News and features

Keep the pride alive

At St Mary's College, we are incredibly proud of our alumni. We love showcasing and celebrating your achievements with the College community, and sharing what you have been up to since hanging up your school uniform for the last time. 

If you have a success story to share, or if you know of inspiring alumni who may like to feature in the College's twice-yearly Alma Mater magazine, we encourage you to get in touch by emailing Community Relations at St Mary's College. 

From personal and professional triumphs, exciting career opportunities or highlights since graduating from the College, including the completion of university studies—we want to hear from you, at every stage of your life!  

And whether your contribution feels big or small to you, we like to celebrate the fact that you are in some way making a mark in your communities and industries. 

Art on show: Congratulations to up-and-coming artist, Sophie Williams (class of 2020), who enjoyed a successful first solo exhibition at The Glimar Man Studio in Hobart recently. Sophie is pictured with the College's Senior Art Teacher, Emma Havard, on opening night. 

Sneak peek: Alumni spotlight 

Here's an excerpt from one of our alumni profiles featured in the upcoming edition of the Alma Mater. To read the full article and other alumni-related news, pick up a copy of the magazine, which will be landing in letterboxes in June. 

Jaclyn Thurley (class of 2006) is the founder and principal at The Pelvic Studio, a Hobart-based physiotherapy practice with expertise in pelvic health for both men and women.

How did you get started as a physiotherapist? What led you to establish your own practice? When I was in Year 10 at St Mary's College, I decided to be an AFL physio. I had a dream to be one of those physios running out on the football ground, tending to players' injuries. To get into physiotherapy you had to have a TCE score of more than 96 points. So, I put my head down, tail up for Years 10, 11 and 12 and studied hard! I was accepted into Melbourne's La Trobe University and decided not to have a gap year and instead, go straight from Year 12 into a physiotherapy undergraduate degree. 

When I was in my fourth year of university, I selected women’s pelvic floor health as an elective subject and just loved it! I threw the idea of being an AFL physio out the window and set my sights on becoming a pelvic physio. I had a lot of ideas on the type of service I wanted to provide, and my dream was to always have my own physio practice. In 2020, I made my dreams come true and opened a practice in Salamanca, Battery Point.

What does a typical day at work look like for you? Usually, back-to-back patient appointments for about eight hours, which means very little time for loo breaks (so I must have a great pelvic floor!). Although I work hard and am often a little tired by the end of the week, I wouldn't change what I do for anything. I love helping the Hobart community improve their pelvic health and ultimately, improve their quality of life. 

Bless our socks

Calling all knitters! Could you help us by creating some knitted keepsakes for our future alumni babies? 

These St Mary's College baby booties are very sweet and would make a lovely gift for the little ones who are joining our growing alumni family. 

The project has recently launched and we would love the assistance of our alumni community. Patterns and wool are provided. 

We would also love to know about any soon-to-arrive alumni babies. If you or someone you know is preparing to welcome a new bundle of joy, please contact us.

To sign up for the project or to register a baby or baby-to-be, contact Community Relations on (03) 6108 2560 or email communications@smc.tas.edu.au

International Women's Day 

The College was delighted to be joined by our fellow Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA) Tasmanian group members from Mount Carmel College, St Michael's Collegiate School and Fahan School at our International Women's Day Breakfast held on Friday 12 March. 

Attendees had the pleasure of hearing from special guest speaker and St Mary's College alumna, Molly Gerke (class of 2012), while enjoying a delicious spread of savoury croissants, granola and fresh fruit. 

Molly shared an inspiring story of her time volunteering in Vanuatu, the establishment of the Open Door Foundation and her work with the United Nations. Molly was joined by fellow speaker, Keisy Ureleo, whom she met through her foundation work in Vanuatu. 

Celebrated annually on 8 March, International Women's Day is an opportunity to commemorate the achievements of girls and women, locally and globally. 

As a member of the AGSA, St Mary's College works to challenge and call out gender bias and inequity, to seek and celebrate women’s achievements and to create a more inclusive, equal world.