From the Principal

We always say one of the many gifts of a Pymble education is the ongoing connection and support of our community throughout your lifetime. ‘Once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl’ is our way of saying you will always be a cherished member of our Pymble family who we take great pride in championing and supporting as you embark on and travel through each new life stage.

Thank you for giving back

It has been wonderful to see the different ways our ex-students have been involved in championing and supporting others in Semester 1 of this year. To all those who have engaged with the College recently to connect with and advise our current students and younger alumni members at various careers-focused events, please accept my huge, heartfelt thank you for your gift of time and commitment to giving back. To our young alumni who are attending these events to learn and grow from our wider Pymble community, what fabulous decisions you are making for your careers.

Our most recent such event was the Alumni Networking Event held in May. You can read more about the background to this wonderful initiative in your ESU President’s column but I couldn’t resist sharing these reflections from our fabulous guest speakers on the night, who perfectly sum up the inestimable value of our Pymble Network in this video of highlights.

 “…the one constant throughout [my career] has been relationships. So often in life, when we want to change, when perhaps things aren’t working out, we put that energy out into the universe and call on our network and, from that, magnificent things can happen.” – Felicity McVay (Carr, 1995)

“Sharing all of our career journeys and paths and mistakes, that was the big thing for me. When you’ve got the right people around you, like the Pymble network, anything is possible.” – Alena Bennett (Schedlich, 1997)

 “What we talked about tonight was don’t have any fear, reach out, people are always happy to help and you already have a network, an amazing Pymble Alumni community.” – Evie Murdoch (2012)

“We shared a lot of information… so a wonderful, incredibly successful night where I think everyone walked away with something.” – Sarah Di Lorenzo (Cassimatis, 1990)

Each year, the College hosts a number of events for current students and alumni, where ex-students and members of our professional community share their experience and knowledge as mentors, speakers or panellists. In addition to our Alumni Networking Event, these include:

Careers Expo

In April, Pymble students in Years 10, 11 and 12 were fortunate to be joined by 40 ex-students representing a wide range of interesting professions, including architecture, audiology, communications, education, engineering, firefighting management, geology, law, medicine, nursing, politics and policy, publishing and research but to name a few. Our students also appreciated catching up with recent Pymble graduates representing residential colleges of the universities they now attend as undergraduates. Seeing familiar faces goes a long way to making a step into the unknown world of university a whole lot less nerve-racking, I’m sure you will agree!

emPOWER Lunch Series

This is a new event where guest speakers join Pymble students for lunch to share insights and promote a greater understanding about their work. Gabrielle Mullen (2016) kindly agreed to be our inaugural emPOWER Lunch speaker in May when she returned to the Senior School Centre to share her experience of studying and working in the field of engineering with our Senior students. Our next two lunches are scheduled Monday 25 July and Monday 5 September and we would love to hear from potential speakers (see below for contacts).

Future Careers Insight Evening

Held towards the end of the School year, this event is hosted in conjunction with St Ignatius’ College, Riverview for students in Years 10 and 11. Alumni from both schools lead group sessions designed to shed light on industries and areas of interest for our students as they embark on their Senior School studies and set their sights on a future beyond school.

There are so many different ways you can help to change the world for our students, past or present. If you’d like to be involved in our emPOWER Lunch series, Future Careers Insight Evening, or other careers events or mentoring opportunities, either online or in-person, please let us know what you are interested in and we can place you in the appropriate program.

Your best contacts are Alumni Relations Manager, Mrs Katrina Corcoran (1987) and our Director of Futures and Partnerships (K-12), Mr Andrew Kozyra.

Exciting plans for Pymble’s future

You may be aware that the College is undertaking a program of building work predominantly focused on improving the academic facilities at the College. Of course, being Pymble, we are doing due diligence to ensure our plans tick all the boxes: optimal for learning, sustainable, world-class and future-proof. I am looking forward to using my impending enrichment leave to visit a number of exciting new STEM-related buildings and modern libraries in the USA and England to bring ideas back to the College and help inform the build.

In addition to scoping out world-leading architectural design of learning spaces, I will be using my time on leave to bring back new knowledge and ideas from:

• Attending the Global Forum on Education in Boston, along with our Head of Junior School, Mrs Kate Brown, and Rev Punam Bent, who are presenting their work on our upcoming ‘Kindness Convention’ and ‘The influence of social media’ respectively.
• Undertaking an Oxford Initiative War and Peace Series course at Oxford University. The Oxford Initiative is part of the Global Women’s Narratives Project to amplify the voices and experiences of women who have lived through and risen above situations of conflict in order for storytellers, policy makers, scholars, lawyers and human rights advocates to effect positive change. I am especially excited about viewing this work through the lens of our Social Intelligence pillar, to better understand the lives and strengths of women affected by conflict and war, whether that’s as a first or subsequent generation.
• Meeting with our partners at University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA trained our academic staff to deliver a new Data Science Course for students in Years 9 to 11 – a first for any school in Australia. It is with enormous pride that I will share this overview of the work our girls are doing, and staff and student feedback, including our ultimate aim to develop an Australian version of a UCLA/Pymble IDS curriculum that can lead to mentorships, internships and externally-recognised credentials.
• Meeting with our partners at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as we work towards establishing a NuVu Innovation Studio at Pymble to empower the next generation of young designers, entrepreneurs, makers and inventors – another first for Pymble, NuVu’s only partner school in the Southern Hemisphere.

This is an exciting time of innovation and growth for the College, with our Watch Us Change the World Strategic Direction in its second year of implementation and plans underway to enhance the on-campus experience for all students with innovative new learning precincts and facilities. To help support our vision, we have established a Pymble Foundation. If you are interested in supporting this development or any of the exciting new STEM programs highlighted above, please contact our new Associate Director of Development, Ms Alexandra Wright (Dillon, 1993), who would love to take you through our plans in further detail. Alex can be contacted via email alwright@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or on 02 9958 7792.

Signing off for now with gratitude and best wishes for all our former students, wherever you are in the world today. Stay safe, stay warm (if you are in NSW or anywhere else where we are freezing!) and, please, stay connected with each other and the College. Our enduring bond is one of the many special aspects of our Pymble community for which we are truly blessed.

Dr Kate Hadwen 

Principal

Katarina Stuart (2012) – Where Are They Now?

The relationships and interests I developed over my high school years at Pymble have certainly played a major role in shaping who I am today. And though it is somewhat confronting to approach the ten-year mark since graduation, such emotions also prompt reflection. I am ever grateful for the lifetime friendships forged over my Pymble years which, considering recent tumultuous times, I know can weather anything.

Of course, I would be remiss to dwell on my time at Pymble without considering how it has shaped my choices since then. While I did love subjects like English and Visual Arts, my strongest academic memories at Pymble were always of the Science and Maths classrooms. Facilitating your interests, no matter how niche or weird, was something Pymble excels at. It is vital that in high school you feel comfortable to explore the things you love, and I remember my high school years enabled that. My memories are characterised by teachers going above and beyond their role to help students who showed interest in their subjects. For me and a few others that took shape in the form of maths and science Olympiads, titration competitions, and various other science projects. While I now shudder at the thought of all the extra homework I did under the cunning guise of fun, I can’t deny that it taught me extra time was well invested in the things you loved. And I truly loved science. My interest in science, specifically biology and evolution, has always been what has driven me in the academic environment.

My world now looks a little different from that of my time at Pymble. I am an evolutionary biologist, and work in a field called genomics, which is basically genetics coupled with computer science. Specifically, I study invasive species, and look at how they evolve within their novel (invaded) ranges. The findings of such research aim to assist management efforts of invasive or vulnerable species and provide information on the fundamental molecular mechanics underpinning species’ evolution. My work has taken me to many places, from remote fieldwork in regional Australia, to overseas to teach or present my research. I have recently submitted my doctorate thesis at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and will be moving to the University of Auckland to take up a position as a postdoctoral research fellow.

My everyday work is somewhat unpredictable, and largely dependent on which section of my projects I am up to. I have worked in locations across Queensland and Western Australia, running experiments and collected field data. And of course, a necessary component of many genetic projects is working in the traditional laboratory setting (termed wet-lab, likely in reference to the many hours you spend crying in exasperation as simple procedures fail for the 5^th time in a row due to a planetary misalignment). In the wet lab I can have my hands on anything from extracting the genetic material (DNA) from a sample, to running the sequencing machines used to generate the DNA code data.

Ultimately however, a large majority of my time is spent doing bioinformatics, which simply means using computer science to work on large genetic data sets. These days all but very particular genetic analysis will require remote computer clusters, or ‘super computers’, to analyse. My projects cover a range of different data types, from constructing reference genomes for species, to analysing population genetics data to be used for pest control decisions. So, on this note I am thrilled that they are introducing data science as a subject for students to take here at Pymble. With how pervasive tech is and will continue to be across many fields of work, exposure to computer and data science is fundamentally important.

Across all my different research projects I have met people from all walks of life studying biology. The academic environment is a surprising melting pot of people who have arrived at research, including those who never saw themselves as studious during their high school years, and in some cases never completed high school. What unites them is a passion for the natural world, whether it be for one specific endangered marsupial, or a desire to critique and improve the very foundations of the way we conduct biological sciences. So, in a way it is interesting to remember the anxiety that I know I and many of my classmates felt around assessment time, that our futures would be made or broken by some mark. If the ten years since graduation have given me anything, perhaps it would be perspective on the flexibility of our career choices, and the strength we all possess to drive ourselves when we are self-aware about our passions.

I don’t think I had a clear idea in my head during my high school years of what a scientist looks like. Aiming for a career in academia was never a goal of mine, it was simply an end result of continuing to choose the direction of learning that inspired me most. And to be honest I still don’t necessarily know what I will do, I will simply keep making the choice to follow what intrigues me and trust that whatever it fills my day with will be rewarding. In this tumultuous time of uncertain global prospects, I think the best we can do is make sure we are living a balanced life and spending our working hours doing something that fulfils us.

Garden Party – Saturday 17 September

Save the Date!

After a two-year hiatus, we can’t wait to welcome you to our Pymble campus for the College’s biggest event of the year, the Garden Party.

There will be rides, food and market stalls, demonstrations, live music, competitions and more!

Funds raised at this year’s Garden Party will go to Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter, who provide support for women in crisis.

So come along, have fun with the family and support a good cause! See you on Saturday 17 September.

Farewell to Sabina Turner

A heartfelt thank you to a Pymble legend. After 37 years of service at Pymble, our Director of Co-curricular Performing Arts, Mrs Sabina Turner, has made the decision to retire and embark on new adventures with her family.

Mrs Turner is one of Pymble‘s living treasures, a showstopper of a teacher who has generously, joyfully and enthusiastically dedicated her life to giving the gift of music and performing arts to generations of Pymble girls and our wider community.

We farewelled Mrs Turner at a staff event and our Term 2 Ensemble Concert, which ended with a surprise episode of ‘This Is Your Life’. It was very special to come together at both occasions to reflect on Sabina’s years at the College, first as a Pymble Boarder and then in numerous roles during her 37 years of teaching and leading departments, and to celebrate the extraordinary legacy she leaves.

Thank you, Sabina for your years of dedicated service, enthusiasm and passionate energy. You were a key producer for the musical soundtrack of our College for many years, and we are profoundly grateful.

News From the Pymble Alumni Team

It’s hard to believe that we are half way through the year already! 

It’s been another busy term at Pymble. We were delighted to host our second Alumni Networking Event at KPMG in Barangaroo, an evening dedicated to fostering a professional network amongst Pymble community members to help our alumni achieve success in their careers. Thank you to all the mentors and mentees who attended this event. Networking is such an important part of growing a career, and it was wonderful to see so many of our Pymble family eager to show their support for our young alumni, offering mentorship and invaluable career advice.

It was lovely recently celebrating our families with generations of Pymble girls at our Ex-student Mother’s and Grandmother’s Morning Tea. Mothers and Grandmothers of current Pymble students, who also attended the college during their own schooling years, joined us on campus to share a delicious morning tea and catch up with their Pymble family.

If you are on Facebook, I invite you to become a member of the Pymble Ladies’ College Alumni page. Also, we’ve recently created a Pymble Ladies’ College Alumni (@pymblelcalumni) account on Instagram! It is an opportunity to stay abreast of upcoming events, see what is happening at the College, and keep up-to-date with old friends and staff members. 

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Garden Party on Saturday 17 September.

All’ Ultimo Lavoro.

Mrs Katrina Corcoran (Hum, 1987)

Alumni Relations Manager

ESU President Update

Events are back and it’s been wonderful to enjoy each other’s company in person on the College grounds and hear the exciting buzz of the world coming back together. Our College Alumni Manager, Katrina Corcoran has been busy organising Reunions, College tours and overseeing the many events the ESU is associated with.

In early April, the ESU hosted a Networking event for the Legal Industry in the Hall & Wilcox Sydney office. This event aimed to be the first of a series of smaller networking events, where Pymble Alumni have the opportunity to connect with others in the same industry. In the first half of the evening, a short panel discussion featured Pymble Alumni including Jacqui Barrett (1996), Jennifer Degotardi (1982), Alex Letham (1993), Jasmine Logaraj (2010), and Laura Newton (2006). Key takeaways from the discussion included the importance of culture and integrity in the workplace, the power of networking, and knowing one’s value. The panel event was followed by networking between attendees and panellists over wine and canapes. There was a real sense of the Pymble community in the room. The event was a great success and a truly inspirational night. 

A huge thank you to our panellists, who shared such personal experiences, insights into their careers, and thoughtful advice. We would also like to thank Hall & Wilcox’s generosity in providing us with event space and the ability to host such a wonderful evening. Thank you also to ESU Committee members Brigitte Liew and Rowena Ditzell for organising this event. Please look out for more information on future events.

‘Wow’, ‘Inspiring’, and ‘Thought provoking’ – these are just a few of the descriptions along with much laughter heard from the 280 strong audience at the recent Alumni Networking Event held at the stunning KPMG offices at Barangaroo.

A magnificent panel of Pymble ex-students had the Alumni audience completely engaged whist they discussed the power of networking, the inspiration of mentors and the twists and turns your career can take when you least expect it. 

After a two-year hiatus, the ESU was very proud to host this valuable event in partnership with the College and College Chair, James Hunter.  The brainchild of James and former ESU President Li-Enn Koo (1991), the aim of the event is to help accelerate the careers of Pymble graduates aged between 18 and 35 years as well as current Year 12 students.

The panel, expertly emceed by Felicity McVay (Carr, 1995) Director of Content for TicToc, included Alena Bennett (Schedlich, 1997) The CFO Boardroom/Leadership Speaker, Author, Mentor, Facilitator and Trainer, Sarah Di Lorenzo (Cassimatis, 1990) Resident Nutritionist at Weekend Sunrise and Author, and Evie Murdoch (2012) Food Agribusiness and Sustainability.

Our creative and motivating ex-students bantered for over an hour whilst entertaining and informing us about their journeys – the good, the great and sometimes the ugly.  They shared what had worked for them and what hadn’t worked and how to use networking to your advantage and making the most of the connections we all have.

The opportunity to breakout into rooms and meet with leaders in specific industries was embraced by all present and the energy and laughter coming from everyone was infectious. Feedback has been very positive, and we know some valuable connections were made.

Thank you to everyone who attended, the Mentors for giving up their time and everyone at the College and KPMG who assisted to make the event such a success. 

The College hosted a Morning Tea for Ex-student Mothers and Grandmothers in the Boarders Dining Hall. It was lovely to be back at school and we all enjoyed sharing ‘recess’ with our daughters and granddaughters.  The girls were thrilled to hear stories from the past, particularly the lives of the boarders in the 1960s.  Some of the grandmothers were stunned by the transformation of the boarders Dining Room. “It wasn’t like this in my day” and “Wow this food is delicious compared to what we ate” two of the common phrases heard.  Inviting back the 2020 and 2021 leavers who missed out on the event due to Covid, made for a large crowd and a great opportunity to see and hear what some of the girls are up to now. 

Term 3 promises to be just as busy with Reunions, the Commemoration Day service on Sunday 31 July and the Garden Party on Saturday 17 September. Watch out for more information on both as well as how you can be involved with the AlumNow Arts and Crafts Exhibition in November. We look forward to seeing many of you at these events.

Mrs Zoë Wang (Moore, 1994)

ESU President

Support for our Alumni

We are so pleased to see more of our alumni joining PymConnect in the past couple of months. We have also welcomed many of our Year 12 2021 students to PymConnect.

For many of you who don’t know what PymConnect is…it is a mentoring program Pymble has built for our alumni with the support of Mentor Evolution and MentorCloud, specialists in the mentoring space.

We wanted to build a safe and secure place for our ex-Pymble girls where they can seek and share guidance on career, personal growth and development after leaving Pymble. We believe we all have something to learn, to give and share…whether you have left Pymble last year or more than 30 years ago. We can benefit so much from learning from a mentor, and/or be a mentor to others. We hope PymConnect will be an extension of the opportunities Pymble afforded our Pymble girls, to foster your continued growth or to make an impact in another Pymble girl’s life by seeing them grow beyond the College gates.

Some alumni have reached out to us saying they never received the invitation to join PymConnect. This might be due to the email having landed in your Junk/Spam folder. We have therefore sent another email this week inviting all of you who haven’t yet signed up to join PymConnect. Please check your emails and activate your account to join this vibrant community. You will have total autonomy over the connections and mentoring partnerships you wish to make on PymConnect.

If you need any help or have a question about PymConnect, please feel free to reach out to us at pymconnect@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au or call Katrina Corcoran on +61 2 9855 7304.

Benestar is a confidential wellbeing support service, thanks to the generosity of our Ex-Students’ Union (ESU). 

You will always be a Pymble girl and we want you to know that the Pymble family continues to care about your wellbeing, even after you leave the College. This program gives you easy access to wellbeing support when times are tough or whenever you feel like you need a helping hand. 

Our Ex-Students’ Assistance Program (EAP) is provided by Benestar under the MyCoach personal and confidential coaching program. MyCoach offers a team of professional coaches trained to assist you with everything from mental health to relationships to exercise and sleep, in face-to-face sessions or over the phone. 

Ex-students who access the service will be offered up to three funded one-hour coaching sessions. To access the service, you can call the numbers below and inform them you are a Pymble ex-student:  

Australia: 1300 360 364 

New Zealand: 0800 360 364 

International: +61 2 8295 2292 

Benestar also has a wide range of tools, blog posts, podcasts and learning modules available on the BeneHub at www.benestar.com or via the Benestar app. To register for access to the information, simply visit www.benestar.com and go to the BeneHub Login and enter the ID: PLCA and the Token: PLCA01. 

All sessions are confidential and neither the College nor the ESU Committee will be provided with the names of ex-students accessing the service.   

We know that many of you will already have good existing relationships with your local GP. In the event that you need mental health support, you may prefer to talk to your GP about a plan which enables you to access Medicare funding for six to ten counselling sessions with a Medicare-approved mental health professional. Please know that the EAP offers an alternative path for support, however, should not replace the clinical care provided by your GP and other health professionals. 

Ex-Students’ Union Scholarship Year 11 2024

Daughters or grand daughters of ex-students of Pymble Ladies’ College entering Year 11 in 2024 are encouraged to apply for the Ex-Students’ Union Scholarship.

The successful recipient will receive 50 per cent remission of academic tuition fees (excluding extras). Applications are open to current Pymble students as well as external students.

All candidates must register by 5 August 2022 and be prepared to sit the Academic Assessment Services (AAS) examination which will be held on Sunday 14 August 2022.

For more information and to register visit the Pymble Scholarships webpage

Alice Mitchell (2019) selected for Sydney Swans AFLW team

From the College’s Main Oval to the Sydney Cricket Ground, our girls’ dreams become reality.

Congratulations to Alice Mitchell (2019) who has been selected for the Sydney Swans inaugural AFLW team! Alice was a keen sportswoman during her time at Pymble where she was Captain of AFL. Alice’s first game for the Swans will be in August at the SCG versus the GWS Giants!

Sarah Hunter (2021) selected in the Young Matildas

Congratulations to Sarah Hunter (2021) who has been selected to join the Young Matildas as they prepare for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

Throughout her time at Pymble, Sarah participated in Saturday Football, was a member of Pymble‘s CIS Football team, the Bill Turner Cup team and a member of our Pymble Elite Sportswomen’s Program (PESP). We’re so proud of your achievements, Sarah!

Chloe Dalton Competition coming up in Term 3

We can’t wait for the Chloe Dalton Competition – Secondary School Girls Sevens Competition to start in Term 3 with six Pymble teams participating! Hear from Chloe Dalton OAM (2011) in the video below.

Mackenzie Little’s (2014) journey to athletic stardom

Our very own Mackenzie Little (2014) is currently participating in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 

Read about this superstar athlete’s journey studying medicine while training for the World Championships and the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

We’re so proud of you Mackenzie!

Dr Michelle Mulligan (1982) recognised on Queen’s Birthday Honours list

Congratulations to Dr Michelle Mulligan OAM (1982) who was announced in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Dr Michelle Mulligan has received an Order of Australia medal for her service to medicine, particularly to anaesthesia.

As a practicing specialist anaesthetist, in both the public and private sector, Michelle is the Clinical Director of the NSLHD Surgery and Anaesthesia Network. She had a key leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping the district navigate the challenges of the pandemic as Clinical Lead of the Clinical Advisory Group.

Michelle has been as NSLHD board member since 2017 and is a board member of the Agency for Clinical Innovation and Clinical Excellence Commission. She is also a member of the district’s Finance, Risk and Performance Committee. Michelle has had many roles within the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, including as its Director of Professional Affairs.

IGSA Sport celebrates 100 years

It was a special night for our Sports Department as they marked 100 years of IGSA Sport!

Our very own Pymble Alumni Mackenzie Little (2014) was exceptional as guest speaker and a well-deserving Chris Lang, Head Coach – Diving was recognised for her contribution to IGSA Sport and awarded the inaugural Life Service Award.

Generations unite at Ex-Student Mother’s and Grandmother’s Morning Tea

Once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl. It was lovely recently celebrating our families with generations of Pymble girls at our Ex-Student Mother’s and Grandmother’s Morning Tea. Mother and grandmothers of current Pymble students, who also attended the college during their own schooling years, joined us on campus to share a delicious morning tea and catch up with their Pymble family.

If you didn’t receive notice of this event, please email Katrina Corcoran, Alumni Relations Manager at kcorcoran@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to advise us of your family connection.

Rachel Lowe (2018) selected for Matildas

Congratulations to Pymble Alumni, Rachel Lowe (2018), who is kicking serious goals – she’s been selected to represent Australia in the Matildas!

Rachel trained with the team in Spain in preparation for their matches against Spain and Portugal – what a fantastic achievement.

Amanda Farrar (1986) awarded Public Service Medal

Congratulations to Amanda Farrar PSM (1986) on her Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to arts and culture in New South Wales. Amanda is currently serving as the Director of Public Affairs and Development at the Australian Museum.

The Public Service Medal acknowledges outstanding service by employees of the Australian Government and state, territory and local government employees. What a wonderful achievement. 

Brittany O’Brien (2016) making a splash on the world diving scene

Congratulations to our Pymble Alumna, Olympian Brittany O’Brien (2016), who put on a sensational performance at the Diving Open Nationals in Brisbane and has been selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games team.

Brittany started diving when she was in Year 4 at Pymble and since her graduation has continued to support our Pymble divers as a coach. She is a positive role model to all our divers and sportswomen, demonstrating resilience, courage and commitment, even when dealing with ‘lost skill syndrome’ after competing at the Rio Olympics.

Her hard work has paid off! We are so proud to see her compete at the Canada Cup in Calgary, the FINA World Cup in Budapest and now also the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Good luck, Brittany!

Jersey Day 2022

Another year has passed, but their legacy never fades.

Our Pymble students recently donned their favourite jerseys for our annual Jersey Day, a Boarding student initiative that commenced many years ago to commemorate three beautiful Boarders – Alanda Clark (1994), Jane Gay (1996) and Prudence Papworth (1997) – who tragically lost their lives in a plane crash travelling home for the June Long Weekend in 1993.

The memory of these three girls is etched into our Chapel with a beautiful stained-glass window and grows in our garden with three Tallowwood trees that sit at the back of Mollie Dive Field. The Alanda Clark, Jane Gay and Prudence Papworth Boarding Scholarship was also created in their honour and on Jersey Day our students raise funds to help contribute to this scholarship and continue their legacy.

Alumni Networking Event at KPMG Barangaroo

We were delighted to host our second Alumni Networking Event at KPMG Barangaroo, an evening dedicated to fostering a professional network amongst Pymble community members to help our alumni achieve success in their careers post-Pymble.

Alongside our Chair of the Board, Mr James Hunter, Principal Dr Kate Hadwen, members of the College Senior Executive team and the ESU Committee, the event included an inspiring line-up of guest speakers including:

• Felicity McVay (Carr, 1995) – Director of Content for TikTok Australia
• Alena Bennett (Schedlich, 1997) – The CFO Boardroom / Leadership Speaker, Author, Mentor, Facilitator, Coach, Trainer
• Sarah Di Lorenzo (Cassimatis, 1990) – Nutritionist at Weekend Sunrise / Book Editor
• Evie Murdoch (2012) – Food, Agribusiness and Sustainability

Thank you to all the mentors and mentees who attended this event. Networking is such an important part of growing a career, and it was wonderful to see so many of our Pymble family eager to show their support for our young alumni, offering mentorship and invaluable career advice.

Food for Thought Luncheon 2022

Our annual Food for Thought luncheon provides a wonderful opportunity for our Year 12 students to connect with Pymble graduates and seek advice and support. This year, our guest speaker was Tamsin Janu (2007).

Tamsin urged our girls to be agile and flexible in their thinking and in their career paths. She encouraged the Class of 2022 to follow their interests and be available to opportunities as they present themselves. Having graduated with a Law degree and now writing a series of award-winning books for children, Tamsin’s message was authentic and engaging.

Reunion Updates

After a two year wait due to COVID, the lovely ladies of the 1960 leaving year were finally able to gather on a beautiful day at Pymble to celebrate 60 years since leaving the College.

So much has changed for them with many new buildings and landscapes to admire however, their friendships have remained steadfastly the same. Everyone enjoyed reminiscing and remembering their wonderful school days whilst at the College during the 1950’s and earlier.

Ex-Student Tour and Morning Tea

Are you interested in visiting your old school grounds for a walk down memory lane?

We recently held one of our much-loved Ex-student Tour and Morning Teas – our former students toured the campus, sharing lots of funny stories along the way, and left impressed with how much the College has grown and changed since they left.

If you would like to join our next Ex-student Tour and Morning Tea, we are hosting one on Friday 26 August at 10.30am. Please email our Alumni Relations Manager, Katrina Corcoran (1987), kcorcoran@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au to save your spot.

Commemoration Day Chapel Service

Historic cabinets shine again

In Term 2 this year, as part of the innovative event Sharing Stories Festival, there was a display at the Conde Library of objects and their stories.  This gave some historic showcases an opportunity to shine once again. 

The showcases can be spotted in an image of the Assembly Hall taken in 1936 depicting students with trophies, honour boards and the plaster model for the medal. The students can be seen studying one of the trophies.

A closer study of the image also reveals the early honour boards; three in illuminated address style, used to celebrate achievements through artistry popular early last century.  The boards featured both Pymble and Croydon achievers and depict cameo images of students covering the years 1916, 1917 and 1919. 

The beautiful Head Prefect and Dux board, which covers the years 1916 to 1945, has recently been rehung along with the original Marden Prize board. The board was donated to the school in 1925 by Mrs Herschell who was a visitor to Grey House. Described as fumed oak, simple and chase in design, these now grace the entrance to the Senior Centre from the Conde Library and are followed by the boards for the subsequent years.

Duke of Ed volunteers have worked on exploring the story of some of the students named on the boards by creating a display in the Senior Centre and using a QR code to a website to share this information. The carved feature on the top of the board was inspired by the creation of a label template for the display to be used in the Heritage Museum.

Tan sisters across the generations

Long term archive volunteer, Angelica Tan (Year 12), and our College Archivist have been exploring links.  It started with noticing mention of Tan sisters in our student name listings from the 1940’s.  Angelica and her sister Caitlyn (Year 11) are current students; also Tan sisters. 

Researching the Tan sisters, Lian and Choo, we discovered they had attended Pymble during World War 2, commencing when aged 7 and 9 years after being evacuated from Singapore when they were students during 1943 and 1944. As she shared the same surname, Angelica took an interest and delved deeper.

Using a search engine, material on both sisters was found. Contact details through Lian’s work and foundation provided a contact email.  Writing to her through this organisation, we asked if she would be prepared to correspond with us.  A positive answer came back and thus a warm dialogue across the generations between a Tan sister then and now commenced.

To explore Dr Tan’s time at Pymble, Angelica asked about her experience at Pymble and her memories. Again, promptly and spritely, her first words were:

“Lovely to hear from another member of the Tan clan studying in PLC Pymble. Before I answer your questions, I would like to remind you these memories are now 80 years old.”

Dr Tan now lives in Singapore and is a practicing ophthalmologist. She told the story of her family’s evacuation from Singapore when it fell, flying to Sydney with her sister and parents. She recalled how nice the staff, senior students and the lovely Miss Knox were to her and her sister. Dr Tan also pointed out to Angelica this was during the time of the White Australia Policy. 

Towards the end of the war, the family followed their father to Bombay and remained there until its end. They returned to Singapore in 1945 where Lian continued her education, studying medicine specialising in ophthalmology. She recalled a later visit back to Australia where she had a meeting with Miss Knox, who by that time was blind from macular degeneration.

We were able to share images of the College in this era and found record of the Tan sisters’ achievements and attendance at Pymble in the Archive.  We were able to also share these with Dr Tan along with our Centenary book which she enjoyed.

Angelica notes the importance of her research:

“It’s important to keep remembering and reflecting on Pymble’s history. The stories they tell and the lessons they teach are invaluable, showing the testimony and legacy of our college.

This is an ongoing project, reviving connections and nurturing the sisterhood against the test of time. After all, once a Pymble girl, always a Pymble girl.”

Dr Tan also shared some wisdom:

“On reflection, I am grateful for all the people and all the different situations that I have encountered, they have made me realise how precious life is, how important it is to lend help and be grateful at all times.”

As a beautiful footnote, the story also reconnected two friends. Dr Tan had asked if it was possible to find some of her peers from a list of names provided to us. Our Archivist was able to find Rev Dr Helen Granowski (1950) through her teaching and ministry history. A study in serendipity, Helen, now living in Melbourne, was reconnected with Dr Tan who was visiting Melbourne.  Although Helen can no longer speak, Dr Tan recounted their meeting with joy and the broad smiles Helen gifted her.

Our warm thanks to Dr Tan.

Written by Angelica Tan (Year 12) and Enid O’Carroll, College Archivist.

Reunions and Events

Upcoming Reunions

2017 – Five Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 15 October

Venue: ‘The Loft’ Barangaroo

Contact: Amy Graham amygraham114@gmail.com

2012 – 10 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 17 September, 2.00pm to 5.00pm 

Venue: Woollahra Hotel, Woollahra

Contact: Nikki Raftopulos n.raftoulos@gmail.com and Ankita Kapoor ankita7.kapoor@gmail.com

2007 – 15 Year Reunion

Date: Friday 28 October

Venue: The Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay

Contact: Sophie Hordern sophie.hordern@gmail.com

2006 – 15 (+1) Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 24 September

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Amelia McCarthy ameliacmccarthy@gmail.com

Click here for more information and to RSVP

2002 – 20 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 19 October

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Georgia Lovell georgia.f.lovell@gmail.com and Felicity Graham felicitykingsbury@gmail.com

2001 – 20.5 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 22 October

Venue: Cargo Bar, Darling Harbour

Contact: Fiona Tyler fiona.tyler@mlc.com.au

1997 – 25 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 17 September

Venue: Cabana Bar, MLC Centre, 25 Martin Place, 5.00pm

Contact: Stephany Burton (Parrett) stephanyburton@me.com and Francesca Reynolds (Serventi) reynoldsfrancesca@gmail.com

1996 – 25.5 Year Reunion

Date: TBA

Venue: TBA

Contact: Lotty Bellamy lottybellamy@gmail.com

1992 – 30 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 5 November

Venue: The Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay

Contact: Annabelle Ashwin Annabelle_ash@hotmail.com

1991 – 30.5 Year Reunion

Date: TBA

Venue: TBA

Contact: Georgina Noyce (Hartley) georgina.noyce@hotmail.com, Rebecca Vowels rebeccavowels@hotmail.com and Edwina O’Brien eobrien@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

1987 – 35 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 5 November

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College 

Contact: Katrina Corcoran kcorcoran@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au

1982 – 40 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 5 November

Venue: Colonnade Classroom, Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Jenny Garlick (Thorpe) jennyg@asquithvet.com.au

1981 – 40.5 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 26 November

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre, Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Margot Murden mmurden@tpg.com.au, Alison Knox alisonknox1@tpg.com.au and Kristin Siebel (Gissing) kristinjane1963@bigpond.com

1977 – 45 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 3 December

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Christine Bartlett christine@bartlettandcoles.com.au

1972 – 50 Year Reunion

Date: Sunday 31 July (Commemoration Day)

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Inga Scarlett ingascarlett@gmail.com.au

1970 – 50+2 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 22 October

Venue: Killara Golf Club, 6.00pm

Contact: Jo Beverley (Buckle) jo@mjblaw.com.au

1967 – 55 Year Reunion

Date: Friday 21 October

Venue: Killara Golf Club

Contact: Sue Macdonald suemacdon@yahoo.com

1962 – 60 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 10 September

Venue: David Macfarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Bronte Somerset bjsomerset@gmail.com

Click here for more information and to RSVP

1961 – 60.1 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 3 September

Venue: David Macfarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Lindy Major (de Saxe) lindymajor@bigpond.com

1957 – 65 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 12 November

Venue: David Macfarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Margaret Scott (Wright) trevorwill@bigpond.com

1956 – 65.5 Year Reunion

Date: Saturday 4 March, 2023

Venue: David MacFarlane Centre (DMC), Pymble Ladies’ College

Contact: Betsey Whitfield (Brain) rogbetsw@bigpond.net.au

1954 – 68 Year Reunion

Date: Sunday 31 July

Venue: C8 Classroom on the Colonnade after Commemoration Day Service

Contact: Jacqui Farrar (Molyneux) jacqueline.farrar@icloud.com or 0412 267 540

2022 Events

Sunday 31 July – Ex-Students’ Union Commemoration Day Service, College Chapel

Monday 7 to Saturday 12 November – alumNOW Art Exhibition

Careers – can you help?

Pymble is seeking expressions of interest from members of our wider community who may be interested in joining an International University Pathways Advisory Group.

Pymble would like to raise the profile of overseas possibilities and commence the learning process about the complexities of overseas application processes from Year 8 onwards. As part of the process of developing an appropriate sequence of learning activities for students who show interest in overseas study options, we would like to obtain input from community members who have applied to overseas institutions previously, may have attended such institutions, or understand admissions procedures and what is required to create great applications.

The Advisory Group would meet online once each term for two hours. Specifically, the objectives of the group would be to contribute to:

• The best ways to promote overseas opportunities, with thought given to the benefits of overseas study that may appeal to students
• The best mediums for sharing experiences, with thought given to the possibility of information evenings, greater intensity of alumni presenting their experiences to current students, and usage of an online storage of on demand videos recorded with members of our community
• The learnings of community members that can be passed onto current students
• Key processes that should be built into a sequence of student activities between Year 8 and 12
• Key action plan considerations for students to consider from Year 8 to Year 12

Please express your interest to Andrew Kozyra, Director of Futures and Partnerships, via email: akozyra@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. 

Learn to Swim at Pymble

Learn to Swim at Pymble this winter and save 50 per cent on your second lesson! It may be getting cold outside, but there are plenty of good reasons to swim twice a week this winter:

• Water temperature – set to a lovely 31 degrees, the water is warm all year round
• Air temperature – our pool deck air temperature is also maintained at 31 degrees to ensure a comfortable swimming experience
• Change rooms – our change rooms are equipped with hair dryers so you can dry your hair and rug up before leaving the Aquatic Centre
• Private parking – all Learn to Swim customers can park under Mollie Dive Field and gain easy access from the car park to the pool
• Fast track your child’s progress – by swimming in winter, your child will be better prepared to participate in summertime water-based activities and school swimming carnivals.

With your second lesson for only $10 between 1 June and 31 August, contact the Learn to Swim Reception today to book your winter swimming lessons and take advantage of this offer.

Call +61 2 9855 7460 or email swimming@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.

*Normal terms and conditions apply, and lessons cannot be back-to-back.

Follow us on Instagram!

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

Birth notices

Laura McNamara (Matich, 2007)

Jessica Cale (2007)

This is Pymble College – Celebrating 105 years

Pymbulletin

The Ex-Students’ section of Pymbulletin reports on the achievements of Pymble alumni, news items and engagements, weddings, births and vale notices.