2023 Edition 1
We’ve already hosted two very enthusiastic reunions – the Classes of 1983 and 1993. Both groups had a reminiscent-filled tour of the College before further rekindling of friendships at local venues (scroll down for photos).
There are still three to come - 2013 (offsite in September), 2003 (date TBC) and 1973 (date TBC). Be sure to join the relevant Facebook groups to further information.
One of the highlights of the year is the IWD High Tea and the Alumni speakers. This year’s theme, Cracking The Code, was well-addressed by three accomplished Engineers. It was wonderful to hear about their achievements, and experiences as women, in this field (see their profiles below).
The Alumni and historical display at the College Open Day was another success. It’s always fun watching prospective students look at the old uniforms and photos, especially of the campus in previous years. Speaking of archives, if you have anything to donate from your time at MSM, please contact archives@msm.qld.edu.au.
The centenary of education at the Mt St Michael’s campus is not far away now, in 2025. Please make sure we have your up-to-date details so we can let you know when events are happening or let us know if you’d like to be involved. One of our priorities for 2023 is to improve the Alumni database - we have many names but no other information. So please spread the word.
Yours In faith and love
Anne O’Keeffe (Class of 1986)
President
Senior Project Manager and Structural Engineer at Arup
Since graduating from the University of Queensland with a Civil Engineering Degree (Honours) in 2006, Lisa has enjoyed a successful and interesting career as a design consultant. She has worked in Arup offices in Australia, Singapore, Canada and Qatar contributing to innovative projects, including Kurilpa Bridge, Singapore Sports Hub, Calgary Cancer Centre and BrisMetro. Lisa has two wonderful young children and currently works part-time to balance her home and work commitments.
Principal Consultant – Transport Advisory with SLR Consulting
Jess went to UQ to do a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and graduated with First Class Honours. Jess is a traffic engineer with a particular interest in active transport and road safety. She has experience in a wide variety of planning, engineering and transport infrastructure projects.
Senior Consultant with MBB Group
Ash has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from UQ, a Diploma of Teaching and Learning from Uni SQ, and a Masters in Actuarial Science, with Firsts in many classes, from Bond Uni, A self- confessed maths geek, Ash has worked on projects such as the Gold Coat Light Rail, changed young people’s lives in the classroom for many years and has even run her own construction company.
Our College theme for 2023 is Love Without Limits, taken from Pope Francis’ words “let us live the virtue of generosity, to love without limits.” We have been unpacking this beautiful theme with our community across the year. Our Opening College Mass, presided by Fr Gerry Kalinowski of Jubilee Parish, reminded our students that love of self and acceptance of self were essential to loving others, telling them the story of Taryn Brumfitt (body positivity campaigner and 2023 Australian of the Year). Mass concluded with the blessing of our new College Prayer (written by our 2022 and 2023 Mission Captains), and the Commissioning of our Year 12 Students who recited their leadership pledge and received their Senior Badges. Our Year 12 Students are looking forward to their residential retreat on the Sunshine Coast at the beginning of Term 2.
This year we have launched a new approach to our charitable giving at MSM. The new program comprises of three components:
- An annual whole College major project, linked to the work of the Sisters of Charity
- One smaller year-level project, supporting one of our existing charities, for example The Year 12 students supporting Downs and West with the Charity Ball
- Seasonal giving to Project Compassion and St Vincent de Paul.
It has been great to see the Alumni Association events coming back to life on campus. It was wonderful to hear of the fabulous attendance at the recent Alumni reunions. I am also appreciative of the presence of the Alumni at our recent Open Evening which was held on Friday 3 March and the support at the Foundation International Women’s Day High Tea on 10 March. It was a pleasure to listen to our guest speakers Lisa McMillan (Class of 2002), Jess Peters (Class of 2006) and Ashleigh Jacks (Class of 2005) who are clearly excelling in their fields of engineering.
Planning is underway for our Centenary in 2025. Please continue to encourage your friends to connect so that we can keep everyone informed about our upcoming events.
In faith and love
Sharon Volp
Principal
MSM Alumni - Class of 1973
{B. Occ. Thy. (Qld. Uni.), M.Transp. Psych. (I. T. P. USA), PhD. (Qld. Uni.} Approved Supervisor PACFA
Earlier this year we caught up with Dr Loretta do Rozario and she provided the following reflection titled Glimpses of the Journeyings.
Mt St Michael's College next to the Hospital I was born in (Ashgrove) gave me the foundational inspiration, confidence and optimism that has shaped my life’s Journeyings. Overall in all my Travels from Brisbane to Perth to Canada, USA and New Zealand and now back in Perth, I fondly remember my formative times. From 1968 living in The Gap, Mater Dei, and later at Mt St Michaels especially as School Sports Captain (1972-73) as a safe, nurturing, strengthening and inviting Cauldrons that urged me deeper, onwards and outwards.
In the 1990’s, I was moved to create the Australian Transpersonal Institute and Association, a nationally accredited education and training Institute for ‘Change Growth and Transformation’. In 2000 this evolved into my personal offering, Spirit Works Australia. In 2005 called from Perth to the countryside, I created Tree Song Retreat in Denmark, WA. For 15 years this home and retreat space, offered a beautiful forest Sanctuary of mountain, trees, river and ocean giving those a spaciousness to Be, grow and learn – becoming their vital essential greater Selves and Life Story, no matter what!
I continue my lifelong devotion and focus of enabling individuals from all walks of life, facing all manner of life transitions and challenges, to become more of who they really are and can become, rather than lessened by the dis-ease of constraints, incapacity and partial views. I especially value and love being with the health and helping professions and service organisations so that each system can grow and contribute their ‘personal and social wellbeing wisdoms’. For when each of us heals, embodies, integrates our Wholeness, our ‘Tree of Life’, we can live our full spirited Wellbeing. When we change and enliven, everything changes. In becoming beacons of hope, love and vitality, we model these Changes for our families, professions, organisations and communities. We become real practical leaders whoever and wherever we are. This nourishes us and transforms the world around us.
Are you interested in speaking to our Year 11 Cohort about your career journey and the industry you are in? We are looking for guest speakers in the Health and Recreation, Creative and Performing Arts, Law and Science industries.
Sessions are being held:
Friday 2 June from 8.50 to 9.40am
Friday 20 October from 8.50 to 9.40am
If you work in these fields and are interested in participating, please email us.
If your industry hasn’t been mentioned but you are keen to share your insight, please email Community Engagement Officer, Paula Ovenden – povenden@msm.qld.edu.au as we will have more opportunities throughout the year.
Congratulations to MSM Alumni, Melissa Mather (Class of 1994) who has gained national industry recognition after receiving a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies. Melissa, a Professor in Quantum Sensing and Engineering at Nottingham University has been awarded a prestigious engineering chair to create the next generation of quantum sensors. Melissa was the Dux of MSM in 1994 and moved to the UK in 2003 after completing her PhD.
In her interview, Melissa said "I feel very privileged to be able to say that I’m doing my dream job and hope that, through this research, I’ll be able to engage, educate, and maybe even inspire other people by opening their eyes to the world of quantum and the possibilities it creates – not just for industry but on an everyday level too.
Read more about Melissa's career success here.
Mt St Michael’s Principal, Sharon Volp recently visited St Finbarr’s Primary School in Ashgrove to meet the new Principal. Sharon was delighted to connect with two Alumni members who are teachers at St Finbarr’s. Emily Page (Class of 2017) is excited that her first teaching position is at St Finbarr’s. Hayley Duff (Class of 2013) is a new staff member at St Finbarr’s this year. With the strong connection to the charism of the Sisters of Charity due to their education at MSM, these women will influence future generations of students “In faith and love”.
Milestone Reunions
The class of 1983 celebrated their 40 year reunion recently. The graduates who attended enjoyed an afternoon of celebration and reminiscing during their college tour followed by a gathering at Thai on Grove, Ashgrove. For more photos, visit the group's Facebook page here.
The class of 1993 celebrated their 30 year reunion. The graduates who attended enjoyed a tour of the College and followed on with a wonderful catch up at the Tetto Rooftop Bar. For more photos, visit the group's Facebook page here.
Milestone Reunions in 2023
If you graduated in 1973, 2003 or 2013 you are celebrating a decade-milestone this year! Find out what is happening for your year level, or organise something today!
We warmly invite you to join us at our Alumni meetings held at 6pm in the Chapel, Mary Aikenhead Building, MSM.
Please find a list of our 2023 meeting dates below:
Monday 22 May
Monday 19 June
Monday 21 August
Monday 11 September
Monday 20 November
Principal's Honours Assembly
We were delighted to welcome back to Mt St Michael’s our 2022 MSM Honour Students, to present them with their ‘Principal’s Honour Award’, for their excellence in achievement and commitment to their studies in their chosen pathway; either ATAR or Vocational Education. These graduates have truly demonstrated Competence, Confidence, Compassion, Conscience and Commitment throughout their educational journey, and we were proud to acknowledge their achievements at our annual Principal's Honours Assembly.
Olivia Cavanagh, 2022 Dux of the College, in her address expressed her gratitude, thanking the dedicated teachers at MSM who supported her throughout her academic journey. Olivia looks forward to studying a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at James Cook University.
The words of Mary Aikenhead also remind us that, “Truly we have a reason to be grateful. Almighty Providence has been bountiful. May we do our best in all ways.”
Our MSM Family gathered to celebrate a beautiful Opening Eucharist to begin our academic year and to bless and commission our senior students as they assume responsibility for the leadership of our community. Our College theme for 2023 is Love Without Limits.
2023 Year 12 Theme Launch
Our Year 12 cohort delivered an enthusiastic launch of the 2023 Year 12 Theme “Add some spice to your MSM life” at Assembly. The Spice Girls inspired theme banner will be prominently displayed in the Sophia Centre throughout the year as a reminder for all students to get involved in co-curricular academic, sporting and cultural opportunities and spice up their MSM life in 2023. This is a wonderful tradition at the College. Can you remember if your cohort had a Year 12 theme?
International Women’s Day High Tea
On Friday 10 March, it was wonderful to welcome back onsite in the Sophia Centre, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, Alumni and special guests for the annual International Women’s Day High Tea. Guests enjoyed traditional high tea food catered by Ab Fab catering. The College was grateful for the support of the MSM Alumni who sponsored the delicious cookies by Judy C that doubled as a nice a take home gift.
This year’s UN theme was #crackingthecode and with this in mind we welcomed a panel of experts in the STEM field including esteemed Engineers, Lisa McMillan (Class of 2002), Jess Peters (Class of 2006) and Ashleigh Jacks (Class of 2005). These women were exemplary in their delivery, speaking to the IWD theme and inspiring our current students to ask some thought-provoking questions relating to working in the Engineering industry
We conducted our annual raffle in support of the MSM Foundation and our Light the Way Capital Campaign and we thank those members of our community who generously supported this throughout the week leading up to the event and on the day of the event. We had a number of wonderful prizes up for grabs and we thank our local business community for their contributions. Our lucky winners on the day were quick to jump to their feet to claim their prizes from the prize table.
After a short but intense season, our MSM swimming team competed in the CaSSSA Cup Swimming Carnival coming home as the Percentage Cup Champions and All Age Relay Champions. After some quiet years without spectators, it was wonderful to have the Year 8 and 10 students and staff attend as our cheer squad, supporting our CaSSSA Swim Team in the most #MSMloud and #MSMproud way possible.
The MSM Foundation Raffle is on again!
The prize consists of a choice of $2500 credit towards tuition fees OR a $1500 cash prize so if you don’t have a daughter attending MSM, you can still win a fabulous prize whilst supporting future growth of the College.
Funds raised from this raffle will be directed to the MSM Foundation in support of the College’s Light the Way Capital Campaign for future building projects. To read more, visit https://www.msm.qld.edu.au/futureplanning
Tickets will be available from Wednesday 26 April until Tuesday 13 June with the winner to be drawn on Wednesday 14 June at 10am AEST.
Changed your email or phone number recently? Make sure that your details are up to date so that we can keep you informed about reunions, events and to receive our ' Fide et Amore' newsletter. Update your details here.
Don't forget to spread the word to fellow MSM Alumni.
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
