From The Principal

On Tuesday 1 March 2022 I had the opportunity to address those attending our first ‘in person’ school tour for some time. Despite the very wet conditions, many families took the opportunity to hear from staff and students and tour our beautiful facilities.

I spoke about the vision of our founders and the January 1886 Sydney Morning Herald announcement of the impending opening of the Wesleyan Ladies College, Burwood, which will ‘make provision for those who wish to prepare for University honours’ (and that this was only two years after the legal rights of women at the University of Sydney had been secured). I was again struck by the contrast between this daring plan and the lives of most women at that time.

In 1886, Australian women had no political voice, few protections from poverty or harm and Indigenous women had no rights at all. It was not until 1902 that most women in NSW were able to vote, and as late as 1962 when Indigenous women gained this same right.

Yet, despite this, many of MLC School’s earliest graduates went on to fight their way through discrimination; political and social barriers; and paved the way for the recognition of women and their rights. 

Dr Susannah Hennessy (Susie) (O’Reilly, 1898) was a pioneering female doctor and a champion of professional women’s rights who became a renowned obstetrician, she was MLC School’s first Old Girl with a degree in Medicine.

At the University of Sydney, Susie achieved excellent results in her Bachelor of Science (1903), Bachelor of Medicine (1905) and Master of Surgery (1907) degrees. Despite the fact that she was an Honours graduate and was fourth in her year, her application for a residential post at Sydney Hospital was rejected in favour of male applicants with poorer academic records.

This discrimination on the grounds of her gender, spurred Susie into action and she became the focus of media attention and public debate in the form of editorials and letters to the newspapers about discrimination and the role of female doctors. Susie O’Reilly’s public battle with Sydney Hospital subsequently opened the doors of that institution to receive female residents. Her sister (and MLC School Old Girl) Dr Olive O’Reilly (1909) became one of the first two female medical students admitted to Sydney Hospital in 1912.

Amy Isobel Wearne (1889) was MLC School’s first university graduate (from the University of Sydney). After winning the University’s Frazer Scholarship in 1893 and then graduating with first class honours in History, Amy returned to teach at MLC School.

She, along with a contingent of girls, initiated MLC School’s Athletics Carnivals. The first athletics carnival for girls in Australia occurred on MLC School’s Sports Field on 3 November 1906. It was also during her reign that basketball was introduced in girls’ schools, and she was the coach of our very first team.

And more recently, Alison Mirams (Hocking, 1991) has had a remarkably successful career in property construction. When she was 32, she became a Director at Multiplex and was the first woman and the youngest person worldwide to hold this role. Alison is the CEO of major construction firm, Roberts Pizzarotti. In 2018, she was awarded the Laing O’Rourke Business Woman of the Year award at the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) NSW Awards for Excellence.

Elicia McDonald (Fowler, 2006) is leading the way for women in the male-dominated industry of venture capital. Elicia is a Partner at one of Australia’s largest Venture Capital funds, AirTree Ventures. In an industry heavily dominated by men, she is one of the few female Partners leading investments into technology start-ups.

So, when you hear us say MLC School girls ‘dare to be more’, we are referring to a long history of women who have challenged preconceptions, fought for justice, and proudly proclaimed the right for all girls to be given the same opportunities as boys. I hope one day, we can say that the job is done, but with “millions of women and LGBTI persons around the world continuing to experience discrimination in the enjoyment of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights” there is a long way to go.

The MLC School website has a series of wonderful stories about the achievements of some of our alumnae and their part in the fight for women to be recognised as equals in every regard. 

Sources

Thanks to our Archivist Barbara Hoffman for the detailed research about our Eminent Alumnae that she has shared on our website.

– Lisa Moloney
Principal