One of the great things about being in a school like St Catherine’s is that every now and again, in fact quite often, you are able to experience something quite magical. This week offered one of those opportunities.

On Tuesday evening the St Catherine’s School Spring Concert took place in the Dorothy Pizzey Hall. School concerts sometimes have a bit of a reputation for not being that exciting. Even when the student musicians are of a high standard, the music selections can be safe, conservative and lacking fun. Tuesday night was the opposite of this. Starting with the theme music from Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the tone was set for the evening. We were privileged to listen to a kaleidoscope of musical styles and genres.

There was everything from Chopin’s sublime, Nocturne No. 20, the wonderful George Benson’s The Greatest Love of All, the pulsating and seminal jazz composition made famous by Carlos Santana Oye Como Va, through to a bit of the Spice Girls with their hit song Wannabe. There were so many other highlights of course and too many to mention here. Suffice to say, every performance was brilliant, and a showcase of the high standard of music in our school, most ably led by Mr Frank Blakiston and his amazing team of Music teachers. In my short speech at the end of the evening, I commented that I felt the music on show could have come from my online play list. It was like my favourite music files had been hacked!

The evening was filled with one magical moment after another. Our supremely talented girls performed solo, in ensembles, they sang, they even danced, and in doing so, the audience was taken to another place with their music.

Also during my speech, I shared some images of our New Music School. Construction is due to commence early next year and the design is breathtaking. I couldn’t help thinking during the evening while enjoying the marvellous performances, how good it will be when the building is finished. Our students will have access to facilities of a world standard. From these new facilities the Music Program and standard of music will reach another level.  The Music School is going to be a transformative project for St Catherine’s and most importantly, all of our students.

The most magical of moments came at the end of the evening. The Spring Concert marked the final performance for Mrs Lisa Cook, our esteemed Head of Strings. After 30 years of loyal, dedicated, and enthusiastic teaching at St Catherine’s, Lisa is retiring. Lisa has nurtured generations of St Catherine’s musicians and we have been blessed to have her here.  We are indebted to her for all that she has given in service to our School. Lisa Cook is a true legend of St Catherine’s. Her impact and influence have created magic for us all.

To view a full gallery of images from the Spring Concert please click here.

Father’s Day

Today I had the pleasure of sharing breakfast with many of our wonderful St Catherine’s dads and their daughters at the PFA’s annual Father’s Day Breakfast. 

Guest Speaker at the event, Ms Sue Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Cabrini Health shared with us her career journey – commencing as a nurse at the age of 18, studying for 10 years to gain further qualifications whilst also raising two children and working 60–70-hour weeks. 

With a clear intention to take on leadership positions in healthcare, Sue enrolled at Monash and excelled in completing a Bachelor of Business Management degree. In 1999, she gained her MBA, also at Monash. More recently, she completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Sue has had a diverse career, including roles as Director of Nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Chief Operating Officer of 44 hospitals at Healthscope, and Network Chief Executive Officer at Peninsula Health. Sue also holds a number of board positions. 

During the Breakfast, Sue spoke about her passion for empowering women to gain more flexibility in their work life to simultaneously have meaningful careers and a family. This was an important message for us all and aligns with our School’s vision of empowering young women.  

Thank you to all the dads and their daughters who attended the morning, and to our PFA for creating a memorable morning for them all.  

Wishing all our dads, grandads, and father figures in our School community a very happy Father’s Day for Sunday.