From the OGA President - OGA eNews Issue 4, 2026

I am optimistic for its future and our soon-to-be newest members, the Class of 2026, and grateful for the strength and connectedness of our community. This has been embodied throughout the wonderful year 2026 has been for the St Margaret’s Old Girls’ Association, filled with delightful events and showcasing our amazing peers.

In March, we celebrated the 2026 Past Student Award winners: Maggie James (’97, nee Leung), Natalie Charlton (’12) and Professor Catherine Greenhill (’87). As always, it was a wonderful evening of inspiring stories that showcased just how diverse the career paths of past students are. Despite starting at the same place – a Year 12 graduate of St Margaret’s – these past students have all carved out pathways that showcase their talents and their passions. I look forward to celebrating the next cohort of winners at the 2027 Past Student Awards Dinner – nominations are open if you know any deserving Old Girls.

Giving Day was once again a massive success, and the Old Girls’ Association was proud to be a matching donor. It was wonderful, too, to see so many Old Girls supporting the campaign, whether that be towards the Panama Fund (Bursaries) or the Building Fund, with the much-anticipated St Margaret’s Performing Arts Precinct slowly coming to life.

Reunion Weekend was a lovely reminder of how strong the connection between cohorts and Old Girls, regardless of their graduating year, remains no matter how long it has been since you last returned to campus. Celebrating with the classes of ’16, ’06, ’96, ’86, ’76, ’66 and our VIPs from 1965 and prior is always such a poignant reminder of our connection as St Margaret’s Old Girls. The display of outfits showcasing the brown, white and blue truly captured this!

The Old Girls’ Association proudly sponsored the Aspiring Young Women’s Network (AYWN) series again in 2026, where the Class of 2013 – unintentionally well-represented! – inspired current students with their post-school journeys. Brittany Luhrs (’13), Senior Marketing Coordinator at Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and Dr Louisa Sondergeld (’13), Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, returned to campus to inspire current students and share their career pathways. Thank you as always to the Old Girls who joined us as audience members in their participation in the St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program, coming together to meet their mentees in person and celebrate the end of the mentoring journey as the Year 12s head into external assessment.

In the OGA Newsletter, too, we celebrated a wide range of Old Girls. From the musical prowess of Maggie James (’97, nee Leung) and Akari Komoto (’21), the power of sport with Peta Bistany (’86, nee Dee) and Natalie Charlton (’12), family legacies with Sally Thomson (’77, nee Harris) and Jane Maclean (’62, nee Mant), each newsletter has been an interesting compendium of Old Girl successes and stories.

As with every final Newsletter for the year, I must share my most sincere thanks to everyone who makes the OGA and our events possible.

Thank you to the 2026 Executive: Lucy Angelini (’94, nee Gibson) – Vice President; Lizzie Fowler (’19) – Secretary; Sally Thomson (’77, nee Harris) – Treasurer; as well as the 2026 Committee: Jacky Garnsworthy (’68), Norma Tucker (’66, nee Wight), Nicole Devlin (’90, nee Bender), Bronwyn Ninai (’16), Maggie Wu (’16), and Lilly Devlin (’18).

Thank you to Lara Pickering – Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement, and the entire Development and Community Office, for making Old Girls events such as the Past Student Awards and Reunion Weekend happen – it couldn’t be done without you!

A very special thank you must go to Principal, Ros Curtis AM, for your support of the Old Girls’ Association not just this year, but across your tenure as principal. You have been instrumental in strengthening the bond between the school and its alumni, and you have been at the helm of some of our biggest and best features, including the Past Student Awards and the St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program. Thank you for the work you have done in investing in the past student community; we are very grateful for all your hard work.

As we step into a new chapter of St Margaret’s history with Old Girl and former Old Girls’ Association President, Mrs Nicole Devlin (’90, nee Bender) as Principal, I know that the bond between past students and the school will only continue to go from strength to strength.

Reflecting on another year as President of the Old Girls’ Association, I am thrilled with what we have celebrated and achieved in 2026, and I look forward to yet another fulfilling year in 2027. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the year, a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy Near Year.

Per Volar Sunata

Natasha Harris (’94)
President, St Margaret’s Old Girls’ Association