Members of the Past Pupils’ Network Committee are delighted that the Kilbreda Past Pupils of Distinction Program, promulgated in 2017, was once again received with much enthusiasm and support. We thank those who proposed the nominees for induction and we congratulate the 16 nominees for their outstanding contributions to many fields of endeavour.

As was the case for the inaugural Kilbreda Past Pupils of Distinction, the nominees were of significant calibre, breadth and number to ensure the Selection Committee, comprised of members of the Kilbreda Stewardship Council, had an extremely difficult task in selecting those to be inducted into the Kilbreda Past Pupils of Distinction. We recognise the following inductees and nominees.

2019 Inductees

Margaret (Maggie) Fitzgibbon OAM

Laura John

Doctor Bridie Kean

Katrina Leason (née O’Donnell).

2019 Nominees

Doctor Madeleine Buck

Suzie Byrne

Simone De La Rue

Noeleen Dix AM

Morag Fraser AM

Doctor Mauricette Hamilton (née Duffy)

Kate Ingram (née Smyth)

Doctor Rosemarie Joyce csb

Beverley Cullen

Angela Nolan

Marcella Reiter (née McMahon)

Doctor Amy Swanson

Nominations for the 2021 Kilbreda Past Pupils of Distinction will open in mid-2020.

2019 Past Pupils of Distinction

Maggie Fitzgibbon OAM

Maggie Fitzgibbon has enjoyed a remarkable career as a singer and performer with much of her success occurring in the United Kingdom, where the list of people she worked with reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the period. The names include Noel Coward, Danny La Rue, Benny Hill, Morecombe and Wise, Ronnie Corbett, Tony Hancock, Max Bygraves, Jule Styne, Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim.

Maggie was born in 1929 into a family of performers. She attended Kilbreda in the late 30s and early 40s (finishing at Year 10 in 1943), while her brother Graeme, known as ‘Smacka’, attended St Bede’s College, Mentone. Whilst at Kilbreda, Maggie took part in any sort of performance that she could. On leaving, Maggie, who had trained as an operatic soprano under Signor Rebattaro, performed on the Tivoli Circuit from 1946, followed by an experience on Sydney radio with Jack Davey. After finding fame in J. C. Williamson’s production of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ in 1952, the first J. C. Williamson musical theatre show produced in Melbourne, she headed for London. Here, she became a regular in pantomimes, performed in cabaret, played the female lead in the TV series, ‘The Newcomers’ and appeared in the first Australian Independent film directed by Bruce Beresford, ‘Sunstruck’, where she starred opposite Harry Secombe. Maggie also appeared in many command performances and hosted her own show, ‘Maggie’s Place’. Here, she took the opportunity to promote Australian talent such as ‘The Seekers’.

In 1978, Maggie returned to Australia and purchased a property in North East Victoria. She became involved in her local community. She found the plight of homeless and jobless young people a particular challenge that she wanted to solve. “I couldn’t go to sleep at night, knowing that kids were without a place to sleep”, she said recently. Maggie provided a cottage on her property for them to undergo rehabilitation during which time they were invited to dine with her at her homestead. Maggie also served on the local council, was the first female President of a branch of the Farmer’s Federation and Secretary of the ‘Save the Children’ Foundation. In 2002, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the community. Coincidently, her long-time friend and former Kilbreda classmate Joyce McGrath, was a recipient at the same ceremony. Today Maggie lives in Corowa NSW.

You can read more about Maggie Fitzgibbon in an article in The Corowa Press HERE.

Laura John

Laura is a Senior Lawyer at Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) with a practice in constitutional law, migration law and international law. In this position, she has advised on the development of significant Commonwealth policy and reform including the Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage, the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse and Tobacco Control.

Laura is currently completing a Master of International Law through Australian National University. This year, she received the Kirsten Sjolander Memorial Prize for Advanced International Human Rights Law and was also the recipient of the 2018 George Witynski SC Academic Scholarship, honouring the legacy of Witynski, a long time AGS lawyer whom the Sydney Morning Herald called “one of the finest government lawyers of his generation”.

In 2014, Laura was selected as the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations (UN), the only role of its kind in the country. Laura also undertakes a pro bono secondment to the Women’s Legal Centre ACT and also volunteers regularly at the Consumer Law Centre ACT. She has previously volunteered with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne and Human Rights First in New York, assisting asylum seekers and refugees to seek protection.

Since graduating in 2007, Laura has gained experience with various UN agencies; including as a consultant for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and as a speaker at both the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Global Citizenship Education Forum in Paris and the World Education Forum in South Korea.

Laura is currently the National President of the UN Association of Australia (UNAA) Young Professional’s Network and represents the Young Professional’s Network as a Director on the UNAA National Board.

In recognition of her contribution to the community, Laura has been awarded Victorian Youth Representative – National Youth Week (2011), Young Citizen of the Year – City of Kingston (2013), Sri Lankan Youth of the Year – Australia (2014) and Graduate of the Year – Australian Public Service (2015).

Dr Bridie Kean

Bridie contracted Meningococcal Septicaemia at the age of two and her feet were amputated as a result of numerous orthopaedic surgeries. Being unable to participate in sport caused her great frustration. In her second year at Kilbreda, Bridie attended the 2000 Paralympic Games as a spectator and was exposed to the game she loved, basketball, being played within a wheelchair. This was a life changing moment for Bridie. In response to her nomination Bridie stated, “Discovering wheelchair basketball not only introduced me to a sport, but to role models who made me realise that as people with disabilities we are just as capable of training hard and working toward our sporting goals as everyone else”.

Bridie took up wheelchair basketball in 2000 and was a member of the Paralympic Bronze Medal Team at Beijing. By 2012, she was captain of the Australian Paralympic Women’s Basketball team in London where they won a silver medal. She competed in the World Championships in 2014 and was training for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. However, the team failed to qualify. Bridie then took up canoeing and won gold in the Para Mixed V12 500m and the Para Mixed V6 1000m finals at the 2016 Va’a Federation World Elite and Club Sprint Championships.

Bridie has gone on to achieve a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois, a Master in Public Health from the University of Queensland and in 2018 was awarded a PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast. Whilst at Illinois, Bridie had the opportunity to pursue both her sporting goals and education within a program that enabled students to strive in both pursuits at the same time. While undertaking her PhD at the University of the Sunshine Coast she was also able to balance training for the Australian Wheelchair Basketball Team with her PhD research.

Bridie has managed the University of the Sunshine Coast Sports Elite and Education Dual Stream (USC SEEDS) program, Australia’s first university program to intentionally support athletes with a disability to pursue sport and tertiary education. Bridie’s work at the University focusses on the health benefits of sport for people with a disability. Bridie is also the President of the Suncoast Spinners. In recognition of the courage and compassion Bridie demonstrated as a student at Kilbreda, an award in her honour is presented to a Year 8 student at Kilbreda each year who demonstrates the same qualities.

Katrina Leason

Katrina had over 25 years’ experience, working with and for, all levels of government and community organisations to create healthy, inclusive environments and constantly strove to improve outcomes for women, particularly in relation to violence against women.

Most recently, Katrina worked as a Councillor Advocate for the Royal Women’s Hospital. Throughout her career, she led a number of key initiatives with organisations including AFL Victoria (VicHealth), Victoria Police and South East Centre Against Sexual Assault (Monash Health), to provide support and improve community partnerships. Much of her work across these organisations involved crisis counselling for victims of violence, crime and abuse. Katrina was always working to protect the most vulnerable in society.

As AFL Victoria’s Fair Game Respect Matters Program Manager, Katrina successfully developed and implemented a ‘Respect and Responsibility’ training package which reached 15,000 club members across three leagues and 93 clubs. She believed that increasing

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