...Sing at the top of your voice; love without fear in your heart p3 A confident and resilient career p1 True love for Meg p6 Catching up with Bronte p7 EDITION 1 2018
EDITION 1 2018
COVER Mother Julie welcomed See full story page 3.
CONTENTS
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A confident and resilient career
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PEP talk
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Mother Julie welcomed
From the Principal
4-5 Reunions 6
True love for Meg
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Catching up with Bronte
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Alumni snapshots
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Follow in (someone’s) footsteps
Our 25 year celebrations are rapidly approaching, and there is a sense of expectation in our community as we look forward to marking this important milestone. There is something significant about a silver anniversary; something solid and substantial. As a school community, one way we are realising this is through our alumni. Those who graduated in the earlier years of the College’s history are now coming into their own as professionals, business owners, and contributors to the local, national and international community. We are seeing the oldest current students who are children of our alumni – the WeeMACs – entering our Senior School in 2018.
CONTRIBUTORS We wish to thank everyone who contributed stories and photos to make this edition possible. DESIGN Redtrike Creative Co. ENQUIRIES T (07) 3813 4555 E collegenews@wmac.com.au 8 Keswick Road, Karrabin IPSWICH 4306 This publication highlights the stories of the WestMAC community. Although the College has made every effort to ensure that the information in this publication was correct, we do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. If you would like to make a contribution to the next edition, please email alumni@wmac.com.au
After 25 years, we are starting to see the fruits of our labour, with many alumni returning to tell their stories to our current students. Some of these stories, and the related insights and advice, contained in this edition reflect WestMAC as a maturing community that has well and truly taken its place as a key contributor to Ipswich, its surrounding areas and beyond. I extend a warm invitation to all past and present members of the WestMAC family to join us on Thursday 26 July at our Annual Founder’s Day ceremony. Join us also on the night of Saturday 28 July at the 25 Year Birthday Dinner Dance as we celebrate by The Light of the Silvery Moon. This gala event promises to be a fitting way to celebrate the many achievements and contributions over the last 25 years. Geoff McLay principal
I think a career is something that can’t necessarily be planned and that it is instead all about finding opportunities or sidewards steps where you can make an impact.
A confident and resilient career Spending every day staring inside patients’ mouths as a dentist did not excite alumna, Kate Templeman, she told students at the 2018 Scholars’ Day. So the Class of 1999 student took the brave step of creating her own apparel businesses that now employs more than 50 staff across five countries. It even supplies WestMAC Seniors’ shorts. “If I had followed the career I had mapped out for myself when I was sitting where you are today, I would have missed my career entirely,” she said. “Because when I finished school I wanted to be a dentist.” She said she believed dentists were good at Science, earned a lot of money and “people would think I was successful”. “But I forgot one important thing - you have to enjoy what you do every day to be successful,” she said. “And thankfully I realised after only a few months working as a dental assistant that all the money in the world could not make me
happy if I had to spend every day staring inside patients’ mouths.” Kate Templeman (nee McGrath) joined the College as a Year 11 student in 1998 and was elected as Mackellar House Captain in Year 12.
“Because if you can do this then I know that you will be successful in life, no matter what you choose to do.” Kate is a working example of confidence and resilience.
She graduated from WestMAC with an OP1 and attended the University of Queensland completing a Bachelor of Business Management (Marketing) and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Pharmacology.
She held marketing and communication roles predominantly in the health and medical research sectors and worked with Professor Ian Frazer AO in his research on cancer vaccines.
Kate told the students that WestMAC measures success “based on whether each and every student walks out the school gates upon graduation with two important personal traits - confidence and resilience”.
However, she quit her day job to co-found her now‑successful business.
“Have the confidence to pursue every opportunity and the resilience to cope with the ups and downs, and bounce back from challenges,” she advised the students.
“I actually no longer believe in the idea of the career as a ladder that you plan out and then climb until you reach an imaginary point of success”.
“It’s easy to fail at what you don’t enjoy, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love,” she advised.
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PEP talk The ongoing WestMAC Professional Engagement Program (PEP), which started in 2015, continues to help students, teachers, and even parents develop their abilities. Art teacher Annabel Simmonds says PEP helped her students learn to read more about art, while she has developed the skills to publish a student textbook for the new Senior Visual Art Syllabus. PEP has also allowed business students to move on to the next stage of their work faster through business teacher Leanne Murphy’s use of the OneNote program which allows the teacher and students to work on the one document at the same time. WestMAC PEP Coordinator Ian Hayne said their program allowed teachers to develop their professional abilities, trial new teaching methods and gauge the impact on student learning. “PEP continues to give staff great feedback and build social capital across teaching areas and subschools,” he said. “WestMAC is using the innovative PEP strategy to improve the experience our students receive by improving teacher engagement.” Ms Simmonds said her 2017 PEP focus was to shift students from relying on Google Images, Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration to the written word. “I needed my students to become more selective with the
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information they chose as well as realise how inspiring academic reading can be,” she said. “I also needed them to believe that they are capable of understanding these high-quality texts rather than relying on images.” To inspire students to read more, Ms Simmonds developed her Apple iBook Author skills to publish student work. “This revolutionised how I promote literacy in Art classes, as I took advantage of the students’ natural curiosity when reading the work of their peers to achieve my two aims,” she said. “My favourite benefit of this project has been seeing how both classes are now internally motivated to read more about art than any other groups I have worked with before (in any school),” she said. “Both classes want to live up to the work of previous students and produce iBooks that leave a legacy for future students. “My second favourite benefit has been the drastic improvement in spoken vocabulary. We now have richer and more meaningful classroom conversations and debates; which encourages students to re-conceptualise Art as a subject that promotes
innovation and empowerment.” In 2018, Ms Simmonds will continue her PEP work through the Year 10 iBook Pixarlated and the Year 12 iBook Homage. “Thanks to PEP, I have had the opportunity to develop the skills I need to begin working on my long-term goal of publishing a textbook that guides students through the new Senior Visual Art Syllabus,” she said. Business teacher Ms Murphy said PEP helped her develop the use of OneNote as a “learning and collaboration tool”. “I found OneNote to be a very effective tool for both teacher and students,” she said. “I was able to check class work anytime, anywhere, and my students were completing their work at a faster rate. My students were being more productive because they were publishing their work directly to me and I was able to give more timely feedback. “This, in turn, allowed my students to get on with the next stage of their work with the confidence that they had received my feedback on the work that they had already completed.” Ms Murphy said PEP allowed her and her students to maintain a focus throughout the year.
Mother Julie welcomed Bubbles and a specially adapted song featured at the commissioning service for new College Chaplain, The Reverend Julie Craig-Leaves (Mother Julie). The service was held in the Lostroh Centre in January, by The Right Reverend Cameron Venables, Bishop for the Western Region Anglican Church Southern Queensland.
Bishop Venables also sang the praises of Mother Julie saying she has a deep love for God and would share that love with the WestMAC community in her prayers and actions.
Bishop Venables welcomed Mother Julie by performing a specially adapted version of Michael Rosenberg’s Scare Away the Dark.
Mother Julie responded by blowing bubbles to represent her prayers for each member of the College community.
The song’s lyrics included: Sing at the top of your voice Love without fear in your heart Feel like you still have a choice If we all light up we can scare away the dark.
She said she was thrilled to be starting this new chapter of her life and to be welcomed into the WestMAC family with such a beautiful commissioning.
Her prayer for each of the staff, students and parents was the verse of Bishop Cameron’s song, “Sing at the top of your voice; love without fear in your heart”. Explaining the important role of the College Chaplain, Bishop Venables said Mother Julie would pray for and with staff, students and parents; care for each individual in the community; and teach about God and the scriptures. Principal Geoff McLay warmly welcomed Mother Julie, saying she marked a new beginning in the life of the College.
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The Inaugural Class of 1997 – 20 Year Reunion
Stay Connected Our Alumni are important to us. Update your contact details so that we can stay in touch with you. Stay connected with WestMAC and your fellow Alumni by registered or updating your contact details via www.wmac.com.au/community/alumni/update-your-details
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The Class of 2007 – 10 Year Reunion
Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/West-Moreton-Anglican-College-Alumni-240543435983387/ This year we will celebrate past students and staff at the following reunions: •2 0 Year Reunion – Class of 1998, Saturday 18 August 2018
• 1 0 Year Reunion – Class of 2008, Saturday 18 August 2018
Details will be emailed and posted to Facebook in the coming months.
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True love for Meg Meg Essex (Class of 2013) never imagined that at 21 years of age she would be studying and playing professional basketball overseas. “I am really grateful for this opportunity and I would not change anything in my life right now,” Meg said. Meg is currently living in Newberry (South Carolina, USA) playing basketball and studying Early Childhood Education at Newberry College. As a young person, Meg wanted to become a vet nurse, working with animals. During school-based work experience at WestMAC, she soon realised that this was not for her. After talking with her mum, she decided to pursue a degree in
teaching as she is passionate about children. Halfway through her studies, Meg was enticed to consider a move to Newberry College. “When I heard about Newberry and talked with their coach, I knew it was the right move,” Meg said. Meg said that initially it was hard to leave her family but she is now settled into college life. “I have made some wonderful friends living on campus,” she said. Meg explains that Newberry College is very similar to WestMAC; offering a close-knit
community, challenging academic programs, a personalised attention and opportunities that prepare students for their futures. “I really enjoyed my time at WestMAC – there were so many opportunities on offer, from internships and extra-curricular activities,” Meg said. “Sometimes I think…what if I never played basketball, what would I be doing? It’s such a big part of my life and I am really happy,” she said. Meg is one of three Essex siblings that graduated from the College; her sister graduated in 2012 and her brother graduated in 2015.
I started and fell in love with basketball when I was at WestMAC.
At the end of 2017, Meg visited the College and spent some time sharing her skills with our students.
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Catching up with Bronte Bronte Hodgson (Class of 2010). After living and working interstate, Bronte has returned to her hometown of Ipswich at the end of 2016 to start her business, Feet Play Love Podiatry and she is loving it! 1
How did you get into this field?
I have always been interested in health sciences. I really like that I can help people with my work; they might be in pain in their feet or lower limbs, or they are unsure what to expect. It is great to be able to resolve their health issues and ease their concerns. I got into podiatry because of my brother and also my mother. My brother is a professional athlete and was experiencing heel pain. He started treatment with a podiatrist and seeing his improvement, I started to think about the impact that I could make as a podiatrist. My mother later found an article in the local newspaper about Podiatry and how promising job prospects were. After this, I did some research on the subjects and it looked very interesting to me. Given it was in the health science field I was fairly certain that I would enjoy it. After four years of studying a Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry) at QUT (Queensland University of Technology), I graduated with second-class honours. I was lucky as I figured out early on what I wanted to do. 2 T ell us a little more about what you have been doing since leaving uni? After graduating from uni, I worked in general podiatry practices across the Ipswich region, Podiatry and comfort footwear clinics in Brisbane before moving to South Australia. I got the job of a lifetime in South Australia working with the latest machinery in a sports and biomechanical clinic and I was also involved with a sporting shoe store. I gained a lot of valuable work experience during my time there; not to forget also doing some locum work. In 2016, I made the decision to move back to Ipswich to open up Feet Play Love Podiatry. I really enjoy Podiatry, but being a business owner allows me to pursue my keen interest in Sports and Biomechanical Podiatry at the same time. I really enjoy problem‑solving to get the best outcomes for my patients. 3 W hat motivated you to start your own business? I am really passionate about giving back to the community that supported me in my younger years. As a small business owner, I am able to do this. I have the ability to volunteer my time to educating the local community on foot care by getting
involved in talks at local schools and participating in local sporting events for injury management and prevention. Ipswich is such a big sporting community and it is great to be involved in helping this way. We all get injured. Feet Play Love Podiatry is a way that I can help treat people with the best equipment and techniques to get them back into their sport. 4 What advice would you give to Year 12s? Do what you can to get to know your local community in the way of different career options. There are lots of different opportunities around, so by opening your mind to them, you can then begin understanding the range professions in the local community. Find what makes you happy. Take every opportunity presented to you and ask lots of questions. Work hard to achieve your goal, and enjoy the journey! 5 What are the lessons that you learnt at WestMAC? I was encouraged to focus on the subjects that I enjoyed during my time at WestMAC. But, I was also challenged to give new experiences a go and the extend myself. I think WestMAC also taught me life skills; how to develop the rapport with others which is vital in my work now. 6 What are your fondest memories of WestMAC? I have always been very career orientated so I spent a lot of my time studying when I was at school. Apart from the great friends I made, I think that some of my fondest memories are around the teachers that I had. Each of them taught me something different and they had so much passion for their subjects. The teachers were outstanding and created a culture of lifelong learning. 7 Do you actually like feet? I don’t mind feet; they don’t phase me. Once you get into the field, you no longer think of feet in the same way. They’re a complex and interesting structure that impact the rest of the body more than we think! www.feetplaylove.com.au www.instagram.com/feetplaylovepodiatry www.facebook.com/feetplaylove
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Alumni snapshots Alexandra Toft
(Class of 2012)
Alexandra spent her entire schooling at WestMAC, starting in Prep in 2000. Throughout her time at WestMAC Alexandra held Junior, Middle, and Senior School captaincy roles while also keenly participating in sport, music and academic pursuits. She has completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the University of Queensland, where she is focused on the field of neuroscience, conducting research into Parkinson’s disease. Alexandra is also aiming to complete a postgraduate medicine degree. Alexandra’s mantra is that “average is boring, choose to be outstanding”. She approaches life passionately; makes the most of every experience, and encourages others around her to do the same. She is an enthusiastic horsewoman, excelling in the sport of endurance riding at the Nationals.
Jordan Waldock (Class of 2011) Since graduating from WestMAC, Jordan has spent a majority of his time completing a Bachelor of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology. In 2015, Jordan graduated with first-class honours. Throughout his time at university, Jordan worked for one of Australia’s leading glass manufacturers providing assistance to their in-house legal team, in addition to assisting with work health and safety and other regulatory compliance. Jordan also completed internships at large corporate law firms in Brisbane. The latter of these internships led to graduate employment at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, who are currently Australia’s largest law firm by partner numbers. Earlier this year, he was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia and now works in HWL Ebsworth’s Workplace Relations and Safety practice group. Jordan has also maintained his involvement in the musical sphere and continues to be deeply involved in a number of community music groups and shows.
Emily Convery
(Class of 2012)
Emily graduated from WestMAC with an OP6. During her time at the College, she was a keen participant in Dance, Athletics and Basketball. She also participated in Swimming, Netball and the College Musical. Emily also had the role of Senior School Chapel Captain. Upon graduation, Emily enrolled at the University of Queensland and completed two semesters of Human Movement Studies. In 2014 she decided to change career direction and moved to USQ (University of Southern Queensland) Springfield where she commenced a Bachelor of Primary Education, specialising in Health and Physical Education. She participated in volunteer work at Silkstone State School and became an accredited swim instructor teaching Learn to Swim and school swimming lessons. Emily worked as a Teacher Aide at a number of schools during 2015 and 2016. Her Learn to Swim work became focused on Early Years children and children with disabilities. In 2017 Emily began working as an Intervention Teacher Aide developing and implementing literacy intervention programs in schools. She is expected to finish her degree at the end of 2018 and has already secured employment for when she finishing studying.
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follow in (someone’s) footsteps To carry on the behavior, work, or tradition of. The Class of 2017 has continued the tradition of academic excellence, achieving outstanding OP (Overall Position) results at the end of last year. WestMAC has recorded some of its best OP results in the history of the College.
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10.3% of the students eligible for an OP score achieved in OP 1 or 2 (State - 7.8 %) 32% of students eligible for an OP score achieved an OP5 or better (State - 21.9 %) 68% of students eligible for an OP score achieved an OP10 or better (State - 50.5 %) 99% of students eligible for an OP score achieved an OP15 or better (State - 80.1 %)
Principal Geoff McLay said that these OP results reflect the “dedication, focus and commitment” of the students, and the quality of the learning opportunities offered at the College. “I am delighted for the Class of 2017 and I acknowledge the students’ parents and our teachers for their continuous support and their contribution to these achievements,” Mr McLay said. “We strive to provide a quality learning environment where students are encouraged to
continuously improve and achieve their personal best,” he said. “This year’s OP results are the culmination of our ongoing pursuit to improve all that we do. “These results are reflective of our students’ significant achievements in this year’s Queensland Core Skills test.” The College’s academic, vocational, trade and agricultural programs also acknowledge those students who participate in alternative study pathways. In 2017, many students also gained successful QTAC selection Ranks and Vocational Certifications.
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ALUMNI Our Alumni are important to us. Update your contact details so that we can stay in touch with you.
Celebrate 25 Years of WestMAC Please join us from July 2018 to celebrate 25 years of educational leadership and community at WestMAC.
To update your details go to wmac.com.au under Community
SHARE YOUR NEWS AND EVENTS WITH THE COLLEGE Email: alumni@wmac.com.au Telephone: (07) 3813 4555
On Sunday 18 July 1993, the official foundation stone was laid, and the official opening was celebrated on Sunday 6 February 1994. From the beginning, the College’s celebrations had played a major role in the life of the College. Today, these traditions and the ‘WestMAC spirit’ is a palpable element of College life. Please join us for this special milestone.
WEST MORETON ANGLICAN COLLEGE Keswick Road, Karrabin Queensland 4306 Australia
25 Year Birthday Dinner Dance Saturday 28 July 2018, from 6.30pm
ENQUIRIES T (07) 3813 4555 F (07) 3813 4566 E info@wmac.com.au wmac.com.au
Lostroh Centre / Multipurpose Hall $99 per person. All-inclusive dinner, drinks (beer, wine and bubbles), dancing and live music. Tables of 10 available. Tickets available via wmac.com.au until Sunday 15 July midnight.
CRICOS PROVIDER NUMBER 01329M The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane (trading as West Moreton Anglican College)