arts journey, please reach out to Kim Maksimovic, Director of Futures and Partnerships, at kmaksimovic@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Introducing Pymble Connections!

Pymble Connections

Join the focus group for Pymble Connections: your new online Alumni Platform

Pymble Connections is our new online platform designed to bring together generations of Pymble Alumni and foster meaningful personal and professional relationships amongst our Alumni community.

What it offers:

• A comprehensive Pymble Alumni directory

• A professional mentoring portal

• Groups based on graduating year, location, profession, interests and more

• Pymble Alumni social media feeds and digital library

• Pymble Alumni stories, job opportunities, events, and more (in development)

This space is exclusive to Pymble Alumni. It’s a secure and convenient place for our community to connect, share and support each other, wherever we may live.

We are excited to extend an exclusive, early-access invitation to explore Pymble Connections and help shape its future. You will have the opportunity to share your feedback as we refine and grow the platform ahead of its launch to the wider Alumni community later this year.

Click HERE to register your interest to join our focus group.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please reach out to us at pymbleconnections@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

Natalie Reid (2014)

Alumni Project Manager
Pymble Connections

Our 2025 Alumni Networking Event

Pymble Values Art Prize

Pymble Ladies’ College is proud to launch the inaugural Pymble Values Art Prize. The Prize honours our College value of Respect represented by the statement, I value diversity, my worth and the worth of others.

The Pymble Values Art Prize celebrates our commitment to the five College values that are integral to our standing as a leading independent girls’ school.  Our hope is that our community will be inspired by the beauty and power of these visual representations of our values to realise their own potential along with an understanding of the power of art to inspire meaningful conversations and promote change.

The Prize is an annual acquisitive painting prize with a different College value represented each year. We are proud to support Australian female artists by offering a $30,000 prize for the artwork that best depicts the essence of our values. Pymble Ladies’ College is a proudly diverse and inclusive community, and we welcome submissions from artists from all cultural backgrounds.

Submissions are invited from all Australian female artists, aged over 18 years, for an original, two-dimensional painting that represents the College value of Respect. We welcome submissions from artists in the Pymble Alumni community.

• $30,000 is awarded to the winning submission and the College acquires the artwork for its collection.
• Submissions open: Monday 14 April 2025
• Submissions close: Friday 3 October 2025

The top 30 submissions will be shortlisted by our judging panel and featured in an exhibition at the College opening on Monday 10 November to Friday 14 November, with the winning submission announced on opening night. This exhibition will be open to the public and all artworks featured will be available for sale.

The winning artwork will be permanently displayed at the College.

Read more about the Pymble Values Art Prize and how to enter here.

Calling our Pymble Cadet Alumni!

Pymble Cadet Alumni – can you help us shape the leaders of tomorrow?

As our Cadet Unit continues to flourish and set new benchmarks in youth leadership, we are reaching out to our talented Alumni community to be part of this exciting journey.

As the Pymble Ladies’ College Cadet Unit (PLCCU) continues to expand, we are pleased to invite expressions of interest from our esteemed Alumni to join our team—initially as Defence-approved Adult Helpers, with the opportunity to undertake additional training to progress towards becoming Officers of Cadets. The PLCCU remains Australia’s first independent all-female Cadet unit, and we take pride in the dynamic community and unique developmental opportunities it creates for our students.

With increased membership and ambitious plans for further growth, we are eager to welcome new staff members who can provide support, leadership, and supervision to our current cadets. As an Alumni, your experience and insight make you an ideal fit to inspire and nurture the next generation of leaders within our unit. Cadets experience is preferred but not essential.

About the Role

• We are seeking casual staff available to assist during our Monday afternoon parades (3.30pm to 5.30pm during term time).
• Additional support is also required during our two annual off-campus field camps (approximately 4–5 days each, typically commencing at the start of the April and December school holidays).
• There is further need for assistance at our three-day Promotions Course held on campus at the start of the June school holidays.

The primary responsibilities of these positions are to provide adult supervision, ensure the safe and effective running of activities, and offer guidance to the Cadets throughout their training, camps, and leadership development experiences.

Comprehensive training and ongoing guidance will be provided to ensure you are fully supported in your role. There will also be opportunities for further training and professional development as part of your involvement with the unit, including progression towards a formal Officer of Cadets position.

To become a Defence Adult Helper, you will be required to undergo the standard Defence vetting process, including Police and Working with Children checks.

This is a wonderful opportunity to help shape the leaders of tomorrow. Your contribution would strengthen our program and help ensure the continued success and positive impact of the PLCCU.

If you are interested in joining us or would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully welcoming you back to Pymble in this important capacity. For further details please contact Mrs Chris Boland, Co-ordinator – Duke of Edinburgh and Cadets at dukes@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.or on 02 9497 7850.

Careers at Pymble

Casual Coaching Opportunities – Winter Sports Season

The College is currently seeking enthusiastic and committed individuals to join our coaching teams for the upcoming Winter Sports Season. If you or your daughter, sister or friend would like to come back to Pymble as a coach, we would love to hear from you!

Opportunities are available for both experienced coaches and passionate players looking to begin their coaching journey.

Current vacancies include coaching roles in:

• Touch Football
• Netball
• Rowing
• Artistic Gymnastics

To apply or learn more, please click here.

Follow us on Instagram!

Calling all Pymble alumni! We’re on Instagram so if you haven’t already, follow us at @pymblelcalumni to stay up to date with all the latest news and events.

From the Principal

Hello, and welcome to the second edition of the Jacaranda Post for 2025. This message comes to you via Philadelphia, where I’ve been attending the Board meeting of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) followed by the ICGS Global Symposium 2025. A highlight of the symposium was presenting our research on the Pymble Wise Phone to delegates from all around the world, in collaboration with our Director of the Pymble Institute, Dr Sarah Loch, and Director of Innovative Learning Technologies, Mr Anthony England.

In case you missed the news, this year saw the launch of the Pymble Wise Phone initiative to provide a wiser mobile phone choice for students in Years 4 to 8. By ‘wiser’, we mean a smartphone that delays access to unlimited internet and social media while giving our girls the tools to stay safe, feel connected and develop healthy digital habits. Our hope is that other schools and communities will join us in using this carefully considered program that builds over time to give young people access to more apps and tools on their phones as they develop the maturity to use them wisely.

For those who are interested, you can read more about the Pymble Wise Phone here.

Celebrating 110 years of the College in 2026

Many of you will remember our Centenary celebrations in 2016. Fast forward 10 years to where we are now: mid-way through our Watch Us Change the World Strategic Direction, with two continually evolving campuses, and global recognition as a Cambridge IGCSE School and a designated Olympic Pathway School. It’s exciting to have an opportunity to celebrate these more recent developments in the life of the College and to celebrate what it means to be part of our incredible Pymble community.

Please keep an eye out for invitations to our celebratory events next year – the more Alumni that can join us, the merrier and more meaningful this special anniversary will be.

Seeking your suggestions for Alumni to celebrate

In partnership with our Ex-Students’ Union, we are excited to commission a beautiful coffee table book to build on our back catalogue of existing publications about the history of Pymble, including our Centenary book, Pymble Ladies’ College 100 Years ­– 1916 to 2016. The new 2026 publication will feature inspiring first-person stories from a variety of Pymble graduates throughout the decades, and is based on a beautiful example we have seen called Reflections: Celebrating 130 Years of St Joseph’s Nudgee College, One Story at a Time. This format reflects our commitment to storytelling as an engaging way to connect, understand one another, and appreciate the richness of our diversity.

Our aim is to feature a cross section of Alumni representing different regions, sectors and types of impact, spanning local, national and global locations and a broad range of industries, professions, service, philanthropy, communities and work.

We will also be considering the following criteria:

• Compassionate and influential
• Changemakers/impactful in their community or work
• Generational ties to Pymble and/or legacy
• Our four academic pillars, co-curricular sport and activities, and/or service
• Representation of our College values: Care, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility.

We would love your suggestions of who to include, as we have so many influential and compassionate Alumni, some of whom are better known to us than others.

Please send your suggestions for inclusion, via this link.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions, which will be researched and considered carefully by our team.

Thank you for staying connected with Pymble

At the end of our first semester for 2025, we are grateful for our Alumni and the many ways you have supported College events and strategic initiatives this year.

We have enjoyed reconnecting with many of you at special assemblies, overseas reunions, the Pymble Foundation Gala Ball, our inaugural Behind the Curtain information session on careers in the Performing Arts, and of course our flagship Alumni Mentoring and Networking evening held at Qantas HQ in May. Thank you to all who give their time so generously to connect with the College, mentor our younger Alumni and share their professional advice with our community.

Finally, a huge thank you to those who have been trialling our new Pymble Connections app, which was launched at our Mentoring and Networking evening. Your feedback is essential in ensuring the relevancy and efficacy of this exclusive online platform, which has been designed to support your career progression and networking opportunities within our professional Pymble community.

Until we meet again, I wish you good health, happiness and the not-to-be-taken-for-granted comfort of safety, wherever you are in the world.

Dr Kate Hadwen
Principal

Illuminate

Pymble Ladies’ College publishes its research and innovation journal twice a year that features a diverse range of articles written by staff members and guest writers. You can read the latest edition of the College’s research publication, Illuminate: Research and Innovation, Edition 10 2024 below:

2024 HSC Results

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 for completing their Higher School Certificate. Have a read about their amazing results and achievements.

Pymbulletin

Pymbulletin is our magazine-style publication covering student, staff and College news, initiatives, events and achievements.