From the Boarding School
It has been a busy but happy end to the term with a special celebration on Tuesday night. In our Chapel service, I spoke to our Boarders about the rhythm of life in our super-sized family and congratulated them on their resilience and camaraderie. We all reflected on how lucky we are to have each other – our Boarders, our incredible Boarding staff, our dedicated teachers and all the hard-working people that make life at Pymble so special. It was a fitting way to wind up the term.
Pymble goes south
Last weekend Jackie Garment and I journeyed to Wagga Wagga, the largest inland city in New South Wales, for the Boarding School Expo. It was a lovely opportunity to share the benefits of a Pymble education with old friends and new and we look forward to hosting some of these families here onsite in the months to come. We were lucky enough to be joined by Year 10 Boarder, Lana, who was an outstanding representative of our Boarders.
We ended the weekend with a special night in Temora at the home of Jo and Mark Brennan. It was a great opportunity to catch up over a delicious meal and there was plenty of good conversation to be had. My deep thanks go to Jo and Mark for making us and the extended Pymble family feel so welcome.
Next time it is north!
We would love to see you up north when we head to Moree on 25 July and Tamworth from 26 to 27 July for the Boarding School Expo. There will be a special function in Tamworth on Friday 26 July and I hope you can join us to catch up with our Pymble family. Please click the link below to RSVP.
Eat like a Boarder
We would love you to join us for dinner on Monday 22 July at 6.00pm when you return your girls from the term break. This will be a ‘real’ experience where you will be able to enjoy the regular dinner service, just as the girls do each evening. If you would like to join us, please rsvp to boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au by no later than Friday 28 June.
Meet our Pink Ladies
As most of you know, at the end of each term, our Boarders honour a staff member and family within the Day School in recognition of their ongoing kindness and support of our Boarding family. The title bestowed on them is ‘Pink Lady’ and the gift of their time and talents enhances the lives of our Boarders and supports them to maximise their time here at Pymble.
Our wonderful Director of Studies, Mrs Natasha Stanfield, is certainly long overdue for this award. Mrs Stanfield is tireless in her endeavours to support the academic life and she always balances this with deep care for our wellbeing. She is kind and fun but certainly knows her ‘stuff’ and is always on hand for specialised advice on anything from illness and misadventure applications through to estimated ATARs.
Mrs Stanfield is a regular visitor to the Boarding houses, sharing her knowledge of the subject selection process and the various subjects. Somehow, she has the knack of knowing us well enough as individuals to provide wise and appropriate guidance. Mrs Stanfield also works closely with the Boarding staff, providing training and direction about the best way to support our Boarders with the various demands of their academic studies. Other times Mrs Stanfield joins us for dinner or just calls in to say a friendly hello or catch up on the latest Boarding news. Our Boarders and Boarding staff appreciate her incredible expertise, never-ending good will and generosity of spirit.
And of course, it is not just our Pymble staff who make Boarding such a happy place. This term we would like to acknowledge and thank Fran Chan (Year 8). Fran and her family play an invaluable role in supporting our Boarders. From taking Boarders out on weekend leave, to assisting with transport to and from sport, Fran and her family go over and above to make sure the Boarders enjoy their time at the College and get to where they need to be safely. From AFL, to soccer, to Mollie Dive Hockey and even Club Hockey – the Chan family are always there for us and the Boarders are very grateful for their care and support.
The Brooksie
The Margaret Brooke Award, also known as ‘The Brooksie’, is awarded to a Boarder who exemplifies the spirit of a tenacious, courageous, compassionate and giving woman. It feels as though this award was designed specifically for the fabulous Hannah Weber who, over the last four and half years, has demonstrated all these qualities in spades.
Hannah has brought much joy to our Boarding family across so many years, in so many ways. It is impossible to categorise the extent of her influence as her passions are many and aptitude boundless. She is a beautiful writer and Keeping Up With Hannah has been a treasured section in our seasonal Keeping Up With Our Boarders publication, her writing magically transporting the reader to life on her much loved home of Fairlands, in Walgett.
The backbone of our Boarders’ pantry empire, Hannah is an invaluable member of our Boarders Get Baking team, queen of the piping bag and always there to ensure quality control of every packaged good that makes it over the threshold of the Food Technology room.
Hannah is a talented sportswoman, excelling at rowing and most recently turning her talents to football. As a keen club rugby player and representative at the Rugby State Championships, Hannah even graced the cover of Rugby Action magazine. It is no wonder she was awarded Young Sportswomen of Year for Walgett in the 2024 Australia Day honours.
This year Hannah was named the Hawkesbury Youth Rural Ambassador for 2024. In this role, she represents the Hawkesbury community, rural New South Wales, the Agricultural Show Movement and agricultural industries. No stranger to this world, Hannah has been awarded numerous ribbons and trophies for judging and showing various livestock at multiple agricultural shows. And, it was no surprise when Hannah was named Captain of Cattle Club. Hannah consistently demonstrates gentle but strong leadership in the care of livestock, generously sharing her expertise with patience, kindness and enthusiasm.
The Pymble Cadet program has been a long-held passion, with Hannah leading the leading the Walgett ANZAC Day march year after year. Most recently, Hannah was nominated to participate in the Australian Army Cadets National Adventure Training Award, held in Lake Barrington, Tasmania. In recognition of her efforts in this program, she was presented with the Golden Boomerang and Torch badge, and Certificate, by the Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Chris Smith, DSC, AM, CSC, placing her in the top one per cent of all Australian Army Cadets.
This is merely a snapshot of Hannah’s many achievements; she is certainly a talented young woman. Most importantly, Hannah gives back, without question and without fail. Exceptional is an understatement and we are beyond proud to call her one of ours.
Signing off with every good wish for a happy, safe and relaxing holiday with your beautiful girls.
Save the Date
28 June Last day of term and Boarders’ Travel Day
22 July Boarders return to Boarding from 2.00pm
22 July Eat like a Boarder, 6.00pm
3 August Fundraiser for Jack Schofield
4 August Boarder Community Day (all Boarders required to be in attendance)
25 August Father, Daughter event
20 September Boarders and their Families event
21 September Garden Party
Term 4 TBA Mother-Daughter Lunch
Boarder Parent Group Meetings
20 September – 2.30pm onsite
24 October – 7.00pm Microsoft Teams meeting
Carolyn Burgess
Head of Boarding