Issue - Kambala

KAMBALA’S TRI ANNUAL MAGAZINE
VOL 3
DEC.
2009
Issue of December 2009,
Volume 3
— The Soubeiran
04
COVER PICTURE
2009 Senior Students
in the refurbished
Bain Library
Kambala Council
Christmas is almost upon us and, as well as bringing the festive season,
it is an indication that another year is coming to an end.
05
Public Speaking
06
Music for Tomorrow, Campaign
09
Maths at Kambala
At Kambala, we strive to ensure that the teaching of Mathematics continues
to cater for the needs of all learners.
12
Mao’s Last Dancer
A Year 5 performance based on an adaptation of the award winning
autobiographical book written by Li Cunxin.
PUBLISHER
794 New South Head Road
Rose Bay NSW 2029
Tel. (02) 9388 6777
Email [email protected]
Web www.kambala.nsw.edu.au
EDITORIAL
14
Boarding – a rich experience
Editor in Chief:
Margaret White
15
Japan Trip 2009
Editor:
Tania Layden
Stepping out of their comfort zone, our teenage girls suddenly had to be responsible
for their belongings, their organisation, their timing, their budget, and so on.
K.O.G.U. Newsletter:
Nicky McWilliam, Shoba Rao,
Anne Harris
18
Bain Library Refurbishment Opening
20
Art and Design Tour 2009
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
22
Charity in Massie House
Tania Layden, Tel. (02) 9388 6747
[email protected]
Visitors to Massie House may have noticed Petunia Pig sitting on our Reception desk.
24
Classroom Excellence
25
From the Office of the Foundation
26
KPA 2009
DESIGN & PRINT
ARTSPEC, Brand Engagement
www.artspec.com.au
— Kambala Old Girls’ Union Newsletter
28
President’s Report
29
Reunions filled with bubbles and cheers
30
Your Reunion
30
Mini reunions remind girls of school yard
31
Meet a Biz Whiz: Casey Death ‘96, biznagatravelcompany.com
© 2009 Kambala, all rights reserved.
Printed in Australia
32
Giving overseas aid a humbling culture shock
33
Talking about our generations
34
Births, Engagements, Marriages & Valete
The Soubeiran uses Nordset paper: pulp is sourced from
well managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood
or fibre. FSC certified mixed sources. Manufactured using
elemental chlorine free (ECF) pulps and acid free to ensure
archival longevity.
The Soubeiran is printed: using vegetable inks, ecosustainable processes (ISO 14001) and wrapped in
degradable plastic.
From The
Principal
— Margaret White, Principal
2
This final edition of
‘The Soubeiran’ for
2009 showcases still
further the amazing
range of activities
within and associated
with the School. I do
hope you are enjoying
this publication and
that you are finding it
both interesting and
informative.
009 has been an excellent year
for Kambala. The completion
of one new building and the
major refurbishment of another have
rejuvenated the physical learning
environment. The reinstatement of
courts and the paving of the area
outside Tivoli have increased the
effective outdoor space and have
been welcomed by all.
The physical environment is
important, however, the development
of the body is only one facet of a
wonderful education. The programs
and activities outlined in this
‘Soubeiran’ attest to the array of
opportunities available for Kambala
girls of all ages to assist their
intellectual, social, spiritual and
emotional development.
Educating responsible future citizens
is a complex and demanding process.
It is best achieved in partnership
with parents, the surrounding
community, specialists in varied
03
fields and the many others
who touch the lives of
others through their own
inspiring actions. We use
World Challenge, The Outdoor
Education Group, the Association of
Independent Schools, ex-students,
Oxygen, guest speakers, parents
and many, many more individuals
and groups to complement all that
we do within our own classrooms
to create that rich world of learning
you see represented in this and other
editions of ‘The Soubeiran’.
It does ‘take a village to raise
a child’ and we are fortunate
indeed to have such a wealth of
experience from which to draw for
our students. Thank you to all who
have contributed to this publication
throughout the year and to those
who have enriched the learning
experience of our girls.
Farewell to Anne Hastings
M
rs Anne Hastings has filled
the role of Deputy Principal
Learning and Teaching
at Kambala for nine years with
distinction. Her many and varied skills
and through her passion for education
has served the community well.
Anne brought to Kambala a wealth
of experience, particularly in the
area of curriculum. Her time at the
Board of Studies meant that she had
extensive knowledge of curriculum
development in New South Wales
and she has continued to extend
her expertise in all areas of the
operations of the School.
Kambala has benefited greatly
from Anne’s willingness to become
involved in the life of the School in
all ways possible. I am sure that she
will take with her fond memories
from activities as diverse as camps,
drama productions, music festivals,
soirees, debates, sports matches, and
myriad more activities.
The students who have had the
good fortune to have been taught
by Anne will miss her exceptional
talents as a classroom practitioner.
Her ability to make Mathematics
not only understandable but also
enjoyable is legendary.
We will miss not only Anne’s talents
but also her personality. She has a
strategic and ‘big picture’ view of the
world and of education. She is always
fair and balanced in her dealings
with people and problems. I have
no doubt that she will go on to be an
excellent Principal.
Anne Hastings takes with her our
very best wishes for the future and
our thanks for all she has done
over the last nine years as Deputy
Principal of Kambala.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
04
Kambala
Council
Christmas is almost upon us and, as well as bringing the festive
season, it is an indication that another year is coming to an end.
This provides us with an opportunity to take stock of what has
happened in the past year, and look forward to next year with hope
and optimism.
— Chris McDiven, President of the School Council
A
s all members of the Kambala
community are aware, 2009
has brought great changes
to the physical environment at the
School. The construction of two major
projects in the same year presented
some challenges to staff and students
alike, but the end result has shown
us that it was all well worthwhile.
Hampshire House disrupted Massie
House but is already receiving the
recognition it deserves as a centre
of excellence for early learning. The
Bain Library refurbishment also
brought disruptions to school routine
at the senior end of the school, but
will benefit every student and assist
them in their individual learning.
We all know that the physical
environment of a school is important,
but even more significant is the
positive influence of the staff on
every student.
As 2009’s issues of ‘The Soubeiran’
will show you at every level’ this year
has been another outstanding one
for Kambala.
The School’s results will show you
that the staff at Kambala build a
passion for learning and develop
the talents of every student in their
care, in whichever field of endeavour
their talents may be – this is one of
our School’s greatest strengths. Our
staff are dedicated and professional
educationists who work extremely
hard to assist the girls to achieve
personal excellence, and they
deserve our thanks and recognition
for the outstanding job they do.
The exceptional leadership of our
Principal, Mrs Margaret White, is well
known in the Kambala community,
but what is not so well known is the
respect and acknowledgment she
also receives from her peers in the
Independent School sector.
She has been the President of
AHIGS (Association of Heads of
Independent Girls’ Schools) and
continues to serve on its Executive
Committee and on the IGSSA
(Independent Girls’ Schools Sporting
Association) Standing Committee.
In August 2009 Margaret was
elected chair of the NSW branch
of AHISA (Association of Heads of
Independent Schools of Australia).
She is the Chair of the Independent
Schools Leadership Centre and also
serves on the Secondary Professional
Development Advisory Committee,
AIS NSW.
The Council thank Mrs White, the
school executive members, the
academic and non-academic staff
who all make up the team that
has ensured Kambala remains
as a centre of excellence in girls’
education for another year.
Public
Speaking
05
1
— Claire Duffy, Public Speaking Co-ordinator
Debating And Public Speaking
Debating and Public Speaking have long been
important in the life of the School. Kambala girls
debate with great success in the Archdale Shield, the
ISDA Competition, Eastern Suburbs Public Speaking
Competition, the Plain English Speaking Competition,
Rose Bay Rotary Shield, Mock Trial and Performing
Arts Challenge competitions. Social debating with
other independent schools is popular.
The fact that Kambala is one of the leading schools
in debating and public speaking in Sydney is
directly related to the emphasis placed on academic
excellence and the development of articulate,
confident speakers within the School.
Kambala provides opportunities for both competitive
and social debating experiences. Senior School
students are able to debate competitively in both
Archdale and ISDA debating competitions and Junior
School students are able to compete in the ISDA
debating competition. Trials are held early in Term
1 and the commitment for the season is 1 hour of
training per week and about 9 evening debates in the
general competition.
Junior School and Senior School students also debate
socially in a range of inter-house competitions, interschool debating tournaments and gala days.
1
— Winner of this year’s NSW Legacy
Junior Public Speaking Award.
T
his has been an outstanding
year for the Public Speakers at
Kambala. We’ve had enormous
activity, and enormous success. In
the early part of the year numbers
of girls took part in Rostrum Voice
of Youth. Year 11 students took part
in Mock United Nations, and we had
readers who presented at the Poets
Picnic, run by Woollahra Council.
In Term 2 it was the Joyce Gibbons
Public Speaking competition, judged,
as always, by Kambala Old Girls’. This
year Shoba Rao and Grace Mathew
were dazzled by the speakers’ wit,
and their insights into the foibles of
modern life, while the audience in
the Assembly Hall laughed loud and
often - exactly what they wanted
to do on the last day of term. The
winners were Jordan White and
Lizzie Richardson.
Our big effort for Term 3 was
the Festival of Speech. Kambala
girls gave away their weekends
and deferred their examination
preparation to read poetry, make
speeches, perform a dramatic piece,
read prose aloud, be questioned on
ethical and religious issues, discuss
current affairs, and debate two
and three times over. Kambala was
placed 6th in the competition overall.
This was an excellent result, and one
that required effort and commitment
not only from the girls but also from
their parents and Kambala staff. Well
done, everyone!
In Term 4 we’ve had the Eastern
Suburbs Speaking competition
and the United Nations Youth
Association Junior Public Speaking
competition, as well as Speak Up!, a
competition on social justice issues
for the middle school.
Public speaking is not, however,
necessarily competitive. It is a life
skill that all young women need.
Learning to develop a message, speak
up and speak well is an invaluable
asset. Girls acquire the confidence
to get something done, to relate,
to share an opinion, persuade, or
demonstrate their knowledge.
While the competitions punctuated
the year, we had a regular meeting
of Year 7 girls who developed
their speech, communication and
presentations skills. They did
personal projects, studied and recited
poetry, and practiced storytelling and
speaking off-the-cuff.
I have left until last the outstanding
achievement of Annie Handmer.
Annie is the winner of this year’s
NSW Legacy Junior Public Speaking
Award. In a series of ever more
challenging heats that began in
August, Annie fought her way
through local and regional finals to
win the State Final in the presence
of Her Excellency Professor
Marie Bashir AC, CVO, Governor
of New South Wales. The Legacy
Junior Public Speaking Award has
thousands of participants nationally,
and is rigorously adjudicated. Annie
is to be warmly congratulated for
such a great and hard won success.
My thanks to all the girls and their
parents, as well as to the other
staff members whose support and
assistance has made this year so
successful.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Music for Tomorrow
Campaign
06
— Mark Grandison, Director of Music
The universal importance
of music
We need your generous financial assistance to
complete our vision.
To contribute to the Music for Tomorrow Campaign,
contact Kristen Mason, Director of Foundation,
9388 6797 or email [email protected]
For thousands of years music has
been an integral and indispensable
element in all walks of human life.
Uniquely and ubiquitously, music
has been an abiding source of
aesthetic pleasure, ritual function,
social cohesion, and spiritual
transcendence. Its distinctive ability
to move beyond words and provide
us with solace, joy, intellectual
stimulation, and plain entertainment,
speaks for its right to be a lynchpin in
the education of all students. Music
enriches the souls of our children,
and us - directly and deeply: it is
intrinsically good and, at varying
levels of involvement, it is for all.
It is also a sophisticated artistic
endeavour for professional and
student practitioners, taking many
years of dedication and nurturing
to master. Music making can
seem deceptively easy when one
experiences a successful and fluent
performance, but this belies what is
in fact a complex activity involving
a high degree of concentration;
one must at once interpret musical
symbols, co-ordinate this with
numerous fine-motor skills, and
listen attentively to the subtle
interaction of sounds between
oneself and one’s ensemble.
1
— Architectural drawing of the main
floor and roof level plans. The new
building will provide orchestral and
chamber rehearsal rooms, studios for
individual lessons as well as a Visual
Arts Exhibition space and an enlarged
performance space for Music and Drama.
— The Soubeiran
Because music functions in the
abstract, the added benefits it brings
to the hearts and minds of young
people are priceless. The discipline
of active, focused listening, whilst
performing, analysing a score,
or imagining new sounds whilst
composing, immeasurably improves
the intensity of their concentration
on other tasks. Recent neurological
research has highlighted the multimodality of music. Because it
simultaneously involves numerous
intelligences - kinaesthetic, verbal,
interpersonal, visual-spatial, logicalmathematical - music promotes a
range of brain functions that support
other disciplines.
The particular value of music
at Kambala
Kambala’s Music program has a
strong and enviable reputation
that extends well beyond our
local community. It is a central
part of Kambala; contributing to
school services, Open Day events
and Speech Days, in addition to
weekly assembly and lunchtime
performances and many evening
recitals and soirees.
Whilst catering for potentially
professional musicians of the future,
we aim to be inclusive of all interests
and abilities; our philosophy is
non-elitist. We strongly believe that
just as every student deserves their
potential in literacy and numeracy to
be realised fully, so it is in Music; to
not provide the opportunity to sing
and play music is to disadvantage an
individual. At Kambala every Year
3-8 student participates in our class
instrumental program, in which they
receive weekly instrumental tuition
in small groups from experts. Every
student composes, with access to the
latest in music technology. And every
junior and senior student sings on
the stage of the Opera House in our
annual Music Festival.
… CONTINUED P8 ▸
1
2
We offer an abundance of cocurricular choral, orchestral and
band groups. Ensemble playing
is a non-competitive enterprise,
whereby all surrender themselves
to a communal artistic enterprise,
and in so doing achieve a whole far
greater than their sum as individuals.
The organisational and social skills
gained from such a co-operative
endeavour cannot be overstated.
Those students who elect to
specialise in Music in their senior
years enjoy a rich and challenging
program that leads to consistently
high outcomes; Kambala’s HSC
Music results regularly sit in the top
band, and in recent years we have
received 25 Encore nominations
(the annual Opera House concert
at which the Board of Studies
showcases exemplary performances
and compositions from the HSC) and
have been selected for the concert
program 5 times.
The achievements of the Music
Department over the past decade
are worth celebrating, preserving
and furthering.
— The Soubeiran
Why Kambala needs an
expanded music centre
The Joyce Gibbons Music Centre
was opened in the early 1980s when
the size and number of classes and
ensembles were modest. It was not
anticipated that the Music Program
would outgrow its infrastructure
by the late 1990s. Since then the
growth in the diversity and volume
of musical activity has continued
unabated to reach a critical mass.
Rooms insufficient in number and
dysfunctional in size and design
could not support the demands of
prolonged and concentrated music
making. Any extraneous noise or
competing music would compromise
the ability of students to focus on
their own rehearsing or performing.
It is for this reason that our
classrooms and studios needed to be
fully soundproofed and increased in
number and size.
Meeting the need
2009 saw us at a decisive juncture.
The timely grant from the Federal
Government initiated a long-awaited
and much-needed expansion. With
building planned to commence in
December of this year, prominent
features will include a large
orchestral rehearsal room, dedicated
chamber rehearsal rooms, and extra
studios to accommodate private
instrumental lessons. Incorporated
into this area will be a Visual Arts
Exhibition space and an enlarged
performance space for Music and
Drama presentations.
But whilst the government grant will
provide for the ‘bricks and mortar’,
we still require your generous
financial assistance to complete
our vision. Several hundreds of
thousands of dollars are required
to properly furnish and soundproof
all rooms, provide appropriate
technological support, expand
instrument and equipment storage,
and to allow for internal designs that
optimise the acoustic and ergonomic
potential of each space.
You are therefore warmly invited to
contribute to the Music for Tomorrow
Campaign ….
2
— Artist’s impression of the Rehearsal
Room inside the new Music Centre.
Maths
at Kambala
At Kambala, we strive to ensure that the
teaching of Mathematics continues to cater
for the needs of all learners.
09
— Katherine Mar, Head of Mathematics
W
e are keen to provide
stimulating environments
and activities that promote
in students an appreciation of the
wider use of Mathematics as an
integral part of our everyday lives,
the development of their numeracy
skills and depth of knowledge, skills
and understanding in all fields of
Mathematics studied.
Mathematics is about problemsolving. Learning activities are
developed with an emphasis on
encouraging independent thinkers
who develop a broad range of skills
and techniques in solving problems,
that will be applicable not just to their
Senior School studies but will become
life-skills for students so that they may
confidently leave school equipped to
meet the challenges of the future.
Whilst regularly reviewing and
refining our teaching programs, the
growing use of technology in the
classroom as one of many effective
tools for learning has continued
to support an investigative and
experiential approach to learning.
Through Quality Teaching Programs
funded by the Australian Government
over recent years, and in conjunction
with the Academic Support team, we
have created specific units of work
targeting numeracy and integrating
ICT in the classroom.
There are myriad opportunities for
students to extend their knowledge,
understanding and application of
Mathematics. The Mathematics
Department offers a wide range of
experiences designed to challenge
each student to realise her skills and
meet her potential, both within the
classroom, in partnership with other
schools and in external competitions
and challenges.
“The competition is designed to
assess mathematical insight and
ingenuity rather than efficiency in
tackling routine examples. Moreover,
students are encouraged to enter the
competition if they are able to make
some progress towards the solution of
at least one of the sample problems”.
As with other years, Mathematics this
year has been busy with students
participating in many different
areas. Some highlights include
our joint Years 7 and 8 ScotsKambala Problem Solving Days, the
Mathematics Challenge (Years 7 – 9),
the Knox Grammar Interschools Da
Vinci Decathlon (Years 7 – 10), the
nationwide Australian Mathematics
Competition for Years 7 – 12, and the
UNSW Annual Schools’ Mathematics
Competition in which our most
gifted mathematicians participated.
Some of the outstanding results
are mentioned here, and a full
acknowledgement of all students’
achievements will appear in the
School Magazine 2009.
The competition is an open-book
examination. Entrants are allowed to
take any books and materials, but not
computers with internet connections,
into the examination.
Each year, about 1000 students
participate, 500 in each division,
and prizes and/or certificates are
awarded to about 60 in each division
each year. Congratulations to Jessica
Tong (Year 9) who was awarded
a certificate at a ceremony at the
UNSW on Friday 18th Sept 2009. She
was one of only 52 students in the
state to be awarded a certificate this
year. An outstanding achievement.
… CONTINUED P10 ▸
Mathematics Results 2009
— UNSW Annual Schools
Maths Competition
The University of New South Wales
Schools Mathematics Competition is
open to participation by secondary
school students in NSW and the ACT.
It is run in two divisions: Junior, up
to and including Year 10, and Senior,
Years 11 and 12.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
National Mathematics Summer
School 3-16 Jan 2010
Margaret Zhang has accepted an
invitation to participate in the 42nd
ANU-AAMT NMSS. Schools can
nominate outstanding students
of Mathematics, who have
completed Year 11. Only about
75 places are offered from
students across Australia.
10
“The National Mathematics
Summer School (NMSS) is a
program for the discovery and
development of mathematically
gifted and talented students from
all over Australia. It is a two-week
Australian Mathematics
Competition
The Australian Mathematics
Competition is the largest event of
its kind in the world with students
from Australia, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea as well as many Pacific
Islands and European nations such as
Bulgaria and Hungary all taking part.
Around 80 000 students from NSW
enter the competition each year. At
Kambala, all students from Years 7 to
10 and some students in Year 11 sat
the competition. Kambala students
were awarded 1 High Distinction, 21
Distinction Certificates (top 15% of
the state) and 97 Credit Certificates
(top 50% of the state).
From 2008, the AMC has also
awarded Proficiency Certificates.
Students who were not awarded
a Credit but have demonstrated
satisfactory competence at
Mathematics and in problem solving
in mathematics, are awarded this
certificate in recognition of their
achievement. Kambala students
were awarded 95 Proficiency
Certificates this year.
Special mention goes Sarah Li (Year 6).
She has received the Prudence Award
for the highest number of consecutive
correct answers in the School.
— Year 7
Distinction: Alexia Hatziplis-Photios,
Courtney Zheng, Debbie Zhou
— The Soubeiran
residential summer course held each
January at The Australian National
University (ANU) in Canberra.
Students participate in a
series of lecture courses from
mathematicians in a number of
branches of mathematics at a
relatively advanced level. They
attend tutorials under the guidance
of a range of staff — postgraduate
students, mathematics teachers and
academic mathematicians.
The main activity of NMSS is an
in-depth study of three or four
different areas of mathematics. Each
is very challenging and will extend
Credit: Judith Ainge McLeish,
Annaliese Alexakis, Talya Blackman,
Claudia Borton, Mikaela Davis,
Emma Davey, Kate Duke, Jessica
Epstein, Maria Fidler, Clare Foster,
Grace Franki, Jamie Freeman,
Victoria Frost, Kate Hurren, Daniella
Levy, Claudia Koster, Kerry Lin,
Lauren Malpass, Lauren Meyers,
Madison Mills, Georgina Neal,
Rachel Siu, Jessica Suriano, Isabella
Thompson, Heloise Twomey
— Year 8
Distinction: Amanda Baldwin-Clark,
Lauren Chee, Hannah Clifton, Lia
Georgantis, Sarah Muller, Lauren
Taylor
Credit: Sarah Abelev, Natasha Allen,
Rosalie Brooker, Stephanie Brooks,
Katherine Calaizis, Claudia de Torres,
Dominique Devadason, Isabella Farr,
Emma Jagot, Barbara Kekatos, Lucy
King, Julie Litver, Clementine Macleod,
Sophie Matis, Alice Murdoch, Claudia
Pan, Hee-Yeon Roh, Rachel Tracey,
Olivia Wakefield, Georgia Webb,
Chanel Williams, Rena Zheng
— Year 9
High Distinction: Jessica Tong
Distinction: Rain Hsu
Credit: Ashlee Adams, Caitlin Adler,
Briana Bakaric, Chelsi Bakaric, Eloise
Copland, Alice Donaldson, Alexandra
Frost, Tessa Harris, Paige Hudson,
Talia Jacobs, Jamie Kim, Mikayla Leigh,
Anais Menounos, Camilla Newman,
Fiona Newton, Giorgia Petropoulos,
every student. On the other hand,
the program is non-competitive and
very much hands-on. The emphasis
is on doing mathematics, not just
on listening to someone else talking
about it.
By the end of the two weeks, most
students are amazed at how much
they have accomplished and postschool surveys indicate that the
NMSS has succeeded in raising
their intellectual horizons. Almost
everyone returns home with a
considerably enhanced view of their
own potential.”
http://www.nmss.org.au/
Savannah Ruppert, Emily Shen,
Katherine Silvers, Carina Simpson,
Michelle Siu, Sophia Tapp, Elizabeth
Thai, Chloe Walker, Ellie Wickenden
— Year 10
Distinction: Elizabeth Hudson,
Carmen Lee, Joanna Taylor, Joyce
Teng, Rebecca Zhou
Credit: Juliet Archibald, Deana
Aroney, Nicola Borton, Jacqueline
Calaizis, Emily Cheung, Rebecca
Clifton, Georgie Formosa, Amelia
Gilbert, Josephine Ginty, Annie
Handmer, Farrah Ibrahim, Georgia
Judd, Nicole Lai, Lynn Lertsumitkul,
Camille Maciejowski, Marsha
Setijadi, Annabelle Thorp, Taylor
Weiss-Symonds
— Year 11
Distinction: Naomi Fung, Eleanor
Gurney, Carolyn Harris, Yeji Kim
Credit: Sissy Chu, Emi Fujita, KeunNyoung Ko, AnnaJane Linke, Borim
Lee, Margaret Zhang
… CONTINUED P11 ▸
The Mathematics Challenge
For Young Australians 2009
The Mathematics Challenge for
Young Australians is a national
program organised by the Australian
Mathematics Trust in Canberra and is
designed to challenge, encourage and
motivate students who are interested
and talented in Mathematics.
— The Challenge Stage
The Challenge Stage requires
students to attempt a series of six
difficult problems over a period of
three weeks. The following students
submitted excellent work and were
Da Vinci Decathlon 2009
Teams of 8 girls from each of Years 7
- 10 went to the inter-school Da Vinci
Decathlon Competition held at Knox
Grammar School. This competition
involves teams attempting a series of
challenging problems across many
fields. All sections of the competition
require innovation and creativity as
much as knowledge and skills.
rewarded with certificates from the
Australian Mathematics Trust.
— Year 7
Distinction: Kate Duke, Grace Franki
Credit: Emily Cassen, Jessica
Epstein, Alexia Hatziplis-Photios,
Rachel Siu, Heloise Twomey
— Year 8
Credit: Sarah Abelev, Lauren Chee,
Amanda Baldwin-Clark, Emma Jagot,
Julie Litver, Elyzia Menounos, Sarah
Muller, Lucy Nason, Lauren Taylor
— Year 9
Distinction: Jessica Tong
— Year 7
Kate Duke, Jessica Epstein, Grace
Franki, Alexia Hatziplis-Photios,
Daniella Levy, Kerry Lin, Rachel Siu,
Debbie Zhou
— Year 8
Sarah Abelev, Dehlia Alimbetova,
Hannah Clifton, Emma Jagot, Julie
Litver, Alice Murdoch, Claudia Pan,
Rena Zheng
Teams from 44 independent schools
competed over two days; Years 9/10
and Years 7/8.
The Year 8 team came 8th in Games of
Strategy, 8th in Art and Poetry, 7th in
Creative Producers, 13th in English.
Congratulations to our teams. Team
members and some of the ranks for
each division are below:
— Year 9
Credit: Annabel Gurney, Tessa Harris,
Rebecca Karpin, Jacqueline Ma, AnaisMarie Menounos, Giorgia Petropoulos,
Michelle Siu, Elizabeth Thai
— The Enrichment Stage
Students who have completed
The Challenge Stage also had the
opportunity to submit solutions to
problems in the next stage of the
Mathematics Challenge, The Euler
Enrichment Series. This Series
consists of elementary number
theory, counting techniques, geometry,
the pigeonhole principle and
miscellaneous challenge problems.
Menounos, Michelle Siu, Madeline
Verge, Chloe Walker
The Year 9 team came 6th in Forensic
Sleuths, 8th in Science, 12th in
Creative Producers.
— Year 10
Jacqueline Calaizis, Rebecca Clifton,
Georgia Judd, Lynn Lertsumitkul,
Emma Ridley, Nupur Sachdev,
Marsha Setijadi, Joanna Taylor
Kambala Year 10 team came 1st in
Forensic Sleuths, 3rd in Science, 9th
in Games of Strategy.
Caitlin Adler, Chelsi Bakaric, Rebecca
Karpin, Jamie Kim, Anais-Marie
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Mao’s Last
Dancer
12
Performances in the Junior School in 2009
Year 3 — presented The Owl and the Pussy Cat by
Edward Lear. An adaption directed by Irena Haze
set on a tropical island full of weird and wonderful
creatures.
Year 4 — presented The Fabulous Adventures of the
Big-Ears Family by Grania Holtsbaum. The Fabulous
Adventures of the Big-Ears Family centers on two very
unlikely super heroes, Bradley and Belinda Big-Ears,
who conquer unbelievable circumstances with the
help of their magical ears!
Year 6 — presented The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe by C.S Lewis. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and
Lucy go to the country to live in the large, mysterious
house of an old Professor during the London air raids.
Their lives turn into one huge adventure as they crawl
through a wardrobe to discover the world of Narnia. A Year 5 performance based on an adaptation
of the award winning autobiographical book
written by Li Cunxin. It tells the tale of Li,
a poor Chinese peasant boy, aged 11, who
was chosen to move to Beijing and attend
Madame Mao’s Ballet Academy.
— Grania Holtsbaum, Junior School Drama Teacher
Y
ear 5 have studied, over this
past semester, a China Unit, so
the production of Mao’s Last
Dancer was the best tool to help them
solidify their learning experience.
1
— Chinese New Year Celebration, festival
and fireworks!
2
— Going to the Beijing Dance
Academy by train.
3
— Li Cunxin dances for his parents at
Houston Opera House.
4
— Classroom scene: warming the body
and feet from the freezing temperature!
5
— Chairman Mao’s Red Army in search
of Ballet students.
6
— Cunxin family dinner: each must
share and divide their rations.
7
— Stilt walkers perform at
Chinese New Year!
— The Soubeiran
The Year 5 Production of Mao’s Last
Dancer was written by using the
three books written by Li Cunxin;
(The Peasant Prince, which is the
Junior book; Mao’s Last Dancer,
a Young Readers’ Edition for
teenagers; and the adult version).
By accumulating the facts and
information from these three books,
the Year 5 teachers and Miss Gran,
the director/writer, were able to
create a production designed to
educate as well as entertain Kambala
parents. Through meetings which
were both practical and verbal and
dozens and dozens of emails, the
Year 5 teachers and Miss Gran were
able to piece together a play as
seen through the eyes of Li Cunxin
and his experiences as a peasant
farmer with nothing and no hope,
to a world-renowned ballet dancer
who conquered his fears and saved
his family from poverty. With help
from many parents and especially,
Mr David Ritchie, who designed the
set and constructed all the props
such as a massive train, plane wings,
wagons and large peasant stores;
the play was a great success, and
all the students who participated
were moved to tears and extremely
proud of their achievements.
Their understanding of different
cultures became more attuned
and strengthened their respect for
people who are less fortunate than
themselves. These children will never
forget how hard they worked to bring
this story to life. It was a testament
to their unique commitment to
something important to them. This
story was told through their eyes and
they achieved exactly that.
1
2
7
4
3
6
5
Boarding
14
–
a rich experience
Life in a boarding school delivers many rich experiences. Literature
and film evoke varied scenarios, from Dotheboys Hall to Hogwarts.
The reality is perhaps less colourful, but much more comfortable.
— Judy Duffy, Director of Boarding
A
t Kambala, boarding is a home
away from home experience
and the communal nature of
the boarding house creates a family
atmosphere. From the personal
adornment of the bedrooms to the
cozy and comfortable common
areas scattered throughout the two
homes – Tivoli (our Junior house)
and Fernbank (our Senior house)
– the familial warmth and sense of
community are very evident.
Boarders at Kambala are privileged
to have their educational experiences
enriched by being part of a global
community. Boarders come not only
from all around Australia, but from
all over the world. While Kambala
has a predominantly rural boarding
demographic, those overseas girls
who reside here, many of whom
are expatriate Australians, provide
diversity and a different perspective
that is highly valued and appreciated.
The boarders enrich the lives of
all other students. The sharing of
experience is central to developing
a broader world view. Having a
wide range of friends from a varied
range of geographic, racial and
socio-economical backgrounds
— The Soubeiran
exposes students to a greater
range of cultures and backgrounds
and expands perceptions and
understandings in a way that might
otherwise never happen.
Being part of a community where the
willingness to explore new things and
to step out of one’s comfort zone is an
inherent part of boarding. Boarders
embark on a journey to independence
and self-confidence and are taught
to take responsibility for themselves.
Boarding life has a definite structure,
but there are still choices to be
made about how to spend time, what
activities and opportunities to take
and how to create an effective balance
between work and play. Those choices
have a direct impact on the things that
are learned and the way that the girls
lead their life. It results in a greater
maturity, greater self-sufficiency and a
better preparation for life after school.
The shared experience of boarding
creates a strong network of friendship
and a feeling of community that lasts
for life. From Induction to Graduation,
adolescence to womanhood, the
virtues embedded though a boarding
education are unique.
Education takes on a broad meaning
at boarding schools. We at Kambala
recognise this. We have an explicit
mission to not only educate students
in the classroom, but also to
nurture in each of them the skills
and attributes of well rounded,
compassionate individuals. We take
pride in our boarders who inevitably
leave us as citizens who contribute
to society and continue to view
education as a life-long process.
Boarding at Kambala
Kambala has been a boarding school since its early
days; today there is accommodation for over 100
boarders. Boarders from Year 6 to Year 10 live in
Tivoli, the gracious home of the original Tivoli
estate. Tivoli combines modern dormitory-style living
amenities with a sense of old world charm.
In 1997, Fernbank, the senior Boarding House, was
opened. It caters for girls in Years 11 and 12 who
enjoy more independent living, social privileges and
greater privacy for study.
For further information about boarding please contact
Judy Duffy, Director of Boarding, 02 9388 6757 or
[email protected]
Japan Trip 2009
Stepping out of their comfort zone, our teenage girls suddenly had to
be responsible for their belongings, their organisation, their timing,
their budget, and so much more. Their journey as independent
travellers had begun.
— Nathalie Richard, Head of Languages
N
o one will disagree: one
cannot learn a language from
a textbook. Yes, grammar,
vocabulary and syntax have their place
but they would be stale if we did not
explore the backbone of any language
that is culture. Nowadays many CD–
Roms and interactive websites invite
linguists to do just that: one click and
you will look at greetings, another
click will have you believe you are
buying food, your next click will let
you look at family life. It’s fun and
taps into your imagination; but you,
the learner, remain a spectator with
… CONTINUED P17 ▸
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
2
3
4
5
2
— In Disneyland, Tokyo.
4
— In class.
3
— A special Obento!
5
— Mrs Henschke in Harajyuku.
your feelings well anchored into your
familiar cocoon. Going on a school
trip is deciding to click on the most
challenging level: that dreaded button
“leaving my comfort zone now”. From
then on, no more clicking, you have
entered the real world, with its own
heartbeat and feelings.
Whether as a student or a teacher a
school trip is no holiday. Much can be
said about such a rich experience but
relaxation is never on the cards! The
Japan trip 2009 was no exception and
rightly so! Only a hectic pace would
let us do justice to the varied program
Mrs Henschke, aka “Sensein”, had
arranged to create an educational
journey around the concept of
discovery – or was it self-discovery?
Stepping out of their comfort zone,
our teenage girls suddenly had to
be responsible for their belongings,
their organisation, their timing, their
budget, and so on. Their journey as
independent travellers had begun.
Japan was awaiting and they could
not wait to try out their proud but
nervous “Konnichiwa”. Little did they
know how many new frienships and
powerful experiences would follow
this first tentative exchange. This
became a recurrent theme in our
encounters. Indeed, at Someyaoka
High School in Ueda, the attention to
detail that went into shaping Japanese
delicacies into a koala for a unique
Obento (lunch box), the care that
went into choosing the perfect teddy
bear as a for-ever-friends gift were,
amongst many others, marks of true
warmth and affection. The pride of the
host families in Nagawa Machi farms
in sharing their traditions with us was
evident. The honour we received from
the inn-keeper in Matsumoto when
she spent the evening dressing us up
in her family kimonos was a unique
gift. One could only learn to receive,
accept and appreciate.
Japan, it seemed, was determined to
teach us much, much more. All of us
were confronted with environmental
issues in many different ways.
Environmentally Someyaoka
High School was poles apart from
Kambala: the walls had not seen any
paint for decades, computers were
nowhere to be seen, a minimum of
40 students would sit in straight rows
and listen to lectures, the crowds
moved around with no noise. Had we
walked into a time warp or was it yet
another chapter in our educational
journey? In both Someyaoka and
Shoonan High Schools we saw how
it is possible to keep a communal
area spotless, how everyone can
take pride in their daily cleaning
duties and how all this contributes to
creating a comfortable environment.
We, the present Kambala users - or
should I say abusers - should be
ashamed of our negligent behaviour.
It seems this sense of pride for
cleanliness is endemic in Japan: they
have realised long before us that
nature is a valuable asset. In rural
areas, even the smallest plot of land
is looked after and often turned
into a rice paddock; in the concrete
jungle that is Tokyo the crowded
streets are immaculate; the noise
from the traffic is low, no beeping
of horns, no revving of the engines.
The explanation is straightforward:
people do not litter, people respect
each other. The learning in this area
is not challenging; willingness is all
it takes!
This sense of respect is profound.
A street away from the Meiji
shrine - where we were drawn in
by the serenity of a Shinto wedding
procession - shopping in Harajuku
was like walking through a shrine
to the human spirit. There seems to
be no sense of fashion but a great
sense of individual style. Not only is
it acceptable to dress in any way one
fancies but it is admired. Let your
imagination take you to Harjuku and
you will see young women dressed
as if they have jumped out of Alice in
Wonderland, young men dressed in
skeleton suits, others in Napoleonic
attire. To be different is the norm.
Differences are valued.
In many ways Harajuku is the
metaphor of language learning. You
enter Harajuku with timid steps, not
knowing what to expect. You feel
lost; it is bustling with people who
seem to know what they are doing
and are going about their business
at a fast pace. It is confronting, you
cannot identify the rules, nor the
code of conduct; initially you feel you
can only watch before being brave
enough to make your first bargain.
It is stimulating: every street corner
invites you to explore further. It is
challenging: once you have realised
that you too can contribute to the spirit,
there is no looking back. It is addictive;
Harajuku has left its permanent mark;
you have gone beyond accepting
differences, you have learned to
appreciate them, and you have
started to make a difference.
Harajuku could never be
explained in a textbook; it
will never be given justice
even on an interactive CDRoms. Just like the rest of Japan,
just like any language, it has to be
lived to become alive.
17
Japan Trip Itinerary
Day 1 —Depart Sydney for Seoul.
Day 2 —Depart Seoul for Nagoya. Visit Ueda
Someyaoka High School for a welcome
ceremony. Meet with host families.
Day 3 —School day at Ueda Someyaoka High School.
Day 4 —Depart for Nagawa machi farm home stay.
Day 5 —Experience life on a farm.
Day 6 —Depart Nagaw machi for Ueda station to
Matsumoto. Day spent sightseeing.
Day 7 —Sightseeing: Matsumoto Castle, Daio Wasabi
Farm, Kamikochi.
Day 8 —Visit Shonan High School in Matsumoto.
Join in classes.
Day 9 —Experience soba making and taste our hand
made soba for lunch. Sightseeing in
Matsumoto visit Glass Museum.
Day 10 — Depart Matsumoto for Tokyo. Check in
at Shiba Park Hotel; walk to Tokyo Tower,
Dozouji Temple, Aikoku Shrien and
PokeMon Centre.
Day 11 — Sightseeing: Tokyo, Odaiba.
Day 12 — Visit Imperial Palace and Kitanomaru
Park, Ginza, Akihabara, Shinjuku.
Day 13 — Asakusa. Wander around Kaminarimon and
Nakamise shops in Asakusa, Jarajyuku,
Bosaikan Ikebukuro.
Day 14 — Visit Tokyo Disneyland.
Day 15 — Depart Tokyo for Seoul and Sydney.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Bain Library
Refurbishment
Opening
18
— Chris McDiven, President of the School Council
The refurbished Bain Library was officially opened
on Saturday 21 November 2009 by Ms Jan Fullerton
AO, FAHA, Director-General of the National Library
of Australia. Special guests were Mr Jim Bain and
his wife Janette who are long time supporters
of the school and whose generosity enabled the
refurbishment to be brought to fruition.
1
1
— Deputy Head Prefect delivering the
Prayer of Thanksgiving.
2
— The official opening of the Bain
Library refurbishment.
— The Soubeiran
A
s the School community
knows, Kambala has had
a longstanding tradition of
naming significant school buildings
after those who have made an
extraordinary contribution to its
development. The Senior Library was
opened as part of the new Senior
Wing in 1972 and was later named in
recognition of the contribution of Mr
Jim Bain, a former President of the
School Council. The current School
Council and the whole Kambala
community thank Mr Jim Bain and
Mrs Janette Bain for their ongoing
support and generosity without
which this refurbishment would not
have been possible.
2
This refurbished facility provides
every student at Kambala with a
first class centre for research and
independent learning and contributes
greatly to our goal of being a dynamic
learning community where each girl
receives the best possible educational
preparation to meet the challenges of
a changing world.
The School Council thanks everyone
who has assisted us steer the project
through from the concept stage to
reality, especially the architect, Mr
Ross Gardner, the construction team,
Brislands, the project management
team, TR Group, and all the
consultants and sub-contractors.
… CONTINUED PPB ▸
5
3
4
6
7
8
6
10
We also thank the members of staff
led by Mrs Margaret White and Mrs
Helen Robarts for their contributions
to the planning and details of the
development and our Business
Manager, Mr Ian MacCulloch, for his
financial management.
9
— Jim Bain, signing the library’s
copy of his book “A Financial Tale of
Two Cities”.
3
— Margaret White with Margot Bain,
Old Girl and daughter of Janette and
Jim Bain.
9
4
— Jan Fullerton, Director-General,
National Library of Australia.
10 — L-R: Janette Bain, Jan Fullerton, Jim
5
— Senior Chamber Choir.
6
, 7 & 8 — Guests at the opening.
Bain, Margaret White, Chris McDiven.
20
Art and Design
Tour 2009
Sydney–Paris–Venice
Florence–Rome–Sydney
The Art and Design European tour was planned to provide the
Visual Art and the Design & Technology students with insight and
inspiration through the direct experience of some of Europe’s finest
cities and galleries.
— Tina Bramis, Head of Design & Technology
F
ourteen students took part in
the 2009 Art and Design Tour.
Spectacular scenery, grand
architecture, different food, and
the special ambiance of France
and Italy combined to form a rich
learning experience, adding context
and meaning to work covered in the
classroom. I am sure the fruits of the
European Tour will be visible in the
Body of Works and Major Design
Projects for 2010.
Paris
Paris is one of the most popular
tourist destinations in the world
with its iconic landmarks, worldfamous institutions and urban
spaces. The Kambala girls took a tour
of the city, seeing the Avenue des
Champs-Elysées, the Eiffel Tower,
the Seine, Musée du Louvre, Musée
de l’Orangerie, Centre Pompidou
and Musée d’Orsay. Beyond the city,
we took a bus trip to Auvers Castle,
dropping into Van Gogh’s house and
then to Monet’s garden in Giverny.
Venice
Venice’s decaying grandeur defies
description. The sites here included
— The Soubeiran
St Marks Square, Rialto Bridge,
Bridge of Sighs, the Doges Palace, and
Peggy Guggenheim Museum, with
a few Gelatos, gondolas and more
vaporetto rides to Belle Arti Museum,
Murano and Burano islands.
Florence
Along the broad viali that encircle
old Florence, a confusion of endless
traffic tears around in chaotic style.
Horns honk and brakes squeal as
Florentines dart in and out of lanes
in search of a break in the traffic.
In our visit to Florence we had a
walking tour of the Duomo and the
Cathedral. We also spent time at the
markets, the Baptistry and the local
shops around the Ponte Vecchio. We
then visited the Uffizi Gallery and
Michelangelo’s David. In the Tuscan
hills we visited an organic farm in
Volterra where we had a cooking
lesson and a watercolour class. The
magnificent Italian lunch at the
Volterra farm was a highlight.
Rome
We found Rome to be a bustling
cosmopolitan metropolis, rich in
art and culture. The scale of Rome’s
priceless monuments and treasures
was amazing. The astonishing sites
included the Spanish Steps, the
Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza
Navona, the Coliseum and the
Forum. In Tivoli we visited the Villa
d’Este and Villa Adrian. We explored
numerous shopping precincts and
spent the final day visiting the
Vatican and St Peter’s Square..
We are hoping to venture to Los
Angeles and New York in October 2010
to gain further insights into the world
of design and art on that continent.
1
— Posing on the Canals.
2
— Burano.
3
— The Roman Forum.
4
— Glass Pyramid at the Louvre.
5
— Anyone for a gondola?
6
— Ponte Vecchio, Florence.
1
3
6
2
5
4
Charity
in Massie House
22
Visitors to Massie House may have noticed
Petunia Pig sitting on our Reception desk.
Petunia Pig is far more than a money box. In
Massie House she stands to remind the girls
of the importance of giving to others who are
less fortunate.
1
— Helen Carmody, Head of Massie House
In excess of $3,000 was raised for the Wisdom
Academy Well in Ghana.
To date, $863.45 has been raised for the Ian Thorpe
Foundation for Youth, promoting reading to Aboriginal
children and families through Literacy Backpacks.
1
&
2
— Petunia Pig.
— The Soubeiran
P
etunia Pig has a long and proud
tradition in Massie House. She
was carefully crafted and made
by Miss Anne Cooke, who was on the
staff in Massie House for 28 years
prior to her retirement in 2005. There
is a strong culture of girls donating
gold coins, on Fridays or other special
days to Petunia.
Each term we organise mufti days in
conjunction with a fundraising event
and encourage girls to contribute
some of their pocket money to
Petunia. Each year we decide on
a charity focus. We aim to select a
charity that can have relevance and
meaning for young children. It is our
intention that through Petunia Pig
we can raise an awareness of a sprit
of service that will go beyond just
collecting money.
In the past we have had a close
association with the Wisdom Academy
in Ghana. Lucy Saunders, Year 2
teacher in Massie House worked
… CONTINUED P23 ▸
3
5
4
the money they could have spent on
an ice-block or new toy to Petunia Pig.
At the end of the year Massie House
had raised in excess of $3000 for the
Wisdom Academy Well. This was an
amazing effort!
2
3
5
& 4 — Children from the Bulla
Primary School in the Northern Territory.
— The Wisdom Academy in Ghana.
at Wisdom Academy earlier in her
career. We exchanged letters with
the teachers and children at Wisdom
Academy and raised money to help
them build a well. Girls in Massie
House made bookmarks and sold
them to friends and had lemonade
stands and cake stalls at home.
Skip A Treat was a popular initiative,
where girls were encouraged to donate
This year Massie House is supporting
the Ian Thorpe Foundation for Youth
and in particular their promotion
of Literacy Backpacks to promote
reading by Aboriginal children and
their families. We have held mufti
days and invited a guest speaker
to Massie House to promote this
cause. The money given to Petunia
Pig each week has gone towards
the purchase of Literacy Backpacks.
Each of these contains a selection of
picture books and short stories, as
well as magazines and newspapers
for adults. It has been wonderful
for Massie girls to realise that
indigenous children love to read the
same books they enjoy. The children
from Bulla Primary School sent us
some beautiful indigenous picture
books that have been added to our
library collection. So what began as a
charity focus, has now grown into an
awareness and sharing of cultures.
Petunia Pig serves to give charity
and service an identity. This is an
important aspect to making abstract
concepts real for young children. So
when you are next in Massie House,
spare a thought for Petunia Pig.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Classroom Excellence
O
ur congratulations to three
Kambala teachers, Lorrayne
Brooks-Dowsett, Jessica
Raeside and David Gove, who have
achieved professional accreditation at
the level of Classroom/Professional
Excellence. They were presented
with their awards on 28 May by the
Education Minister, Ms Verity Firth,
at a ceremony at the Association of
Independent Schools of NSW.
24
This level of accreditation is
available to teachers who are in
Band 3 of the standards-based
Teachers’ Agreement. For the
accreditation process teachers carry
out their professional role and
collect evidence that demonstrates
they have clearly and consistently
met all the Professional Teaching
Standards at the level of Professional
Accomplishment through the NSW
Institute of Teachers (NSWIT)
and the additional criteria for the
Independent Schools Teacher
Accreditation Authority (ISTAA).
The process of collecting evidence
is a very thorough one. Teachers
1
1
— L-R: Margaret White, Jessica Raeside,
David Gove, Lorrayne Brooks-Dowsett,
Anne Hastings.
— The Soubeiran
need to annotate, explain and
provide work samples of their
programs, professional learning
and special projects. There is a visit
and classroom observation by an
NSWIT external observer, as well as
observation and reports from school
colleagues. The applicants collect and
submit their evidence for review to
ISTAA. All teaching standards and
criteria need to be demonstrated for
teachers to be awarded accreditation
at this level. Successful teachers
receive recognition throughout NSW
as informal teacher-leaders and
teachers of excellence.
From the Office of
the Foundation
2009 has seen the fruition of many years of sustained generosity on the
part of Kambala parents, Old Girls and other friends of the School.
25
— Kristen Mason, Director of Foundation
E
lsewhere in this edition of the
Soubeiran, Margaret White and
Chris McDiven have described
the concrete results such as the
completion of the Early Learning
Centre, the refurbishment of the Bain
Library and Soubeiran Room, and
additional Senior School classrooms.
Foundation activities in support of
community contributions during
2009 have included the Annual
Appeal, the Music Practice-a-thon
(in which Kambala students were
generously sponsored for putting in
long collective hours playing on their
instruments) and the continuing
promotion of the Old Girls’ Heritage
Walk initiative.
The overall level of contributions to
the School remains consistently high,
and demonstrates the commitment
of our community to maintaining the
best possible educational resources for
our girls.
It is remarkable that the level of
generosity has been maintained
during such a difficult period for the
Australian and world economies.
Thanks to your generosity in 2009, $701,063.44 was raised for Kambala, broken
down as follows:
—Contributions to Kambala Master Plan: $176,933.33
Pledged donations over 5 years for major capital works projects
—Contributions to the Voluntary Building Fund: $115,514.51
VBF is included with School accounts & covers general maintenance
—Contributions to the Voluntary Scholarship Fund: $107,040.40
VSF is included with School accounts & supports several scholarships
—Contributions to the 2009 Annual Appeals: $87,350 (excl Old Girls)
The Annual Appeal comes out at the end of the financial year & supports selected funds
—Contributions to the Music Appeal: $8,500 as of 3 December 2009
In support of the Music Centre Extension
—Contributions to the Music Practice-a-thon: $26,680.20 as of 3 December 2009
A fundraising initiative to support the new Music School
—Contributions to the Kambala Old Girls’ Heritage Walk: $19,500
Old Girls purchase a brick with their name which will be laid on the school premises
—Contributions to the Old Girls’ Annual Appeal: $4,600
This appeal raises funds for specific funds
—Donation from the KPA for specific School projects: $139,000
Throughout the year KPA raises funds to support specific school projects
—Gift from Kambala Old Girls’ Union: $15,000
Throughout the year KOGU raises funds from the Old Girls and the Union has made
a donation to Kambala
—Year 12 Endowment Fund: $120
The Year 12 girls of 2009 have chosen to raise funds to support the Endowment Fund.
— Honour Roll
The Kambala Foundation
would like to thank
Parents, Alumni, Staff,
Kambala Friends and
Organisation’s for
their generous support
throughout 2009.
Each and every gift is
sincerely appreciated.
We also thank our many
donors who wish to
remain anonymous
• Ms E Adams
• Mr N & Mrs E Andriotakis
• Mr S Bassett & Ms J Dobson
• Dr G Blackwood
• Dr C Borton & Dr A Ng
• Mrs G Bradshaw
• Mrs A Bremmer Doohan &
Mr R Doohan
• Mrs M & Mr J Clarke
• Mrs R & Mrs J Coppleson
• Ms S Cowan
• Ms A Crowley
• Mr C & Mrs A Haralambis
• Ms F Hayward
• Mr W & Mrs S Hopkins
• Mr R & Mrs J Hudson
• Ms J Keyte
• Mr J & Mrs A Kirton
• Mr H Koops
• Mr N & Mrs B Leach
• Ms S Lim & Mr K Rou
• Mr P Lo & Ms Q Zhong
• Ms K Mason
• Mr T Menounos
• Mr A & Mrs C McGill
• Ms M McGrath
• Dr D Muller
& Ms S Rattray-Wood
• Mr C & Mrs H Richardson
• Mr Z Q Shen
• Ms M Sheppard
• Mr A & Mrs J Sukkar
• Mr N & Mrs G Thompson
• Mr R Uechtritz
• Ms P Weaver
• Ms S Williams
• Mr T & Mrs B Yasukawa
• Mrs R Yeap
• Prof L Zhang
• Mr M & Mrs B Zheng
… CONTINUED P26 ▸
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
— Donors to the Old Girls
Heritage Walk in 2009
• Sara Beveridge (78–84)
• Olivia Borton (96–09)
• Jesse Clarke (01–09)
• Helen Crestani (75-76)
• Georgie Frykberg (97–09)
• Amira Geneid (04–09)
• Judith Grant (59–71)
• Rita Grosman (62–67)
• Angela Griffin (46-53)
• Beatrice Harvey
(39–52)
• Josephine Holland
(37-46)
• Shelley Howle (93–98)
• Caitlin Kendal (08–09)
• Cherie Khoeng (95–98)
• Alexandra Knights (98–07)
• Betty Laing (36–44)
• Susan Litchfield (44–54)
• Brooke Malouf (04–09)
• Gabrielle Mason (04–06)
• Jodie Mee (04–09)
• Nicole Mee (04–09)
• Davida Monk (28–40)
• Edna Monk (36–40)
• Marjorie Monk (30–43)
• Mary Mort (26–36)
• Beatrice Peel (37–41)
• Kate Raftos (04–09)
• Alex Richardson (00–09)
• Antonia Richmond (72–84)
• Yasmin Scrivener (96–09)
26
• Jennifer Scott (58–71)
• Allira Sgammotta (03–09)
• Catriona Simpson (76–81)
• Chloe Spartalis (96–08)
• Isabella Sukkar (04–09)
• Roseline Tayeh (96–09)
• Norma Walton (58–71)
• Pamela Wharton (32–42)
• Peggy Winning (60–71)
— Kambala Music
Practice-a-thon
participants
• Aneliese Adams
• Natasha Allen
• Christiana Alexakis
• Eloise Allen-Bowton
• Elefteria Antonelli
• Renata Beris
• Stephanie Brooks
• Dominique Brown
• Francesca Browne
• Emily Chepurin
• Selina Cheung
• Alexandra Christopher
• Jade Clarke
• Jessica Cohen
• Bunty Cook
• Milly Cox
• Katya Davy
• Stella Davy
• Rebecca Epstein
• Grace Franki
• Sophie Gibson
• Emma Grandison
• Anastasia Grivas
• Gabrielle Grobler
• Claudia Issers
• Brianna Jackson
• Talia Jacobs
• Kristen Kaklamanis
• Anastasia Karageorge
• Maria Karageorge
• Jamie Kim
• Yeji Kim
• Daisy Kirton
• Olivia Kohan
• Kristen Lazarus
• Annabel Levy
• Sarah Li
• Jacqueline Ma
• Taylor Mason
• Andrea Masselos
• Caitlin McAndrew
• Alice McComas
• Ashley McGrath
• Katherine McGregor
• Annabel McWhinnie
• AnaisMarie Menounos
• Elyzia Menounos
• Stephanie Mihailidis
• Elizabeth Muller
• Sarah Muller
• Georgina Neal
• Stephanie Neal
• Sofia Papadopoulos
• Lara Peach
• Olivia Reed
• Julia Rawlinson
• Annabel Remen
• Alex Richardson
• Lizzie Richardson
• Kate Ritchie
• Isabella Rosenberg
• Jasmine Rou
• Emily Shen
• Michelle Siu
• Rachel Siu
• Erika Skelin
• Georgia Sparta
• Martina Spartalis
• Julia Stafford
• Scarlett Strang
• Greta Szangolies
• Rachel Taylor
• Elizabeth Thai
• Bhanu Thompson
• Isabella Thompson
• Ruby Tilley
• Heloise Twomey
• Kathryn Vavayis
• Lucy Vincent
• Claudia Waitsman
• Charlie Ward
• Charlotte Warden
• Kathryn Warton
• Sarah White
• Caitlin Yan
• Emma Yazbek
• Issy Yazbek
• Margaret Zhang
• Cristina Zheng
• Rebecca Zhou
• Jessica Zylstra
KPA 2009
December already! The KPA’s activities wound to a close with a thank
you function, Carols by Candlelight and well-earned holidays for
parents and girls alike.
— Bruce Handmer, President
T
he last term of the year saw a
well-attended KPA meeting
addressed by Michelle
FitzGerald of the NSW Parents
Council and Margaret White. The
ensuing discussions were interesting
and informative.
Earlier in the year the KPA parents
hosted some exciting and enjoyable
cocktail parties – including the
inaugural Senior School Cocktails, as
well as many morning and afternoon
teas, lunches, and get-togethers.
— The Soubeiran
Breakfasts and other community
awareness raising events were held at
Kambala, starting as always, with the
Welcome Cocktail Party the day before
school commenced in February. The
Year 10 Formal was also organised
with the help of a representative
committee from Year 10.
Parents have assisted in the canteen,
Outfitters, car lines, and numerous
other activities all designed to help
make our lives just that much better!
Along the way, the KPA raised
around $100,000 which has been
allocated to a range of projects across
the school and faculties. Thank you
to all who donated time, energy, ideas
and of course money!
On behalf of the KPA, thank you to
all the parents, girls, families, staff
and teachers who have been so
involved this year. Your enthusiastic
and positive help is wonderful! The
KPA wishes all a safe and happy
Christmas and holiday period.
27
— caption page 34
President’s Report
President:
K
OGU has ended 2009 with our
largest event of the year, the
Vintage Luncheon, which was
organised superbly yet again by
Peggy (Winning) Formosa ‘72. The
Tivoli Dining Room was full of
Old Girls who left Kambala
between 1939 and 1958.
28
2009 KOGU Committee
Photos and special memories
of this successful day will be in
our first newsletter in 2010.
On behalf of KOGU, I’d like to thank
Anne Harris for her dedication and
‘round the clock’ support in organising
and running KOGU functions and
manning our Alumni office.
Our involvement in the Kambala school
community is important to us, and this
year we have continued to support
current girls with many functions.
Many Old Girls have given their HSC
and “leaving school” advice to girls
at KOGU morning teas for Years 11
and 12 organised by Jenny (Crooks)
Karpin ’83 and Josie (Thomas)
Gurney ’77 and Julie (Kelly) Reid ‘77.
We had two extremely successful
careers breakfast symposiums
organised by Emily (Smith)
Behncke ‘96 in the media and
medical fields. Grace Mathew ’05
and Shoba Rao ‘99 were our guest
judges of the Joyce Gibbons Public
Speaking competition won by Lizzie
Richardson and Jordan White.
Nicky (Breuer) McWilliam ‘82
We have continued to donate many
prizes including this year’s KOGU
senior 100m championship which
went to Nicole Mee. Katie Cody
won the Open 100m Championship
at the Senior School Swimming
Carnival. A KOGU prize also went
to the Junior School’s Open 100m
Championship winner Madeleine
McCathie, the daughter of Nicky
(Clarke) McCathie ’90.
Peggy (Winning) Formosa ‘72,
Magdalen (Malone) Simpson ‘82
I would also like to thank the
wonderful KOGU Committee and
sub-committee members whose
willingness to volunteer keeps
KOGU events running year to year.
Wishing you all a very safe and
happy Christmas and a healthy new
year. I look forward to seeing you at
the AGM. All Old Girls are invited,
so please come along to be involved,
nominate and support KOGU.
Secretary:
Melinda (Thew) Hudson ‘80
Treasurer:
Anita Huynh ‘05
Vice Presidents:
School Council Representatives:
Lisa Sampson ‘77, Suellen (Adair)
Thompson ‘81
Committee:
Emily (Smith) Behncke ‘96, Penelope
(Lehmann) Donaldson ‘81, Felicity Gray
‘03, Josie (Thomas) Gurney ‘77, Jenny
(Crooks) Karpin ‘83, Patria (Harris)
Mann ‘80, Grace Mathew ‘05, Juliet
(Brockhoff) Ovnerud ‘73, Julie (Kelly)
Reid ‘77, Amanda Strauss ‘03
Sub Committee:
Madelienne Anderson ‘89, Emma
Barbour ‘06, Jo (White) Belnick ‘83,
Tina Bondar ‘94, Patricia Cassimatis ‘04,
Sophia Cassimatis ‘02, Deborah (Hing)
Chadwick ‘76, Anthea England ‘05, Sally
(Green) Guth ‘69, Georgina Jordan ‘99,
Ashleigh Keeling ‘03, Philippa (Byrne)
McGeoch ‘83, Bree Pratt ’07, Katerina
Pitsikas ‘97, Shoba Rao ‘99, Jess Selby
‘04, Lauren Selby ‘02, Anne Selikowitz
‘06, Renee Souster ‘02, Georgina Varley
‘99, Alix Verge ‘77, Ming Wang ’89 Laura
Wiederman ‘06
AGM NOTICE
N
otice is given pursuant to the
rules of association of the
KAMBALA OLD GIRLS’ UNION
INCORPORATED (the Association)
that the Annual General Meeting
of the Association will be held on
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 7.30pm
in the Tivoli Drawing Room.
Nominations are sought for
the following positions on the
Committee of the Association for
2010: President, Vice President (2),
Secretary, Treasurer, Committee
Members (10). Nominations must
be in writing and delivered to the
Secretary of the Association or the
Chairperson of AGM at any time
prior to commencement of voting for
election of the committee at AGM.
Nominations are also sought for
— KOGU NEWSLETTER
Kambala School Council Nominees
(2) and these nominations must be
in writing and must be delivered
to the secretary of the Association
at least 14 days before the date of
AGM. Any serving Kambala School
Council Nominee who wishes to
re-nominate as a Kambala School
Council Nominee must deliver
written notice of such intention to the
Secretary of the Association at least
28 days before AGM. Nominations for
Kambala School Council Nominees
are to be sent to the Secretary KOGU
Incorporated, Melinda Hudson c/KOGU Inc Kambala 794 New South
Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029.
Sub-committee positions on the
Association for 2010 will also be
appointed at the AGM.
Items of business will include:
Committee reports on the activities
of the Association, election of
committee positions on the
Association for 2010 and Kambala
School Council Nominees 2010,
annual financial and other financial
reports and statements for year
ended 31 December 2009 and any
other business.
All enquiries to be made to the
Secretary KOGU Incorporated,
Melinda Hudson melindahudson@
me.com or c/- Anne Harris KOGU
Inc, Kambala, 794 New South Head
Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029.
Reunions filled with bubbles and cheers
J
ulie (Macfarlan) Playfair said 50
girls from the class of 1979 came
to the Bellevue Hotel in Paddington
for a “hilarious and extremely noisy”
30 year reunion on October 31. Some
travelled interstate and even as far as
Northern Ireland to make it.
The organisers attempted to instill
some order with a version of speed
dating to make sure everyone mixed
across the room. But as usual, no one
took any notice and went on chatting,
apparently having all forgotten how
to line up in two straight lines!
She said: “It is fair to say that
everyone looked exactly the same as
when they left school, and there was
a fabulous atmosphere of familiarity
and companionship which can only
come with having spent so much time
together as young women at school.”
— Class of 1979.
“Thanks to the organising committee
for all those planning dinners
– Ingrid (Ham) Arnott, Susie
Ferrier, Jane Beith, Sally Wilson,
Meredyth (Mason) Grogan and Julie
(Macfarlan) Playfair. The wonders of
email and Facebook really assisted
in finding girls, and email will really
help people stay in touch with each
other until the next reunion.”
Meanwhile, Tammy (Baker) Edwards
‘84 tells us 25 “young” Old Girls
arrived at their old stomping ground,
The Golden Sheaf Hotel, to catch
up on news and renew friendships
on September 12. The champagne
flowed with lots of laughter and
story swapping.
“Some pregnant people waddled in
and others there had children- all
keen to share stories of pregnancy,
cute newborns and toddler
tantrums!,” she said. However,
Tammy said the best thing about
the night was how everyone picked
up where they left off 15 years
ago – slotting straight back in to old
friendships. “Since that day several
people have caught up again and
certainly rekindled friendships from
many moons ago. Talk of the 20 year
reunion was warmly received and
we hope to arrange it so many of our
— Class of 1999.
Kambala ‘overseas’ old girls can come.
“A great night was had by all, despite
a few heavy heads in the morning!”
Late in the evening, I even heard a
few girls singing the school song –
word perfect.
After months of Facebook messages,
phone calls and emails, Georgina
Jordan said the girls of ’99 met on
November 7 at the Golden Sheaf Hotel
in Double Bay for our 10 year reunion.
They had about 40 girls as well as
much- loved teachers, Patrick Curteis
(maths) and Gina Mitchell (science).
“Thanks are in order to those who
organised the event including Shoba
Rao and Anna Solomon, and many
thanks to our teachers. We look
forward to doing it again in another
10 years.”
“We chatted and laughed over
canapés, champagne and reminisced
about everything from our Year 10
formal to the food we liked at the
school tuck-shop,” she said. “Those
in the class of ’99 living overseas in
London, Asia, Fiji, France and New
York were missed, but not forgotten.
Don’t lose touch
T
he KOGU Online Directory is a
way to stay in touch with Old Girls,
share photos and keep up to date with
Kambala and KOGU. Log on to “http://
internet-alumni.com/nsw/kambala”
Or, access the directory through the
Kambala View site by selecting Portals
from the top menu, then select KOGU
from the drop down box.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Your
Reunion
Mini reunions remind
girls of school yard
— 1960
50th anniversary for 1958
Intermediate class. A luncheon in
the Tivoli Drawing Room is being
held on June 26, 2010.
Contact: Marjorie Blanco
([email protected])
or Joy Purvis ([email protected]
or 0431 660 416).
— 1977
“Calling those who want to party
like it’s 1999!” Tanya and Jane want
their classmates to have a party for
the Big 50.
Contact: Tanya Barbour
([email protected])
or Jane Vincent ([email protected].
au or 0447 664 282).
— Class of 1974.
— 1970
A
*Seeking co-ordinators for 2000,
10 year, 1990, 20 year and 1980,
30 year reunion.
fter five years away from
Sydney, Christiane (Turk)
Stappert’s return inspired her school
friend Rosemary (Fine) Isaacs to
hold a mini reunion for girls from the
class of 1974.
Reunions
in 2010
Makiko (Yamada) Takahashi, who
went to Kambala from 1969 until
1972 and Sue (Egri) Bagin ‘69 joined
the historic event and were very
happy to meet some old friends
again. Makiko had not been in
Sydney for 37 years.
40 year reunion, TBA
Contact: Leigh Ralston.
— 2005
— 2000
5 year
10 year
— 1995
— 1990
15 year
20 year
— 1985
— 1980
25 year
30 year
— 1975
— 1970
35 year
40 year
— 1965
— 1960
45 year
50 year
— The Soubeiran
The girls met in Rose Bay for lunch
before touring the school. Christiane
said she and her daughter Nicola
loved talking to students and the
teacher of a Year 9 German class as
they come from Germany.
The afternoon ended with afternoon
tea in Tivoli Drawing room,talking
about the old days and getting in
touch again. In the evening a small
group of girls met at Rosemary’s
home in Petersham and everyone
decided to meet again in five years
time for a 40 year reunion.
— Pat (Scott) Grimwood-Taylor, Juliet (Brockhoff)
Ovnerud and Kathy Riley from class of ‘73.
Meanwhile, the class of 1973 recently
welcomed Pat (Scott) GrimwoodTaylor and Kathy Riley back who
were in town from the UK and USA
visiting family.
Kathy left Australia with her parents
immediately after the HSC and lives in
America where she is a hand therapist.
Pat moved to the UK nearly 25 years
ago and deals in philately.
Meet a Biz Whiz: Casey Death ‘96,
biznagatravelcompany.com
— You started the Biznaga Travel
Company after studying in Spain,
what inspired you?
When I first moved to Spain, I was
‘adopted’ by a Spanish family. I
celebrated traditional events with
them and I explored Spain like the
locals do. I have always loved being
able to share my experiences with
friends and family and wanted other
people to be able to experience the
‘real’ spain, not just the touristy parts.
— What types of holidays do you
offer globetrotters?
We are a boutique travel company
which offers unique Cultural and
Language Holidays to small groups
in Spain and Australia.
— How do your trips differ from
other travel deals?
We tailor holidays to all parts of
Spain. Our holidays are unique
because our guides introduce our
guests to the traditions, customs,
culture and language in a way
only a local can. In every
Biznaga Holiday we include
a ‘Biznaga day’ which is
when we give back to the
communities who provide us
with these incredible experiences.
31
We can visit school kids and help
them with their English, harvest
olives, or visit a conservation park.
— Casey Death ‘96 (centre), Managing Director of Biznaga Travel.
— What untouched area of Spain
would you recommend people visit
and why?
— What advice would you give
to any Kambala girl keen to work
overseas or set up a company?
My very favourite part of Spain is
Galicia – the little pocket of Spain
above Portugal – as it’s like the
Scotland of Spain. The fresh seafood
is incredible, the wine is delicious and
the scenery and architecture is just
gorgeous. Santiago de Compostela is
an absolute ‘must do’ and if you can
get down to the very isolated Vigo and
Pontevedra, it’s worth it.
Relocating, or even just travelling,
can be really tough. When things get
the better of you, take a deep breath
and remember this will probably be a
really funny story by the time you get
home! A company is something that
requires careful planning, good advice
and lots of trust in your own instincts,
but it is also enormously rewarding to
be doing something you really love.
— What fond memories do you have
of Kambala?
I loved boarding. It was like living
with all my friends. Thursday nights
were always fun getting ready for
the fun weekend and Sunday nights
were great to catch up on the goss!
Some of my closest friends are
Kambala girls and I really treasure
the friendships I made!
VOL 3 , september 2009 —
Keeping abreast of a worthy cause
M
otivated by a loss of a school
friend to breast cancer, Jane
Vincent and Tanya Barbour ‘77
completed the City2Surf this year to
raise awareness of the disease.
32
Jane and Tanya were proud to
complete the gruelling 14km
course in 2 hr 25 min 47 sec,
which was under their target
time, despite Jane taking a
tumble at the 12km mark!
While on their run, they raised
more than $400 for Breast Cancer
Australia. They ran in memory of
Mary Varvaressos who passed away
earlier this year and for their friends
who have beaten the disease. Well
done, ladies!
— Tanya Barbour and Jane Vincent ‘77.
Giving overseas aid a humbling
culture shock
I
n the 21st century, meeting kids
who have never seen a camera
before and letting them take their
first photograph was just a small part
of the culture shock Siena Perry ‘99
has recently experienced.
She left Australia’s public relations
world for a year to work for the UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation as
a communications officer.
Perry was placed in Laos through
AusAID’s Australian Youth Ambassadors
for Development program.
She also had the privilege of meeting
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki
Moon, whose “no nonsense manner”
was very appealing. Perry said the
experience was very humbling,
especially when she saw how women
lived and worked in Laos.
“Working in one of the poorest
countries in the world gave me a really
humbling insight into how incredibly
lucky we are, especially as women,
to have enough food, unquestioned
rights and access to education and
— KOGU NEWSLETTER
— School children from Champasak Province in Laos with Siena Perry ‘99.
healthcare. It was also so heartening to
meet so many young Australians (and
other nationalities) who sacrifice so
much in order to contribute.”
She is now planning further study to
work internationally. Perry also said
she still has many found memories of
Kambala and her classmates.
“We had a great year and I am still in
touch with loads of girls. Geography
with Ms Siemsen and Mrs Roach is
still useful to me today.”
Talking about our generations
— L-R: Marilyn (McCathie) Chapman ‘50, Sue (McCathie) Kelly ‘54, Judy (Chapman) McComas ‘73, Julie (Kelly) Reid ‘77.
M
others, aunts and even
grandmothers who graduated
from Kambala from as far back
as 1950 got a chance to meet and
catch up with each other at a special
morning tea held in their honour.
This year’s Grandmothers, Mothers
and Aunts Morning Tea was held
in the Tivoli Drawing Room. Guests
included Julie (Kelly) Reid ‘77, her
daughter Samui and Judy (Chapman)
McComas ‘73 with their mothers Sue
(McCathie) Kelly ‘54 and Marilyn
(McCathie) Chapman ‘50.
Mingling amongst them were current
Kambala mothers Sarah (Robinson)
Spagnardi ‘83 and her daughter
Isabella who is in Year 2.
Related girls enrolled in Massie
House, Junior and Senior school were
also invited to join them.
— Sarah (Robinson) Spagnardi ‘83 and daughter Isabella
in Year 2.
about their historical connection to
the school through their families. It
also allows Old Girls to show their
ongoing support of younger girls who
are studying at the school.
Girls from Massie House who came
up to visit their relatives on the day
were also given a gerbera flower each!
The event enables our Old Girls
to return, celebrate and reminisce
Paving a pathway to success
K
ate Williams ‘97, Jo Pilton ‘97
and Stephanie Davies ‘96 all
gave their time to girls who dream
of working in medicine or science
at our second Careers Breakfast.
Kate and Jo said it was lovely to be
invited back to Kambala to speak
to the Senior girls interested in a
career in Science. “I hadn’t actually
set foot in the grounds since leaving
Year 12, more than 10 years ago, and
it was slightly surreal to walk down
the driveway to the assembly hall
again, with happy memories flooding
back into my mind,” Kate said. “I’m
so passionate about medicine, and
emergency medicine, and I wanted
to share with the students some of
my enthusiasm for the profession.
It is a hugely rewarding, although at
times stressful area to work in, but I
have never regretted it. In speaking
about my path into medicine and
the craziness a shift at St Vincent’s
Emergency entails, I hope to have
inspired all the budding young
doctors at Kambala.”
As a veterinarian, Jo said she’s had an
interesting and rewarding career so far.
“However, as in most professions,
it’s not just the smartest people that
make the best vets! Compassion
and empathy, good communication
skills and a thirst for knowledge are
important. I still remember being on
the other side of the table when I was
back at Kambala and hopefully I was
able to give some of the girls some
useful information to help them with
their future.”
They said it was pleasing to see a big
turnout from the students coming to
hear their words of advice.
VOL 3 , DECEMBER 2009 —
Births, Engagements,
BIRTHS
Katrina (Kerr) Brooker ‘93
welcomed their third child Kate
Elizabeth in April, sister to
Annabel, 4, and Jack, 2.
34
Rebecca (Kerr) Guilfoyle ‘93
has had their third child Angus
Donald in September, brother
to William, 3, and Hilary, 2.
Anna (Matt) Kuperman ‘93
and husband Dimitry welcomed a
baby girl September 7. Alana Mia
Kuperman, a little sister for big
brother Danny, 3.
Melissa (Mattiske) Bowman ‘92,
and husband Luke had a boy, Jock
William Bowman, born October 30.
Brother to Harrison and Campbell.
Jill (Mattiske) Baldwin ‘93, and
husband Rick had a girl, Mimi Susi
Baldwin, born August 25. A sister to
Cleo and Lily.
Felicity (Mattiske) Armstrong
‘95, and husband Robert had a girl,
Macey Olive Armstrong, born July 26.
A sister to Zali.
Katina Scarf ‘94 had her second
child Sophia Pauline El Hassan on
April 14, a sister to son Anthony who
is just over three.
Dr Edwina (Croudace) Dorney ‘96
delivered a baby boy (Oliver James)
on October 6.
Jillian Black ‘69 has her first
grandchild, Jackson Oliver Costello,
born September 12, to son Robert
and wife Joanne, a nephew to
daughter, Jessica.
Help us
W
e are looking for Old Girls to send
us their favourite memories or
donate archival material to the school
for our next newsletter and to keep our
history intact.
Please contact:
Anne Harris, (02) 9388 6888
[email protected]
— KOGU NEWSLETTER
— Lara Kimberley Spink.
Alexandra Dane ‘01 is engaged
to Jonathon Isaac and are getting
married in February 2010.
— Jackson Oliver Costello.
Fiona Stevenson ‘95 and husband
Richard Spink now have a beautiful
baby girl, Lara Kimberley Spink,
born July 1 at 2.22pm weighing a tiny
5lb 11oz.
Marriages
Michelle Koch ‘97 to marry Fred
Pollock at the end of December and
celebrate at Catalina Restaurant in
Rose Bay.
Bettina Yiannakourou ‘94 gave birth
to her son, Julian Darius Greenfield
on September 16, 2008.
Sally (Munday) Mayne ’89 and
Andrew Mayne were married on
April 4.
Dr Denise (Wong) Barnett ‘92 gave
birth to a daughter, Jessica, on 14
March 2009.
Julie Fletcher ’87 recently married
Tim Michael in a ceremony at
Walsh Bay before a reception at
Ottoman Restaurant. Her sister Liane
(Fletcher) Turtledove ‘84 and close
friend Liza (Birnbaum) Glass ‘87
(both Old Girls) were bridesmaids.
Engagements
Janie Kerr ‘91, is engaged to
Hugh Johnston.
Carla Spiegel ’00 eldest daughter
of Yvonne (Szenes) Spiegel ’77, is
engaged to Roni Green.
Chloe Fast ‘00 is engaged to Josh
Levitt.
Caroline Rakov ‘97 married on
November 9 ‘08 at McKell Park in
Darling Point. She met her husband
Andrew Hoad while living in London
They moved back to Australia in ‘07
and married a year later.
— Cover photo credit: Athalie (Fenton)
O’Neill, Eleonore (Green) Solomon, Dorothy
(Small) Farrell & Janice Spedding, c1947.
Girls sitting in front of Miss Epstein’s 6th Class
room 1947.
From the Kambala Archives photographic
collection. (Photographs donated with
permission to publish by Eleonore Solomon).
Marriages & Valete
Fiona Stevenson ’95 married
Richard Spink on December 7 ‘08
at the St George Motor Boat Club.
Old Girls (by maiden name) at the
wedding were Rebecca McDiven,
Ariel Pollard, Karen Martin, Melanie
Chryssochoides, Angela Marsden and
Chantelle Gregory, all class of ‘95.
— Caroline Rakov ‘97 and Andrew Hoad.
Felicity Brown ‘84 married
Michael Ling December 5-6, ‘08 in
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.
Felicity and Michael met in Kuala
Lumpur where she is posted at
the Australian High Commission.
Felicity’s sister Fiona Brown ‘76 and
Jane (Dash) Hargood ‘76 were at the
Chinese wedding.
Margot (Cameron) Nichols ’00
married Gavin Nichols, on December
8, ‘ 08 in Hawaii, Maui. The ceremony
was held in Kapalua Bay on a
beautiful and romantic day. Margot’s
father John Cameron and her sister
Louise Cameron ’03 celebrated the
day with them.
— Julie Fletcher ’87 and Tim Michael.
— Margot (Cameron) Nichols ’00 and Gavin Nichols.
Maryanne Satouris ‘01 married
Petro Macarounas on May 2.
Kambala girls who attended
were Fiona (Satouris) Sklavos’96,
Marianne (Bassil) Penklis ’85, Vicki
(Bassil) Kekatos ’81, Maria Gialouris
’02, Chloe Faust ’00, Natalie Urban
‘00,Emily Vernardos, Yasmin Malouf
’01, Nora Gazal ’97, Lily Barbouttis
‘03, Emily (Smith) Behncke ’96,
Christine (Bracher) Salter’97,
Anellie Manolas ’97, Elecia Manolas
‘04, Nicky (Breuer) McWilliam ’82,
Angelique (Coombes) Andrews ‘93,
Leanne (Kristallis) Alexiou ’96 and
Mary Ann (Andrews) Paroulakis ‘89.
Valete
The husband of Susan (Burnett)
Boden Parsons ’60, Dr Robert Boden
OAM, passed away in August.
— Maryanne Satouris ‘01 and Petro Macarounas.
Marie Howe Breckenridge ’32 died
on October 7. Much loved by sister of
Vida ’27 (deceased). A very special
and valued friend to the Gibson and
Hampshire families. Relatives and
friends attended Marie’s funeral
service on October 9.
The son of Shirley Cantrill (former
Science teacher) informed us that
Shirley has died. The funeral
service was held on October 14.
35
Ann Margaret (Green) East
’50 passed away on October
28. Much loved mother of
Frazer, Julia and Daniel, proud
grandmother of Brooke and Charlie
and sister of Gordon and Geoffrey
(deceased). Family and friends
attended a service and wake for Ann
on November 4.
Mavis Jackson passed away
in March. Mother of Katherine
(Jackson) Christian ‘78, Tina
(Jackson) Mulholland ‘71, and
grandmother of Alex Jackson ‘03, Liza
Christian ‘08, Aja Sandoval ‘09 and
Brianna Jackson currently in Year 4.
Shirley (Fowler) Bolton ’38 passed
away on September 14. She is
survived by her husband Eric, sons
Brian and Alan, daughter Julie and
seven grandchildren.
Diana Page ‘39, died in Canberra
and was one of the first three
women accepted into Australia’s
diplomatic service. She was born
Diana Margaret Hodgkinson in
Woollahra to Clement Hodgkinson
and his wife, Hilda King, who was
on duty at the Rose Bay first aid post
when Japanese midget submarines
attacked Sydney Harbour in May
1942. Diana went to Kambala,
where she excelled at studies and
sport. She became dux and head
girl. By 1947, Diana had served
as Australian vice-consul in San
Francisco and New York, where she
met American Colonel David Page,
her husband. She is survived by their
five children Carolyn, David, Susan,
Mary, Courtney, and their families,
including 12 grandchildren. Carolyn
and Susan were both Kambala girls.
VOL 3 , september 2009 —
794 New South Head Road
Rose Bay NSW 2029
TEL. (02) 9388 6777
EMAIL [email protected]
http://www.kambala.nsw.edu.au