Giving at Friends'

Volunteer Thank You Afternoon Tea

On Tuesday 24 November the School held a Thank you Afternoon Tea for our many volunteers that are vital to The Friends' School community. 

We had a beautiful afternoon in the sun in the Pendle Hill (Principal's residence) gardens with beautiful music performed by Friends' music students.

Thank you to all our volunteers who continue to make our Friends' community so special. 

A Generous Donation

Phillip Harris, former conductor of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, Derwent Symphony Orchestra, viola player and University Lecturer, recently made a very generous donation to The Friends' School: This beautiful violin! 

This special violin was made in New Zealand by Ian Sweetman (famous in NZ as a violin and viola maker) in 1976. Phillip wanted to donate the instrument to a School with a String Programme that will live on into the future. The instrument is to be used (as specified by Phillip)  by a promising student who is without an instrument that does justice to their playing ability. 

The lucky student who will use this violin while at The Friends' School is Lucy Clougher (Year 6) who, after only having the violin for one week, noticed a big improvement in her playing thanks to this quality instrument. Lucy was very grateful to Phillip for the chance to play such a wonderful violin. 

Donations such as this one make a direct and positive impact on the lives of students at The Friends' School and will continue to do so for generations to come as this violin is handed down to other students who otherwise may not have had access to a quality instrument to aid in their musical ambitions. 

Thank you very much to Phillip Harris for this wonderful gift to the School. 

A Fantastic Find

How incredible is this?

Our archivist received a certificate for Alumnus John Henry Gould (father of Alumnus John Lyndhurst Gould) from the University of Tasmania stating that he passed his Junior Public Examinations. The best bit? This certificate is from 1898!

Thank you to Rosemary Butler for sending in this very special artifact.

Distance Learning Volunteers - a thank you to all Friends’ families

In a year like no other, our current parents became volunteers by default, seemingly overnight, during the School’s Distance Learning program. With your support, learning continued during the most difficult of times in partnership with Friends’ staff who went above and beyond to deliver the Distance Learning program. We could not have done it without you. Whether your contributions were at arm's length for older students or you were fully immersed full time with our youngest learners, on behalf of The Friends’ School Board of Governors we thank you for your time, effort and thoughtful support of all Friends’ students.

- Craig Stephens | Presiding MemberThe Board of Governors

The Farrall Centre and The Mather Endowment Trust - Celebrating Ten Years!

We are delighted to report that during 2021 we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of both The Farrall Centre and The Mather Endowment Trust. 

Celebrating 10 years since it was opened, The Farrall Centre was named in honour of Co-Principals Lyndsay and Stephanie Farrall’s significant contribution to The Friends’ School. The Centre has become an integral facility in the educational journey of all students and a wonderful gathering and performance space for our school community.

Since its establishment in 2011, The Mather Endowment Trust has assisted more than 50 students who could least afford a Friends’ education to attend the School. Many students have gone on to make a positive impact locally and globally. All have expressed heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to access a Friends’ education and become part of the Friends’ learning community.

Neither The Farrall Centre nor The Mather Endowment Trust would have been possible without the financial support of the Friends’ community and next year we will celebrate the impact of these two core Friends’ ‘institutions’ and acknowledge the generosity of those donors who made them possible.

Get Involved

For further information about the giving programs at Friends’, please visit our website or contact Lucy Loney or Bill Avery.