In this section of the newsletter, Old Girls have the opportunity to share updates with their peers, to celebrate milestones including births, marriages, significant educational achievements, awards, and honours, as well as celebrate the lives of those who have passed.

If you have any cohort news or notices to share, please email OGA&Alumni@stmargarets.qld.edu.au 

2021
Ashleigh Pomeroy

Since graduating from St Margaret’s, I have been studying a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at QUT, where I am currently in my penultimate year. The foundation I built at St Margaret’s, particularly through elective STEM subjects, was extremely helpful in guiding me toward this path. A particularly memorable experience was attending a physics workshop at QUT in senior school, which inspired my interest in engineering. In a full-circle moment, I now deliver this very workshop to high school students as a STEM ambassador for QUT.

Last year, I was honoured to receive a Women in Engineering scholarship from Thiess. This incredible opportunity enabled me to complete work experience with Thiess and gain valuable industry insights. In the 2023/2024 period, I successfully completed an internship with Thiess and will embark on another one in the upcoming 2024/2025 summer holidays. Beyond work experience, this scholarship has provided me with numerous invaluable opportunities to excel my professional growth and develop essential skills. 

2018    
Xanthe Lowe-Brown 

I was recently given the opportunity to present the Student Keynote at the Australian Music Psychology Society (AMPS) conference on 4 July, marking a significant milestone in my academic career. The AMPS Student Keynote Award is a competitive and coveted award, with many graduate students submitting their research from universities around Australia to be reviewed by a committee of music psychology experts. It was an absolute honour and delight to have been selected for the AMPS Keynote Award, alongside two brilliant minds: Dr Dianna Vidas and my long-term mentor, Dr Amanda Krause.

In my 20-minute keynote, I shared the findings of my second PhD study, which investigated the effectiveness of emotion regulation playlists in the general population. As music is commonly used in daily life to shape our emotions and can be accessed at virtually any time and place via music streaming apps, I sought to uncover the most effective way of structuring playlists to shift from a current emotion to desired emotion, rather than to simply match an emotion. I conducted a Spotify playlist lab study with 200 participants at the University of Melbourne. Results showed that, for shifting emotions from anxious to calm, it is effective to either listen to a playlist consisting of calm-sounding songs (compensatory principle), or a playlist starting with anxious-sounding songs that allow you to process your anxiety/stress, before moving to calm songs (iso principle). The results suggest that the final song of an emotion regulation playlist may be important (i.e., to finish with a song that matches one’s desired emotion such as calm). These results will inform the development of a plugin for music streaming apps that creates personalised emotion regulation playlists based on users’ current/desired emotion and personality. My goal through developing this plugin is to enhance the well-being of half a billion music streamers around the globe.

For those interested, the Australian Music Psychology Society (AMPS) is a renowned group of music psychology researchers from around Australia. It is free to become a member, so I encourage you to share this with anyone who is interested in studying music science/psychology of music – https://amps.org.au/.

2016    
Lilee Lunney

The Tradition Continues: St Margaret’s Old Girls Find Rowing Success

Lilee Lunney (’16) recently wrote to the St Margaret’s Old Girls’ Association to share the achievements of St Margaret’s Old Girls across various rowing competitions and championships. Lilee, and those she celebrates, attribute their love of the sport to their time in the St Margaret’s crews. We hope you enjoy her update below.

At the 2024 Australian Rowing Championships in Penrith this March, Georgia Montague (’23) and Gabby Sypher (’23), both members of the 2023 1st VIII who placed 2nd at the BSRA Head of the River in August last year, made a significant impact. They both medalled in all but one of the events they raced in.

Gabby came away with a bronze medal in the Under 19 Women’s Double Scull and silver in the Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Scull, racing for Sydney Rowing Club.

Georgia had a clean sweep of gold medals in the Under 21 Women’s Pari and Under 21 Women’s Coxed Four, racing for the University of Queensland Boat Club. She was also a member of the Queensland Women’s Interstate Youth Eight, who were the champion of the Interstate Regatta against all other state and territory U21 Women’s Eights. This final accomplishment is a feat that has not been achieved by Queensland since 2016, when Lily Alton (’15) was in the crew.

In addition to Georgia’s success at the National Championships, she has been selected to race in the Australian Under 21 Rowing Team as a member of the Women’s Pair and Four. The Under 21 Team will race in Penrith later this year in the Trans-Tasman Regatta against the Under 21 New Zealand Rowing Team.

In the Queensland Women’s Interstate Youth Eight, Georgia was joined by Priscilla Russel  (’21) who coxed the boat. Priscilla is also a member at The University of Queensland Boat Club and won the silver medal in the Under 21 Women’s Coxed Four at the National Championships.

Lily (’15) has gone on to achieve considerable success, being confirmed as racing in the Australian Women’s Coxless Four at the Paris Olympics.

Both Lily and I were selected in the Queensland Women’s Eight again this year, where we won the bronze medal in the Queen’s Cup Interstate Eight race, and this craw was coached by Old Girl and Olympian Sally Kehoe (’03).

While Gabby and I both missed out on national team selection this year, we raced at the Henley Royal Regatta, where we progressed through to the Quarter Finals prior to being knocked out by last year’s finalist. The nature of Henley is that we must race each day of the Regatta week and win our race to progress to the next round the following day. While we were disappointed not to be in the Finals, Gabby and I are both really proud of the crew’s effort and performance.

It would not be right to update the Old Girls on what Maggies is achieving in the rowing space without an honourable mention to current Year 12 and 2024 Rowing Captain, Ava (’24). Ava rowed in The University of Queensland Boat Club’s Under 19 Women’s High-Performance Squad for the 2023-24 high-performance season (the school ‘off season), which I coached.

Ava had an excellent regatta at the national championships, returning to Brisbane with a bronze medal from the Under 19 Women’s Coxless Four event. This is a highly competitive event and incredibly challenging, as the four is a difficult boat to control even for highly experienced athletes and it is one of the first occasions that the young athletes will be in a boat that is not steered by a coxswain. Ava stroked this boat in addition to an Under 19 Women’s Pair and the Under 19 Women’s Eight which both made the A Final of their respective events at the national championships regatta and came away with 5th and 4th place. After being in the St Margaret’s 1st VIII in 2023 and her development over the summer, I have no doubt that St Margaret’s Rowing is going to achieve incredible things with Ava as captain in her final year.

2016
Grace Stapley

I graduated from St Margaret's in 2016 and earned my Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 2020. Over the past four years, I have developed my technical skills in geotechnical engineering at SMEC and through academia at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). This journey has connected me with leading industry professionals and inspired me to pursue a PhD at QUT, which I will complete next month, focusing on numerical modelling in geotechnical engineering.

At SMEC, I’ve led technical investigations within large-scale projects and earned the key recognition for my commitment to safety and wellbeing whilst managing site investigation works. I am passionate about mentoring young engineers and I have actively participated in initiatives like the ANZ SMEC Technical Conference, presenting to colleagues nationwide and fostering technical discussions. My paper on expansive soils and infrastructure at the 2023 ANZ Geomechanics conference highlighted my commitment to addressing industry challenges through research and practical applications. My ongoing PhD research focuses on advanced numerical modelling techniques, with solo-authored publications and plans for future collaborations.

Recently, I was honoured to be a finalist for the Women in Industry ‘Rising Star of the Year’ Award, which recognises individuals under 30 who have shown significant promise and reached new goals early in their careers. This recognition reflects my dedication to bridging

academia and industry, fostering a supportive work culture, and advancing geotechnical engineering practices. Although I did not win on the night, it was inspiring to be amongst women from various industries contributing to a better tomorrow. Pictured is myself (right) with my colleagues, whom I consider my mentors professional and personally.

2015   
Lily Alton

Paris bound! A huge congratulations to past student Lily Alton (’15) on her selection in the Olympic rowing team in the Women's Four (W4). At school, Lily went on the rowing exchange to St Margaret’s College in New Zealand in Year 10, won the Alan Williams Trophy for Junior Oarswoman in the same year, and in her senior year was joint Rowing Captain and won the Tony Elliot Trophy for Senior Oarswoman. In 2015, St Margaret’s took out the coveted First VIII race at the BSRA Head of the River for an historic fifth year in a row and also won the aggregate cup for overall points – the first time since 2002.

In June this year, Lily won two silver medals in World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Poland, in the Women’s Four A Final and the Women’s Eight. Lily follows a strong Olympic pedigree to come out of the St Margaret’s sheds.

The rowing competition will be held at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium (on the outskirts of Paris) from July 27 to August 3. Good luck, Lily! The brown white blue (and orange) will be cheering you on to gold!

2014    
Matisse Fox 

It was the 10 year reunion – but it felt like no time had passed! From Darwin to Melbourne to Charleville – 2014 Maggies girls came from far and wide to descend upon Circular Drive for a fabulous afternoon of reminiscing and laughing. We were fortunate to be joined by some of our much loved teachers and enjoy a tour of the grounds. Thank you 2014 girls for a record attendance (50 fantastic young women!) and to our beautiful friends who couldn’t make it, travelling across the world – you were never far from our thoughts.

2000
Dr Kimberly Camrass (nee Crawford)

It’s been a great pleasure to reconnect with St Margaret’s, through the school’s St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring program. I’m particularly thrilled to see the efforts being made to connect Year 12 leaders with industry experts, to provide support and guidance as they make decisions about life post school! As a mentor in the program, I’ve been fortunate to share some insights from my own career journey.

I’ve worked in sustainability roles for 15 years and am currently the Sustainability Lead at Boeing for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. I’m also an Adjunct Research Fellow in sustainability at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Addressing climate change and ensuring a sustainable future for all is a complex and immense challenge. Achieving this in the aviation sector requires particular innovation – from the development of electric and hydrogen planes to the production of fuel from agricultural waste! 

Like many sustainability roles, this requires a range of skills – from scientific expertise, to stakeholder engagement and the ability to analyse many scenarios for a lower emissions future. In 2023, I graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Regenerative Futures which taught me even more about the importance of innovative thinking in order to shape more sustainable futures. I was fortunate enough to receive the global Association of Professional Futurists Research Award in 2024 and continue to write and research (in my spare time!)

It’s fantastic to be involved in programs that mentor and connect with young women interested in science and sustainability, such as the St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program. Solving sustainability challenges and addressing the impacts of climate change requires a range of skill sets and the ability to think creatively about the future – something that St Margaret’s lays a strong foundation for.

1991   
Christine Wells (nee Diehm)

I am delighted to report that my eighteenth novel, The Paris Gown, will be published in August by HarperCollins, New York. This is a story about three friends, an American journalist, an Australian socialite and a budding French chef, who reunite in Paris after life has dealt each of them severe blows. Together again in the City of Light, a new and exciting chapter begins as the three young women stumble upon the opportunity to share a fabulous Dior ballgown. 

The Paris Gown is my heartfelt tribute to the enduring power and solace we find in female friendships when times are particularly hard. My friend and fellow historical fiction author Natasha Lester was kind enough to call this book “A glorious showstopper of a novel!” and Booklist has said: "Wells excels at bringing midtwentieth-century Paris to life in a touching tale that emphasizes the value of true friendship.” I am grateful to the Old Girls’ Association at St Margaret’s for celebrating the strong ties of friendship we have with our school cohort and for providing the vehicle that so often brings us back together

1984    
Andrea Hosier 

Yes, the ‘84 reunion was a hit, with 63 attendees all sharing at least two characteristics, being ‘of St Margaret’s’ and valuing connection. We as a cohort gathered together, keen to learn of each other’s life experiences and current circumstances.  We all appreciated the opportunity immensely and went into Brewtide to continue the conversations.

 Every one of us has a story to tell of life’s ups and downs. At 50+ it’s a good opportunity to create new connections for fun future events.

1974   
Sue Pavish OAM (nee Jowett)  

The Old Girls’ Association would like to congratulate Sue Pavish for her 2024 Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her exceptional services to Physical Education.

In 1976, Sue represented New Zealand at the Montreal Olympic Games, and her passion for sporting excellence has led to an illustrious career supporting school sporting programs. She has been the Director of Sport at Moreton Bay College since 2005, and the Sue Pavish Cup for Athletics was named in her honour in the Queensland Girls Primary Independent Schools’ Andrew’s Cup competition.

Of her St Margaret’s days, Sue said: “My days at St Margaret’s were quite different to how things are now. When I started at the school, the nuns were in charge of the school. Sport was also very different, with Lifesaving being a big part of our competitive program. Two PE teachers stand out for me – the legendary Miss Dyason and first year teacher Penny Clarke, who later went on to be Executive Officer of both Andrews Cup and the QGSSSA.”

1966   
Norma Tucker (nee Wright)

I have just retired after working at St Margaret’s since 2001. Firstly, as the Primary Secretary for eight years and then in School Support and assisting the Sisters for one day a week. Eight years ago, the Sisters moved to the Taigum Retirement Village, and I worked there to assist them in their retirement. It has been a privilege to have worked for them and enjoy their company. I now look forward to being able to spend time with my grandchildren and travel.

Wonderful news – it is only two years to our 60 Year Reunion luncheon. We are hoping that you will send in updated information about recent times in your life prior to the reunion. We would love to hear from you.

1966   
Carolyn Knight (nee Lamb)

I’ve lived in Sydney since 1970. I am a retired secondary teacher, Maths and Music, so now I have the freedom to come and go as I please. With COVID restrictions gone, I am travelling again – but on my own now. In 2020, Geoff passed very suddenly two days before our 50th wedding anniversary and my life changed in two seconds. I have a niece living in Canada and she has so graciously had her only aunty stay with her and her family twice now. Thus encouraged, I am off to Wales in August for a couple of weeks.

I have two sons, and they in turn have given me six wonderful grandchildren and thankfully they are all in Sydney albeit an hour and quarter drive on a good run! I am still playing the piano and grateful that my fingers can still whiz up and down the runs of Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu with only a few slips. On Wednesday evenings we have a dinner group – “the ladies who dine” – it’s a fun group of whoever can make it for dinner at the club in Cronulla. They made me their fearless leader… hmmm… so I keep us all together and in touch.

Beside Qantas, Geoff’s other passion was trains – diesel trains. He would always have a camera nearby when we travelled and he would film trains and more trains. From all that footage came Trackside Videos (tracksidevideos.com.au) and 175 titles on DVD about different train lines, mostly in Australia but seven from other countries. I am a tech nerd who designed the covers and labels, websites and YouTube channel etc. so now I still supply our distributors with DVD’s and they go all over the world.

Still on the tech stuff, I have seven computers, all Apples. I love video editing, converting VHS to digital and photographic work etc. So when a friend wrote some children’s books and didn’t know how to turn them into real books… I took that on and helped her illustrate them and self-publish. So here’s another website (thesheoakcritters.com) for you to check out.

Sydney has been my home for 54 years now but when I board a flight to Brisbane, I still tell everyone that I am going home. I love flying – even went and learnt to fly at one stage – so I always love the approach into Brisbane, especially when I can see the front lawns and buildings of St Margaret’s from the air. Poor Miss Diamond… I remember always watching planes approaching from our classroom and as she was reading some poem, she would stop and tell me with a sigh, “Leave it up in the air, Carolyn.”

1964    
Judith Mulholland and Sherry Westaway 

The meal was beautiful and attention to detail spot on, and to be able to recreate the enduring bonds that were forged in the 1950's and early 60's is simply amazing. I also enjoyed Old Girls’ Day on Sunday. Just the most incredible weekend. 

1954    
Vale Lyndal Worthington-Wilmer 

Lyndal began in Prep at St Margaret’s in 1938 and continued her education completing Senior in 1954. She attended her Class of 1954 60 Year Reunion in 2014. In 2017, she joined the VIP Reunion for the first time and enjoyed the social interaction immensely. Lyndal continued to attend the VIP Luncheons in 2018 and 2019 to meet with her former school friends. I loved listening to her fond career memories of driving her car throughout Queensland, visiting kindergartens.

A gracious lady with a wonderful smile who had so many memories to share, Lyndal’s Christian life was very important. We frequently sat in the same pew at St Augustine’s Church, Hamilton.

By Suzette Purdy (’65)

1953   
Mary Peden OAM (nee Grigg)

Discovery of the Beaufort Squadron 100 A9-186, Gasmata, Papua New Guinea

In February 2022, a phone call from Professor John Grigg to Mary Peden OAM and Dr Frank Grigg OAM informed them that the wreckage of Beaufort Squadron 100 A9-186 had been discovered at a depth of 43 metres in the ocean near Gasmata Airfield in Southwest Rabaul, PNG. RAAF personnel from Historic Unrecovered War Casualties had determined the names of the crew on that plane. They contacted John to determine if he was a relative of the Navigator WOFF Russell Henry Grigg. His Dad was John Copeman Grigg, the oldest child of Russell Grigg.

John, aged 9, Mary, aged 7, and Frank, aged 2, woke early in the morning of September 6 or 7, 1943, to find their Uncle Will and Aunt Minnie Grigg bearing the news that Russell was Missing in Action on September 5, 1943. In a letter he had written to Will in the event of this happening, he had written, “If we win this war, my little sacrifice will be nought with the thousands of others, and it will have been worthwhile for the youngster’s sake and this lovely country of ours.”

In spite of her deep grief, Russell’s beloved wife Chrissie took on the challenge of raising their three children, giving them every opportunity for a wonderful future. Local members of Legacy made regular visits to the family to check on their wellbeing. The three children were helped by Legacy to achieve a tertiary education. Chrissie continued to develop the farm at Wamuran, to ensure that if her beloved husband returned, he would find their dreams were fulfilled. Friends and extended family surrounded Chrissie, John, Mary and Frank with love. Several years passed before Russell’s death was confirmed after an extensive search.

A further seventy-six years passed before Russell’s two surviving children, Mary Peden OAM and Dr Frank Grigg OAM, met with Wing Commander Grant Kelly, Head of Unrecovered Historic War Casualties, and Squadron Leader Ash Matic confirming their father’s death. A factual video presentation was given of the events involved in the discovery of the Beaufort A9-186. Russell’s descendants were relieved to learn that he had died instantly by incineration when the plane was shot down on the morning of September 5, 1943.

The seabed wreckage had yielded the compliance plate for A9-186 (slightly larger than a credit card), a piece of cockpit controls and a broken buckle. A team of specialist divers on a recovery vessel financed by Dr Andrew Forrest made the discovery. He was hopeful that the wreckage would be from Beaufort B9-188. His uncle, David Forrest, was the pilot of that plane which was shot down in the vicinity of Gasmata in May, 1943. These bombing missions to attack the Japanese held airstrip at Gasmata with deep water access were intended to render the airstrip unserviceable, so that it could not be used by the Japanese to enable an attack on American or Australian forces landing at Nazdap near Lae in PNG. Extensive examination of the sea floor over the following months recovered osseous remains, and after DNA testing, determined it to be from Navigator WOFF Russell Grigg and Pilot WOFF Clement Wiggins.

It is a longstanding policy that wartime casualties are interred in the nearest Commonwealth War Graves Commission to the loss. Bita Paka War Cemetery is the final resting place of other members of 100 Squadron lost during the war. Frank and Mary had visited this cemetery when on cruise ships in the previous years and had taken photos of the column with the names of the crew. On the next column was David Forrest’s name. The inscription was “Known to God.” Organising a funeral and memorial service in the overseas location would be a complex activity and further discussions were held with the families. It was decided to hold a combined service at Amberley Air Force Base on 26th April 2024, conducted by Air Force Chaplain La’Mont Ferriera. Mary and Frank contributed to the service with tributes, together with descendants from nieces and nephews of other members of the air crew. The youngsters of Russell Grigg were well represented with doctors, nurses, lawyer, farmers, scientists, missionaries, engineers, veterinary surgeons, accountants, physiotherapists, some travelling from overseas and other Australian states. It was a memorable combined funeral and memorial service to honour these brave men, with full Air Force honours and participation, after more than eighty years.