Foundation

Last weekend Caroline Jane, Alumni Manager, and I attended the Southern Queensland and Northern NSW inaugural chapter meeting. Incredible memories and stories were shared and it has become very apparent how the School has advanced since the 1970s but even more so recently. As a member of this community, I was very proud to be able to present our Alumni with such an inspiring update about our School. For further details, please read the Alumni section below.

Second Hand Uniform Sales

Thank you to the RPFA Committee and all the volunteers for organising this remarkable initiative with a long tradition and to our community who contributed to make it such a great success. Almost $10,000 was raised for the means-tested Redlands Foundation Scholarship.

This year our efforts are dedicated to raise funds and name one scholarship after Belinda Oxley, who was a very passionate educator at Redlands for 23 years.

Arts Luncheon – Save the Date

We are delighted to announce the date for the Arts Luncheon to celebrate a long history of Performing and Visual Arts at Redlands.

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, 33 Peel st, Kirribilli
Wednesday 26 May, 12.00pm-3.00pm

Proceeds from this event will be dedicated to Belinda Oxley Scholarship to acknowledge her dedication to Redlands and passion for education. This Redlands Foundation Scholarship is means-tested and is awarded annually for the entire six years of a Redlands Secondary School education.

Further information about this event and ticket purchases will be released shortly.

A Parent’s Memory of Belinda Oxley 

“Belinda taught my son (Lachlan) in 2013 when he was in Yr 2, the same year that she was awarded the Roseby Staff Award. Although I felt close to Belinda, it was through the lens of a very grateful parent. My son was really the one who developed a close relationship with Belinda and continues to speak very highly of her.

Belinda had an incredible passion for teaching and it was clear teaching was not just a job to her. Without a doubt, the greatest gift Belinda gave Lachlan, (and I believe all her students), was an understanding, appreciation and ability to create art. In fact, as I write this email I am surrounded by beautiful artwork on my office walls that Lachlan created with Belinda. One of our most treasured pieces is a self-portrait that he drew with Belinda’s assistance. Belinda had this amazing capacity for patience and compassion and a desire to create a nurturing environment for all her young students.

I’ll never forget the kindness Belinda showed Lachlan when he was not keen to attend camp. She took him under her wing and to this day he still says she made the best hot chocolate. He ended up loving that camp and eight years later is still able to recall specific highlights that involve Belinda. Belinda created a welcoming learning environment and I enjoyed many morning chats with her when I dropped Lachlan to school. One morning we saw a bird building a nest in a tree outside the classroom. Over the coming weeks, we spotted small eggs and then loved witnessing the arrival and growth of newborn chicks, a process which involved clambering on top of some small cupboards together to look into the nest. Watching the baby birds provided us with the perfect metaphor for Belinda’s students learning to fly. Both the chicks and her students received the nurturing they needed to grow up in readiness to fly the nest.

By the time Belinda’s students finished their second grade, they were more than ready to leave Prep School and soar into Junior School. When my husband and I attended Belinda’s funeral in 2018 and heard the way her family, friends, colleagues and past students honoured and remembered her so fondly, it was clear that our family had been privileged to know such a special lady.”

Alumni Chapter Meeting 

On Friday evening, Redlands hosted our first inaugural SE Qld / N.NSW Chapter Meeting, inviting Alumni from this region to meet, connect and tell their stories of their time at school. We also gave updates on their school, as it is today including the recent opening of the Redlands Learning Hub and granting the means-tested Peter Lennox Scholarship . Thank you to all guests for sharing wonderful memories and insights. Events like this are a positive way to reconnect with our interstate and global Alumni community. 

Excerpts from Alumni:

“Redlands gave me an opportunity to make wonderful friends, study and have fun along the way”.

“I am grateful for my education at Redlands, I have vivid memories of my teachers and the leadership it gave women, at that time”.

“Our performance of Merchant of Venice, was staged as an all-girl production. No boys! I am pleased to hear the Drama department has evolved so much”.

“I was very sporty during School. I was involved in many sports during School, many of which I continued after I left Redlands”.

Mrs Dana Casimaty
Director of Development
dcasimaty@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9858