After the cancellation of our Boarders’ Fashion Parade, we were very fortunate to have the support of Jo Dunne-Politis, inspirational designer of Raw Cloth who offered her range to our Year 12 girls for a formal photoshoot.

Jo's unique individual wearable art pieces combine her vintage-inspired designs with exquisite textiles from across the globe. Based in Darwin, textiles with prints by the Top End’s Indigenous Art Centre feature heavily in Jo's collection. Jo is community-minded, and her business model is focused on supporting 'slow fashion' to ensure traditional textile techniques are valued and not lost.

Raw Cloth designs were featured in the September edition of Vogue Australia, making the opportunity for the girls to model the pieces extra special.

The girls enjoyed being pampered with dramatic makeup by the Media Makeup Company and striking a pose for professional photographers. The photos will feature in the next edition of the Wilderness Times.

Thanks again to Jo and all involved for providing this opportunity for the girls.

Silent auction

Thank you to all members of the Wilderness community. The online silent auction was a huge success raising $7927. Many people have also generously donated their ticket purchases from the parade. Your generosity will support the Wilderness Boarding School in Nepal and change the lives of young Nepalese girls.

In the future, I hope some of the current boarders will have the opportunity to trek to Nepal and meet these girls and witness their impact.

Birthday and Leadership Handover Dinner

The combined Birthday and Leadership Handover Dinner was last week with a more formal theme replacing the dress-ups normally on display at our celebrations.

As their final service to the boarders, the 2021 leaders waited on the tables, which added to the sense of formality and occasion of the event. Several invited guests from the School were able to join and share this special time with the girls.

A brief description of the role responsibility for each position was read as each retiring leader handed over their role to their equivalent incoming leader for 2022.

I am pleased to announce our Junior Co-Captains for 2022 are Millie MacLachlan and Stephanie Davidson. The poll was very close. The Senior Captains then announced their student leadership team:

• Wellbeing Leaders: Imogen Beadman and Ricca Moyse
• Celebrations Leaders: Evie Basham and Amelia Shepherd
• Connecting Leaders: Myarn Alden and Portia Martin
• Events Planner: Ruby Oswald

I will be working with the girls across Term 4 to develop their strategic directions for the remainder of this year and 2022. I have every confidence they will lead intentionally and with kindness.

Goodbye and Thank You

With much sadness, I inform you of Ms Julie Masters’ resignation as Assistant to the Head of Boarding. On behalf of the girls and their families, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Julie for her ongoing dedication over the past seven and a half years. Julie has always responded to the girls' needs respectfully, with kindness, and genuine concern. Her administration skills have been integral in the day-to-day running of the Boarding House. Her generosity toward the girls and other staff will be greatly missed.

Julie is committing time to study and further pursue her interest in youth work. I am sure you will join me in wishing her much success and happiness as she explores other opportunities.

We are fortunate that we have already commenced the recruitment process for an additional Senior Supervisor role, and we will be welcoming Ms Fern Lawson to the team at the commencement of Term 4. Fern has several years of experience as a Senior Supervisor at Pembroke and is passionate about supporting young adolescent girls during their developmental years. Fern is boarding focused and she will take on some of the responsibilities previously managed by Julie.

Mentor Groups

The girls had a wonderful time during their biscuit decorating activity. There is always lots of convivial conversation across the year levels during the mentor group activities.

Events in Term 4

The Year 12 academic year wraps up in Week 2 of Term 4 and some key events align with this. In the Boarding House, we have our Last Supper, which is the day the 2021 cohort will all sit at the dinner table together for the last time. The date for this dinner is Thursday 21 October. The following evening, the Year 12 girls and their parents will attend the Valedictory Dinner at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

After their final exams, the Year 12 girls are asked to return home to ensure the environment in the Year 12 corridors remains conducive to exam preparation. If particular girls don't have the capacity to return home within a day of their exams concluding, please advise the Boarding House staff at your earliest convenience.