2025 - Edition 1
The Centenary year is finally here! We’ve already had a hugely successful event and will be part of more in July. The MSM Alumni Inc is proud to be the Platinum sponsor at the Centenary Gala Dinner, an evening of celebration with MSM Alumni taking to the stage to provide entertainment for the night. We are excited to have Katerini Manalotos (Class of 1996) and her band Girl from Greece and Kitty Gatling (Class of 2011) as DJ for the event. It's going to be a fabulous night! Further details are further down.
At our AGM in March, Alice Spies (Treasurer) and I were re-elected, along with Judy Sheehan (Class of 1971) and Venny Sarmiento (Class of 1988). We are incredibly grateful to outgoing executive and committee member Kate Taylor (Class of 1990) who has stepped away after 8 years of service. Thank you Kate. It’s not too late to join the committee or even come along to a meeting. Dates are on the MSM Alumni website.
Our 'Back to MSM' reunion day was a glorious gathering of almost 300 past students, teachers, Principals Mrs Mullins and Ms Terrey and Sisters of Charity. There were milestone reunions for the Classes of 2020, 2015, 2005, 1995, 1985, 1975, 1965 and even 1955. We were chuffed to have College Captains from these cohorts there too. It was also an opportunity for those from other years to meet up with former classmates. Thanks to those who travelled long distances and rallied their cohorts. A great deal of gratitude goes to those who worked behind the scenes and on the day to make this a very special, once in a century event. Enjoy the photos below.
There was lots of interest in the uniforms, memorabilia and class photos from years gone by. We’re keen to bolster the Archives, so if you have anything to contribute, please contact archives@msm.qld.edu.au. If you’re not ready to part with items yet, please let your family know to pass them on to the College, when the time is right.
We are also compiling a virtual Honour Board to recognise those who’ve been involved in the Alumni in its various iterations over the years. If you have been part of the Executive or Committee, please confirm your years of service via alumni@msm.qld.edu.au.
We’ve already started contacting alumni with milestone reunions in 2026, including my own, the Class of 1986. 40 years, how did that happen? If you’re in the Class of 2016, 2006, 1996, 1986, 1976, 1966, 1956 - please check for your Facebook group below. Block out Saturday 21 March 2026 in your calendar now.
We’re looking forward to again supporting the Career Conversations Breakfast with MSM Alumni in June. Please make sure we know what you’re up to in your career to by filling out MSM Alumni Inc - Keep In Touch.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Fide et Amore – please share it around.
Yours In Faith And Love
Anne O’Keeffe (Class of 1986)
President
Welcome to our much-anticipated centenary year. The core value that we are focusing on this year is Hope. In recognition of our centenary celebrations, MSM has chosen Hope Endures as its theme for this year. As we celebrate 100 years of educating young women in faith and love, we look back with gratitude, celebrating our history and accomplishments, and we look forward with hope as we dream of what MSM will become in its second century.
We have chosen to use the azalea blossom as a symbol of our enduring hope. The gardens of Grantuly are full of heritage azalea bushes, and each spring they bloom in a riot of colour. Like the cherry blossom, the azalea is an enduring symbol of hope: with each passing year, the flowers are more spectacular.
A new chapter in the history of our College commenced this year when we welcomed our fifty Year 5 students on Wednesday 29 January. Supported by our Junior School Team consisting of Ms Katie Jordan (Head of Junior School), Mrs Kate Marsh and Ms Kate Toohey (experienced primary school teachers) and Ms Jen Roberts (Junior School Support Officer), we are all marvelling at how well that they are adapting to life at MSM. They have brought so much energy to our campus and have enthusiastically embraced all that MSM has to offer including participating in a Year 5 Retreat and the CaSSSA Swimming Carnival. They have even created their own Community Action Network group called MSM Cares.
We have some wonderful opportunities for Alumni to reconnect with the College throughout our centenary year. The MSM Alumni Inc has already hosted a fantastic “Back to MSM Reunion” event on Saturday 22 March. The College has organised a special Mass on Mary Aikenhead Day (Friday 25 July) at noon at Riverlife. This is a large venue that can comfortably accommodate our current community and guests. Booking details can be found in this newsletter edition. Details regarding our Centenary Gala Dinner at The Star are also outlined in this newsletter. I invite you to get a table of friends together and join us for an evening of great food and entertainment to say “Happy Birthday” Mt St Michael’s!
To mark our Centenary year, the College blessed and commissioned a special centenary blessing. This will be prayed at all major College events across 2025 and I would like to conclude my article by sharing the prayer with you.
God of yesterday, today and tomorrow,
We give thanks to you for the gift of this Mt St Michael’s Community:
for friendships cultivated and lessons learned.
Bless the Sisters who formed us:
Women of courage and compassion whose love lives in the bones of this place.
We thank them for the gift of our education and for the values that guide us today.
Bless our Alumni:
Women of confidence and competence who once walked these halls,
Who take the gift of their education and use it for the betterment of our world.
Bless our Staff, past and present:
Whose commitment to our students has lit the lamp of learning, sparking curiosity and widening horizons.
Bless our students:
For they hold the hope and promise of our future in their hands.
May our College nurture and sustain them, helping them to grow into all they are meant to be.
In Faith and Love we pray, Amen.
Fide et Amore
Sharon Volp
Principal
Complimentary Mass tickets can be reserved via the link below. Bookings are essential. Please note that tickets are strictly limited and are issued on a first come, first served basis. Bookings will close at 5pm on Wednesday 16 July.
Parking: Riverlife has ample free parking available onsite. If you require a disabled parking space, please contact our Marketing and Events team events@msm.qld.edu.au to confirm arrangements.
It's an event 100 years in the making... The 2025 MSM Centenary Gala Dinner will be held at The Star Brisbane on Saturday 26 July from 6pm to 11pm. Join us for a night to remember as we welcome our MSM community, past and present to indulge in a sumptuous two course dinner, dessert, five-hour drink package, live entertainment and more. Tickets are $225 per person and can be purchased via the link below.
This event promises to be enjoyable as we gather together to celebrate 100 years of educating in faith and love.
As part of this celebration, we are proud to offer opportunities for businesses to engage with the MSM community. In 2025, this collaboration will take on special significance as we honour our legacy and dedication to education through faith and love.
We have four tiers of Sponsorship available at this major College event. This is a fantastic chance to showcase your brand while supporting the College in this milestone year.
Comprehensive details regarding our sponsorship package inclusions are outlined in the Sponsorship Proposal below. For more information, please contact the MSM Development Office - events@msm.qld.edu.au
Have you changed your email, job/career or living abroad? Make sure that your details are up-to-date so that we can keep you informed about reunions, events and more.
Class of 2001
It was over the summer holidays between Year 8 and Year 9, so 1997/1998. The principal at the time, Mrs Narelle Mullins called me at home and asked if I would be able to compose the music for the school song. I played the clarinet in the Concert Band but funnily enough it wasn't on the clarinet that I composed the music. It was on a dinky little pencil case which had a playable piano built in! I was in my room punching out ideas on the little rubber keys and the whole melody just came to me! Amy Tidbold wrote the lyrics, sent them through to me and then I set them to the music. My brother Leo, who was going into Year 12 at Marist Ashgrove, mixed a demo tape with me singing. This original version had a very lively samba influence, complete with drum rolls and agogo bells! He even added whistles and bongo drums. I took the cassette tape (points to any current MSM student who knows what that is!) into school on the student free week at the beginning of Term 1 and played it for Mrs Mullins who loved it.
2. How long did it take you and Amy to compose and write the lyrics to the song?
I don't know about Amy for the lyrics, but if my memory serves me right, I think we had a pretty quick turnaround. I suppose it must have been a couple of weeks. I do remember that once the melody came to me, matching the lyrics to fit the music flowed pretty easily.
3. How does it feel to know the song is embraced at every school liturgy/Mass and special events still today?
I am immensely proud to know this. I absolutely loved my time at Mt St Michael's and I am so happy that in my own way I was able to give back a little to a school that shaped me so much. Also, I think if you told young me at 13 years old and young Amy at 15 years old that the song would still be sung proudly almost 30 years on, we would never have believed it! That's incredible and makes me really proud.
4. Have you continued your love for music beyond high school?
I still love music, I often strum out a few singalongs on the ukulele. I was given a record player for my birthday this year and I have absolutely loved scouring second-hand shops and garage sales for LPs to listen to. Motown, Soul, Jazz, Classical, it's amazing the gems you can find!
5. Where are you living now?
I live in Marseille, France. I've been here for 13 years.
Class of 1999
It was a little over 25 years ago, just before starting year 12, the school principal at the time, Narelle Mullins, asked me if I could write the lyrics for Fide et Amore. It was a collaboration with another student, Teresa McFadden, who wrote the music to accompany the words. As I wrote, I focused on reflecting the values I had been taught over the previous four years at MSM—values that still resonate deeply with me today: commitment to social justice, pursuit of excellence, and a genuine care for others. Once the lyrics were complete, Teresa composed the music to accompany them. I believe the music plays a crucial role in setting a buoyant, uplifting tone for the song, instilling a sense of hope and optimism.
I was truly surprised to learn recently that Fide et Amore is still sung today. Having graduated from MSM in 1999, many years had passed since I last thought about the song. It wasn’t until my mum attended an MSM graduation ceremony last year that I discovered the song is still in use today. It fills me with immense pride and joy to know that the words I wrote all those years ago continue to inspire the young women at MSM.
The phrase from the song that holds the deepest meaning for me in my life now is: “grant to us the courage to be faithful and endure, no matter what the future holds.” Life has taken me on many unexpected paths, full of challenges but also rewards. To all future generations of MSM women, I wish you strength, courage, and resilience as you navigate your journey through life.
Joanna Morris - Class of 1999
Congratulations to MSM Alumni, Sergeant Jo Morris (Class of 1999) for being named in the King’s Birthday Honour list for a Conspicuous Service Medal.
Lexi Brant - Class of 2021
The 2025 Queensland State Final of Miss Universe Australia was held on Wednesday 23 March. Lexie was chosen as one of the 7 national finalists to represent Queensland in Miss Universe Australia.
Lexie has travelled to Vietnam in May, where all 28 National finalists gathered. The finalists will travel to Perth in August for the National Final Main Event, where the next Miss Universes Australia 2025 will be crowned. Good luck Lexie!
Siobhan Edwards - Class of 2019
Congratulations to Siobahan who was recently awarded both titles of the 2025 Queensland Rose of Tarlee and the 2025 Queensland Fundraiser Rose of Tarlee. In August Siobahan will travel to Ireland where this annual event brings together young women of Irish descent from around the globe. Wishing Siobahan all the best for her journey ahead.
Meg Harris - Class of 2019
Meg continues to achieve impressive accomplishments, claiming victory in the women's 50m freestyle event at the Australian Swimming Championships. Read more on Meg's journey to Australian Dolphins leadership here.
Keep the news coming! Whether it’s special news from an Alumni, reunion updates or something you would like to see featured in our Alumni newsletter – we’d love to hear from you! Email: alumni@msm.qld.edu.au
Career Conversations Breakfast with MSM Alumni
What is the Career Conversations Breakfast?
The College in partnership with the MSM Alumni Inc launched this event in 2023 with the aim of connecting our past students with our current students. The concept of the event is a mentoring Career Speed Networking format where we welcome you, our Alumni to share your valuable insight for your chosen industry with our current students. The event involves tables set up for our students (and their accompanying parents) and an alumni at each table for a set time (approximately 5 – 10 minutes) before a bell sounds prompting a rotation of alumni from table to table around the room for the duration of the breakfast.
We look forward to hosting this event in 2025 where we have a full program. Current MSM students will hear from MSM Alumni from various industries including, dentistry, town planning, science, disability services, HR, marketing, engineering and law. Whilst our schedule is full this year, we welcome interested speakers for future career events to reach out via alumni@msm.qld.edu.au.
Below are photos from our 2024 event where we welcome nine esteemed Alumni from multiple industries.
Milestone Reunions in 2026
If you graduated in 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 or 2016 you are celebrating a decade-milestone in 2026.
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.
Stay up-to-date with details of this special celebration. Join the MSM Alumni community: https://www.facebook.com/MtStMichaelsCollegeAlumni
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 2025 meeting dates below:
Monday 14 July
Monday 1 September
Monday 13 October
Monday 24 November
Principal's Honours Assembly
Earlier this year, we were delighted to welcome back to Mt St Michael’s our 2024 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. As people of commitment and competence, these graduates have shared their gifts generously, and we are richer for their contributions. We were proud to acknowledge their achievements at our annual Honours Assembly.
In her address, our 2024 Dux recipient Audrey expressed her gratitude, thanking the dedicated teachers at MSM who guided her throughout her academic journey. Audrey looks forward to undertaking Provisional entry into Doctor of Medicine with undergraduate study of Bachelor of Biomedical Science at UQ. A special thank you to our Honour Students who addressed the audience and shared their own reflections on their journey to excellence.
International Women's Day High Tea
What an incredible afternoon we had at our 2025 MSM Foundation IWD High Tea as we marched forward together to celebrate women’s achievements within our networks and globally. We were fortunate to be joined by guest speaker, Tracey Porst, owner of The Fair Trader, who provided insight into the significance of safe and ethical practices of goods and services and how this supports communities of women all around the world. Tracey spoke about the correlation between empowering women and girls through education and finding employment opportunities to end the entrenched poverty. She shared the story of how Kenana Knitters was founded in 1998 to give income to the rural women of Njoro, Kenya through their spinning and knitting skills.
A beautiful high tea was shared throughout the afternoon, whilst attendees enjoyed a performance by our MSM Senior Strings. As we #MarchForward in our Centenary year, current MSM students paraded our uniforms across the decades, providing an element of entertainment for the afternoon.
The College thanked and acknowledged the ongoing support of the MSM Alumni for the generous donation of the delicious cookies shared at the event.
We thank Dr Sarah Pollock (Class of 2001) for joining us at this event in her capacity as MSM Foundation Chair and for graciously accepting the cheque for $14,675, the sum of the proceeds from the 2024 Mothers’ Lunch Raffle, to be directed to the MSM Foundation’s Light the Way Capital Campaign.
While education is a right that we all enjoy, it’s easy to forget that many of our sisters in other parts of the world are not so fortunate.
For more than 60 years, the Religious Sisters of Charity from Ireland have been working in Nigeria and Malawi. They have opened many schools and hospitals and continue to bring hope and the promise of a better future through their ministries. The data on girls education in Nigeria and Malawi is sobering:
· In Nigeria 43% of girls have never been to school. Of those who do, most only receive a few years of primary school education. Fewer than 6% of girls get to go to university.
· In Malawi 51% of girls finish primary school, despite it being free for all children. Fewer than 20% go to secondary school and most do not finish their studies. 47% of girls are married before the age of 18, and education is a protective factor in the quest to end child marriage.
Through Project Providence, MSM will partner with the Religious Sisters of Charity in Ireland to fund a special project focused on girls’ education. Our fundraising goal is $15,000. This money will be used to provide scholarships to two female students – one in Nigeria and one in Malawi. The money we raise will cover the total cost of 6 years of secondary education for both students, including tuition fees, uniforms, text books and travel costs… everything she will need to stay in school and complete her education.
Our Year 12 cohort launched their theme to the College, ‘Keep the Spirit Alive in 2025'. The theme acknowledges our Centenary year, and the long history of Mt St Michael's College. Our Year 12 students urged us all to remember, and draw on, the wonderful spirit on which our school was founded and bring it fervently into the year of 2025.
Every member of the Mt St Michael’s community, past and present is invited to purchase a heart on our Light the Wall Legacy Wall and help us light the way for future generations.
Our Light the Way wall will proudly recognise past or present students, celebrate a graduate, commemorate your family or a loved one and leave a legacy for years to come. This beautiful art installation will remind us that the future is bright at MSM.
All heart purchases are a tax-deductible donation to the Mt St Michael’s College Foundation and the funds will be used to support the continued advancement of buildings for future generations of the College.
Click here to secure a permanent spot on our Light the Way Legacy Wall.
Don't forget to spread the word to fellow MSM Alumni. Forward our Keep in Touch form to an Alumni friend!
2026
Year 5 – Waitlist, please contact the College prior to submitting an application.
Year 7 – Waitlist closed.
2027
Year 5 – Accepting applications. APPLY NOW
Year 7 – Waitlist closed.
2028
Year 5 – Accepting applications. APPLY NOW
Year 7 – Waitlist closed.
2029 and beyond
Year 5 & 7 - Accepting Applications. APPLY NOW
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
