What a day!

On Thursday 8 March, International Women’s Day, the St Catherine’s Old Girls (SCOGA) community came together en masse. Assembling at Crown with blooms of beautiful hydrangeas and city skyline views, we gathered ready for a day surrounded by old friends and being filled with memories jolted from the banks of our past.

At SCOGA, our aim was to do something different with our gathering of Old Girls. We decided to put out the call to our Year Group Reps so they could, as a cohort, scan their class photos and search for excellence. We were inundated with nominations. At the Lunch, we honoured these nominees who are from all walks of life and for a range of achievements including volunteering, professional achievement, spirit and determination and for just being amazing.

St Catherine’s Old Girls stretch across the globe. For a small School, our Old Girls achieve great things everywhere.

We heard inspirational words from Principal, Mrs Michelle Carroll and wonderful stories from three of our Honourees – Jaimee Salmon (’05), Jacky Abbott (Gurner ’63) and Kim Kane (’90). They spoke of how their time at St Catherine’s helped to pave the way in their careers and their thoughts of the importance of mentors.

Once again, we thank Emma Freedman (’05) for being an incredible emcee for this event. Her warmth and professionalism made for a seamless order of proceedings as she read through the list of extraordinary women being honoured and presented.

With the promise of extraordinary lucky dip prizes in the offering and a main raffle we saw pairs of Old Girls planning which of the amazing trips they would like to win and when they would leave. Others put on their decorating hats to work out which prominent wall they could hang the beautiful artwork, a major prize in our raffle, by renowned artist and Old Girl, Rowena Martinich (’97). Following an incredibly brisk trade, with the lucky dip being a sell out, we congratulate all the winners. A full list of winners is available here.

During the lunch we also announced the St Catherine’s Old Girls’ Fellowship. This will be a $5,000 annual award presented to an Old Girl who wishes to advance their learning and education. We are so excited about being able to financially support those women who walk beside us.

A highlight of the lunch was the call for all guests to be upstanding, then, over the speakers came the sound that captured the attention of only St Catherine’s girls; our School Anthem. With more than a few glistening eyes, the words flowed back into our voice boxes like they had never left. It was magnificent.

Sometimes it takes a nudge to remind us what amazing things are right under our noses. We are surrounded by remarkable women. To the Honourees…huge congratulations to you all. Your stories are inspiring.

Enormous thanks to our SCOGA Lunch Committee for their tireless work and efforts on the day, which undoubtedly have left wonderful memories and full hearts with all those who attended. To view a full gallery of images from the event please click here.