From the Principal
Yesterday we hosted our 2024 Platinum Luncheon which honours our former students who attended Redlands at least 50 years ago. It was a wonderful occasion as 120 of these Redlanders were in attendance catching up with each other; reconnecting with their alma mater; and sharing their memories, reflections and stories from their time at Redlands.
The Platinum Luncheon is another one of my favourite events on the Redlands calendar as it is not only an opportunity for us to further strengthen our relationship with our alumni, but it also connects us with the people who helped to create and foster the special Redlands culture we value today.
Personally, I enjoyed hearing these Redlanders share some of their stories such as: learning to sing the lyrics to “Popeye the Sailor Man” in Latin, the formation of the first Redlands orchestra fifty years ago and uniform detentions being given out by the Deputy Headmistress, Miss Steel.
It was also an honour to have Ms Coralie Amos OAM (Class of 1964) speak at the Platinum Luncheon and we are proud to be naming our next means-tested scholarship after her. In 2021, Ms Amos was awarded the Order of the Medal of Australia for services to the community, assisting others through organisations such as the Australian National Museum of Education, Meals on Wheels and her local hospital. Ms Amos shared her journey of volunteering and reflected on the power of giving one’s self, time and knowledge in the service of others. More details about the Coralie Amos OAM Scholarship can be found here.
Service has been a core pillar of a Redlands education for the past 140 years and I am proud to say it continues to be so today. Just a few weeks ago, Redlands Secondary School students were awarded a Next Generation Award at the North Sydney Council‘s Community Awards for their service work with the residents of Bougainvillea Retirement Village next door to the Senior Campus.
The example of Ms Amos and these current students illustrates how through dedicated, generous and selfless acts of service, we have and continue to make a tremendous difference in the lives of others.
I am very proud to share that Redlands has been nominated as an Excellence Awardee for the Australian Education Awards 2024 in the Innovation in Curriculum Design category. This award recognises excellence in innovation in program design and delivery that contributes to improved student learning outcomes. Nurturing and deepening a culture of innovation is one of our key strategic drivers, and it is pleasing to see Redlands recognised as a national education leader in this space.
We are also very proud of Daisy Thomas (Yr 12) who was presented with three awards at the Snow Australia Awards in Melbourne earlier this month:
- 2024 Junior Athlete of the Year
- Female Athlete of the Year (Freestyle Park & Pipe)
- Junior Athlete of the Year (Freestyle Park & Pipe).
These accolades follow Daisy’s exceptional achievements in January, where she won Australia’s first ever Winter Youth Olympic medal in Big Air Freestyle Skiing, claiming silver at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea; and also placed 5th in the Ski Slopestyle Final.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Photo Caption: It was a wonderful day yesterday honouring our former students who attended Redlands at least 50 years ago at the Platinum Luncheon.