Objects of Substance- The Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee

organisations including the Leukaemia Foundation, the Queensland Cancer Council, Canteen, Childhood Cancer Support, and contributing to the work of various researchers.

2004 KJMLC Committee with Childhood Cancer Support

As staff co-ordinator of the KJ Committee from 2009 to 2020, I see Kirsten’s legacy not only in terms of fundraising but also in relationships built and in opportunities for girls to demonstrate their passion and leadership. At the beginning of each new year, I watched the Kirsten Jack girls designing cards that would one day hold those messages of love, friendship, and appreciation. Some of the girls already knew one another, others made new friends and built bonds that, like those Kirsten and her friends shared, would last throughout their time at school and beyond. I saw the older students welcoming the Year 7 students, creating a valued connection between some of our newest members of the School community. The oldest surviving service club in the School not only preserves Kirsten’s memory and raises valuable funds but also creates valuable opportunities for mentoring and leadership. The committee is now fondly referred to by many as simply ‘KJ’— an indication that the close bonds between Kirsten Jack and her friends are the reason it has endured for so long, an essence that Anna Blocksidge beautifully defined in her Year 11 assembly speech in 2009: It makes me very proud as an Old Girl to know that her journey might lead you to continue to help those who need it. But more importantly, remember to love dearly those friends who are dear — they make your life so full and rich. (Blocksidge, 2009)

Ann Farley, 2021 Past Staff member and Co-ordinator of KJMLC (2008-2020)