Old Girls' News 2011

AGM

The Old Girls Association appreciated the large turnout of Old Girls at their AGM on 28 October. Presentations by Principal Jenny Williams and Sue Elliott on behalf of the Management Board were received with interest.  Members thanked and farewelled retiring President Prue Cooke Willis (Bennett), Secretary Helen Cliffe (Murphy) and Vice President Lesley Griffiths (Wilkinson). All have given unstintingly to the Association and we are delighted that they remain on the committee.  Mandy Britnell was welcomed as incoming President and Christine Stroud (Simpson) as secretary.  The committee looks forward to a range of activities throughout 2012.

Auckland Old Girls

Principal Jenny Williams enjoyed a happy night out with Auckland Old Girls at the Remuera Gallery on Wednesday November 9th and  updated Old Girls on life at Marsden in 2011.  Special thanks to Scott Galloway Director of the Remuera Gallery who provided the beautiful space for our event and to  Carolyn Prebble (Jackson ) who gifted the delicious food and beverages.  We have to say the enormous strawberries were a real treat!

Old Girls' Day

Old Girls’ Day on  Friday 28 October was an opportunity for many  Old Girls to relive school memories firstly at communion, then assembly and school tours and in the evening drinks and decade dinners.  Mandy Britnell, decade year 1981 , and incoming President of the MOGA, was the guest speaker at a very full assembly. She spoke of the interesting twists and turns her life and career has taken and encouraged our students to make the most of the choices offered them. For your interest her speech is here….

Old Girls and the Old Girls’ Association used the OG assembly as an opportunity to affectionately farewell our retiring Bishop, Tom Brown and to make a special presentation to him. His association with Marsden goes back 13 years and he is regarded most fondly by students and Old Girls. We wish him well in his retirement. (Bishop Tom is pictured with 2011 OG President, Prue Cooke-Willis)

Old Girls wins Best Actress Award

Congratulations to Marsden Old Girl,  Michelle Ang (Y12, 1999) who won Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film for her role in My Wedding and Other Secrets at the Aotearoa Film and Television Awards on Sunday 13 November. (15/11/2011)

Flying High

Congratulations to Anna Collins (Year 13 2008) currently studying at Otago University towards a degree in Tourism on being awarded an internship by Hallmark Aviation and Air NZ. Anna will be  working for Air NZ in Los Angeles assisting with ticketing and boarding passengers.  What great experience with the bonus of travelling around the USA for 30 days after the internship. (23/09/2011)

Swimming for a cause

Old girl and Rhodes Scholar, Nina Hall will be part of the Rhodes Women's team to swim the English Channel for charity this month.
The team will plunge into the chilly waters of the English Channel without wetsuits, braving ship traffic and jellyfish, to attempt the historic swim from Dover to Calais. They are raising funds for the Acid Survivors' Foundation in Pakistan, which provides care for victims of acid violence - a brutal form of domestic violence that is not widely-publicized but all too prevalent. You can sponsor Nina and the team and help a worthy cause, no amount is too small to be appreciated. All donations go directly to ASF-Pakistan. (15/09/2011)

Otago Old Girls

Principal, Jenny Williams and Year 13 Dean, Anne Field had a wonderful time with young Old Girls in Dunedin on Monday September 5th. In beautiful early spring weather Old Girls gave them guided tours of the university campus, library and residential halls before meeting up  with 60 other old girls at the Innocent Bystander Bar in the Octagon. What a great night with lots of laughter and memories!

Old Girls' scholarships

We congratulate the following Old Girls who have received scholarships for their continuing study:

Bianca Andrew  (Y13, 2007) awarded the Les and Sonia Andrews’ Cultural Foundation Scholarship and the Rotary Club of Wellington Musical Prize (Classical)
Fiona McNamara (Y13, 2005) awarded the Helen Stewart Royle Scholarship and the Von der Oelsnitz Scholarship
Tabitha Newtown (Y13, 2005) gained a Victoria Plus Award
Claire E Turner (Y13, 2007) awarded the Curtis- Gordon Research Scholarship in Chemistry. (18/08/2011)

Old Girls lunch at Whitby

The MOGA Committee organised a wonderful lunch for senior Marsden Karori Old Girls at Marsden Whitby on Saturday 6 August.  Director of Marsden Whitby Anne Winnall gave a most entertaining and informative talk on Marsden Whitby to date and student leaders took Old Girls on tours around the school.  These impressive young leaders were knowledgeable, patient and obviously very proud of their school.  It was a pleasure to meet them and see the vibrant campus that is Marsden Whitby.

Young Old Girls meet in Auckland

	Some of our young Old Girls, who are studying or working in Auckland, enjoyed meeting school friends over drinks at the A&M and Racket Bar in Britomart on Thursday 26 May. They were joined by Principal, Ms Jenny Williams, Director of Pastoral Care, Mrs Anne Field and former Principal, Mrs Gillian Eadie who loved catching up with them and hearing all the post-Marsden news.

Oxford Scholarship

Recent old girl Chloe Geoghegan (Y13, 2004) has been offered an all-expenses paid place at Oxford University for a semester.  This wonderful opportunity was made available to ten post-graduate students from Canterbury University. (25/05/2011)

Bay of Plenty Old Girls lunch in Tauranga

Over 40 Marsden Old Girls met for a splendid lunch in Tauranga on Saturday 7 May.  Organisers Elaine Hollins(Smith), Margot Pinfold,  Alison Stirling (Coleman) Rosemary Newbald (Steed) and Claire Rainey (Stewart) created a truly memorable event with chatter and laughter going well in the late afternoon.  So successful was the lunch that there is talk of a repeat later in the year. See photos (16/05/2011)

Cambridge Debater

We were thrilled to hear that 2009 Head Girl, Maria English has continued her great debating tradition by being selected for the Cambridge Union A team, an honour for a first year 'Fresher'. Teams are made up of two debaters only and use the British Parliamentary Style. Her team recently won the United Kingdom Uni Champs representing England against Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the John Smith Memorial Mace Competition. Maria is working towards a degree in Politics, Psychology and Sociology having won a prestigious Girdlers' Scholarship last year to study at Cambridge's Corpus Christi College. (12/05/2011)

Graduates

Congratulations to Tessa Flaws, Isabella Franks and Hayley Anderson (Y13, 2006) who graduated in Engineering at the University of Canterbury celebrations yesterday!  (21/04/2011)

Felicity Lusk

A fascinating and inspiring interview with Marsden Old Girl, Felicity Lusk, was screened by TVNZ's Sunday programme on 10 April. Last year Ms Lusk broke a 750 year old tradition to become the first woman Head of Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, an independent boys school. She was the only woman candidate out of 50 applicants. In the interview she credits Marsden with giving her confidence and a love of music. See excerpt or if you missed the screening, you can view the full interview at TVNZ on Demand.(12/04/2011)

Living in France

Former Marsden Head Girl Natalie Marriott (Y13, 2004) visited the Y12/13 French classes recently to talk about living in France. Natalie moved to a small village not far from Paris two years ago to work as an au pair and she is currently employed as a receptionist for the French Horse Racing Association in Paris. While on a visit back home, Natalie about her experiences overseas, taught students the latest slang expressions and dazzled them all with her superb knowledge of the French language. (06/04/2011)

National Youth Choir

We were delighted to hear Natalie Foy (Deputy Head Girl 2009) has been invited to join the National Youth Choir. (25/03/2011)

Girdlers' Company Visitors

Nine senior students shared lunch this week with Mr Michael Keene, the recently retired Master of the Girdlers’ Company, London, which administers the prestigious Girdlers’ Scholarship. He is in New Zealand accompanied by his wife Mary to  interview the shortlisted candidates for the 2011 Girdlers’ Scholarship. As the 2010 recipient was Old Girl, Maria English (Y13,2009), Mr Keene and his wife Mary were interested to come to Marsden and talk with current students on the Scholarship and life at Cambridge University. They shared lunch with Principal, Ms Jenny Williams, Academic Director, Mrs Margaret Adeane, Director of Pastoral Services, Mrs Anne Field.
Pictured: Back Row left to right -Camille Wrightson (Y12), Isabel Kelly (Y11), Mr Michael Keene, Mrs Mary Keene, Emily Hayward (Y13), Georgia Wright (Y13) and Morgan Archer (Y11).
And Front row left to right - Rachael Wiltshire (Y12), Kate Burgess (Y13), Kaitlyn Booth (Y13) and Hannah Sampson (Y11).

Link to Maria English's Girdlers' Scholarship announcement (16/03/2011)

Study Award for Old Girl

We are delighted for Old Girl, Lucy McLeod (Y12,2009), who is one of only three recipients to be given a 2011 John Burns Study Award by the Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral AJ Parr, MVO at Defence Headquarters yesterday.

"Each of the recipients has shown great personal strength and determination to succeed and achieve their dreams in the face of adversity," said Rear Admiral AJ Parr, MVO. "These qualities are key attributes at the heart of the Navy's values and we are very pleased to be able to acknowledge the recipients hard work and courage as they continue with their tertiary education goals." Read more ... (15/02/2011)
See also Dominion Post article 15/02/2011
Lucy has also been awarded an Oppenheim Scholarship that will pay all her 2011 tuition fees while she is studying at the University of Canterbury. This award is funded by the Oppenheim Trust for the tertiary education of people with visual impairments. (18/02/2011)