Double Championship Titles
Volume 19 | Spring 2014
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volumE 19 | S prinG 2014
CONTENTS
6
18
Principal’s Report
2
SMOGA President’s Report
3
Trust Board’s Report
4
Chaplain’s Report
5
Phoenix Campaign
6
5 Minutes with Lynette Archibald
10
Arts
15
Sports
17
Global Exchange Programme
23
Memories of Paterson Lodge
26
Old Girls’ Bowls
31
Old Girls’ News
35
31
Editor: Rachelle Mathews. Advertising Enquiries: Rachelle Mathews [email protected]
St Margaret’s College, 12 Winchester Street, Christchurch, 8014, Phone: 03 379 2000. Website: www.stmargarets.school.nz
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Spring 2014
1
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
G illian S impson | E xecutive P rincipal
As we near the end of the Winter
sports season, I have been reflecting
on how being involved in team sports
impacts on the lives and the social and
emotional development of our girls.
Many prospective employers value
the skills and attributes that a team
sports player can bring to a role or a
workplace team and I ask why?
to learn to allow this to happen and
not wrap their daughters in cotton
wool and allow a pattern of blame to
develop. Where parents and players
and coaches work together in an
environment of shared purpose and
mutual trust, a team will be happy
and successful and this goes for any
organisational model.
There is no doubt that both individual
and team sports, in fact any type of
regular physical activity, will enhance
physical and emotional well being and
develop physical skills and mental
attributes.
Pressure in a team situation and in
a high stakes tournament will bring
out “true character”in individuals but
I also believe that respect, resilience
and development of strong character
can be enhanced through team sport.
It is often asked whether sport actually
develops character or whether one’s true
character is revealed through sport?
Many of our girls will not continue
in high level sport when they leave
school and lose the support systems
they currently benefit from. For those
who do go on to compete at a high
level, each individual will need relevant
skills, talent, internal drive, passion,
determination and true “grit” in order
to succeed. It is the pain and sweat of
training and practice that no one sees
that really counts!
Many of our girls, coaches, managers
and parents have been away around the
country this term living together for a
week and competing as a team with a
goal to reach the final of a tournament.
This week comes at the end of a long
season where many girls have also
played for selected Canterbury and
National representative teams and local
club teams. The pressure to turn up for
training and matches week after week,
the pressure to perform well and give
of your best in your play and in your
role as a team member is immense.
Our girls are fortunate to be supported
by a host of teachers, sports staff,
outside coaches and parents who
teach, coach, cajole, support, nurture,
mentor, chauffeur, feed and water our
young players.
One would hope that what each has
learned though school team sport will
prepare her well for this next step and
for life beyond school in a competitive
and challenging work environment.
The one certainty facing all our girls
is that they will face physical and
mental challenges all their lives and
we want them to have the resilience
and self belief to cope with whatever
life throws at them.
The girls learn effective time management balancing the demands of sport,
academic and social expectations. They
learn to front up and be responsible for
themselves and not to blame others.
I am writing this on my return from a
week in Chengdu and Guangzhou with
the Sichuan Education Bureau and a
group from Christchurch Educated and
was also in Hong Kong looking at further
developing relationships and cultural
exchanges between our two countries.
The girls need to be allowed to fail on
and off the field in competition and in
relationships and to learn important
life lessons from this. Parents need
Our young people in New Zealand
and at St Margaret’s College are
so fortunate to be offered such a
wide range of experiences while at
2
EVERGREEN Volume 19
school and to benefit from such high
standards of contemporary education.
I spent time in a Middle School school
in Weinjiang where there are six
thousand students, over sixty students
in each class and where the students
are drilled through rote learning to
compete in very high stakes national
examinations. There is little room
for team work, collaborative projects,
thinking or creative problem solving.
They are looking to us to send teachers
to their school to share our practice
with them. Most of their sport is rigid
physical fitness in long lines in large
groups to a whistle.
We should be celebrating the high
standards of our New Zealand
education system and our excellent
results in the OECD tables where New
Zealand private schools rank in the
top three in all categories of all private
schools in the OECD Asia Pacific
region. I have noticed on this trip an
increased recognition and valuing of
private single sex boarding schools
and the International Baccalaureate
Diploma. More students are coming to
St Margaret’s at a senior level because
of these benefits.
We are blessed to be able to offer a
genuinely contemporary, world class,
global and holistic education to our
girls who will be able to hold their own
in any organisation in any country
they choose.
FROM THE SMCOGA PRESIDENT
J uliet
I’m sitting on the embankment at
Canterbury Park while writing this
report, watching my daughter take
part in “Spring into Action”, the first
equestrian event of The Show season.
It’s time to get horses and riders fit,
the last season is behind us and the
smell of new grass is in the air. The
promise of a successful season lies
ahead and riders are excited to catch
up with their friends.
The Old Girls’ Association is a bit like
this. Over winter we’ve been indoors
busily planning and now it’s time to
focus with renewed enthusiasm and
excitement on the wonderful array of
events that lie ahead.
Spring heralds Reunion Weekend,
the highlight of our Events Calendar.
Old Girls come back from all over the
world to reconnect with old classmates
and their former school. Undoubtedly
they will notice many changes to the
school and to Christchurch. There’s
much to attend with the Cocktail
Party, Old Girls’ Chapel Service
and AGM.
The Founders’ Day Service, Leavers’
Assembly and the beautiful Leavers’
Ball follow. After New Year, the
sporting tournaments begin with
tennis, bowls, and golf. As if that isn’t
enough, we’re all eagerly awaiting the
opening of the amazingly stunning
new Winchester Precinct, complete
with café and preschool. What a
fabulous season lies ahead!
This year, SMCOGA has a table at the
St Margaret’s College Sports Dinner,
where we present the Old Girls’ Sports
Award to an Old Girl who has excelled
in her area of sport.
van
Kuijk (Sanders) | P resident
Reunion Weekend, Friday 31 October
– Saturday 1 November is nearly upon
us, with “4” the magic number. If you
were in the 3rd form (Year 9) in 1944,
1954, 1964, 1974, 1984 or 1994 this
year is a special year for you (and me
too as it’s my 40 year on reunion). A
HUGE thank you to all the convenors
who spend hours tracking us down.
Only financial members of SMCOGA
(ie Life and Annual Members) tend to
update us with contact details. These
days, convenors prefer to use emails
and Facebook. You’d be surprised how
many Old Girls change email addresses
and forget to tell us.
Reunion Weekend, of course, is for
everyone in your Class Year and
convenors put a lot of work into
tracking down all the non-members
of the Old Girls’. It would be lovely if
you encouraged all your classmates to
join SMCOGA as it makes keeping in
touch with each other so much easier
and is a fantastic way to support the
education of young women today. It’s
always lots of fun to catch up with old
school friends.
If you need to update your details
or would like to join the Old Girls’
Association, contact Gill Blackler
[email protected]
Applications have just closed for the
Old Girls’ Fees Assistance Scholarship.
By joining the Old Girls’ Association,
your membership fees contribute to
the scholarship and this is one of many
ways SMCOGA actively supports the
school.
Our fantastic new silver bangles make
great Christmas presents, along with
the Old Girls’ ring, Maggie Bears
and our special tea towels. To view
these gorgeous items, click on our
website page under “Merchandise”
(www.stmargarets.school.nz click
on “Communities” then “Old Girls
Association”).
At our Cranmer Lunch in 2015, we
have decided to invite all Old Girls
aged seventy years and over, as
some of our older Cranmer Square
members are finding it harder to
attend as the years go on. We very
much want to preserve and keep
alive the spirit of Cranmer Square by
continuing to hold the lunch for many
years to come.
We’d love to see you all at the Cocktail
Function at Reunion Weekend, the
Old Girls’ Chapel Service (which Peg
does so beautifully) and our AGM.
All these events are for all Old Girls,
not just for those with class reunions.
We love to stay connected with all
our Old Girls.
Spring 2014
3
FROM THE TRUST BOARD
Sarah G reenslade | Trust B oard M ember
St Margaret’s College has a proud
history of boarding. It has been a
huge privilege to serve the boarding
community on the St Margaret’s Trust
Board for the last five years.
chatting. As I reflect on my boarding
school days, it is great to know times
and attitudes have changed and now
lines of communication between house
supervisors and girls are open.
many of the codes of
sport played at St
Margaret’s and is the
reason St Margaret’s
achieves so highly.
There are many strong bonds formed
when boarding that last a life time and
boarders are often described as the
heart of the school as it is their home
as well as place of learning. For a girl
to perform well in their day to day life,
they must feel safe and happy. This is
achieved by the hard work of our very
capable boarding staff and it is up to
us, the Trust Board, to ensure that they
have all the tools to carry out their jobs
and to ensure that the boarding houses
are safe, warm and happy places. This is
reflected in the increasing enrolments
in boarding at St Margaret’s.
Sport plays a huge role in the life of
the girls at St Margaret’s College and
with over 35 sports on offer, there is
something for everyone. As parents
of two girls at St Margaret’s, we have
been involved with many sports as we
encouraged our girls to try some out.
Coming from a very small rural school
they could not believe the choices they
had. In the end it was rowing they took
up and it has been a pleasure to be
involved with a well organised team
which is exceptionally supported by
both the school and parents, as are
the other sports teams and cultural
activities at St Margaret’s.
Our youngest
daughter is about
to have her last school holidays. So
after six years of two girls attending St
Margaret’s College, we will miss many
things about the school, but we will
enjoy the friends we and our girls have
made and will always take an interest
in what is going on at St Margaret’s.
I often visit the boarding houses and
see busy happy girls heading off to
music and dance practice, the library
to study, a sports practice, down the
road to the shops or lying on their
beds catching their breaths after yet
another busy day. Many of them are
in the house supervisors’ office just
As a parent and Board member, I always
felt a huge sense of pride in how well
our girls represented themselves and
their school. We also enjoyed the
support and enthusiasm that was
generated by the girls, coaches and
the parents. This is the case with so
From a Board perspective it has been
a rewarding experience especially
with the earthquakes playing such
huge role in the lives of everyone
involved with St Margaret’s. As a
Board we have had to make some
huge decisions. Before we made any of
them, we always asked ourselves “Is it
good for the girls?” I believe the Board
members that we have now are highly
skilled and committed to the future
of St Margaret’s College, and will
keep it as the leading girls’ school in
New Zealand.
St Margaret’s College Trust Board Succession Planning
The Trust Board is aware of the importance of succession planning and the
need to ensure strong governance and effective leadership.
For the start of 2015, we are looking to appoint a new Board member who will
to help retain the balance of skills and community awareness necessary for
representative and professional governance. We are particularly keen to hear
from those with Educational skills, exposure to our Boarding community and
a strong Anglican faith.
The Trust Board meets on the last Wednesday evening of every month.
Each Board member also sits on one or more of our sub-committees, which
meet monthly.
We would welcome expressions of interest from our community to play an
active role in the governance of St Margaret’s College. Expressions of interest
should be emailed to [email protected] by 20th October 2014,
with an accompanying letter and professional CV.
Yours sincerely
Andrew McGill
Chairman, St Margaret’s College Trust Board
4
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Andrew McGill
FROM THE CHAPLAIN
R everend P eg R iley | Chaplain
Through the third term in our
weekly Chapel services, we have
been rediscovering the parables of
Jesus. Jesus used parables to teach
memorable lessons to his followers and
disciples. Through the use of everyday
objects, Jesus was able to convey major
religious themes, for example, how
the Kingdom of God grows, and how
God’s love reveals itself to us.
In describing how the Kingdom of God
grows, Jesus uses imagery of many
small things… yeast in bread rising,
mustard seeds to demonstrate from
little tiny seeds grow great big plants.
Salt is amazingly small, but just imagine
your egg without salt, or bread, or your
favourite salt and vinegar chips. The
Kingdom of God grows through the
love of God in all of us. Each of us has
that bit of God in us. Individually we
can be terrific, and together we can
accomplish great things. We create the
Kingdom of God right here, right now.
And now we look to the last term of
school. For senior students, there is
much to be completed this term. We
need to remember that God is with us
through these important events. We
are not asking God to do magic for us
as neat and interesting as that might
seem, but to give us the energy to focus,
the strength and the determination to
be disciplined as we work towards our
goals, in our exams, in our internals, in
our projects and even our applications
for next year. We work in partnership
with God to see these things through,
doing the best we know how.
How is God with us? I don’t always
know exactly how this works but I do
believe, and actually have experienced
it myself, that God is with us in our
relationships with others. By asking
God to be with us means that God,
who is with our friends, our family
and our teachers, is with us too. When
we need encouragement, help with a
problem, or even a challenge to do
better or reminding us how good we
are, and especially needing just plain
laughter and hugs, God is there too…
God has great belly laughs!
Spring 2014
5
INTRODUCING THE PHOENIX CAMPAIGN
The Phoenix Campaign: Rising with heart and soul to secure the future.
The Phoenix Campaign ensures that St
Margaret’s College girls will continue
to have an impact on the world.
Fol low i ng t he 2 010 a nd 2 011
Canterbury earthquakes, 80% of the
existing campus was damaged. Like a
phoenix rising from the ashes, so too
has our campus and community. In
just three years, the $70 million rebuild
is almost complete. The vision of a
world-class learning campus is now
reality as we herald the completion of
the Winchester Precinct, signaling an
end to the campus rebuild.
Betterment has been incorporated
into the new facilities to maximise
the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
6
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Careful financial management has
meant the school debt is contained.
While servicing the loan is sustainable,
it is a new overhead.
Combined with significantly increased
insurance premiums, f inancia l
support is being sought to achieve
the St Margaret’s College founding
goals of educational excellence and
inclusion via scholarships. The Phoenix
Campaign aims to raise $5.5million to:
• Complete the Winchester Precinct
• Provide resources for our new
world-class learning spaces
• Give scholarship opportunities for
talented young women to attend
St Margaret’s College who would
otherwise be unable to do so.
“We are calling on the entire
St Margaret’s College community
around the world who believe
in our mission to join together
with enthusiasm and generosity”
says Executive Principal Gillian
Simpson. “Much has already
been accomplished, the school
is being transformed around us.
To achieve our goal and secure
the future of the school, it will
be the collective family effort
of The Phoenix Campaign that
will ensure current and future
generations of St Margaret’s
College girls continue to live
and lead.”
There are a number of ways you can
join The Phoenix Campaign and rise
with heart and soul to create and
secure the future for St Margaret’s
College. The collective support of our
Old Girls, current and past parents and
friends around the world will realise
this exciting vision.
• Make a gift: All gifts, regardless
of size, have an impact. Major gifts
can be pledged over a number of
years and gifts over $5 are taxdeductible in New Zealand.
• Gift your time, expertise and
knowledge: Wherever you are based
in the world, you can join The Phoenix
Campaign, and use your skills,
knowledge and networks in a variety
of ways e.g. assisting with securing
major gifts, hosting or attending
events that raise awareness of the
campaign, helping with fundraising
events.
The Winchester Precinct.
• Spread the word: Being a contact
for Old Girls and Friends in
your region and through your
networks about the campaign is
invaluable, particularly when you
can reconnect us with members of
the St Margaret’s College family we
have lost touch with.
Masha Lukonina, Olivia Mendonca, Maggie Bear and Angelina McCullough.
Please join us as we unite with purpose and rise with heart and soul
to create and secure the future.
St Margaret’s College – Family Forever
If you are interested in finding out more about The Phoenix Campaign, please contact Rose Crossland,
Advancement Manager Ph: +64 3 353-2560 extn 8525, Email: [email protected] or visit our website.
Spring 2014
7
THE PHOENIX CAMPAIGN
continued
Phoenix
The inspiration behind the
name of The Phoenix Campaign
came from the poem ‘Phoenix’,
written by Gillian Simpson as
a response to the devastating
impact of the earthquakes
on St Margaret’s College. It
was published in ‘Fractured
Ref lections’, a collection of
artworks and creative writing
by both staff and students
published in 2012.
Painting by Natalie Hutton, Year 5 (2011).
Legend says that the phoenix
rises from the ashes carrying
our hopes and dreams for a
brighter future. The phoenix
is a metaphor that reminds us
that life is hope, opportunity
is everywhere and that every
persona l con nec t ion ha s
meaning and purpose.
2014 Golf Tournament
Friday 28 November, Harewood Golf Course
11.30am Registration
12.30pm Shotgun start
5.00pm Cocktail Hour at the Clubhouse and Presentation of prizes
For more information please contact Rachelle Mathews [email protected]
8
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Phoenix
dust and rubble awash with tears
new walls and spaces will echo with learning and laughter
grey broken empty streets filled with potholes and portaloos
children will play, daffodils will herald fresh mown lawns and summer barbeques
empty forlorn spaces, depressing weeds and wind-strewn rubbish
piles are being driven as a new building springs to life
cracked and deserted swimming pool – a twenty five yard empty hole
now twenty five metre blue water, splashing happy play – old records stand
our school’s visage unrecogniseable – memories of past teaching and learning
past friendships and moments shared – maumahara
people not buildings make our school
tangata, tangata, tangata
our people are the wind beneath the wings of the phoenix
rising from the ashes
the brightly coloured magnificent phoenix rises
rises to rebuild, to create our future
with aroha and eternal hope and purpose
for our school
for our beloved city
Gillian Simpson, Executive Principal, (from ‘Fractured Reflections’ 2012)
Become an Air Traffic Controller!
Check out our website now
for videos, tests and games,
and all the info on what’s involved
and how to apply to become an ATC.
It’ll take a fair bit of practice, but trust us, getting that first jumbo
jet off the ground will be a great feeling. And it’s just one big
moment you can look forward to as an Air Traffic Controller.
It’s an exciting, rewarding career for which attitude and aptitude
are important and we’ll give you the qualifications.
www.airways.co.nz/atccareers
Scan the code to
see if you’ve got
what it takes.
FD04380-SM
Spring 2014
9
5 MINUTES WITH ... LYNETTE ARCHIBALD
Lynette Archibald can be found in
the Business Office at St Margaret’s
College. Lynette joined the team in
May this year in the critical role of
General Manager/Business Director
for the school.
Her previous roles have included being
a Chief Financial Officer and a General
Manager in design and manufacturing
companies based in Christchurch.
Lynette says she has a fabulous job at
St Margaret’s and enjoys roles of this
nature that are broad based across
all areas.
Lynette is a Cantabrian. She has
fond memories of wonderful family
holidays and credits her love of travel
to this. She also enjoyed tennis,
netball and swimming and spent
hours at the beach each summer.
After completing high school, she
studied to become a chartered
accountant. Her interests today
include travel, music, walking, boating
and spending time with friends
and family.
When asked what appealed to her
about joining the staff at St Margaret’s
College, Lynette says that there was a
very clear strategic direction, strong
leadership and a special culture with a
real heart and soul. She felt there was
a wonderful fit in terms of what she
could contribute and what she would
receive in return from being part of
the St Margaret’s community.
Lynette says her key goals are to
achieve financial sustainability for the
school and have a cohesive team that
supports and enables the St Margaret’s
mission to “Educate young women to
live and lead.”
“I am enjoying being part of this
special community and can’t believe
how quickly the time has sped by. I
am really looking forward to making
a positive difference to the future of
St Margaret’s,” she comments. We are
all sure that she will.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SUE NEWTON
Congratulations to Sue Newton who
was recently awarded the Independent
Schools of NZ Honours Award for
Service to Boarding at the 2014
Independent Schools of New Zealand
Annual Conference.
The Honourable Hekia Parata and Sue Newton, Boarding Director.
10
EVERGREEN Volume 19
INTERNATIONAL WEEK
Stefanie H ossbach | H ead
International Week 2014 was held
in Week Five of last term. The
internationa l students and the
languages faculty put a colourful
programme together and everyone
was invited to join in. During the
week, students could enjoy Chinese,
Japanese, French and Spanish cultural
activities, such as origami, Chinese
calligraphy, salsa dancing, a beret
throwing game, movies and songs. A
cultural quiz in the Auditorium about
the four languages taught at our school
rounded up the week. Alongside these
activities, we saw a number of excellent
cultural presentations such as Japanese
Drums, Chinese and Korean dances
and a Martial Art performance. The
International Chapel Service focused
on religions in other cultures and the
Lord’s Prayer in different languages
was read out by students. Even the
Dining Room joined in the theme and
presented the students with a daily
international menu.
Last year’s International week included
the production of a quilt composed
by pieces of fabric that each student
and member of the staff could design.
The fabric was given out to tutors, and
students had to find out about their
ancestors’ cultural background and
heritage and design a square of fabric.
of
Faculty, M odern L anguages
Renee Messervy, Peg Riley and Meghan Laing with the quilt.
These pieces of fabric were first worn
by the students, so they could discuss
their colourful past, and then sewn
together. This hard work was started
by Liz Wright and finished by Kirsty
Owen who created a wonderful quilt
together with a poem. Both will soon
find a special place in the Atrium. It
took a year to finish the project but it
was definitely worth the wait. What a
great pleasure it was to see the students
trying to find their piece of fabric in
the quilt when it was presented in
Chapel. The quilt truly represents
the values of the School community
and the diversity and strong bonds
between our families.
Spring 2014
11
ACADEMIC WEEK
S ophie O’B rien | H ead
“Few people think more than two or three times
a year. I’ve made an international reputation by
thinking once or twice a week.” — George Bernard Shaw
Academic Week 2014 (Aca-week to
those in the know) was held from
the 28th of July to the 1st of August.
Weeks of planning with input from
the Academic Committee culminated
in a memorable fixture on the school
calendar— truly a “meeting of the
minds.”
The week’s carnival atmosphere was
established on Monday morning,
when students were greeted with
‘smarties’ and other sweet treats at the
school gates. At lunchtime, the House
Debating finale (between Rata and
Manuka) took place in the Auditorium.
This much anticipated event saw some
of SMC’s most argumentative Year
9 and 10 characters come head to
head to wrestle with the vexed issue
“Spying is a necessary evil.” The result
(somewhat academic of course) was a
well-deserved win for Rata.
the unfortunate individual making
a mistake was mercilessly ‘pied.’ A
triumphant Mrs Towle took the spoils
in this Greek tragedy.
By Wednesday, cognitive function
was taking a hammering from the
focus on all things academic. But the
devoted had to keep a clear head, as
the SMC Cantamath competition took
place during lunch. “It’s all about the
numbers,” commented an awestruck
bystander, and those numbers seemed
to embrace both the rational and
irrational. Mr McD’s passion for maths
shone in his wonderful stewardship
of this event.
There was more to come on Thursday,
in the form of the Teachers vs.
of
Academic
Students quiz. Nora Maarleveld had
a challenging task in presiding over the
quiz, featuring as it did some elaborate
thinking and controversial answers.
The thinking man’s team of teachers
(Mr Clarke, Mr McD, Mr Walker and
Dr Millican) prevailed in the quiz
against a spirited group of Year 13s.
The week was concluded on Friday,
with an ‘inspirational person’ mufti
day, combined with an inspirational
guest speaker Dr Andrew West of
Lincoln University. In a speech entitled
‘The New Zealand Century: Global
Challenge, Global Opportunities,”
he discussed the importance of landbased industries in NZ and beyond.
This was a fitting finale to the week,
and we are very grateful to Dr West
for sharing his knowledge with us.
A special thanks to all those who
helped to make Academic Week
a success.
“W hat’s next?” asked the more
exuberant academics on Tuesday
morning. The answer came in the
form of the Middle School quiz. By
all accounts, some amazing facts
surfaced during this titanic struggle
featuring beautiful minds from Years
7-10. For example, the erroneouslynamed millipede was exposed as a
fraud, not necessarily in possession
of exactly 1,000 legs.
A delightful event based around a
fascinating mathematical constant
proved a highlight of the week. At
least for the audience, thinking was
temporarily suspended as the main
attraction was the hope of seeing
a special teacher ‘pied.’ Teachers
recited the sequence of pi in order
(each giving one digit at a time), until
12
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Kimberley Wood and Gabby McDonald swapping identities.
FPS / GATE
J ulie Rogers | GATE
“One of the most powerful wellsprings of
creative energy, outstanding accomplishment,
and self-fulfillment seems to be falling in love
with something – your dreams and your
image of the future.”
– E. Paul Torrance (Founder of FPS)
In 2014, Future Problem Solving at
St Margaret’s College has attracted
an increasing number of motivated
students. Students from Year 5 –
Year 10 are now part of FPS teams or
undertaking the programme on an
individual basis. The Year 10 students
join with Christ College for one lesson
a week.
The focus of the programme is to
extend girls’ critical and creative
thinking. As part of this, girls develop
many other skills such as close reading,
clarity of thinking, concise and
objective writing, the power of team
work and working under time pressure.
During the course of a year, the girls
develop these skills while immersed
in a range of topics.
Topics we have studied in 2014 include
Social Isolation, Desertification,
Surveillance Society, Land Transportation and at the FPS Internationals
Our Future in Space.
For the second year in succession, St
Margaret’s College has represented
New Zealand at the International
Finals of FPS in the USA. The girls
studied the topic of Space, finding
it both fascinating and full of new
learning. Their commitment to
learning resulted in them gaining
many skills which will prepare them
well for future learning. The team was
Madison Dalgety, Sujean In, Anoushka
Chiswell, Petra Green, Sarah Cosgrove
and Billie Leiataua.
The girls with their trophy.
as studying methods and thinking tools,
but also introduced us to new cultures.
Billie and I met some extremely
interesting individuals through the
Magic – mixed teams–booklet. I am
very proud of our achievement, and we
worked extremely hard for it, yet also
had an amazing time doing it!
The St Margaret’s College team
won the International title for their
Presentation of Action Plan and was
asked to present it at the Closing
Ceremony in front of a huge audience
while it streamed live around the
world.
Future Problem Solving is an important
part of the wider Gifted and Talented
Programme at St Margaret’s College.
Madison: It has been a
fant a stic oppor t unit y
through which I have gained
so much knowledge. It has
helped me with research
skills and thinking in new
ways.
Sarah: I believe that the FPS
trip to America not only
gave us valuable skills such
FPS girls at the International finals.
Spring 2014
13
MOTHERS, MEMORIES & MACAROONS
Emily French | H ead
of
Community R elations
With a French Cafe theme lingering in
the air, the annual Mother Daughter
Breakfast took place in August. The
event is a lovely way for St Margaret’s
to celebrate the special relationships
between mothers and daughters and
despite the early hour, many people
gathered for an enjoyable breakfast.
I began the event by welcoming
everyone and congratulating them
on managing the early hour! Then I
introduced our guest speaker for this
years event, Lizzie Dyer. Lizzie is an
Old Girl and her daughters, Olivia
and Mimi, are currently attending
St Margaret’s. Lizzie has had an
interesting journey since her school
days, including modelling and setting
up an organic baby food company
with her sister. Currently she is the
Corporate Relationship Manager at
Ronald McDonald House South Island.
Lizzie was a great guest speaker and
I really enjoyed being educated on
the importance of Ronald McDonald
House and the work they do as well
as some comedic insight into Lizzie’s
experiences as a mother.
Lucy West, on behalf of the Community
Relations team, was invited to say grace
before breakfast was served. The
Mimi Dyer, Olivia Dyer, Lizzie Dyer, Gillian Simpson,
Christina French, Emily French.
breakfast included a lovely assortment
of French themed foods, finishing off
with a sweet treat from J’aime Les
Macarons. These sweet treats were
provided by St Margaret’s Old Girl,
Amanda McBeath.
There was also an exciting announcement
made during the breakfast. Due to
the overwhelming popularity of the
breakfast, we were pleased to announce
that two Mother Daughter Breakfasts
will be held annually, starting next year.
They will most likely be held in March
and August.
Grace O’Loughlin, Jodi O’Loughlin, Elisabetta Stewart, Emily Stewart.
14
EVERGREEN Volume 19
As the morning began to settle, mothers
and daughters were seated enjoying
their macaroons and sipping on a
morning tea or coffee. As the first bell
for school neared, it became a special
time to reflect on the importance
of relationships and highlights the
strong sense of community within
the school. The love between a mother
and a daughter is forever and this
event is a special one. I would like to
thank Jo Brady for being so supportive
and enthusiastic as a mentor to our
Committee. I have much respect for Jo
and I aspire to be just like her one day.
Emily French,
Christina French, Jo Brady.
ARTS
Mary Davison | A rts Facilitator
Arts Achievements
St Margaret’s Barbershop quartet Sweet
Notes (Gaby Donaldson, Kimberley
Wood, Hannah Beadle and Sophie
O’Brien) were awarded 4th place at the
National Finals of the Young Singers in
Harmony, a huge accomplishment for
this very talented foursome and their
director Jillian Hewson. St Margaret’s
College and Christ’s College combined
choir Collegium are to be warmly
congratulated, along with Directors
Robert Aburn and Nicholas Sutcliffe,
for their Gold award at the National
Finale of the Big Sing. The group also
won “Best Performance of a New
Zealand Piece”, with a song written by
Nicholas Sutcliffe. Year 8 girls Sujean
In (violin) and Billie Leiataua have
been selected for the Special Orchestra
and Senior Choir respectively, with
Year 6 girls Lara Chiswell and Maisy
Snowden in the Junior Special Choir
representing St Margaret’s at this year’s
Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival.
Both our Jazz Band and smaller Jazz
Ensemble gained Silver awards at
the South Island Secondary Schools’
JazzQuest, a testament to their hard
work with director Anna Whitaker.
Year 8 band Inner Beat (Natalie
Hutton, Caroline Wells, Petra Green
and Ruby Smith) were awarded Best
Female vocalist (Natalie and Caroline)
and Best Original Lyrics (Natalie) at
the Canterbury Regional Primary/
Intermediate Rock music competition
Bandquest. Congratulations to the
St Margaret’s Middle School Choir,
who gained Excellence awards in
Musical Variety and Excellence in
Pop Performance at the Voices of
Canterbury Festival at the Aurora
Centre, with Director Anna Whitaker.
Our Senior Theatresports team were
selected as the Wild Card entry
for this year’s Senior Theatresports
Re g i o n a l F i n a l s h e l d a t t h e
Court Theatre.
Collegium, conducted by Nicholas Sutcliffe.
Performing Arts News
Year 13 students Gaby Donaldson and
Kimberley Wood, selected last year
for a two-year commitment to the
prestigious NZ Secondary Schools Youth
Choir, performed with the choir here at
school before heading to Singapore and
Malaysia on tour. The indomitable Ashy
Batchelor attended an awards evening
held by the NZ youth organisation “Be
The Change”, recognising young people
and their contribution to the community.
Ashy was present as part of the team
with Nakita Turner, with whom she
recorded “One Voice”, the anti-bullying
song. Ashy, along with Sam Morris
and band 16 Seconds, made it through
to the Regional Finals for Rockquest.
Ashy has composed and performed two
songs for school events this year, for our
major production and for the Phoenix
Campaign. Our Dance Department
presented Vault!, an evening of NCEA
Dance, where students performed and
choreographed a collection of their
own dance works, inspired by the St
Margaret’s College theme ‘Be Seen in
2014!’ Selected pieces from the evening
have been chosen for presentation,
alongside our Senior Dance Company,
at Outstanding Feet, a Secondary
School dance event to be held in our
Auditorium as part of the Body Festival.
A good crowd enjoyed the annual school
Performing Arts Showcase featuring
soloists and groups from the Music and
Dance departments, as well as Speech
and Drama monologues. The girls
did themselves proud demonstrating
incredible variety and talent. Meghan
Laing is directing “The Actors Company”
in a one-act play to be presented in
Term 4, and Middle School Drama students are working on a play to be directed
by Heads of Drama Aida Azlan and
Eliza Staniland.
St Margaret’sChrist’s College Film
Collaboration
Connected is a short film collaboration
between St Margaret’s and Christ’s
College, the sixth of its kind produced
every second year by Head of Media
Studies at Christ’s College, Peter
Hewson, involving senior studentled production with adult television
production industry mentors. Written
and acted by students, it combines
many skills for students wanting to
try out their creative talents: writing,
video and sound recording, editing, art
dept, production management, acting,
directing, catering and everything
in between! Involving more than 30
students it’s been a very successful
introduction to the exciting world
of media production. Connected
premiered at the Charles Luney
Auditorium on July 29th, to an
enthusiastic crowd. It is a relevant and
professional film that will resonate
well with viewers, and we hope to see
it screened again in the future.
Spring 2014
15
ARTS
continued
Mary Davison | A rts Facilitator
Visual Art Projects
Festival of the Sisters of the Church
A photography competition organised
by Photography and Art teacher
Maria Buhrkuhl over the school
holidays for our Year 1-8 students
produced very creative results, with the
winning entries published in our school
newsletter. Maria was also responsible
for the creation of a collaborative “Peace
Tree” with her Year 6 students, as part
of the Peace Week Art Contest. The
tree is in our Jean Crosher E-Learning
Centre and well worth a visit!
The St Margaret’s College Chamber Choir, along with specialist musicians,
spent 5 days in Adelaide for the Festival of the Sisters of the Church, a music
festival celebrated every two years and hosted by one of the six schools founded
by the Emily Sisters from England. The girls enjoyed workshopping with
specialist tutors in Gospel and Jazz, and rehearsing alongside students from the
other contributing schools to present their own repertoire as well as massed
choral and instrumental numbers at the final evening concert held at the host
school, St Peter’s Girls. Congratulations to Choir Director, Luke Di Somma,
and Head of Music, Amanda Woods, for their direction and support and a
special mention must go to our girls who made such a positive impression on
all the host families involved in the exchange. You are fabulous ambassadors
for your school!
Sisters Church group.
Peace Tree.
16
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Sisters Church Finale.
SPORTS
H elen B ryant | D irector
Olivia Schrader securing possession.
As I start to write this article, I have
time to reflect on what has been
happening in the world of Sport at St
Margaret’s College over the winter
months. It is hard to believe the girls
have done so much and achieved so
highly. Fresh off the back of a successful
Tournament Week, we have most teams
and individuals who have completed
their season taking a well-earned break.
It is well justified and gives the bodies
a chance to recover before the rigours
of summer sport kick in. It is a time to
catch up with friends and family and
to feel satisfied that you have given
your very best, that you have played
with pride and passion, that you have
been gracious in defeat and humble in
victory and that you have enjoyed the
of
S port
SMC Cycling Team.
company of your team mates. School
sport is the best sport of your life. It is
these teams that you will remember
when you are much older and look back
on your life.
Our Sports programme is designed to
cater for athletes of all levels. With so
many sports and opportunities on offer,
the girls can try new sports or excel
at the elite level. The girls have access
to strength and conditioning training,
nutrition sessions, physio, sports
doctors and mental skills training.
We aim to provide the best coaching
applicable for the development of
the athlete and teams. St Margaret’s
College believes in educating the whole
person and sport is an important
vehicle through which students will
learn life skills and have key values
reinforced. Teamwork, responsibility,
honesty and perseverance are essential.
We continue to strengthen our vision
and values around school sport.
During this winter season we have had
the following number of girls involved
in weekly sport:
Badminton – 8 teams, 40 girls
Basketball – 10 teams, 100 girls
Climbing – 40 girls
Equestrian – 10 girls
Football – 2 teams, 30 girls
Hockey-12 teams, 110 girls
Netball – 21 teams, 210 girls
Rugby – 6 girls
Waterpolo – 1 team, 15 girls
Spring 2014
17
SPORTS
continued
As well as this, we have had over 50
girls selected into representative teams.
These girls have the added pressure of
combining extra trainings and games
into their already busy schedules. Many
of our girls combine their sporting
pursuits alongside their interest in
dance, music and drama as well as their
important academic workload.
Results have again been incredible
with both our top hockey and netball
teams taking out Canterbury titles. We
have won the A grade competition in
Badminton and Climbing as well as first
placings in many other grades in Hockey
and Netball. Our Cycling, Equestrian,
Cross Country, Football and Swimming
girls have had top results. In sports
that are not offered at St Margaret’s
we have also achieved success. Nadia
Edmond (Karate), Ruby Turnbull
(Squash) and Emily Stewart (Table
Tennis) have achieved at a regional or
national level.
Winter Tournament Week
With nearly 100 students competing
over a ten-day period at eight different
venues, St Margaret’s College was a
force to be reckoned with. I must start
with a huge ‘Thank You’ to all coaches,
managers, umpires, parents and other
helpers who have selflessly given their
time and expertise both during the
season and over Tournament Week.
To all the girls who represented St
Margaret’s College with pride, passion
and performance - you are amazing!!!
To Mr and Mrs Simpson for your
unparalleled support of all our girls
and teams in all codes – it is always
very much appreciated.
Joyce Chen and Eileen Wu in action.
Next term sees the start of the
summer competition. The focus is
on our younger teams, as the seniors
are busying preparing for and sitting
exams. With the introduction of a
new sports uniform we are ensuring
there is a seamless changeover for
all codes. We now have a higher
quality performance based fabric
that is proving very popular. We will
be gradually introducing the new
tracksuit from the start of 2015.
Congratulations to ALL girls on a
very successful and rewarding winter
sports season.
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18
EVERGREEN Volume 19
H elen B ryant | D irector
of
S port
Hockey 2014
We have just finished another great
winter season of hockey. This year we
had 79 students from Year 9 playing
in five teams. Our top three teams
competed in the Secondary Premier
League on a Wednesday afternoon
and our other two teams played in
the U18 Youth competition.
Our 1st XI team won both the SPL
Division One Championship and the
Porritt Cup in the local competition.
Unfortunately their 7th placing at
Federation Cup did not reflect their
true ability but they were able to finish
the season beating Auckland Diocesan
to retain the Pat Barwick Shield.
The 2nd XI team won the SPL Division
2 Competition and then played the last
few weeks against tougher competition
which prepared them well for their
national tournament in Auckland. This
team played superbly throughout the
week to win the Chris Arthur Cup.
This is the second time that SMC has
won the 2nd XI Tournament.
The 3rd XI team was entered in the
Wednesday competition for the first
time and proudly competed strongly
against other 1st and 2nd XI teams
from local schools. They proved this
is the right level of competition for
them and played extremely well at
the Jenny MacDonald Tournament
in Ashburton to finish 4th.
1st XI – The Press Cup Winners.
Our Red and White teams both played
in the U18 Division One Competition,
with the Red team taking out both the
Championship and the Porritt Cup.
A large number of players have
managed to balance the workload of
playing for both school and club. This is
highly encouraged in the top teams as
there are many benefits received from
playing twice a week and receiving
additional training opportunities.
Each of our 7 primary teams has had
student coaches working alongside
each team which is so beneficial to
both parties. The senior students are
able to share their knowledge, learn
leadership skills and develop a greater
understanding of what is required
in coaching situations. The junior
2nd XI after winning the Chris Arthur Cup.
students certainly admire and adore
the relationships they have with these
role models.
This season we have had 25 players
represent Canterbury at various
tournaments and it is certainly exciting
to see the number of talented players
coming into Year 9 next year. We
have also had two students, Renee
Messervy and Graccin Plunkett, both
receive national selection for their
umpiring ability and have received
their New Zealand Junior Umpire
badge accreditation.
We look forward to offering a strong
programme next season, starting the
year with the Super 6 competition and
skill development training sessions prior
to trials near the end of Term One.
3rd XI – 4th Jenny McDonald Cup.
Spring 2014
19
SPORTS
continued
H elen B ryant | D irector
Netball 2014
This has been another huge year
for SMC Netball. We have been
fortunate to have a large number
of senior players coaching our
younger players. If you go to
the Hagley Netball Courts on
a Saturday, you will always see
a fantastic group of coaches,
managers and umpires. One
of the huge strengths of SMC
Netball is the parents who continue to
support not only their own daughters
but also other teams.
Results have been impressive again
this season. We have had success in
all age groups and I hesitate to single
out any teams, as it is also the lower
teams in grades who inspire us all. We
endeavour to provide a programme that
encourages and develops skills, game
sense, teamwork and participation.
Every player is important to us and we
encourage all girls to continue to work
hard and, above all, to have fun.
We have a dedicated group of umpires
who are progressing through the
ranks and gaining their different
levels in umpiring. The Christchurch
Netball Centre does an excellent job of
developing these girls and we encourage
the girls to strive to develop further in
this important role.
Senior A.
20
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Year 9A.
The new Kukri uniform has proved
popular at Year 9 level and we will
introduce this to further grades
next season.
Behind the scenes, Mrs Wilson-Fouracre
has done a fantastic job of organizing
trials and overseeing the selection of
teams. Netball is the largest sport at
St Margaret’s College and with a huge
number of teams, it is a mammoth task
for the selectors to ensure girls are placed
in the most appropriate team for their
ability and age group. On a daily basis
Jane is organising teams and umpires
and then she spends most Saturdays at
the courts watching all teams.
The highlights of the season for me
include catching up with the girls and
parents at the courts, seeing the huge
sense of achievement when girls play
well and seeing the improvement the
girls have made throughout the season.
Senior B with Irene van Dyke.
of
S port
I have been fortunate to coach
the Senior A team again this
season for the fifth year. I could
not have had a more dedicated
and talented group of girls.
This showed particularly when
we were playing in the Premier
One grade at the beginning
of the season. To compete
with these teams was a huge
achievement. To continue the
season and remain unbeaten in the
Supernet competition, to take out the
title for the 4th year in a row, to win the
Premier Two grade in the Christchurch
Netball Centre competition and then to
travel to Invercargill and win the South
Island Tournament for the 2nd year in a
row is phenomenal. The team is looking
to improve on last year’s placing at New
Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament
in Palmerston North in the holidays.
Congratulations to Jessica Prosser who
gained selection into the New Zealand
Secondary Schools Team as a nontravelling reserve.
A big big thank you to all staff, players,
umpires, coaches, managers and parents
who continue to give so much to SMC
Netball. Thank you to Mr and Mrs
Simpson and the Board of Trustees for
their unwavering support of all sports
at the College.
Year 7/8A.
JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS
Paula S heldon | H ead
On cold winter days most
Junior School parents and
grandparents would have been
on a hockey or netball sideline
cheering their children on.
Such is the tradition of sport
in Christchurch. Whether it
was a three o’clock netball
game at Hagley Courts or
an eight thirty game on a
Saturday morning, players,
coaches and parents muffled
up against the cold shouted
encouragement.
of
J unior S chool
For a little school, our teams
punch above their weight. A
bit like New Zealand really.
At the Independent Zone
Winter tournament this year,
the Year 5 and Year 6 netball
teams both won their grade.
The Year 6 hockey team won
its grade as well. There was
great jubilation. Of the three
teams, only the Year 6 netball
team made it to the Central
Zone tournament to play
against the really “big guns”
in Pool A.
Eighty-five percent of Junior
School st udent s played
a winter sport this year.
Of that, five percent played
both codes.
It is so exciting to be part
of the continued growth of
the Junior School and its
achievement in sport.
The team working for you, the St Margarets College community
MARK O’LOUGHLIN
& JENNY LANEY
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Spring 2014
21
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
K athryn G ray | H ead
of
M iddle S chool
The Commonwealth Games attracted
4950 athletes from 71 different nations,
who competed in 18 different sports.
It is hard to imagine that there could
be an event that could attract a
greater number of athletes than this.
However, an event held in Tauranga in
September 2014, at which St Margaret’s
College was represented, would make
the Commonwealth Games look small
in comparison. This year’s NZCT
AIMS Games had 7500 students from
228 schools competing in 17 different
sports.
The Opening Ceremony of this
amazing annual sporting event for
the Association of Intermediate and
Middle Schools, supported by the
New Zealand Community Trust,
featured a host of singers and dancers
including world champion hip hop
dancers The Royal Family. There was
also the chance to hear from top New
Zealand athletes such as the legendary
Irene Van Dyk, who retired from
International Netball in 2014.
It was a pleasure to accompany the
Year 7 and 8 cross country, tennis,
netball and hockey teams to the
tournament. They represented St
Margaret’s College superbly. The
NZCT AIMS Games is considered to
be an international level championship
for Intermediate and Middle Schools
and the competition is fierce.
Once again this year’s representative
group from St Margaret’s College
punched well above their weight.
A fine performance saw our Year 8
cross country team (Bella Belcher an
outstanding 11th, Molly Leckie 17th
and Sujean In 30th) win first place
in the team competition. Another
fine effort from Annabel Coates
saw her placed 2nd in her tennis
competition. Annabel then joined
with Gaby McKellar for the doubles
22
EVERGREEN Volume 19
The Year 7 and 8 representative group who attended
the 2014 NZCT AIMS Games in Tauranga.
competition and after a long day
that started and ended in the dark,
they finished a fine 4th. The netball
competition was tough. Amongst 100
teams St Margaret’s College made sure
they finished as high up the table as
they could–an admirable 55th. Final
congratulations go to the outstanding
hockey team who finished 5th.
Such an event is a wonderful experience
to be a part of. To watch our girls play
fair, and with immense pride, was a
joy. Thank you must go to the team of
organisers, the coaches, the parents,
and last but by no means least, the
outstanding young women from our
Year 7 and 8 group who travelled to
Tauranga. They truly epitomised our
school values.
GLOBAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
Chris W yeth | A ssociate P rincipal
St Margaret’s College values its
international links and promotes a
global perspective amongst all students
through a variety of programmes
in the school. For example, the IB
programme, Future Problem Solving,
CAS, TOK and service programmes,
the Educating Girls Globally service
project and student exchanges.
The purpose of any exchange is to
provide an enriching experience in a
different culture, participate in family
life in another country and make new
friends, broaden a student’s outlook
and continue to develop her global
understanding. We currently have
exchanges with independent schools
in Australia, Japan and Chile and hope
to reintroduce a Canadian exchange
in the near future.
Exchanges are offered in:
• Australia (Year 10 students): Lowther
Hall, St Margaret’s School, Berwick,
Melbourne (IB)
• St Michael’s Collegiate, Tasmania
•St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School,
Perth
•Ravenswood School for Girls (IB),
Sydney, St Margaret’s Anglican
Grammar School, Brisbane (a rowing
exchange)
•Japan (Year 11 or 12 students): St
Margaret’s School, Tokyo
• Chile (Year 12 students): St Margaret’s
British School for Girls (I B), Con Con
A reflection from our current Japanese Exchange Student:
Konnichiwa! I’m Mayu Kamiya and
I’m an exchange student for three
terms this year from St Margaret’s in
Tokyo, Japan.
It is hard to believe that my exchange
is now over and I have to go back to
my normal life in Tokyo.
Before I came here, I had never been
to New Zealand. I still remember I
was too scared to come here by myself
and I was crying a lot when I left Japan
because I didn’t know anyone here, not
even Miss Chambers’ face when I was
picked up from the airport. I was afraid
of speaking English because I knew that
mine was not good enough to talk to
people. When I first came here, I totally
couldn’t understand anything as the
girls spoke too fast for me to understand
and I was not used to listening to
Kiwi English which is completely
different to the American accent
that I learned in Japan. I counted the
dates until September during Term 1
Left to right Kasey Terry, Mayu Kamiya, Ashleigh Miles,
Amelia Reed, Kate O’Neill.
because I felt it wasn’t my home at all.
I really missed my family and my friends
and it was too hard to live here, not just
for a few weeks but for eight months. At
first I found it very difficult to learn the
language, make friends and take new
classes at school. However I gradually
got used to the lifestyle in New Zealand
when I made new friends.
Fortunately, I had a couple of good
opportunities to go to my friends’
farms during weekends and holidays.
My favourite thing to do in New
Zealand is play with animals and stay
on a farm because in Tokyo we don’t
have any big empty spaces as you know.
Everything is crowded, there are lots
of tall buildings around you and too
many people to live in a small country.
I have loved to live here even though
it doesn’t have much to do compared
to Japan. Many people have told me
that I should be happy to live in Tokyo
as there are lots of things to do such
as shopping, hanging out places, good
food and other things. However, we
don’t have the beautiful green scenery
that New Zealand has!
Spring 2014
23
MEET THE ROBINSONS …
S ue N ewton | B oarding D irector
We have the pleasure of having all
three Robinson girls currently residing
in all three Houses of our Boarding
Community. Here is their perspective
of life at St Margaret’s, as well as their
parents experience of sending their girls
into town for their secondary schooling
from their home in Rotherham,
North Canterbury.
Lucy
– Year 9, Julius House
My first year at St Margaret’s has
been amazing. I have met so many
new people and have made lots of
new friends. To me, the people in the
boarding houses are like one big crazy
family. Everyone looks out for each
other. Having the dorms in Julius is so
much fun and is a really great way to
get to know each other. Having older
sisters at St Margaret’s has made it
so much easier to fit in because I see
them everyday. SMC is like a home
away from home for me and I can’t
imagine what it would be like if I
wasn’t here.
Molly
– Year 11, Kilburn House
Having Rose and Lucy at school with
me this year has been so good. I always
see them around and I think that it
has made Lucy’s transition into St
Margaret’s easier because Rose and I
were here to help her. She knew a lot
about boarding life already because she
had seen our experiences of leaving
home to go to boarding school. I’ve
enjoyed boarding so far in Kilburn
House this year. We have more freedom
but there is an element of trust that Sue
and the other boarding staff place on
us to make us more responsible and
independent. I’ve enjoyed my time here
at St Margaret’s so far and I’m looking
forward to my next two years to come.
Rose – Year 13, Cranmer House
24
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Father-Daughter breakfasts, well
attended and entertaining social
functions with other parents and
the boarding staff are all part of the
enjoyment of being a boarding parent.
Boarding at St Margaret’s College
has been one of the most beneficial
and amazing experiences of my life
and it has contributed to moulding
me into the person I am today. Over
my five years of boarding, I have been
fortunate enough to make the most
valuable friendships, had some inspiring
supervisors as my role models, and
have had some experiences that I will
never forget. The boarding house has
become my home away from home,
somewhere I feel safe and know I am
always welcome. Although I am sad to
be in my final year of boarding, I know
that I am leaving with some great life
skills and some memories that I will
always treasure.
Jo Robinson – Mum
Hugh Robinson – Dad
How fantastic to be able to live with
your friends. The hilarious banter
between the girls and the support they
give each other is magic. What better
way to learn tolerance and empathy
for others than to have to live together,
with so many different personalities.
In 2010 our first daughter Rose started
at St Margaret’s. We currently have
three daughters, all boarding, from
Year 9 to 13. It is very quiet at home
but all happiness in the boarding
house in town.
From the first year as a big group
in dorm cubicles to having the
independence of the Year 13 flats,
the girls have all been extremely happy
in their time.
Molly, Lucy and Rose.
friends and hearing their boarding
stories. The support the girls and their
friends have for each other and the
guidance and help from the boarding
staff make it very easy as a father when
you know your girls are well cared for.
They have all made a group of lifelong
friends. It is fantastic having the girls
staying at home at weekends with their
For a mother, sending your children
away to boarding school feels like a
very unnatural thing to do , especially
to a city that has been through such
frightening and uncertain times with
the earthquakes.
We are so fortunate to have a boarding
house at St Margaret’s where we can
drive out the gates at the start of
each term knowing that our girls are
safe and happy. The boarding house
is their home away from home and I
often leave in my empty car wishing I
could stay – although the noise could
convince me not to!
The Boarding Staff are truly amazing.
I have witnessed them plaiting hair,
watching impromptu dance routines,
helping with homework, laying down
the rules, hugging sad girls, hugging
happy girls, the list is endless – all
with such patience!
I just hope the girls realise how lucky
they are.
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old GirlS’ aSSociation
St Margaret’s College Hockey Team 1910.
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Spring 2014
25
MEMORIES OF
PATERSON
LODGE
Accrediting Tramp Nov 27th-29th 1974
Wed: Arrived 12.30 on railcar, met others waiting for
the ChCh railcar. Ate our lunches, put up tents, then
set out for Sudden Valley. Found an icy pool, the brave
swam, the chickens sunbathed!! Had a stew dinner and
retired to a hot sandflyish night! after a sing-song.
Thurs: Arose at the early hour of 7.30am, breakfasted
and set off for Andrews stream with picnic lunch!
Fantastic day! neat pool! many sunburnt bodies! Had a
spaghetti dinner, after a wash (all over) in Hawden, then
retired to a hot sandflyish, sunburnt night! (AGAIN)
Fri: Arose at 7.30, breakfasted-gorgeous deep
fried eggs!!, then porridge, (they’re backward lot!!!)
We’ve really had a tremendous rest!, no biological
studies, no geographical observations, just
Jenny’s continuous relief of air pressure, Shirley’s
frequent offers of Nana’s borrowed biscuits….
This morning we are pottering around, a bit of cleaning,
and all that goes with it. Miss Blair is about to make
us scones for lunch, in our well stoked stove. Then we
will depart for our train, back to the yuck of ChCh!!
In the late 1960s Miss Mangos and I began
the school Tramping Club. The girls were
trem endo usly enthusia stic and we aske d
Norman Hard ie if he wou ld give us some
suggestions on suitable boots, packs, clothing
etc and he decided that he would like to take
the girls out on some instruction tramps. He
brought along an endless team of personable youn
g alpinists
to help him which of course engendered more enth
usiasm
and we had the use of the Alpine Club Hut and the
Ski Club
Hut in Arthur’s Pass.
About 1969 we got the idea of owning a mountain
hut of our
own and fortunately we had a Board Chairman who
shared
our enthusiasm. Clem Paterson not only agre
ed with us
but sent us off on what we thought was a wild goos
e chase
to look at some Forestry Houses in Balmoral.
Four of us,
including Mr Thompson the chief carpenter, clim
bed into
my car and set off. We agreed to put in a tender
for one of
the houses and then set off home. The grader was
working
on the shingle road and a stone flew up and
punctured
the oil sump and we finished up abandoning the
car and
catching a bus. It didn’t seem a very good start
. However,
contrary to expectations, our nice low tender was
accepted
and we had to decide where to put the “Hut”.
The Hut was moved from Balmoral in 3 piec
es and
established at Mt White. Boys High weren’t too
pleased.
26
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Extract from Paterson Lodge
Hut Book, 1974
They said it would ruin their peace! We seem to
have
done that fairly successfully as they seldom seem
to
be able to overcome the temptation of hanging abou
t.
Numerous Hut Books over the years testify to
the
popularity of the venture. They make jolly good read
ing
with exaggerated stories of gales, blizzards,
huge
spiders, possums sitting in the sink eating toma
toes
in the middle of the night, good and bad cooking,
staff
getting their breakfast in bed, blistered feet etc,
plus
a lot of true ones eg pleasant communion serv
ices
under the trees in the early morning.
Ever y now and again I browse through the origi
nal
Hut Book and it reminds me of many mar vello
us
weekends and of many of the girls who have pass
ed
through these portals whom we got to know so
much
better from sharing companionable weekends
in the
mountains.”
Excerpts from a speech by
Past Principal Cynthia Blair
reminiscing about her time at
St Margaret’s College
Memories from Julie Ardagh (Muir), November 1978
The group of girls who were accredited University
Entrance were forced to go to Paterson Lodge whilst
the remainder of the year group prepared for exams.
A lot of us were unhappy about being sent
away as David Bowie was due to perform at
QEII and we had wanted to go to the concert
but there was no choice and off we went.
Once we were there it was fine and we actually had
fun, but one night there were lots of male voices and
knocking on the windows etc which had our teachers
rather worried. We were locked inside and banned
from looking out the windows. We weren’t worried
because we recognised their voices and knew that they
were a group of boys from a school not too far from
ours in Christchurch. Some of us may have even been
missing one or two of them during our enforced exile.
The next morning when we went to leave there
were some messages to us on the Mt White Bridge
from the boys–drawings that only we would
understand had been done by these boys.
We didn’t think that the teachers ever knew who
the male voices belonged to, but now as a teacher,
I often wonder if we were naive and the teachers
knew all along that they were our friends.
For more information please contact
Gill Blackler Community Relations
and Facilit ie s Hire Manager
[email protected]
Spring 2014
27
PROFILE: SALLY ARNOLD – CREATING
Sally speaking at a conference.
Looking at what she has achieved in
her life so far, you would be forgiven
for thinking Melbourne-based Sally
Arnold (3921, nee Donnithorne) was
a confident high-achiever during her
time at St Margaret’s College. She is a
fine example of an Old Girl living the
school’s mission – living and leading
in a global world.
Sally is an award-winning author,
sought-after public speaker and
Director of Corporate Creative
Directions, her creative-based
personal and business growth coaching
business. Combining a passion for the
performing arts and a flair for business,
her professional path and rich life
experiences have made her what she is
today – a multi-talented woman who
has moved with distinction from one
career to another, positively impacting
many lives as she goes.
She’s being honest when she says her
years at school weren’t the highlight
of her life. “I never really enjoyed
my school days. However, one of my
favourite memories of my time at St
Margaret’s College was Mr. Johnson,
my maths teacher. Even though I wasn’t
that great at maths, he never made
me feel inadequate. He made me feel
good about myself. Music was my life,
it kept me going.”
Life hasn’t always been an upward
projection. Her initial career as a
professional flautist ended due to
hearing problems. For a person with
a deep passion for music, this was
devastating. However, Sally turned
to her other love, food, and launched
a successful gourmet cookshop.
After assisting a major department
store reinvigorate their homewares
department, she won the role of
Head of Business Development at The
Australian Ballet where she excelled.
The next curve in Sally’s path was
training as a psychotherapist. Inspired
by the mind-set techniques of successful
performers and artists she had met at
Win a copy of
CREATING ENCORES
A wake-up call for women leaders
Sally has generously donated two signed copies of her book. To win,
email [email protected] before 1 November 2014.
To buy your own copy visit www.ccdirections.com.au.
28
EVERGREEN Volume 19
ENCORES
the Ballet, she began to effectively weave
them into her work in the corporate
sector through her business Creative
Corporate Directions. The focus of her
business is to bring creative solutions to
business challenges. “I enjoy assisting
people and organisations to think like
a high level performing artist or elite
sportsperson, to stand out from competitors, create business growth, personal
fulfillment and an inspired life-style.”
Sally (nervously) came back to St
Margaret’s College for her reunion
last year and loved it. As well enjoying
reconnecting with her fellow Old Girls,
she is full of admiration for how the
school has evolved. The supportive
environment and wonderful culture
impressed her and she feels that if she
had been a student at St Margaret’s
today, she would have had a very
different career and life journey.
The publication of ‘Creating Encores:
a wake up call for women leaders’ in
2013 has enabled Sally to reach even
more people and inspire them on to
personal and professional success. The
book is a practical how-to guide, with a
four-step process that helps the reader
achieve personal and professional
successes. “Helping people makes
me realise my life’s journey has been
worthwhile”, she said.
Her advice to her teenage self? “I
would say absolutely put yourself out
there. Go for what you believe in.
The most important thing is to get
as much support and mentoring as
you can, someone to hold your hand,
who understands what you want to
do and supports and challenges you
at the same time.”
Sally and her book
‘Creating Encores: A Wake Up
Call For Women Leaders’.
Founders’ Day Service
The annual
SPARE
Founders’ Day Service
will take place on
Monday, 3 November
at 7pm.
– Please note –
This is a different date to that previously advertised.
Spring 2014
29
FOUR GENERATIONS OF ST MARGARET’S GIRLS
Juliet
Elizabeth (Betty) Courage
(Maling)
1925-1928
Betty attended St Margaret's as a
day girl.
Juliet Banks (Courage)
1953-1959
While at St Margaret's, Juliet broke
a breaststroke record and
was a keen sportswoman.
She was very interested in
music and was the school
organist/pianist for her
final two years. Juliet was
part of the boarders and day
girls choir and had a strong
interest in her education.
She loved her time at St
Margaret's as a boarder.
Angela
Lucy
Angela Banks
1977-1983
Angela attended St Margaret's as a
day girl and achieved a B Bursary.
She enjoyed her time at school and is
proud to be one of four generations
of old girls of St Margaret’s College.
She is also grateful for the lifelong
friendships formed while at school.
Elizabeth, Lucy, Angela and Juliet.
30
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Lucy West
2010-2014
Lucy has attended St Margaret's since
Year 9 and has really enjoyed her time
as a student. Lucy has been part of the
Community Relations Committee this
year and has really enjoyed being able to
help with the organisation of the Senior
Ball, Open Day and
the Mother/Daughter
b r e a k f a s t . L u c y 's
strong passion for the
arts has made her time
at St Margaret's highly
enjoyable.
OLD GIRLS’ BOWLS
A nnabel Walmisley (Watkinson)
The bowls tournament at
Elmwood Bowling Club was
very successful with Christ’s
College retaining the salver.
St Andrew’s came in 2nd
followed by Rangi Ruru then
St Margaret’s.
The games started at 3pm
with an hour game against
each of the schools, finishing
at 6pm. We had a typical
autumn day with minimal
wind, although the south
end of the green was shaded
by beautiful trees and was
a little chilly. Then it was
upstairs at the bowling
club for a few nibbles and
socialising.
Thank you all for assisting
in getting this Tournament
up and running. Everyone
who played was very positive
that it should continue on
a yearly basis. Also thank
you to Juliet van Kuijk, the
President of the SMOGA,
for her assistance on the day
and for presenting the salver
to the winner.
The St Margaret’s College Old Girls’ Association wish to invite you and your partner to
Reunion Weekend
Cocktail Function
Friday 31 October 6.30-8.30pm
The Old Girls’ Atrium, St Margaret’s College
$30 per person
Please contact Gill in the Community Relations Office by 17 October to reserve your tickets
[email protected] phone 03 3532565
Spring 2014
31
MARLBOROUGH DINNER
d inny S hanKS (a ndErSon)
On Friday 18th July 2014 we
held our Bi-annual Combined
Dinner with the Marlborough
Branch of Christ’s College
Old Boys’ Association at the
Blenheim Club.
We were once again ver y
privileged to have Gillian
Simpson, Executive Principal
a nd Sa l ly Vi l sbaek, Pa st
President, and her husband
Jes representing the SMCOGA.
Gillian and Sally both gave
very informative and inspiring
addresses about the school and
the Old Girls’ Association.
It was wonderful having Simon
Leese, Headmaster of Christ’s
College, and his wife Jane, and
Ben Walker, CCOBA President.
Simon and Ben both entertained
us with their speeches.
Gretchen Bristed (Mills),
Gillian Simpson and Sara Neill (Hope).
Dinny Shanks (Anderson)
and Hilary Taylor (Rose).
Sally Vilsbaek (Elder), Gillian Simpson and Simon Leese.
Once again we were able to
have a sit-down dinner which
was catered by Essence Events.
We hope to have an Old
Girls’ potluck luncheon at the
Blenheim Club next year but
will keep you informed.
The dinner.
New Merchandise
Silver bangles are now available from SMCOGA.
The bangle is engraved on the inside with “St Margaret’s College
Christchurch” presented in a black display box.
Available in two sizes:
medium 65mm and large 68mm
$130
Please contact Gill Blackler to order
[email protected] | phone 03 3532565
32
EVERGREEN Volume 19
FAREWELL TO JO BRADY
In February 2008 Jo Brady joined
St Margaret’s College as Director of
Development and a member of the
school’s leadership team. This role later
changed to Director of Community
Relations to better reflect the nature
and scope of the portfolios for which
she was responsible that included
marketing, communications, events
and development.
Little did Jo anticipate the vital
role she would play in the school’s
communications during the crisis
times of the devastating Canterbury
earthquakes and rebuild of our
school. One of her major tasks was
the management of the Centenary
celebrations held just weeks after
the 2010 earthquake. She responded
quickly to set up alternative venues
such as marquees so the celebrations
could go ahead despite the damaged
campus. She played a key role in
setting up the St Margaret’s College
Foundation and managed the successful
Earthquake Appeal.
Jo immersed herself in the College
communit y and developed and
implemented many new initiatives
and practices. She brought a high
level of professionalism and strategic
expertise to the role and leaves us with
a vibrant Community Relations team,
a solid, widely recognised brand and
strong roll growth.
Jo was recently awarded a prestigious
Fellowship of Educate Plus – the
Australasian Association for Advancement Professionals in Education. She
was awarded in recognition of her
outstanding work in Advancement and
service to the industry. She was the only
NZ recipient of this Fellowship in 2014.
She will be fondly remembered
by the many students who learnt
Past and present members of the
SMCOGA committee gathered
together recently at a lunch to say
farewell to Jo Brady, Director of
Community Relations. Over her
time at St Margaret’s College, Jo
has worked closely with the Old
Girls, providing invaluable support
and assistance, particularly with
34
EVERGREEN Volume 19
much from her about hospitality,
event management, sponsorship and
fundraising and we will remember her
special touches with events including
Open Days, Mot her Daug hter
breakfasts and Senior Balls.
She has left an indelible footprint
on our school and in our hearts and
I know she takes the St Margaret’s
spirit with her as she moves, with our
congratulations and blessing, to her
exciting new role at Lincoln University.
Gillian Simpson
the management of the Centenary
celebrations, the development of
the Evergreen magazine and the
establishment of ‘The Margaritas”
for our younger St Margaret’s College
Old Girls. Jo has been a very good
friend to the Old Girls and we wish
her all the best in her new position at
Lincoln University.
Juliet van Kuijk (Sanders)
OLD GIRLS’ NEWS
Updating the
OGA database
DEATHS
Jacqueline Lamb - 1989
Margot Wethey (Seque) - 2014
Gillian Quentin-Baxter - 1906
Dorothy Mahoney (Grose) - 1077
Ngarie Ellyett (Warren) - 1632
Barbara Hunt (Todd) - 2402
Olive Dalmer (Little) - 722
Caroline Cartwright (Curtis) - 2219
Jacqueline Hewinson (Craythorne) - 2252
Membership information
Annual Membership: $35
Life Membership
Third form 1981 onwards $300
Third form 1971-1980 $250
Third form 1961-1970 $200
Third form 1960 or earlier $150
Please contact Gill Blackler, Community Relations Manager for more information
email [email protected], ph: +64 3 353-2565
Evergreen by Email
Would you prefer to receive Evergreen via email instead of post?
If you would prefer to receive an electronic copy of Evergreen then please
contact Gill Blackler with your name and email address – gillian.b@stmargarets.
school.nz.
If you currently receive multiple copies of Evergreen at your home and would
prefer to just receive one, please let Gill know.
Address updates
Please let Gill know if you are moving or if your contact details have changed
– [email protected] phone 03 3532565
Congratulations to Adair Rattray (7597) who recently won
the Supreme TVNZ marketing award for the BP account.
Can help track down the
following former students?
#7076 Bronwen Davies
#7100 Jacqueline Fairbrass
#7158 Sophie Tripp
#7197 Fiona Bryce (McLeod)
#7216 Rebecca Gilroy
#7241 Georgina Kyle
#7242 Sarah Kyle
#7248 Jorgette Maaka
#7253 Heather McKenzie
#7293 Charlotte Suckling
#7357 Vanessa Eaves
#7399 Katie (Kathleen) Nolan (Miller)
#7480 Anna Morgan (Graham)
#8866 Bridie O’Sullivan
#8869 Victoria Perez
#8892 Melinda Tutangata
#8894 Kathryn Veale
#8909 Mengjue Cui
#8914 Lai-I Lieza Lee
#8921 Xiao Nan Shi
#8937 Sarah Van Der Kley
#8963 Ji Won Choi
#8974 Rebekah Daniel
#9003 Courtney Hobson
#9012 Megan Jones
#9027 Hwa-Young Lee
#9030 Sung Keum Lee
#9031 Georgina Lewis
#9063 Rebecca Richards
#9066 Samantha Robinson
#9103 Amy Yuan Wei
#9181 Sarah Hewer
#9209 Morag McDonald
#9215 Harriet Miller
#9223 Kezia Parsons
#9363 Alisha McLennan
#9437 Melissa Chung Yan Wong
#9511 Holly Fletcher
#9660 Emma Booth
#9706 Jennifer Henderson
#9861 Seong-Ha Joo
#9871 So-Jin Lee
#8005a Jessica Chapman
Spring 2014
35
2014 Reunion Weekend
31 October-1 November
Timeline:
Friday 31 October
6.30pm Cocktail Function
Old Girls’ Atrium, St Margaret’s College
Saturday 1 November
9.30 am Old Girls’ Chapel Service,
St Margaret’s College Chapel
10.30 – 12.30pm School Tours / Photos
Morning Tea – Old Girls’ Atrium
12.30pm AGM
St Margaret’s College Chapel
1pm Lunch – Kilburn Dining Room
Please note – the Winchester Street entrance
is currently closed due to the current phase
of the campus construction project. Please
use either the Papanui Road or Shrewsbury
Street entrances of the school.
REUNION GROUPS:
20 year on group (Year 9) – 3rd form in 1994.
Convenor is Laura Hitchon [email protected].
30 year on group – 3rd form in 1984.
Please contact Gill Blackler for more information about
this reunion [email protected]. If you are
able to help Gill organise your reunion, please let her know.
40 year on group – 3rd form in 1974.
Convenor is Gill Redden (Hunt) [email protected].
50 year on group – 3rd form in 1964.
Convenor is Judith Miller [email protected].
60 year on group – 3rd form in 1954.
Convenor is Rae Miller (Humphries)
[email protected].
70 year on group – 3rd form in 1944.
You are warmly invited to a luncheon, hosted by Executive
Principal Mrs Gillian Simpson, at St Margaret’s College.
If you would like to attend this lunch and haven’t yet received
an invitation, please contact Gill Blackler, ph: +64 3 353-2565.
36
EVERGREEN Volume 19
Comin
g Eve
nts
Founders’ Day
Monday 3 November 7pm
St Margaret’s College Chapel
St Margaret’s College Carol Service
Monday 2 December 7pm
St Margaret’s College Chapel
Leavers’ Ball
Wednesday 3 December
St Margaret’s College Gymnasium
St Margaret’s / Rangi Ruru
Golf Tournament
Friday 24 April 2015
Coringa Golf Club
St Margaret’s College / Rangi Ruru
Old Girls Bridge Tournament
Tuesday 26 May 2015
The Christchurch Bridge Club Club
NOTICE OF AGM
ST MARGARET’S COLLEGE
OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION
NOTICE OF MEETING
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Venue:
St Margaret’s College Chapel, Shrewsbury Street
Date:
Saturday 1 November 2014
Time:
12.30 pm
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General
Meeting of members will be held in the St Margaret’s College
Chapel on Saturday 1 November 2014, at 12.30 pm.
SMC ARCHIVES
G EraldinE p icKlES | a rchiviSt
Can you identify the people, places and dates of these photographs?
Justin Newton has made digital
images of some unidentified
negatives in the St Margaret’s
College Archives. Some of the
photographs may be in school
magazines but to save time
looking through them, I would
appreciate your help.
Plea se contact Gera ld ine
Pickles by email: geraldine.p@
stmargarets.school.nz or by
phone +64 3 353-2560 extn 8523
if you are able to help.
Spring 2014
37
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