Last week I attended the presentation by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard titled ‘Not Now, Not Ever’. It coincided with the anniversary of the address she made in Parliament about her experience of misogyny from the Leader of the Opposition. It was inspiring to hear from world leaders that night who referenced her address as one that will go down through history as a strong argument for the respectful treatment of women no matter the role or position they hold in society.

I have found it can be risky to advocate for women. Some believe that if a person advocates for women, it means they hate men. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some believe when one advocates for women, it is a reflection of their sexuality. Nothing could be further from the truth. The advocation of women is the simple desire that women are treated and respected the same as men. It is about all people being treated equally irrespective of gender. I have two sons and two daughters and I believe they should be treated equally as individuals irrespective of their gender.

At St Patrick’s, we nurture the girls to grow their independence and believe in themselves as young people. They have access to lots of different opportunities and witness strong women who make positive contributions to society because of who they are. It is not about having winners and losers in society but about everyone being a winner. Ex-students would say that their education at St Patrick’s gave them the courage to speak in workplaces and voice their opinion because they believed in themselves. This can only be a good thing in our communities.

The first women to model this independence and advocacy were the Sisters of the Good Samaritan at the College. They ran the school, engaged the community, built the College and faced adversity with courage and determination. They were not meek or mild by any stretch of the imagination. They had gumption and this culture has continued through the years. We are grateful for the foundation they have laid. One of our previous Principals, Sr Catherine Slattery sgs, was recently awarded the Brother Kelvin Canavan Award for Educational Leadership. This is a highly prestigious award that recognises her service to education over many years. This would have required her to be fearless and committed for a sustained period of time to Catholic Education. We are very proud of and grateful for the contributions Sr Catherine has made to our College and Good Samaritan Education over time.

Finally, please keep in your prayers our Year 12 girls who are well and truly into their exams and also our Year 10 girls who will be experiencing their first full block of exams beginning next week. Next Monday is the celebration of Diwali. Diwali is the Indian 'Festival of lights' and a significant celebration. We wish all our Indian families a Happy Diwali. I will leave you with a Diwali prayer.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

May the divine light of Diwali
Shine with peace, prosperity, happiness and 
good health in all our lives.
I pray to God Almighty to shower
the celestial blessings and 
propriety on all alike.