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Fahan in Focus

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2 Principal’s Message

3 Senior School Report Alumni Hockey

4 Alumni Stories Mary Murdoch Crisp Rhea Longley

5 Aid Work

6 Development News Alumni Notices

What’s InsideThe Fahan School recipe book, Under the Tree, has now been available for purchase for two months. Since the official launch by Sir Guy green on the 24th of September, the book has been selling steadily. The launch was a very enjoyable evening and Sir Guy’s words on the night summed up the recipe book project perfectly. Sales on the launch night exceeded 300 copies and the book has been posted to buyers interstate and overseas.

At this point in time two of the main aims of the book have certainly been

achieved. The first was to capture part of the family and community spirit that makes Fahan School special. The recipes and images in the book show this perfectly. The second aim was to raise funds for the school to benefit the students. Profits from sales have now reached $20,000 and continue to climb.

Under the Tree can be purchased from the School office or uniform shop or on line at www.fahan.tas.edu.au for $50 per copy.

Birgitta Browning

“Under The Tree is the first commercially published school recipe book in Tasmania”

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Parents, staff and friends,

In this message I would like to reflect upon three events that occurred during Term Three which I believe encapsulate the meaning of what we call the Fahan Community. The first of these was the opening of the Kindergarten Museum. This was a marvellous example of what young children can achieve when working as a team, supported by their families and an exceptional mentor such as Mrs Jennifer Parsons. The students were very focused on developing their own museum, posing and solving hundreds of questions along the journey. The excitement on their faces as they waited to show their guests on opening night is something I will always remember.

One week later I was fortunate enough to attend the first function of the revamped Fahan School Alumni, held in Melbourne. Over 60 guests attended this function with leavers from 1935 to 2004 mixing together in the spirit that one would expect of a Fahan girl. One of the highlights of the occasion was an address delivered by Mary Marshall, an original 1935 boarder. Her reflections captivated the audience and seemed to affirm in them all the significance of their time at Fahan.

Earlier in the term we had seen the culmination of one of the most ambitious projects ever to be undertaken by the Parents and Friends Association. Under

the Tree is a remarkable product. A top quality cook book, it showcases stunning images of the School and ‘tried and true’ recipes contributed by people connected to Fahan. The efforts of three women in particular, Lia Morris, Birgitta Browning and Felicity Roger, with the support of the P&F executive, have been spectacularly successful in not only making a substantial amount of money but also in raising the profile of the School through the positive impact that the book has had in the wider community.

So, when you consider the common element that links these three events is the School, and then consider the remarkable efforts of our students, which have been detailed elsewhere in this publication, or in Fortnight at Fahan, a clear idea of what it means to be part of our Community emerges and should engender a feeling of great pride.

Tony Freeman, Principal

Principal’s Message This Term, Fahan welcomed Julz Standish-White (Year 9) from our sister school, St Mary’s in Johannesburg, RSA.

My exchange experience has definitely been a memorable one. Living in a foreign country for three months is not easy but in the safe and comfortable environment of Fahan School it did not take long for me to feel at home. I was welcomed and made to feel as much a part of the school as everyone else. Having always been a day student, boarding was a very new to me. Never before had I had to wash my own clothes and do one and a half hours of prep every night. Although it took some getting used to, I thoroughly enjoyed staying in the Boarding House and really got to know and make friends with girls of all ages.

Before I came I was not sure of what to expect from this exchange and I think even now I could not mention the many, many lessons I have learnt during my stay in Tasmania. I have met incredible people and will never forget them. Fahan School will always be a fond memory of mine and I really appreciate the effort made by both the girls and staff who made my stay as easy and enjoyable as it was. The Boarding House really was a ‘home away from home’ for me and there was always someone to help me out when I was feeling out of things. The past three months have been the most memorable of my life and I will definitely come back here one day.

Julia Standish-White, Year 9

ErratumSamantha Smith (Year 10) represented the School at the National Equestrian Australia Schools Championships (in Show Jumping) which were held at Werribee in Victoria the week beginning the 28th September. Not mentioned last edition, her team-mate Anna Clark, who also competed.

Emily Meaney (Year 6) represented Tasmania at the Australian Junior Elite Diving Championships held in Sydney this July. Emily finished 9th in the 13 and under division of the competition. Team-mates Isobel Dunbabin and Bianca Johnston also competed and the winning girls team in the All School Diving Championships.

If your daughter has achieved something you would like us to note, please visit the news section at www.fahan.tas.edu.au to submit details which will be included in a relevant Fahan publication.

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Senior School Report 2009The School year started with a new tradition introduced by the Principal, Mr Freeman. This was an academic assembly in which high achievers from last year’s Year 12 were recognised. This was the perfect year to start such a fine tradition in that in 100% of the Year 12s from 2008 achieved university entrance with one in three gaining a TER over 95. We have yet to hear of any other school in the state which can boast such fine results. The results of the National Testing (NAPLAN) for years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were also very pleasing and endorsed the excellent efforts of our staff. Fahan results were well above the National, State and Independent Schools’ averages across the board.

Whilst we are very proud of these results, we continue to be impressed by the way the girls take advantage of the wide range of opportunities offered at Fahan.

In Term 1 Mrs Jane Naqvi and Mrs Annie Tremayne undertook the ambitious task of producing Little Shop of Horrors. Many students and staff took part in this production, ably supported by the now famous Fahan tech crew. Second Term was highlighted in the Performing Arts area by the Fahan Winter Concert which showcased the depth of talent by our music students. The Drama Department finished off the School year with a magnificent production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. This production involved every student in Year 8 and was produced by Mrs Lisbeth Eastoe with the assistance

of the Middle School Staff.Fahan sporting teams continue to be seen in every field, court and on the water. Whilst the emphasis of sport at Fahan is participation (and so many students are involved in several sports) it is also exciting to see trophies brought back to Fahan. The excellent performances at the inter-schools Knockout Tournament towards the end of the year deserve special mention. Many, many hours of training go into the preparation of these teams, highlighting the dedication of our HPE staff and the commitment of the girls who are often training in the early hours of the morning whilst their classmates are still in bed!

There is no way to do justice to the busy and full life of the Senior School students at Fahan in the small amount of space available. However, the values of participation, service and commitment to do the very best they can as individuals, are shown by each member of the student body and the staff members.

Just a few weeks ago the 2009 Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar was announced. Rhea Longley, a Fahan leaver in 2005 is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious scholarship. In a radio interview, Rhea acknowledged the influence of Fahan during her education. Congratulations, Rhea. We are very proud that you are our first Fahan Rhodes Scholar.

Rosemary Sargison, Deputy Principal

Read more about Rhodes Scholar Rhea Longley on pages 4 and 5.

Middle School Report - Term 3

Term Three in the Middle School has been very busy but highly exciting. We welcomed Mrs Aimee Woodward who has made Science very exciting. The Year Seven students spent a highly enjoyable day at Woodbridge Marine Centre as an experiential part of their of their Marine

Studies Unit and the Year Eight students have worked to create living habitats as part of their Weathering and Erosion unit.

The Middle School sent a team of Year Seven students to enter the Readers’ Cup at Ogilvie High School. To qualify the students had to read a selection of books chosen by The Children’s Book Council of Australia, answer a range of quiz questions on the texts and present a dramatisation related to one of the texts. Mia Williamson, Sophie Bale, Maddy Salter, Jordan McGinty and Merryn Allen performed very well when answering quiz questions in the classroom and were selected to represent Fahan at the Readers’ Cup. The students performed a moving dramatisation based on A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French. Although our girls were not medal winners they performed well and have benefited greatly from the experience.

The Year Eight students have worked exceptionally hard, devoting many, many hours of time to their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Guided by their Drama teacher, Ms Eastoe, the girls have auditioned for parts, learnt lines, decided on costuming, developed a musical score and created a set. Parents were treated to a magical performance of the play, enhanced by fairy lights and gorgeous costumes.

The final weeks of school are a special time for Middle School students. The Year Eight students have made subject choices and are preparing to move into the Senior School. The Year 7 students are working to support the Junior School in their upcoming performance of Alice in Wonderland.

Sharon Johns, Middle School Coordinator

School Activities

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Old Scholar Named as a 2009Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women RecipientMary Murdoch Crisp was born in Hobart on 30 April 1924. She has lived in the Coal River Valley all her life and is widely recognised for her extensive community involvement. Mary was educated at home, Cambridge Primary School and Fahan School, becoming President of the Fahan Old Scholars Association in the 1960s. She began her voluntary work early in life, joining the Junior Red Cross in 1934, an association she has continued to the present day. As a member of the Red Cross during WWII, Mary was a member of the ladies’ groups that provided support, hospitality, entertainment and catering for soldiers in various camps in the Coal River Valley. She has been a volunteer of the Richmond Branch of the Red Cross since 1940 and has been President of the branch since 1976. Mary was President of the Southern Regional Council twice and a member of the State Divisional Council for approximately 24 years. Mary’s service to the Red Cross has been recognised through a number of presentations, including the Red Cross Long Service Award to mark 70 years service, a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor of Clarence City Council in recognition of her outstanding service and the Distinguished Service Medal in 1999. Mary’s service to her community has included years of leadership and service to the Richmond Hall and Reserves Committee, the National Trust Ladies’ Committee, the Richmond Agricultural Show, Meals on Wheels and the South East Nursing and Home Care Association.

Mary has also been recognised for her contribution to the Sorell Rotary Club, receiving the Paul Harris Fellowship in 1988 for her contribution to the local community. Her extensive volunteering contribution to her community was recognised in 2001 when the Clarence City Council presented her with a Centenary of Federation Local Hero Award.

Article and photo courtesy of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Tasmania.

Old Scholar Rhea Longley (‘05) was recently awarded the Rhodes Scholarship which she obtained for academic excellence and all-round good character. This will allow Rhea to study at the famed Oxford University in the UK. Rhea was kind enough to answer some questions about her time at Fahan and about winning this prestigious honor.

What did you study at Fahan and how did it shape your path of study?

During Years 11 and 12 at Fahan I studied subjects such as Biology, Chemisty, Health Sciences and Geography. I was obviously interested in the sciences, but topics covered in both health sciences and geography sparked my interest in problems affecting those people in developing countries. This greatly helped shape the path for my future studies, as I entered into the Bachelor of Medical Research at UTAS encouraged by Mrs Foster! I had many great teachers at

Fahan, and this really helped me value my education and want to do my best.

At Fahan I was also involved in many sports, such as hockey (which I still play now for North West Graduates Hockey Club), netball, rowing, tennis and softball. This helped in my aim to win the Rhodes scholarship, as it is not only about academic achievement but involvement in the community and in sporting endeavors. Fahan also has a strong focus on support and fundraising both within the school community and also helping outside charities, and this encouraged me to continue such work once I had left Fahan - for example in coaching sporting teams.

What is your field of study?

My field of study is currently in genetics and immunology of infectious diseases. After I graduated from the Bachelor of Medical Research in 2008, I start my Honours Project with the Menzies Research Institute. The Director, Simon Foote, has a strong interest in host genetics and I spent the year working in his lab looking for genes involved in resistance to malarial infection. This was an excellent opportunity for me as it allowed me to combine my knowledge in science with my desire to help those in developing countries.

What led to you winning the scholarship?

The Rhodes Scholarship was established in the will of Cecil Rhodes, in order to provide future leaders of the world with an education to develop their abilities. 57 scholars are elected each year from various countries including Australia. In Australia, one scholarship is provided for each state. As i mentioned, apart from high academic achievement, scholars are required to also be involved within the community and show “physical vigour”, as well as certain character traits deemed important for great leadership.

Personally, throughout my University studies I have achieved high academic success in my chosen field. Rhodes scholars need to be well rounded, and my involvement in hockey and the larger

Community Honour

Rhodes Scholar

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hockey community helped in this regard. The scholarship is something I heard of during my early years at University and studying at Oxford is a fantastic opportunity, so I was quite pro-active in finding out more about the scholarship and doing everything I could to help in my goal of achieving it. It is a prestigious scholarship, but I’m just a normal girl from a normal background and hopefully this encourages other Fahan girls to strive for their goals whatever they may be!

Why is it important to you to have won this scholarship?

Winning this scholarship has really opened up my future in terms of opporunities once I have finished my studies. It is known world wide and will defininately help me get ahead in that manner. Studying at Oxford will be like a fairy tale, apart from doing my PhD in an excellent institute, I will have opportunities to travel, meet new people from many nationalities, and see what there is out there beyond Tasmania!

What will the scholarship lead to and what are your future plans?

I will begin my Phd at Oxford next October, studying at the Jenner Institute which has a focus on developing vaccines for both human and live stock diseases. I will be working on developing a vaccine for malaria, in which the laboratory has already had some preliminary success which is vary exciting as malaria still counts for 1 to 2 million deaths each year. This will be a three year program for me. Afterwards, I will either continue research in this area, or perhaps enter more directly into public health - working with an organisation such as the World Health Organisation to plan and implement programs to monitor and evaluate health programs and deliver effective preventative solutions.

Fahan school students have been supporting a Primary School in the hills behind Dili in the district of Aileu since 2007. Over the past three years the Fahan girls have provided essential stationery, art materials as well as musical instruments and sporting equipment.

We received news to say that two new classrooms have been built and equipped with recent fund-raising by the students.

The children from Daisoli Primary School and the Fahan students exchange letters. The ones from Timor are written in Tetum, the local language, but Timorese students studying at the University of Tasmania kindly translate these letters for us.

It is wonderful that the contribution from Hobart students is making such a difference to students the same age in one of the world’s newest and poorest nations.

Aid Work

Fahan also collected goods and funds to send to Samoa for disaster relief. Neletta Lopa, Year 12, has family in the region and organised the drive to send relief. Pictured below are her and her father.

As you can see from the photo, a literal truckload of goods were collected. Well done to all.

Congratulations to students Caitlin and Brooke Mason who were both awarded Tasmanian Institute of Sport Scholarships for Women’s Football in 2010.

Fahan School invites advertisers or content contributions: email to enquiries@fahan.tas.edu.au

STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION

Principal Mr Tony Freeman freemant@fahan.tas.edu.auDeputy Principal Mrs Rosemary Sargison sargisonr@fahan.tas.edu.auPrincipal’s Assistant Mrs Karen Di Benedetto karen@fahan.tas.edu.auDirector of Development Mr Ric Fletcher fletcher@fahan.tas.edu.au

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Births

Diana (Young, ‘9? ) and Matthew Mcconnell - Daughter Ivy

Tabitha (Tucker, ‘9? ) and Christian Komzak - Daughter Sanjana

Anna Bennett (‘90) and husband Daniel Telfer - Son William

Deaths

Judy Burn (Bailey, ‘39)Peggy Skira (‘??)

Engagements

Jacqueline Crane (9?) and Norman Gangell

Marriages

Francesca Haig (‘99) and Andrew North of Kent, England.Bree Crisp (‘94) and Jonothan Clements

Alumni Notices

A picture from the contract signing for the new Performing Arts Centre.Pictured are: Fahan School Board Chair: Kim Evans, Director Fahan School Board: David Morris, Director JAWSArchitect: Neal MacKintosh, Fairbrothers Sthn Divisional Manager: Paul Ransley, Fairbrothers Project Manager: Adam Connor, Fahan Business Manager: Maria Cantillon, Fahan Deputy Principal and Director of Studies: Rosemary Sargison, Fahan Principal : Tony Freeman

Thanks to your generous support Fahan girls have a lot to smile about next year! The exciting news at Fahan is that the School was able to commence the construction of our new music centre in the second half of 2009.

This wonderful development has occurred through generous donations by the school community over the past three years, coupled with a successful application for funding through the Federal Government’s stimulus package

for Building the Education Revolution. (BER) It must be said that without significant major gifts from extremely generous benefactors this project would not have been accomplished in it’s current scale. Thank you for every single very important gift!

We all look forward to seeing the completed Music Centre filled with eager young musicians!

Annual Giving income has risen remarkably to reach a little under $40 000 for each of the last two years. For a small school like Fahan, with only 750 Alumni over the age of 50 on our records, this is a really good effort. Well done to you all. Much more can be achieved though, and I believe that by continuing to instil a tradition of giving and a culture of philanthropy, we can make Fahan an even more sought after school in the future. Few words can adequately express my gratitude for such generosity. Thank you for your personal backing and extreme faith in Fahan. Combining fundraising and marketing is a challenge I thoroughly enjoy.

Our enrolment objective is to have 400 students at Fahan. Whilst there are still a few gaps in some classes, most classes boast waiting lists. This is a very pleasing outcome indeed. Interestingly, the number of “visits” to our school website has grown by over 50% in the past 20 months. Please have a lookat http://www.fahan.tas.edu.au. to share the“Fahan” experience! Lastly, I’d like to mention the revitalised Fahan School Alumni, whom I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with and meeting regularly. Kathryn and your team, keep up the momentum and I look forward to perpetuating the friendships I have made over the past three years!

Ric FletcherDirector of Development

Development Report

Reunion InformationPhotos of the “9’s”reunion are available at www.fahan.tas.edu.au.

The nearly completed music centre