From the Boarding School

The ‘unending chain’ of girls certainly rings true in Boarding and it is a special privilege to be a part of the Boarders’ journey commencing in Avonmoore through to their final Boarding home in Lang House.

This journey was celebrated on Friday evening as our oldest Boarders; the Year 12 2025 cohort made an important rite of passage, graduating to Lang House. The evening was celebrated with a housewarming, inspired by the 1916 event when the very first Pymble girls made the trip across from PLC Croydon as recorded in Issue No.90 April 1916 of the school magazine, Aurora Australis:    

Quite the social event of the first term at Pymble was the housewarming, which took place on the first Saturday evening. Dancing was the first item, the rooms used for the purpose being the four music rooms, a dark and narrow passage, and finally round the pianists themselves, who were so overawed at the prospect of playing for PLC Pymble, that their hands refused to do more than a few feeble waltzes.

After the pianist had collapsed from nervousness, Misses Mavis and Rene Parker were masterfully acted by Misses D Abbott, E Wait, K Brodie, D Pitt, P MacFarlane, M Abbott and H Stitt. After three humorous recitations from Maysie Greig-Smith, a still more humorous Highland fling from Doris Witts, and a few clever imitations by Lorna Hinder, it was proposed that the old Croydon girls should sing ‘School and Home’. There were six old girls, so our song was scientifically rendered.

Of course at the close of the entertainment we formed a circle and sang ‘Auld Lang Syne’ with much vigour and, after cheering from ‘The Boys at the Dardanelles’ to ‘Our Oak Floors and Rubber Heels’ inclusive we thanked each other most profusely and went home.                             

While there was no pianist or waltzing, there was a housewarming gift of a karaoke machine and plenty of delicious food. All enjoyed in the excellent company of many of our Year 12 parents, staff and even a beloved dog, Bullet!

Dr H and Mr Bell do it again!

As Year 9 Boarder Isabelle (Belle) shares below, it was certainly lucky last for our Year 9 Boarders who all enjoyed a fun evening with Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell last Sunday.

On Sunday night the Year 9 Boarders were invited to a home-cooked dinner at Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell’s house. The food was an amazing welcome back from Vision Valley, as most of the Boarders had only just returned from our month-long camp, with delicious pasta for dinner and cheesecake for dessert. We shared stories of our time at Vision Valley, talked about the year so far and improvements and suggestions for the College. During this dinner we had a chance to connect with Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell and it was really lovely to get to know them better. We are all incredibly grateful for the support Dr Hadwen and Mr Bell provide for us here at Pymble Boarding and everything they do for us.

Leave for Boarders

Social contact with family and friends and outings away from the Boarding House is important for all Boarders. At Pymble we use Orah to manage leave for our Boarders and we have been reviewing the information that is available to Boarders and their parents and families who are hosting our Boarders. It would be wonderful to have feedback from some our Boarding community and if you are interested in being part of a small focus group please contact us at boarding@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au before Tuesday 26 November.

Love It – Ms Theresa Mimmo, Deputy Director of Boarding

It was a busy weekend with the Love It program – we had Boarders Get Baking on Friday night where Boarders made some Christmas delights. On Saturday several students travelled to Dural to pick out our Christmas trees for the houses. They were then decorated and have filled the houses with Christmas spirit and cheer. Year 8 and Year 9 Boarders took up the option to head to Manly on Sunday where most braved the cold water and enjoyed a dip.

This weekend we have Christmas shopping and crafts on the agenda as well as a beach trip to Clareville on Sunday. On Friday night, we will be welcoming Knox Boarders to the College to enjoy a Christmas celebration with trivia and dinner.

View From My Window

Hi my name is Summer, I am 16 years old from the big city of Brisbane up in South-East Queensland. Compared to my other sisters in boarding, home is very different. I live right in the city, on a small block of land in a big house with my dad, mum, sister, and toy cavoodle Kacey. My family owns its own Physiotherapy company (as I do so much sport, it has come handy many times) where my dad is the head physio and my mum overlooks the entire business. My little sister Tahnee who is in Year 9 still lives back home and attends my mum’s high school. She is a national medallist in athletics and can always make me laugh – I do miss her very much. 

I was born in Nambour, located in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and grew up right on the beach at Mooloolaba until I was 7 when I moved to Brisbane with my family. One of my favourite things about home is the beautiful beaches and nature that is found everywhere. Whenever I get the chance, I always take day trips up or down the coast to my favourite beach spots on the Gold or Sunshine Coast with my family and friends to soak up the daylight and enjoy the surroundings. You can almost be guaranteed the best weather everyday as it is always hot and the sun is always shining. 

The view of my house overlooks the Brisbane city skyline and has the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises that bounce off the city buildings creating a glowing light around its landscape. I love spending time on the deck in the afternoon sun, soaking up the warm winds and eating the most delicious fruits. By far one of my favourite things to do at home is rowing. We get to row up and down the Brisbane River right through the heart of the city at the crack of dawn, it is so calming and a great way to start my day. 

There are definitely so many more amazing opportunities here at Pymble and in Sydney. So far, I have enjoyed trips into the city and Manly on the ferries and experiencing regular acai trips to Gordon! When I finish school, I plan to live in Sydney and hopefully row at the National Training Centre in Penrith so I am able to represent Australia in rowing. I would also like to have a career in nursing, especially paediatric nursing as I have always had a passion to care for people. 

I am so grateful that I have this amazing opportunity to attend Pymble. I always feel so supported in every aspect of boarding from academics, sport, and everything in between. Even though I can feel homesick at times, the boarding and day staff always make sure I feel comforted and loved and I know that mum is always a call away. I can’t wait to see what the next two years look like in Boarding!  

Boarder of the Week

I am delighted to announce Lana of Year 12 as our last Boarder of the Week for 2024. As our Head of Goodlet House, Kate Inglis, shares, she is one in a million.

Lana joined us from Temora in Year 10 in 2023 and has embraced all thing Pymble since day one! She brings warmth, joy and an amazing sense of humour to Boarding and is loved by all. Dedicated to her studies, Lana is well-organised and keeps a tidy room. She is also a talented athlete, who continues to grow and demonstrate leadership both on and off the track. Lana is often seen chatting with her peers while making tea in the kitchen, striking up conversations with Boarders across all year groups. Thank you, Lana, for your outstanding contributions to Boarding – this recognition as Boarder of the Week is truly well deserved!

Important Dates