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From the President’s Pen
From the President’s Pen
Where has this year gone! Thank you to everyone who attended the recent events including our Reunion Weekend, and the PLC Armidale Signature Event, Carols Service, Guild Drama (where three of our alumnae made up the judging panel), Valedictory Assembly and Speech Day. It is always great to see old girls at these events, and your participation helps to strengthen our group.
My first year as President has focussed on continuing to forge connections within our group and between our group and the school, and has seen the commencement of a range of initiatives which will lead us into a very exciting 2025.
Thank you to everyone who has made the relaunch of this newsletter possible and engaged with recent events. We hope very much to see anyone in Armidale over the Christmas period at our afternoon tea on 27 December 2024, and throughout next year.
And finally, perhaps most importantly, welcome to our 2024 graduates. Despite the name, you are never too young to play an active role so please stay in touch. Please know you are now part of a supportive community cheering you on!
I hope that all our members, and your families, have a happy and safe holiday season, and I look forward to continuing to serve you in 2025
Please join our end of year celebration
Please join our end of year celebration
We are pleased to again host an end of year celebration in Armidale. Last year we found this event to be a great little filler between Christmas and New Year for Old Girls who are residents or returning to Armidale to visit family. We welcome all PLC Old Girls to attend, please just let us know you will be coming via this form: https://forms.gle/LCEQeeDknfd88EBU8
When: 2.30 pm, Friday 27 December 2024
Where: 92 Douglas St, Armidale. This is the house of our Treasurer, Chelsea Jeffery
Afternoon tea and a selection of drinks will be served. The event is free but we encourage you to donate whatever you are able to support future events like this.
Our committee grows for 2025
Our committee grows for 2025
We were thrilled to see a number of alumnae at our AGM during the Reunion Weekend this year. Voting took place for our 2025 committee, and we were pleased to welcome a number of new members, and welcome back previous members.
Returning in 2025 from the 2024 committee are:
President – Peta Taylor
Vice President - Melissa Harvey
Treasurer – Chelsea Jeffery
We would like to welcome our newest member, 2025 PLC Old Girls Union Secretary Shae Flynn (nee Nielsen).
Shae is an accredited Exercise Physiologist who runs her own business, Entity Health, servicing the New England region, Her two young daughters, husband and Shae are Armidale locals who enjoy their life on the family cattle farm.
And we are very eager to welcome General Committee members, Ragavi, Nikita, Kim, Lauren and Brooke who will help extend the reach and offering of the OGU for the next year.
Our committee and our group is only as strong as the participation and engagement of its members. We are hopeful 2025 will be a strong growth year for our group, and we encourage all members to participate wherever possible.
Old Girls feature at PLC Events
Old Girls feature at PLC Events
In 2024, we have been proud to see a number of old girls participate in events and activities at PLC Armidale. In addition to old girls (and family of old girls) presenting at assemblies throughout the year, Spring saw the following events:
Our president, Peta Taylor (class of 2009) was thrilled to speak at the Valedictory Assembly, speaking to the challenges of finding balance, and joy in life, rather than needing to “have it all” as judged by society.
Continuing the final week of term, the PLC Carols and Service of Nine lessons was attended by several Old Girls including one of our most senior Old Girls, Dorothy McRae (Class of '46), who attended with her daughter Old Girl Mary Eickhoff (nee McRae) and granddaughter Esther Eickhoff (Class of '21).
The 2024 academic year was brought to a close at Speech Day, where students were fortunate to hear from Alice Rickards (Class of 1998), who travelled to Armidale to perform and present aspects of her professional journey as the keynote speaker.
Finally, three Old Girls—Chelsea Jeffery, Anneliese Williams, and Melissa Harvey—had the pleasure of judging the 2024 Guild Drama. They had a lovely, nostalgic time reported that selecting the best performance was challenging, but were pleased to congratulate Dixon (formerly Forrest) for the win!.
Recap of Reunion Weekend
Recap of Reunion Weekend
The 2024 Reunion Weekend was a blast, with class of ’94 girls attending the school for a catch up and tour on Friday evening. It was lovely to see Louise Formaggin (nee Poulos), Melissa Wone, Karla Marchant, Brooke Engledow, Karen Plumbe (nee Wilson), Isabelle White and Emma Creighton (nee Campbell). On Saturday night several Old Girls also attended the Inaugural PLC Signature Art Prize with our own OGU Treasurer Chelsea Jeffery acting as MC. It was a great fundraising evening for student scholarships and some old girls even snagged artwork to take home!
Old Girl Stories
Old Girl Stories
Brooke Engledon- Class of 1994
Brooke Engledon- Class of 1994
After graduating from PLC in 1994, Brooke spent 17 years in the UK living on the Isle of Wight in a poetic seaside village where she balanced various jobs and motherhood.
Booke returned to Australia seven years ago to build houses with her husband and delve into ceramics. She is now semi-retired, following a diverse career that crossed a number of industries, from building to wedding photography! She lives in Armidale, and primarily dedicates her time to painting and ceramics.
Reflecting on her time at PLC, Brooke says, "I found my identity at PLC. I was 'Brooke,' a strong character as we were all individuals, which has been a great source of strength over the years".
Brooke's connection to the school lives on through a popular artwork on display near the entrance to the music and art wing in the senior school. Old girls will recall the large artwork depicting a group of musicians, and featuring a self portrait of Brooke with her saxophone. Brooke created this as her 3 unit major project, exploring her journey as a female saxophone player in the male-dominated history of Jazz. She recalls, "trying to fit in with a masculine persona and cool attitude…” and the painting was inspired when she was playing with the TAS big band and “one of the boys said, girls don't play saxophone. Well I did and he changed his mind pretty quickly".
Congratulations Brooke on having your art featured on the walls of the senior school for 30 years! For those of us who wondered what the story was behind it, now we know!
Sophia Mackson, Class of 2019
Sophia Mackson, Class of 2019
Old girls may be familiar with the work of Sophia Mackson as an ADHD advocate, podcaster and musician. Sophia graduated from PLC Armidale in 2019, and since then has been making remarkable strides in Brisbane. She has been honing her musical craft under the tutelage of the amazing Professor Patricia Pollett. Currently nearing the completion of her Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree in Viola performance, and her choice is something she cherishes dearly because it is "always so varied and keeps me on my toes!"
When she is not engaging in music, Sophia can be found creating miniature. She is also a passionate advocate for ADHD awareness, fueled by her personal diagnosis at age 20. Her Honours exegesis, inspired by ADHD, has garnered attention from ABC Classic and ABC radio stations, where she shared her story, underscoring that "storytelling is key to awareness." Sophia's dedication continues to change perceptions and reduce stigma surrounding ADHD.
Sophia’s most special memory from her time at PLC was the "Father Daughter Dinner Dance in 2018," a delightful evening spent with loved ones.
Thank you for your update Sophia; we wish you all the best on your continued journey and look forward to hearing where the next 5 years (and beyond!) take you.
Births, Deaths, Marriages & Milestones
Births, Deaths, Marriages & Milestones
We are including births, deaths, marriages and milestones as a standing feature of the Green Tartan. If you have achieved a milestone, or know of a birth, death or marriage that we can include in the Green Tartan, please let us know through the following link or contacting us directly. As always, if the event does not affect you directly, please seek approval from the relevant person/family.
Scholarships
Scholarships
Congratulations to our Class of 2017 alumna and Head Prefect, Dr Ragavi Jeyakumar, is the NSW Rhodes Scholar for 2025. After achieving a 99.75 ATAR and scoring in the 100th percentile on the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test, Dr. Jeyakumar completed her medical studies at UNSW in 2023. Only 100 Rhodes Scholarships are given out world-wide each year, and of these, nine Australians are selected to pursue graduate study at the University of Oxford. We are thrilled that Dr Jeyakumar has also signed up as a general member of our Committee in 2025 and look forward to working with her.
Congratulations to Bernadette Dillon, Class of 2013, who has received the Queensland postgraduate scholarship through the General Sir John Monash foundation. As a certified provisional Auslan interpreter, Bernadette will pursue a Master of Language Sciences specialising in Sign Language and Deaf Studies at University College London in 2025. She hopes to enhance the experiences of deaf individuals across Australia through changes in educational curricula, government policy and societal perceptions of deafness.
Weddings
Weddings
Congratulations to Kate Moffatt (pictured) Class of 2014 alumna and Head Prefect who married Ambrose Blanch in September.
Congratulations to Dakotah Love (Class of 2017) who married Justin Tjong last Tuesday, with the PLC Year 12 Spring Ensemble performing at the service.
Share your story! Or dob in a friend!
If you have changed your contact details or been forwarded this newsletter by a friend, you can update your contact details with us directly or through the following link: https://forms.gle/HpdHFe56PjtQjttq8
We are also able to print and post the Green Tartan for any alumnae who do not use email. If you know of someone who may be interested, please contact us.
Update your details
Update your details
If you have changed your contact details or been forwarded this newsletter by a friend, you can update your contact details with us directly or through the following link: https://forms.gle/HpdHFe56PjtQjttq8
We are also able to print and post the Green Tartan for any alumnae who do not use email. If you know of someone who may be interested, please contact us.
Want to know what is happening at PLC Armidale? Check out the latest issue of the Lion's Roar HERE
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