Partying and Pommery: In the Words of a True Legend … Liz Pellinkhof

Article submitted by Liz Pellinkhof | Member since 1995 | Fellow since 2002 | Now Retired!

From Publicity Officer at The Hills Grammar School to Director of Community Relations and Enrolments at Hills Grammar
Served on the NSW Committee for ADAPE and Educate Plus as well as State and International Conference Committees

Retiring from Hills Grammar in 2023 was a huge decision. Not only did it mean leaving my place of employment of 40 years (having had a variety of teaching and Community Relations roles) from its very foundation, but also leaving behind (for now) my most revered set of Advancement professionals who offered me so much support, inspiration and industry experience over the years. And there were many of those! Both years (1995-2023) and brilliant colleagues from all over the country and beyond.

I have much to thank ADAPE and Educate Plus for from my early years in Marketing and Community Relations starting with a period loading of 2 hours a week for ‘publicity’ to heading a department with eight of us working to offer our best and most professional selves in marketing, enrolments, communications and serving our internal and external communities.

In 2002 I was very fortunate to be awarded an ADAPE-CASE Scholarship to the Case -Nais Conference in Boston, USA, with Glenda Fitz-Payne from Queensland. Who’s Singing Your Tune? was one particularly excellent session I have just re-read and it’s interesting to note that the themes for Internal Marketing of service, listening, planning, customer-focus and acknowledgement are equally relevant today, all these years later.

So much of the growth and status of Community Relations, Advancement and Admissions in schools and universities has to do with the professional development and collegial opportunities that Educate Plus offers its members.

That is not to say it’s all work and no play. Those of you who have been around for some time will know there’s nothing I like better than to organise a cracking social event!

My first conference experience was on the Gold Coast in 1998 where I kept an uncharacteristic low profile and was completely in awe of how extensive and vital ‘Development’ was in education. CASE was a major presenter at this conference, and I thought I had certainly bitten off far more than I could chew after listening to the presenters from the States.

In 2000 Sydney not only hosted the Olympics but the NSW Chapter hosted the National Conference at what is now, the ICMS at Manly, with the conference dinner being a golden, glittering affair at Luna Park.

What an absolute joy it was to work on that conference committee and make friendships which continued to blossom and grow both professionally and socially.

Twelve years later Sydney once again hosted the International Conference – the first with the new name Educate Plus. I was the lucky person who got to work with the fabulous Steve Brown, from Adelaide, on the Social Program and Awards Lunch. From the Opening Night Cocktails with a Sydney theme (featuring the Fish Markets, Harry’s Café de Wheels and Chinatown with Jazz music from The Basement) to the Whisky Bar, Comedy, Diva Strings and dancing by the Harbour at Wildfire!

Oh, my goodness that was an exhausting walk back up to the Hilton with Murray Happ and Nick Jaffa, after bump-out. I may have missed the 8am Breakfast Tables session.

Other memorable Chapter Dinners I had the joy of organising were in Melbourne’s funky Sweatshop Bar in 2014 and 2016 Gold Coast’s Kitty O’Shea’s overlooking the beach with a pub rock duo.

It wasn’t all partying and Pommery! There was some serious work to do on attracting new members, organising chapter forums, and discussing the trajectory of our booming advancement sector within education.

I can feel the editor’s red pen looming, yet I’m sure I haven’t done justice to the huge amount of love and respect I have for the folk of Educate Plus and their generosity over the years.

Thank you all so very much for your stewardship, and you never know, I may bob up somewhere along the line in my new area of interest and project work as an Oral Historian. Every school should be capturing those voices and stories, which, too often die with their custodians.

But more on that story later.

Images:

2016 Gold Coast Conference with friend and colleague, Jo Hutchens
2019 in Armidale for a Regional EP forum with Pip Warwick from TAS, Myfanwy Stanfield NSW President and Tina Fleming Member Relations Manager Educate Plus
2022 A quiet catch-up in Adelaide with some stellar NSW colleagues 2022
2002 Liz Pellinkhof and Glenda Fitz-Payne at the CASE-NAIS Conference in 2002
2012 Marilyn Rickard (2012 Conference Chair), Liz Pellinkhof and Steve Brown Opening Night Drinks at Sydney Conference
2012 Partying with Ann Badger at Wildfire – Sydney Conference
Entertainment at various Conferences