70 Years Celebration

MGSC has always celebrated its milestones but this year our seventieth anniversary has been noteworthy for the effort expended on recognising this occasion. Assistant Principal,  Hayley Dureau, has invested a lot of time in organising a carnival of activities for Sunday 26 October which is the culmination of 2025’s tribute to our evolving history and will be attended by great numbers of past students and staff.. The library team,  enfranchised by a grant from our PFA,  has helped oversee the digitisation of our magazine collection and have organised our archival collection to ensure future historical occasions can be fortified by the records of the past.

Over the course of the year we have learned how Nina Carr laid the foundations for success in 1955 with her educational vision and work ethic. Living on-site she even tended the gardens and used this to build relationships with wayward students who were able to adjust their focus back onto their studies. Fittingly her legacy is  a rose garden which can be viewed upon entry to our front office. She was followed by many principals who made their mark, three of whom progressed to the Mac.robertson Girls’ High School as head of the school. Our leaders over the years have consolidated the groundwork of their predecessors.

We've uncovered a rich diversity of excellence across a broad range of disciplines, and participants on the larger stage who have been referred to in newsletters throughout the year. Our alumnae includes world champions such as swimmer Linley Frame, decorated aerial skier Kirstie Marshall who also became a politician, gymnasts Trudy Mcintosh and Zeena McLaughlin who won medals, including gold at the 1998 Commonwealth games, with the former also competing at the Sydney Olympics. Sharni Norder née Leyton and Olivia Wilkinson are elite netballers and among quite a few who have gone to play in high level competitions. More recently we have started to make our mark in the burgeoning AFLW competition and undoubtedly some of this success is derived from our school’s storied history in sport. Our cabinets are replete with various trophies and medals and since our inception we have provided girls with the opportunity to play Aussie Rules, cricket and soccer which were sports not always offered elsewhere. Our extra-curricular programs continue to provide opportunities for students to excel.

The college’s academic curriculum has produced numerous graduates of high standing in a wide array of occupations.One of the most laudable achievements is that of Bettye Dixon, our first ever graduate who attained a science degree from the University of Melbourne, worked as a weather reporter for Channel Seven and became the Bureau of Meteorology's Head of Canberra’s liaison section.  During this year we featured speakers at assemblies such as Áine Magee KC from the class of 1975 and Shannon Shubert ABC reporter from the class of 2014 as highlights during this seminal stage in our history. We’ve learned that our connection with musical excellence stems from the mid 1960s when a string orchestra was established. Similarly, around this time our gymnastics team was in its nascent stages and nourished by the guidance of an Olympian. This year these traditions have been continued with aerobics displays and a smorgasbord of musical performances being showcased during whole school assemblies.

With our enrolments rising, as reflected in the number of streams touted for Year 7 in 2026, including an extra Enhancement Class, and further building projects in the pipeline to add to the incredible growth in this area since our modest beginnings on this front,  MGSC looks destined to continue to be a beacon, lighting the way in the educational landscape for girls.

Anne Gamble

English Teacher and Local Historian