WELCOME FROM THE PRINCIPAL

I am glad to have this opportunity to introduce myself to you.

As a current or prospective member of the St Vincent’s Community you are naturally curious about my background and experiences before commencing my role here as Principal on 1 June 2015.

I was born and grew up in New Zealand. My education commenced at Holy Cross Primary School which was operated by the Sisters of Mercy. There I was taught almost exclusively by Religious Sisters.

My secondary journey continued with the Sisters of Mercy at St Mary’s College but by then the majority of teachers were lay associates of the Sisters. My secondary education was a time where my strengths and learning preferences strongly consolidated in the area of Humanities. This led me to enrol at the University of Auckland with Majors in History and Political Science, followed by completion of a Post Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education.

My graduate teaching position was teaching History and Social Sciences at Haurakl Plains College in Ngatea (a small country town in New Zealand). My husband John and I followed the sun to Perth in 1985 and I started working at Sacred Heart College, Sorrento. I eventually held several roles there including Deputy Principal. I was seconded into a short-term position in 1997 as Principal of Aranmore College (a highly multi cultural College) in an inner city suburb of Perth. It was while I was in this position that I accepted the Principalship of Loreto College Ballarat and in doing so began my formation in Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy.

I spent eight very happy years at Loreto College during which time the College amalgamated two sites into one. This required a major re-building program to prepare for the movement of the Year 7 and 8 students onto the Senior Campus. Working on a very constricted site, and maintaining the historic nature of the precinct was challenging but worthwhile to see the successful inclusion of 21st Century teaching spaces on a campus originally designed for the educational needs of young women of the 19th Century. I left Loreto Ballarat with great reluctance as I had loved working with the Loreto Sisters and the broader Ballarat Diocesan community. I did however sense the time was right for the family to move back to Perth and I was delighted that the opportunity to move back came without having to sever ties with the Loreto Congregation. The Principalship of John XXIII College provided an opportunity to lead a school with a shared charism created from the amalgamation of a Loreto School for Girls, and a Jesuit School for Boys. The ten years there went so fast it is hard to imagine that in that time significant changes, growth and development occurred in the College. The introduction of three-year-old Kindy, the movement of Year 7’s into the Secondary context saw the College grow in number to almost 1600. The College has a specialist centre for students with physical, intellectual and learning disabilities and this area of responsibilities was a source of great joy. I also loved seeing the development of the children from pre-school, through childhood and into adolescence. It was a very hard decision to leave this very vibrant community, but I was keen to move to a smaller College that provided the chance to have closer contact with students, staff and parents than the very large entity of John XXIII College.

St Vincent’s College ticked all my boxes – it was smaller, had a boarding facility, offered high quality, independent girls’ education and was still based on Ignatian Spirituality and Pedagogy. I am very much looking forward to leading St Vincent’s College into the next exciting chapter of its evolving history. There is such capacity in the College in its human resources, its unique position, its rich history and community strength.

My decision to move to St Vincent’s College has been rewarded on a daily basis. I enjoy the collaboration with committed co-leaders and teachers, and the students are spirited, creative and competent young women. I live on-site so enjoy the company of our Boarding community as well as the ambience and convenience of living in Potts Point. The Principalship of St Vincent’s College is a privilege and responsibility I do not take lightly. I look forward to contributing to the growth of this College for many years to come.

Anne Fry
Principal