Objects of Substance- OGA Rangakarra Gates

The Rangakarra gates are, and will be, a tangible presence for many Grammar girls; they are an artefact that, like many other structures on all of the campuses, will be remembered and celebrated. The generosity and contribution of the Old Girls cannot be overestimated and, as Janine Schmidt so beautifully said on 23 May 2015, “I represent the 22,000 old girls/alumnae/alumni/past students – call us what you will – the many superwomen who are the products of this School. I represent past presidents of the OGA and current members. We link the past, present and future. We maintain a connection between past students and the School, maintain an ongoing interest in the School, and promote camaraderie and connections amongst old girls of the School. As Lyndon B. Johnson once said: We did not choose to be the guardians of the gate, but there is no one else.”

2015 L to R: Janine Schmidt AM (1964), Federal Member for Ryan, Jane Prentice, Christine Purvis (1965), Sylvia Pegg (1965), Dorothy Bourguignon (1958), Ann Caston (1958), Sue Jordan (1967), Annie Stubbs (1982), Pauline Harvey-Short (1971).

The symbolism of gates is powerful. Gates open, close, slam, or gently slide shut; they are locked or ajar; they open from the inside or the outside; they lead to opportunities and the unknown; they are entered easily, struggled with, passed through, or clambered over. Their metaphorical meaning is not lost on the girls who pass through them.

Pauline Harvey-Short (1971) Manager, School History and Culture