Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2013

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STAFF PROFILES

1 MRS SYBIL EDWARDS / HEAD OF LILLEY HOUSE When I was a student at Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Drama was my passion. I thoroughly enjoyed treading the boards in all the plays and musicals staged in the early 1980s. It was probably no surprise to my peers that I ended up teaching Drama at my ‘old School’. I am now of an age when I actually teach some of my contemporaries’ daughters. Drama teachers always remember particular years by the productions that they direct, and I have many fond memories from my time here with productions ranging from big musicals staged jointly with various boys’ schools, such as Westside Story and Jesus Christ Superstar , to galas celebrating Girls Grammar’s rich history. As a keen playwright, it has also been wonderful

to have been given the opportunity to direct my own work. My most challenging commission was when former Principal Dr Judith Hancock asked me to write a play based on her Master’s thesis, a play that I entitled Sir Charles Lilley’s Legacy . Rearing young children took me away from full-time teaching for about five years, and my recent focus has switched to student care. I have been Head of Lilley House (my old House) for the past six years, and I greatly enjoy the interaction with Lilley girls and their families. I firmly believe that a student can only learn effectively when she feels safe and connected to her environment. It is a great privilege to be able to help girls find their feet and develop into confident young women who can take advantage of the opportunities offered to them at Girls Grammar. 2 MS NATALIE SMITH / DEAN OF STUDIES AND PLANNING When I was young I fantasised about running away from home. Not because home was such a terrible place, but I knew that there were children who lived in different houses and spoke different words to me and I wanted to meet them. I have always been fascinated with words and places. I was introduced to the Japanese language for the first time as a 12‑year‑old student and was captivated by the beauty of the structure and the form. At the age of 15, I had the opportunity to travel to Japan and study. I knew that this was the start of a beautiful relationship; that this strange, mysterious country and its people would play an important part in my life. After completing a Science and Japanese degree I thought that my future lay in the field of research, probably in Japan. However, being given the opportunity to teach a group of adults keen to learn about Japan, its language and culture, made me realise that teaching people about the things I loved really connected with me. So my journey as a teacher began. The relationship between the teacher, the student and the subject form a sacred triangle. I am always looking at how I can connect at a deep level with the students I teach while maintaining the integrity of what I teach. In this search, the world has been my classroom. I have accompanied groups of students to Japan, France and Germany and, most recently, to Borneo as part of the 2011 Antipodeans Abroad Program. In my role as Dean of Studies and Planning, I look forward to assisting staff and students through creating an environment where these deep connections between learning and the learner can flourish.

3 MRS JENNY DAVIS / LIBRARIAN – SPECIAL COLLECTIONS My work with the School’s Special Collections encompasses collections of books in the Beanland Library, the items in the Archives (the official records of permanent value) and Museum (moveable objects from the Archives on public display), and other collections throughout the campus. It is my job to ensure that records — which have value as authentic evidence of the School’s administrative, corporate, cultural and intellectual activity — are preserved and kept safe for posterity.

My career as a librarian has always been in the area of education, in schools and in universities, and it was while working as Liaison Librarian at The University of Queensland that I became aware of the need for students’ information and research skills to be developed a lot sooner than at the tertiary level. The opportunity to work as the Girls Grammar Reference Librarian allowed me to pursue this. Managing the Special Collections, involves a diverse range of tasks from the satisfaction of preserving and restoring an Australian artwork to its original beauty to the delight of unearthing a portrait of a previously unidentified Principal of the School, Miss Jane Walker, Head Mistress from 1914 to 1915. Organising, researching, promoting and teaching the complex history of this 138yearold School is like drawing together so many different threads of the continuously evolving tapestry that makes up Girls Grammar — and links the past, present and future with the lives of its students, staff and Old Girls.

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2013