The newest cohort of MSM Alumni, the Class of 2022, were recently welcomed at the Mother-Daughter Garden Party (see photos below). We wish them every success as they embark on their lives post-school.
Reunions certainly returned in force this year! The classes of 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012 had a great time catching up for their 40, 30, 20 and 10 reunions respectively. We were also able to host catchup reunions for the classes of 1981, 1990 and 2010. The majority of the events started with a College tour and there were a lot of memories shared as we walked around the still familiar grounds. Everyone was impressed with the new facilities added to the campus over the past 10 years.
There were a few cohorts who missed out on getting together, including the class of 2000. But I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading about what their College Captain Alissa Collins has achieved since graduating.
I also wanted to acknowledge the incredible musical career of the 1962 College Captain Pamela Dowsett (nee Bryce) who I learned, when tracking down past Captains, had sadly passed away in 2019. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Pamela was soloist and principal player with the Western Australia and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. She also performed all over the world. Vale Pamela.
Planning is now underway for reunions for the classes of 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013. Stay tuned for details.
Wishing you and your family a happy and safe festive season. Please remember us if you’re cleaning up these holidays and come across any items that could be donated to the College Archives.
Yours In faith and love
Anne O’Keeffe (Class of 1986)
President
The Alumni Year 12 Mother-Daughter Garden Party was held on Friday 7 October. We were blessed with fantastic weather as we gathered on the Convent Lawn for the first time since 2019. There was a lovely sense of occasion created by the presence of our String Quartet who provided some beautiful background music. Thank you to the members of the Alumni Executive, Anne O’Keeffe (President), Kate Taylor (Secretary) and Alice Spies (Treasurer) who were present and especially Anne who introduced our Year 12 students to the Alumni Association with such passion.
One of the exciting developments of the year has been the announcement of progress with our Masterplan development. I am very committed to the continual improvement of our campus and investing in our learning environment and student and staff facilities. We have engaged an experienced project team to develop plans for a new learning centre which will include a new library, general learning areas and space for the College administration.
A key focus of the proposed project is to provide flexible facilities that can be used for multiple purposes. The proposed project will improve facilities for staff and students. These proposed improvements are intended to accommodate the needs of our existing number of school staff and students. We are aiming to complete construction of the new building by the end of 2024, in time to help us celebrate our 100 year anniversary in 2025. If you are interested in learning more about our proposed project, please visit our website here.
As the College year comes to a close, may God fill your life with love, joy, hope and peace this Christmas and throughout the new year.
In faith and love
Sharon Volp
Principal
MSM Graduates of 2002 and 2010 Reunions
Due to the complexities of Covid the Class of 2010 were unable to go ahead with their 10 Year Reunion in 2020. The 2010 graduates celebrated their milestone on Saturday 3 September with refreshments and a tour of the College, followed by a gathering at Wilston Village Bar.
The class of 2002 also celebrated their 20 Year Reunion on Saturday 3 September. The graduates who attended enjoyed a tour of the College and followed on with a wonderful catch up at the Newmarket Hotel.
Once a MSM girl, always a MSM girl!
MSM Graduates of 1981, 1982 and 1990 Reunions
On Saturday 17 September, after two years of Covid disruptions we welcomed the Class of 1990 to the College to celebrate their 30 Year Reunion. This cohort finally had the opportunity to come together to celebrate this milestone, enjoying refreshments, sharing of stories and reminiscing during their tour of the College. Celebrations continued on at the Grove Thai Restaurant and Bar.
Also on Saturday 17 September we welcomed the classes of 1981 and 1982 to celebrate their 40 Year Reunions. The Ionian was filled with laughter, storytelling, and fun with the group then continuing on their celebrations at Darling & Co, Paddington.
A wonderful afternoon was shared by all.
“Where are they now” – well I’m at my desk, it’s Monday, I hate everything. It’s been 20ish years since high school but some things you never let go of. With that said, I’m thankful for the opportunity to write a little bit about my time at, and after, Mt St Michael’s. I’m especially grateful that no one asked me to come to the school and say this out loud. I’m a grudging, subpar public speaker – you did yourselves and me a huge favour.
MSM is great that way. It is an education in the truest sense, and a teacher in ways you might not expect. I learned that I should not be given a microphone, ever, in Year 12. I was College Captain and I’m not sure what I thought that role was about, or how I could weirdly develop tonsillitis mere moments before every assembly, but now I chalk it up to the broader political landscape. A lot of people run for things they shouldn’t. In any case, a lesson.
And to the extent that there’s any through-line from high school to what I do now, ‘know yourself’ is it. By way of background, I did subjects and had the mindset of someone headed for a job in Finance or if I was good enough at Physics*, then Engineering (*I wasn’t). I didn’t take a real gap year, but I’d wanted to work in America (the place had good publicists), so I thought if I could get something for a few months, maybe I could blow all my savings and be well on my way to abandoning Medicare. I ended up applying for a role at the Clinton Foundation in New York, and it was just one of those things. I faxed a letter, wasn’t qualified, but somehow they must have sensed that I was eager to learn and determined to get a fake accent as quickly as possible. So that really changed a lot for me. I worked for Bill Clinton’s office for a while, and later for Hillary, and even though I wasn’t especially political I was one of those lamentable election night criers when things went awry. The best takeaway was finally realising that I belong in the background. I’m comfortable around big events and personalities, but I don’t conflate fulfilment or success with visibility.
So what I do now is very much in keeping with that arguable irrelevance. I started working for the United Nations about 10 years ago, and I’m in the office of the President of the General Assembly. We’ve just finished our big week with all the Heads of State in town, and as much as I hear the snide comments about the traffic and the wasted resources – I also agree with them. It’s madness. But it’s not the full story. I travel with my boss and a few weeks prior we were in Georgia and Latvia with refugees from the conflict in Ukraine. We were in Armenia right after that, and I don’t know where the next trip is. But after working in the system for a while, I occasionally feel like making an impassioned defense of its dedication, spirit, and enduring usefulness. This is not one of those times as I have a word limit.
I want to land the plane by saying that as much as your school ‘journey’ (I do live in America) is your own, the school community is one you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. It’s a way to contribute, to understand and learn from others, and to become more self-aware. What I would say, not that anyone asked, to a Mt St Michael’s girl now – 3 things:
- The environment you’re in gives you a lot of material to work with. Figure out what’s interesting to you, what you might be good at, and most importantly – don’t do something just because the group does.
- Challenge the people with more power, defend those with less.
- Even if your experience of high school (and those years in general) isn’t a cakewalk – try to see the upside. Ever meet someone who was all-star, all-round, all-figured-out at 16? Bruce Springsteen writes good songs about that person. You are not in high school to peak there.
Class of 2011
It was lovely to welcome back Corporal Samantha Copus (MSM Alumni – Class of 2011) who joined us for our annual MSM Foundation Year 7 Father-Daughter Breakfast. Together with our special guest speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Pollard, Commanding Officer and Chief Engineer, 12th Chief Engineer Works of the Australian Defence Force and Private Michelle Spadaro, Samantha assisted with facilitating an exciting spaghetti and marshmallow tower STEM challenge for our attendees. It was lovely to hear Samantha's career journey following graduating from MSM.
Twenty years later our 2002 College Captains Laura Morrisey and Lisa Statham are still best friends and live five minutes away from each other. Lisa is Godmother to Laura’s eldest child and they thank MSM for introducing them to each other.
Our College community was greatly saddened to hear the news of the passing of Tom Hart-Davies on Monday 3 October. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife Jacky and his four children Sally, Jane, Clare and Kate (all Alumni of MSM).
As a parent, Tom was generous in giving of his time and energies to serve on the P&F Association, including two years as President. When his daughters graduated from MSM, he modelled servant leadership as he continued to support the College by his involvement as a member of the College Board and College Board Sub-Committees. Tom had input into the purchase of 46 Amarina Avenue, the lifting of the enrolment cap from 750 – 900 students due to the introduction of Year 7, the development of the Arts Precinct building and the Masterplan vision planning.
He demonstrated positivity in all that he did, and his company was life-giving. He was warm and humble, with a witty sense of humour. He epitomised our College values of love, justice, hope and compassion. Tom loved this College community and his legacy will be long remembered.
If you graduated in a year ending in three (such as 1973, 1993, 2003, etc) you are celebrating a decade-milestone in 2023.
Reunion Tours
Reunions are a fantastic way to reconnect with your Mt St Michael’s College classmates. When was the last time you made your way back to Mt St Michael’s College? Last year? Last decade? Not since graduation? Although your school years may be far behind, the friendships that began at MSM still remain or are waiting to be rediscovered. Consider visiting the College as a part of your reunion celebrations. Reunion Tours are scheduled for Saturday 18 March and a Saturday in September/October. Contact alumni@msm.qld.edu.au to find out more.
The College’s Communications and Marketing department in conjunction with MSM Alumni Inc is more than happy to assist your group in the organisation of your event.
Contact alumni@msm.qld.edu.au to find out more.
MSM Alumni Inc. Facebook Group - Click here
Class of 1973 - 50 Year Reunion
Class of 1973, Click here to update your details so that we can keep you updated on your 50 Year Reunion event.
Planning is underway for the 1983 reunion.
Click here to join the Facebook group for event updates.
Alumni from the Class of 1993 Click here to join the Facebook group to keep up with the latest 1993 Alumni reunion details. Your event is happening in March of 2023!
We are looking for volunteers to help with the 2003 reunion.
Please contact alumni@msm.qld.edu.au to find out more.
Click here to join the Facebook group to keep up with the latest 2013 Alumni news and updates.
Funds raised from this raffle will be directed to the MSM Foundation Fund in support of the College’s future building projects.
Very limited tickets available in the College Fees raffle, giving you very good odds of winning a prize valued up to $2500.
The raffle closes on Tuesday 22 November with the winner to be drawn on Wednesday 23 November.
Get your tickets now at https://rafflelink.com.au/msmraffle2022t4
Please keep an eye on the MSM Alumni page on the Mt St Michael's College website for any updates on 2023 Meeting dates.
Click here to view the dates
Year 12 Garden Party
The smiles on the faces of our Year 12 students and their mothers says it all - it was a lovely way to celebrate the beginning of their journey towards Graduation.
We extend our warmest congratulations to our Student Leadership Team for 2023:
Mission Captains - Sophie and Amy
Academic Captains - Elise and Lucy
Cultural Captains - Zoe and Poppy
Aikenhead Captain - Charlotte
Grantuly Captain - Eva
Rush Captain - Sinead
Stewart Captain - Charlotte
Mary Aikenhead Day
As people of Charity, we joined as a College family to celebrate the life and legacy of Venerable Mary Aikenhead, the foundress of the Sisters of Charity. Our community gathered to celebrate with a Mass, followed by a fun day of mission and house activities designed to cultivate the spirit that makes MSM so wonderful.
It was an early start to a wonderful and rewarding day of competition at QSAC on Monday 15 August for the MSM Athletics team who completed in the 2022 CaSSSA Cup Athletics Carnival. A group of MSM students, that have trained tirelessly since the end of Term 2, put on a remarkable display of courage and grit to represent MSM at this event. Outsized by our competitors, the MSM team took to the track and field to compete and were rewarded with fantastic results. We couldn’t be more #MSMProud.
- Percentage Cup – Champions (pound for pound, the best again)
- Aggregate Cup – 3rd
- Field Events – 2nd
- Track Events – 3rd
- All Age Relay – 2nd
- 12 years – Champions
- 13 years – 3rd
- 14 years – Champions
- 15 years – 3rd
- 16 years – 3rd
- 19 years – 2nd
2022 Spirit of the Arts Festival: Elpis was a huge success! This major cultural event, vibrantly supported by the wider MSM community, celebrated the varied talents of MSM Arts students. The College campus was positively overflowing with joy as visitors embraced the uniquity of our Arts Community rejoicing in the diverse displays of Art, Dance, Drama and Music, including a spectacular performance of Pandora’s Box focused on the festival theme of HOPE.
On Friday 14 October we had 370 staff, students and guests attend our second annual Sports Celebration Breakfast. It has been a massive year in sport and it was wonderful to see so many students awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards. Congratulations! Our guest speaker, WAFL player Natalie Grider, provided an inspirational address. Thank you also to all MSM Staff and coaches (many whom are Alumni) who have supported MSM Sport this year to assist our students to achieve fantastic outcomes.
MSM Celebrates
MSM Celebrates was held on Thursday 20 October. A special evening that recognises the outstanding achievements of students from Years 7 – 12 in all facets of our College life including academic, sporting, cultural and community action. The evening was a wonderful celebration recognising our student and staff commitment to excellence throughout the year. We congratulate all our 2022 award recipients.
In 2022 we celebrated MSM Interact group's 25 years of service to the Ashgrove community. After a wonderful lunchtime celebration members of our 2022 Interact Student Executive were guests at the Rotary Club of Ashgrove/The Gap, where they delivered a presentation on the highlights of Interact’s work at MSM over 25 years. We thank our Rotary liaison member Padma and all members of the Ashgrove/The Gap Rotary Club for their ongoing support of our students.
Visit the MSM Business Directory and help support the businesses that so generously support our College Community.
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Mt St Michael's College Alumni related.
Please visit the Mt St Michael's College Alumni Assocation page to update your details.
Click here
Let them know they can get in on all the fun and information by updating their details via the MSM Alumni Association page.
Incorporation Number: IA34417
Our mailing address is:
Mt St Michael's College Alumni Inc
Mt St Michael's College
67 Elimatta Drive
Ashgrove, QLD 4060
Australia