Dear Old Scholars

We welcome 148 new members to the Old Scholars Association, having recently been presented with their OSA Certificates and OSA Ammonite Pendants at the Year 12 Graduation and Awards Ceremony. Congratulations on this wonderful milestone, and we wish the class of 2024 all the very best for the future. We look forward to seeing you at the Year 13 Reunion on Wednesday 19 February 2025.  Please read more about the Valedictory celebrations, and the Year 13 Reunion, below.

On 1 November, the Commissioning Eucharist of The Reverend Philip Schonken was held, and Father Philip was commissioned as School Chaplain by The Archbishop of Perth, The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy (AO). We congratulate Father Philip and warmly welcome you to our school community.

We were privileged to welcome back to school the classes of 1954, 1964 and 2004 for their 70, 60 and 20 year reunions respectively. Thank you to Niamh Fitzpatrick, Lizzie Warburton and Kellie Hasluck for your work in facilitating these very happy events.

Our OSA Art Exhibition was again a great success, and a huge thank you must go to Treffina Dowland (Lidbury, 1983) and Samantha Newall (Hamersley, 1993) for ensuring that it continues in its success.  Also, thank you to all of our wonderful artists, OSA volunteers and their families, Lizzie Warburton, Hope Barr (Head of Marketing and Communications), student volunteers, Andrea Black (Shepherd, 1990) (Head of Music), the maintenance team, the catering team, and others, for ensuring its smooth running. Please read more from Sam about the OSA Art Exhibition below.

Please also read about Lizzie Warburton's visit to Esperance, and the Combined Independent Girls' Schools Golf 2024 at Kwinana Golf Club, below. A big thank you to Jan MacFarlane (1971) and Jan Grimoldby (1970) for organising the OSA players for the CIGSG.

For your diary, Father Philip will hold our end of year OSA Christmas Service on 25 November at 5pm, which will be followed by refreshments on the OSA veranda. Please RSVP for this event for our catering purposes. We would love to see you there.

For those of you who will be in London on 18 January 2025, OSA Patron and School Principal Fiona Johnston would love to meet with you for a St Hilda's Sundowner. Please see the details below.

In this edition of the OSA Connections Newsletter, we have included a fascinating lookback in time to boarding at St Hilda's, a piece compiled by Sandra Naude and Pam Casellas (Greenway, 1970), and the account from a special visit from the outstanding past science teacher Dr Pam Garnett.

Finally I would like to welcome Michelle Broom (Marfleet, 1989) as our newest Co-opted Member of the OSA Committee. Michelle has had such an interesting career since leaving St Hilda's in 1989, and will no doubt be an invaluable resource to the committee. Please read about Michelle's post-school journey in our Old Scholar feature below.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year, from the extended OSA Committee.

Best wishes

Dr Amanda Burt (Coad, 1989)
President of the GHS & St Hilda's Old Scholars Association

As this year draws to a close, we invite you to come together as a school community to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You are cordially invited to join us for a special Christmas Eve service (in addition to the OSA Christmas Service on Monday 25 November) in the Whitby Chapel.  We will gather in worship, song, and prayer as we commemorate this holy night.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

Date: Tuesday 24 December

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Whitby Chapel, Bay View Campus

This December, we will gather with families, churches and communities to celebrate the birth of Christ. I pray that you will use these opportunities to restore, rekindle and celebrate relationships, which you may have forged at school, or in later life. May the spirit of Christmas inspire us all to continue in our learning, growing, and sharing in a Christ-like manner.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who dwelt in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone."

Let us carry this light forward, illuminating the path for those who follow. God bless and have a wonderful Christmas season.

Father Philip Schonken
Chaplain

We look forward to welcoming as many Old Scholars as possible to these last events of the year.

OSA END OF YEAR CHRISTMAS CHAPEL SERVICE AND DRINKS
Monday 25 November
Time: 5.00pm - 7.00pm
Venue: Chapel followed by refreshments on the Heritage Centre veranda, St Hilda's Bay View Campus

OSA CROCHET

Venue:  The OSA Sitting Room, Heritage Centre, Bay View Campus

Week 7 - Friday 22 November (lunch time)

Beginners are most welcome.

Enquiries to Treffina Dowland 0413 948 255

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

Date: Tuesday 24 December

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: The Whitby Chapel, Bay View Campus

This year we mark thirty years since the Whitby Chapel was consecrated in April 1994.  The funding for the chapel started decades before, and it is with tremendous thanks to the combined efforts of the school community, and particularly the old scholars, that we now have the beautiful Whitby Chapel to use for Old Scholar family and school events.

We are also very lucky to have our Chaplain, Father Philip and his wife, Tracey Schonken, in residence and they will be celebrating their first Perth Christmas with their children this year.

We would love to welcome all our members to an end of year thank you for the many volunteers who have contributed their time and resources during the OSA 2024 calendar, and an early Christmas celebration on the cusp of the summer break.

Right: 1956 UIV & Vth performing English folk dances at the school fair in aid of the Chapel appeal

Left: 1946: Dancers at the School Fair in aid of the chapel.

Father Philip Schonken will conduct a Christmas service on Monday 25 November at 5pm in the Whitby Chapel followed by drinks on the veranda of the Heritage Centre.

For catering purposes only, please click below and book your attendance.

Please click on the link to book your place.  Tickets are £20.00pp which include drinks and a tasting plate.

OSA Patron and Principal Fiona Johnston will be travelling to London in the New Year and would be delighted if any UK based St Hilda's Alumni would join her for Sundowner drinks at The Exhibitionist Hotel.

We will be contacting all of our UK based Old Scholars directly, but if you know of any who are in London temporarily please do pass this link to them or let us know at oldscholars@sthildas.wa.edu.au.

It is always so wonderful to reconnect with our UK based old scholars and for the different year groups to meet one another.  We so enjoy hearing about what you are doing and what your journey has been since you left St Hilda's.

Details will follow regarding the Paris St Hilda's OSA Sundowner, in the New Year, but please let us know if you are there or know someone who is, so we can contact you directly.

On Friday 19 October parents, students and staff gathered to watch the 148 Class of 2024 Year 12 students graduate from St Hilda's.  Thank you to the keynote speaker, Glynis Traill-Nash (1987), who is a reknowned journalist, performer and one of Australia's most highly regarded fashion writers and commentators.  Glynis writes across numerous publications, including the Australian Financial Review , AFR Magazine , Marie Claire, Australian Women’s Weekly, Harpers Bazaar and is the Australian correspondent for global industry bible Business of Fashion.

Glynis returned to St Hilda's from Melbourne and spoke to the students about her career since leaving School and the importance of resourcefulness!  Thank you Glynis.

The Class of 2024 each received a bag containing their School and OSA certificates, a sterling silver chain from the School and a sterling silver ammonite pendant from the Old Scholars Association.

Valedictory celebrations took place a few hours later once the Great Court had been transformed into a beautiful party venue.  The weather was perfect and there was much celebrating.  Seth and Emma Eggleston spoke on behalf of the parents as their twins Margot and Josie were graduating and their two other daughters, Allie (2020) and Maddy (2021), are already old scholars.

We wish the Year 12 students huge success in their exams and various pathways, and we will keep in contact.

We will see as many of you as possible on Wednesday 19 February at 4pm when we welcome you back to School for the Year 13 Reunion and we look forward to hearing about your new chapters.

This year’s OSA Art Exhibition was an exceptional four day community event providing visitors with an opportunity to view the works of 29 established and emerging artists including paintings, ceramics, textiles and sculptures.

Thursday’s Opening Night was a great success with a record number of guests joining for the evening’s unveiling of works.

We were proud to have the wonderful works of three talented old scholars exhibiting this year, Pippin Drysdale (1961), Emma Lipscombe (1992) and Cy Rocchi (1986). For the first time we hosted an Artist in Residence, highly regarded Tania Spencer, who offered visitors the chance to see her creating an exquisite wire sculpture over the weekend.

Left:  Suzanne Hodgson (Baker, 1958) and her daughter, Leah Smith (Hodgson, 1985)

Thank you to all who supported the event; the artists, visitors, those who purchased works and all our volunteers, students and staff who came together to host a wonderful celebration of fine art.

A special thank you to Vasse Felix for donating the beautiful wines for Opening Night and to Jo Macnamara (1993) at Forage for the fabulous flowers and festive wreaths.

The OSA Art Exhibition continues to be a terrific annual fundraising event to support the ongoing annual OSA student and tertiary studies scholarships.

Right: The event also coincided with the Class of 2004 Reunion who were able to visit the Art Exhibition during their tour of the School

On Friday 1 November St Hilda's was graced with a profound and moving ceremony as the Senior School gathered to witness the commissioning of Father Philip, our new School Chaplain.  This moment resonated with our community's deepest values, a time to reflect on the role of spiritual guidance and support within our school.

The Most Reverend Rev Kay Goldsworthy (AO), Archbishop of Perth, presided over the commissioning and was assisted by The Reverend Angela Webb (1971), Archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese of Perth, who is also an Old Scholar from the Class of 1971.

L-R: Principal Fiona Johnston, Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy (AO) and Father Philip Schonken.

Below:  Father Philip and Tracey Lomas Schonken.

We were pleased to also welcome Philip's wife, Tracey, who had just arrived from the UK.  Tracey will join the Curriculum Services team.

Father Philip arrived in September from Gordonstoun School in Scotland but was born and raised in South Africa and spent the last 24 years in the UK.  He trained for ministry with the Scottish Episcopal Church (Anglican) and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the University of Durham in the UK.  He also taught at various independent schools in the UK and South Africa.

The formal occasion officially marked the commencement of Father Philip as Chaplain at St Hilda’s.

It is an enormous privilege to celebrate a 70th Reunion, and this year it was the Class of 1954, 14 of whom returned to School for lunch on Saturday 20 October.

L-R: Valerie Lapinski (James), Judy Rule (Gare), Jill Maughan, Margaret Mardon (Irwin), Prim Davy, Cynda Van Der Struyf (Joel), Dale Heenan (Venn), Lesley Malcolm (Brooks).

Seated: L - R: Jane Norrie (Finlayson), Alicia Keall (Mitchell), Angela Parkinson (Bailey), Dierdre Lynn (Smith), Ros Hammond (Morris), Sue Swift (Beech).

Reunion organisers Valerie Lapinksi and Cynda Van Der Struyf were able to reach out to their year and bring together a lovely group, including one class member who came from Tasmania.

They enjoyed a morning tea followed by a chapel service, tour of the School Hall and a sit down lunch in the Heritage Centre.

Valerie spoke about starting at St Hilda's aged five years old as a day girl, and then becoming a boarder in her senior years when her parents moved to India for work.  Valerie did not see her parents for two years, although her grandmother was nearby.  The Boarding House was a very important place for security and making friends during those turbulent post war years and gave the students a secure base when the world around them was still changing.

L-R Back Row: Gill Johnston (Forbes) , Janine Smith (Newman), Jan Baker (Currie), Petra Williams (Nicholas) , Lesley Ann Grimoldby, Caddy Green (Garton-Smith), Bev Driscoll (Black), Penny Hepple (Robinson), Chick Webb-Ware (Campbell), Mary Gattica-Evans (Evans), Helen Bunning (Clarkson), Di Hardie (Banfield).

Front Row L-R:  Michele Tozer (Davies), Ali Ladyman (O'Halloran), Anne Roe (Salmon), Nanette Robson (House), Sarah Marks, Caroline Shoobridge (Johnston), Libby Plaskitt (Anderson), Anne Gray.

Gill Johnston organised a wonderful morning tea and lunch for the old scholars from the Class of 1964 to celebrate their 60th Reunion.  The event was timed to coincide with one old scholars visiting Perth; Sarah Marks had travelled from London to attend the event, and Libby Plaskitt (Anderson) had travelled from Sydney, NSW.  Unfortunately due to ATAR exams taking place the school tour was not possible.

We so enjoyed welcoming the Class of 1964 back to School. Sandra Naude had compiled a power point display of over 160 photos from that era, thanks to Gill and others.

The group then went on to join others for lunch at the Mosman Park Golf Club.

We think it might be a record - 64 Old Scholars from the Class of 2004 returned to St Hilda's for their 20th Reunion on Saturday 26 October.  The group also included two old scholars, Prapaphim Liptapanlop and Vanda Nakchudtree, who had come all the way from Thailand especially for the reunion, and Charmaine Treasure who brought along her gorgeous three day old baby boy.

It was a pleasure to show the group around the School including new buildings such as the PAC, the ESSTEAM Studios, the Heritage Centre, and the Swimming Pool (which was opened by Gemma Beadsworth (2004) in 2013).   But it was the Roger Goode sports hall that brought back the most memories.  Thank you to Sandra Naude (Guardian of St Hilda's Heritage) who compiled the power point of photos of the year group from their first years at St Hilda's all the way through to Year 12.

The Class of 2004 enjoyed a nostalgic visit to the Roger Goode Sports Hall.

Gemma Davis and Laura Booth

Madusha Chandratilleke

L-R Elizabeth Dernie; Victoria Wilkie; Edwina Baston; Caitlin Merritt; Deanne Mitchell; Charlotte Leach.

L-R Elizabeth Dernie; Victoria Wilkie; Edwina Baston; Caitlin Merritt; Deanne Mitchell; Charlotte Leach.

Alexandra Pearce; Natalie Allen.

L-R Laura Booth; Hannah Prendiville; Charlotte Hamlyn; Charmaine Treasure.

L-R Pippa Johnston; Julie Lyons; Gemma Davis; Charlotte Hamlyn; Yvette Saunier.

After a tour of the School, and a drink in the Heritage Centre the group moved onto the Mosman Park Bowling Club.

On Monday 21 October the CIGS golf day was held at Kwinana Golf Club with eight independent girls' schools participating.  It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and we were fortunate enough to be playing Canadian foursomes on a lovely course followed by a delicious lunch.

Back: Jo (Margy) Pawson (Tuckett, 1971), Jan McFarlane (Anderson, 1971), Ali Baker (Williams, 1970), Barb O’Dowd (1976), Therese Harris (Bond, 1983), Mandy Sudlow-Brown (1983), Anne Marie Tsaknis (Lilburne, 1977), Billie Hadfield (McTaggart, 1969) & Sheena Storm (Richmond, 1983).

Front: Rosemary Basford (Slatter, 1972), Suze Watt (1982), Anne Tregonning (1973), Jo Stokes (Sudlow, 1970) and Cath Burton (Sudlow, 1960).

St Hilda’s came equal last with Loretto School, however, there were only five shots between the last six schools.  St Mary’s were the winners with MLC in second place and PLC in third.

St Hilda's Old Scholar numbers were down this year but we are hoping to get a full team of 12 pairs next November when it will be held on 3 November at The Royal Perth Golf Club.

Very many thanks to Jan MacFarlane (1971) and Jan Grimoldby (1970) for organising this event

On Thursday 17 October I flew to Esperance with Laurence Du Buisson (Head of Admissions) to attend the Esperance and Districts Agricultural Society Show.

We shared a stand with Christ Church Grammar School and really enjoyed chatting to a huge variety of people.   It was great to connect with old scholars and the families of our current boarders and one or two potential new families.  There are currently eleven girls from Esperance who are resident in the Boarding House.

Left: Lucy Roberts (2019) and Jolie Delroy (2004).

Amongst those who came to visit us on the stand were Jolie Delroy (2004) (who also appears in the Class of 2004 20 Year Reunion photos), Lucy Roberts (2019), Sally Biven (2004), and Angela Hill.

Right: Alex Needoba (2008) and Dr Lilly Barrymore (2008).

Alex is holding eight week old Penelope Yeates (future St Hilda's student - who will graduate in 2042!)

Lizzie Warburton, Alumni Coordinator

Class of 1975 - 50 Year Reunion

Date: Friday 14 March 2025

Time & Venue:

4.00pm - 6.00pm   A glass of bubbles in the Heritage Centre, Bay View Campus & School Tour

6.00pm - 11.00pm Party at 38 The Esplanade, Peppermint Grove WA 6011

To book your place click on the link below or scan the QR Link:

One of our Class of 2021 Old Scholars is in her third year studying Architecture at UWA and would like to find an internship for next year in an architectural office and has asked us to reach out to our old scholar community on her behalf.

She would appreciate the opportunity to learn from professionals and to grow as an architect while creating spaces that are both functional and beautiful.  She has a deep passion for sustainable design and innovative solutions, and she is eager to apply her academic knowledge and hands-on skills on real world projects.   Her coursework has been in architectural theory, digital modelling and building systems and she is inspired by the landscape of her home region in the south west.

If you feel you could offer this Old Scholar an opportunity or would like to know more, please contact oldscholars@sthildas.wa.edu.au and we would be delighted to put you in touch.

The boarding traditions at St Hilda’s really began at The Girls' High School (which preceded the St Hilda’s we know), in 1906 with 11 boarders at Macedon House located on Stirling Highway in Claremont (where CCGS is now situated).

By 1918 the number of boarders had grown to 70 and since then hundreds of girls from all parts of the State, and many from overseas, have made the boarding house their home.

While boarding has changed over the years, many Old Scholars hold dear the friendships they made and love to share memories of the highs and lows of daily life when 'living at school'.  Some students found communal living easier than others. Leaving their homes and families for the first time and landing in such an unfamiliar setting was hard for them.  Letters from home were much anticipated.

Left: In 1906 the first GHS boarders arrived: Students mostly unknown except for Maud Crane at bottom centre (1915) and Eileen Muir (Crane, 1913) second from top.

When the House system was first established there were just three houses (De Grey House came later, in 1954) and all boarders were assigned to Fitzroy House.  In later years they were spread across all four houses.

The sparse comforts and shared hardships that the boarders experienced did encourage strong and supportive friendships.

Left: Boarders in 1935 (students unknown).

Right:  Boarders in the 1930s (students unknown).

The first boarders at the new St Hilda’s Bay View campus (from 1931) lived in Catherine House (named after headmistress Catherine Small), above the main entrance, looking out over the Swan River.  The students slept in dormitories with their beds pushed together and some had cubicles and the windows had roll down canvas blinds, but no glass. Each cubicle held four combination wardrobe-dressing tables.

Catherine House, upstairs dormitory, looking east (no glass windows).

GHS Boarders from 1930s

Catherine House, upstairs dormitory looking south.

Later, Margaret House became the first home for the youngest girls, so named because the Margaret River is a tributary of the Fitzroy River.

Students came from across the span of Western Australia, and Asia, and some would arrive by ship from Singapore.  In the 1950s Miss Harrow, the housemistress of Margaret House, would meet the girls at the ship (either the Merchant Vessel Gorgon or the Merchant Vessel  Charon).

1940s The Boarders' Dining Room was in what is now The Gallery in the Heritage Centre, up until 1960 when it was remodelled.

Back L-R: Diana Smith (Booth, 1955), unknown, Deirdre Lynn (Smith, 1954), Davina Porter, unknown.

Front L-R: Jenny Johnston (Pestell, 1959), Rowena Toy (Mair, 1956), Jennifer Howe (Godber, 1957), Miss Barrow.

1955:  Last night of term, Diana Furlonger (de Pledge, 1956) and Margaret Snook (Gronow, 1955) tidy up their beds.

Margaret House Common Room in the 1930s

Margaret House Common Room in 1995

The School purchased an adjoining building, naming it Mitchell House after headmistress Una Mitchell.  It was a large colonial home, much loved by those who enjoyed its small rooms and gleaming woodwork, and that was later demolished to make way for the Library.

Left: 1999 Boarding House fire.

The next boarding house was Parnell House, named for another headmistress, Melina Parnell, which opened in 1960 with two levels of individual cubicles.  A fire in Parnell House in 1999 ended its days as a boarding house and it was then refitted as a language and performance centre.

The original Margaret House was demolished, rebuilt and later refurbished into the single boarding house that houses today’s boarders.

Ask any former boarder about their strongest memories and the inevitable answer will involve food, particularly meals that they didn’t like; lemon sago, grey stews, the evocatively-named lambs' fat and blood (blancmange with red jam).

As far back as the 1920s, boarders and food were hot topics:

“Breakfast was a small serve of oatmeal porridge and the something such as a single sardine or a morsel of bacon or half a tomato on half a slice of toast. Then we filled up on bread and jam. ” (Elizabeth Brady, 1934.)

They were still filling up with bread 90 years later, leading to legendary bread-eating contests where table mates donated their butter.  The long-standing record is still claimed to be 25 slices.

Letters from home were much anticipated.  With technology still emerging, keeping in touch with home was difficult.  One telephone outside the Domestic Science Room was shared by the whole boarding house and that was about as sophisticated as it got.  By the 1990s boarding conditions had improved enormously, but before mobile phones became common, the queue for the paid phone was a regular hardship.  Also, before email, students eagerly awaited to receive letters from their parents.

Thanks to:

Gill Johnston (1964, Forbes), Helen Bunning (Clarkson, 1964), Diana Hardie (Banfield, 1964), Prof Carol Bower AC (Stagbouer, 1964) and      Mary Gatica-Evans (Evans, 1964) for their photographs.

Also to Wendy Pritchard who donated a 1981 Cookbook "A Taste of St Hilda's".

Deb Stephenson (1968) who donated a large doll with full summer and winter St Hilda's school uniform, doll size sports clothes, jumper, hat, beret, tie, blazer, party dress, christening robe, bonnet and dress.  All from the late 50s early 60s.

If you wish to help, please do pop into the Heritage Centre for coffee and help identify photographs.

My email Sandra.naude@sthildas.wa.edu.au

Many thanks to all our contributors.

Sandra Naude

The Guardian of St Hilda's Legacy

Congratuations to Old Scholar Melanie Pimental (Shepherd, 1994) who collected an Emmy Award in LA last September, in the class of the Creative Art Emmys.  The Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards honour technical, engineering and other behind-the-scenes achievements of those talented people.

She won the award for her role as Supervising Producer on Shogun -  The Making of Shogun . The category was Outstanding Short Form Non Fiction. Melanie works as a Producer at FX Networks in Los Angeles, USA.

Left:  Melanie with her husband, Lester Pimentel.

Melanie is the sister of Andrea Black (Shepherd, 1990) (Head of Music at St Hilda's) and they are both the daughters of former Principal Mrs Joy Shepherd (OAM) (1998 - 2014).

Melanie achieved a Bachelor of Arts in English and Fine Arts at the University of Western Australia, and she then went on to University in New York, USA, where she studied Film Production. She stayed in the US and went to work in a variety of production roles include Associate Producer for ABC News (USA), Story Producer, NFL Network (USA), Producer at Clifton Post (who produce red carpet events and behind the scenes features for FX networks), Creative Content Producer at Mob Scene (USA) and she has been the Manager of Production and Special Projects at FX Networks for the last three years.

Right:  Melanie (2nd from the left) with her producing team from FX Networks and their Emmy Awards.

We were honoured to receive a visit on Friday 25 October from Dr Pam and Patrick Garnett.

Many of the St Hilda's students from years 1988 to 2012 will remember Dr Garnett as an outstanding, energetic science teacher who was continually researching, innovating and pushing the boundaries.  She was also highly regarded by her colleagues as she was always supportive of their professional development. Pam also had an engaging sense of humour and often regaled stories, generally at her teenage daughters’ expense.

She was initially a Science teacher specialising in Chemistry, then she became Head of Science and finally Dean of Curriculum in 2000.  In 2003 Pam was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. The award recognised her outstanding knowledge of science and an imaginative approach to working with students.

In 2005, when Pam was Dean of Curriculum, the School was recognised for an Outstanding National Achievement in School Improvement and received a $20,000 prize.

Pam also chaired the Science Learning Area for the Curriculum Council of Western Australia, is a past president of the Science Teachers' Association of W.A., and she was also a member of the Premier’s Science Council of W.A.

In her acceptance speech in 2003 she said,” It is the love of science, thinking about how to teach it better and the immediacy of the relationships that you have with students that are the great appeal. I still get a buzz when students learn”.

In October a group of St Hilda's 2015 Old Scholars made their way to New Zealand for two weddings that took place a day apart on South Island.

The first was on Saturday 25 October when Rohanna Stoddart (2015) married her partner Brock Sherlock in Queenstown.  They currently live in Sydney where Rohanna is a doctor and Brock is studying for a PhD.  They decided on a destination wedding having become engaged in New Zealand last year.

The old friends were all boarders together at St Hilda's.

L-R: Ellie Brown, Faith Chow, Tessa Meecham, Alice Hamilton, Adelle Offerman, and the bride is Rohanna Sherlock (Stoddart).

The next day on Sunday 26 October in Akaroa, a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, Annabelle Chilwell (2012) married her partner Billy Dowle.  They both live in New Zealand.  Annabelle's bridesmaids were her two sisters and two other friends, and her beautiful dress was made by her sister, Emily.

Annabelle owns a brand called Natural Hound which sells dog coats and beds.

Ellie Brown (2015) is a close friend of Rohanna (top) and a cousin of Annabelle so the timings were very fortuitous.

From L-R: Emily Chilwell (2019), Angela Chilwell (2017) and Annabelle Dowle (Chilwell, 2012), and two friends.

Right:  Ellie Brown (2015), with her grandmother Janet Brown (McNaughton, 1955), who attended the wedding and who is also Emily, Angela and Annabelle's grandmother.

Camilla has announced her engagement to her British fiance, Andrew Wardle.

Camilla is the daughter of Old Scholar Jane Lumsden (Carroll, 1974) and her sister is Rebecca Lumsden (1997).  She has been based in Scotland where she has just completed Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh University, specialising in equine medicine and she is now an equine surgeon.

Andrew is from Cheshire in the West Midlands and is a test flight engineer.

They plan to marry in Luss on Loch Lomond in Scotland at the end of July 2025.

My career has been a global journey inspired by a passion for science, nutrition, and travel. After earning my degree in Chemistry and Japanese from UWA, I taught English in Japan, which sparked my love for exploring new cultures. Teaching roles in Perth, Brisbane, and London followed before my husband and I moved to Canada, his home country, and then on to Los Angeles and Sydney.

My career has been a global journey inspired by a passion for science, nutrition, and travel. After earning my degree in Chemistry and Japanese from UWA, I taught English in Japan, which sparked my love for exploring new cultures. Teaching roles in Perth, Brisbane, and London followed before my husband and I moved to Canada, his home country, and then on to Los Angeles and Sydney.

Left: Michelle canoeing in Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada (yes, the water is actually that colour).

In Sydney, I completed a master’s degree in dietetics and began a new career in the food industry, focusing on nutrition communications, product development and advocacy. Over the past decade, I’ve led two member-based food industry organisations, one for Australia’s grains sector and another for Canada’s fresh produce industry, promoting healthier food choices and policies.

After a year and a half travelling across Spain, South America, and Canada, my husband and I returned to Perth in 2024. Now home, we’re enjoying golf, paddle tennis, and time at our family holiday home in Busselton. Currently, I serve as a strategic business manager at a nutrition research institute, with plans to pursue board roles in food and health governance. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the school community and alumni by serving on the OSA Committee.

Right: Hiking the W trek in Patagonia.

Shameem returned to School in July when she appeared as the keynote speaker at the St Hilda's Music Awards. She has kindly allowed us to share her journey from leaving School to now.

Shameem (2005) was a self-proclaimed music geek in her school days. During her time at St. Hilda’s she explored a variety of musical pursuits including; singing in the Chorale, singing and playing piano for Saintly Jazz, playing cello in the Symphony Orchestra and chamber groups, and playing banjo in the Dixieland Jazz Band.

She remembers fondly the 2004 Music Tour to Europe, the annual Arts Festival, and the opportunity to perform her original songs every year at Pop Night. She is very proud to be one of the inaugurators of the annual music breakfast, recalling how she and her fellow music student Miranda thought it was unfair that there was a sports breakfast and 20s Club, but not an equivalent recognition for music students who worked hard practising, rehearsing and performing all year round.

After graduating, Shameem took a year off studies to dedicate time to volunteer work in Alice Springs with the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program and other community-building programs of the Baha’i Training Institute.  Returning to Perth, she successfully auditioned for WAAPA, where she completed a bachelor's degree majoring in jazz voice and composition.

During her years at WAAPA, Shameem began performing on the Perth music scene, and continued her passion for song writing and recording. To date, she has produced and independently released four studio recordings of her original neo-soul music. She has toured around Australia, performed in the UK, USA and Canada, and supported major international artists such as Ronan Keating, Michael Bolton, George Benson and Belinda Carlisle.

Shameem is passionate about uplifting and inspiring people to work for the betterment of the world through her music.  Her approach to writing song lyrics meanders between expressions of her own journey through life, and reflection on socially conscious, philosophical and mystical themes.

Her song writing has received critical recognition; her latest recording ' Time does not Reverse' won the international Independent Music Awards Urban EP category, as well as amassing a slew of wins and nominations in the UK Song writing Contest, USA Song writing Competition and John Lennon Song writing Contest.

Shameem spends the majority of her time in Perth, freelance gigging on the local scene as a solo artist and in various bands, whilst working as a vocal teacher at a few different schools. In her vocal coaching, she often finds herself reaching for skills that she learned in St Hilda’s music ensembles.

Now navigating a return to work after having two children, Shameem looks forward to getting back into the recording studio again to lay down some new material. To listen to her music and see where she is performing next, check out her website below:

Laurel passed away peacefully on Sunday 13 October with her family by her side.

Before St Hilda's and during the War, Laurel and her brother were evacuated to Quairading where they were billeted on a rural property near South Caroling.  Laurel, aged about 10, would drive herself and her five year old brother to school in a pony and buggy.

Post War Laurel returned to Perth and started at St Hilda's on 13 February 1945 where she enjoyed sports including tennis, badminton, hockey and music and theatre (which she continued at the Busselton Repertory Club).

On leaving St Hilda's in December 1946 Laurel worked in her mother's dress shop in Nedlands, and then the family relocated to Busselton in the late 1940s when they purchased a dairy farm. Laurel taught sewing at Metricup School before taking up a position at Killerby's Department Store.  Through her knowledge of sewing, and having completed specialised training, she learned how to fit bespoke corsets, mostly for medical reasons, especially for the local farmers with back problems.

In 1954 Laurel met Richard (Dick), a young farmer, whom she married and together they had three children. Their daughter Sally-Ann attended St Hilda's in 1977-79.

Laurel and Dick had a wonderful marriage of 58 years during which time they faced some challenges as dairy prices plummeted and they had to relocate to a sheep station between Cue and Meekatharra.  Laurel opened a shop and which captured every passer by.

They returned to Perth in 2008 for health and family reasons where they enjoyed their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, until 2016 when Dick passed away.

We are sad to announce that Maxine Beardman (Wilshaw, 1953) died recently in September.  She is survived by her husband Peter, and her daughters Julie and Sue.

Maxine was in the Class of 1953 and will be missed.

Jan Nodwell sadly died at Hollywood Hospital just before her Class of 1964 reunion after a long illness.  She is survived by her husband Patrick and three daughters; Joanne, Emma and Shelley.

Jan is very fondly remembers by her year group always being fun and friendly and she had a very characteristic chuckle.

Right:  Jan at the 1964 20 Year Reunion in 1984.

If you are an Old Scholar looking for some work, part-time, voluntary or paid, please contact oldscholars@sthildas.wa.edu.au .

To keep abreast of all job opportunities, please visit the website here or scan the QR code.

And finally, we are striving to create a valuable network of Old Scholars through LinkedIn . If you have not already done so, we would appreciate you adding St Hilda's as your place of education and join the Alumni section to extend our Old Scholar community.

To read previous editions of the OSA Connections Newsletters click on the link below. Or forward to anyone who would like to receive a copy.