BGGS Annual Review 2024

Chair’s Address Thursday 14 November 2024

Ms Julie McKay (2000) Chair, Board of Trustees

Ms Julie McKay, Chair, Board of Trustees, delivered the following address at the School’s Annual Speech Day and Distribution of Prizes 2024.

working full-time at the Indooroopilly Perfume Connection. It was my high school job, and I loved it. I loved serving customers, up-selling, gift wrapping and the challenges of rostering. Fast forward to New Years Day 2001. We opened the store, only to be told to close within the hour because there were no customers. But, I knew that industrially, each staff member was entitled to a three-hour shift and so I proposed that we stay and start the stocktake. My regional manager instructed me to send the staff home without pay and I refused. The next day, I was fired. Dismissed from my first job for insubordination. In that moment, I was devastated; I felt an overwhelming sense of shame. My parents would be horrified to hear that I had been insubordinate. How would I ever get another job? Would this be on my record and follow me throughout my life? In that moment—I won’t lie—I sat on a bench in the carpark and ugly cried until my dad picked me up. But that day, in the summer after finishing school—I learned an important lesson which was that you will never regret standing up for what’s right and for others. When I eventually saw my former colleagues again, they were overwhelmed with gratitude at how I had stood up to management and fought to ensure that they were paid what they were entitled to be paid. In their story, I was the first leader who stood up for them—qualities that they would seek to adopt in their own careers. I now work with leaders of organisations where there are significant cultural

Councillor Vicki Howard. Former Chairs of the Board, Elizabeth Jameson and Cherryl Hirst. My fellow Trustees. Staff. Families. And most importantly, girls. I acknowledge Aunty Kathryn Fisher and thank her for the warm Welcome to Country. There is a shared joy in the room today— as we celebrate the achievements of our girls and farewell the class of 2024. No one feels that joy more than our staff, whose pride in their students is visible today. I wanted to pause at the outset to acknowledge the contributions of the entire staff of BGGS—led, so ably, by Principal, Jacinda Euler Welsh. I know that our students, their families and the Board are aligned in wanting to share the joy of today through our gratitude to you, for all that you do. As I threw my toddler into my Dad’s arms on my way to Speech Day today, I was once again reminded of the role that our parents play—in providing love and care, as role models, transport and logistics operators, caterers, professional jugglers. I want to acknowledge all of the parents and caregivers in the room and say a special thank you to you too. Today, as we farewell our Year 12s, I can’t help but be taken back to the summer of 2000. I am sure you can’t picture this— but while most of my cohort lounged around pools humming ‘absolutely everybody, everybody, everybody’ a nerdy, slightly anxious Julie McKay was

issues, or where women and people from diverse backgrounds have not got equal access to opportunity. Whether it be the United Nations, the Defence Force, the Police, Fire Service, mining organisations or educational institutions, consistently I am reminded that the leaders who people admire and respect are the ones who stand up for others. They call out poor behaviour, they give tough feedback to their peers and friends, they flag when a joke has gone too far or when someone isn’t finding it easy to navigate the group dynamics. Girls—you are all growing up in a world which is undoubtedly more complex than the one I grew up in. The wars in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, the Ukraine and Afghanistan continue to have a disproportionate impact on the lives, rights and freedoms of women and girls. The less reported famines, climate events and conflict throughout Africa will set back progress against the Sustainable Development Goals for decades, again—disproportionately impacting women and girls. We only have to look to election campaigns here in Australia, in the US and in many other countries we would consider placing a similar priority on the principles of democracy, to see that women’s rights—your right, girls, to live free from violence, with independent economic security and access to leadership roles—are not universally supported or guaranteed. Social media continues to erode our sense of community and magnify minority voices of hate and fear— creating a disruptive backlash against

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Annual Review 2024

Brisbane Girls Grammar School