Objects of Substance- The Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee

Kirsten Jack

Kirsten Jack —a beloved Girls Grammar student — was diagnosed with leukaemia just before Christmas in 1976 and, on 5 June 1977, she passed away. It was Kirsten’s joy for life and love of friends that ultimately inspired the formation of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee. At that time, her Girls Grammar friends had also rallied together to support and care for each other. Kirsten’s father reflected that: Familial love apart, there is no closer relationship than that of a friend and Kirsten had many. During the course of her education… she came in close contact with three girls of similar age and outlook who became her special friends. These four young ladies lived a happy and healthy existence in each other’s company. They were a sparkling and vivacious quartet, full of promise for the future (Jack, 2001). One member of that quartet, Clare Florence (1978) spoke at a Year 11 Assembly many years later, about the strength of the girls’ friendships, their love for each other, and the feeling that together they had to do something to make sense of what had happened to Kirsten.

Finding a cure for leukaemia was paramount in our minds. We started thinking of fundraising ideas to channel money into much needed research. (Florence, 2009)