MLC Old Collegians' Club - OCC

02/12/2025

✨Jane Hutton (Crowe, 1999) & Alison (Alie) Henricus (Crowe, 2004) ✨

Sisters, Schoolmates, and Best Friends 💚

For sisters Jane Hutton and Alie Henricus, MLC has always been part of the family story. Their mother, Elizabeth (Libby) Crowe (Bennett, 1968), attended the College in her final years of high school after moving from Wollongong - a decision that would shape the path for her daughters decades later.

“Our MLC journey began long before we stepped through the gates,” says Jane. “Mum had such a positive experience, and she knew it would be the right place for us.”

Though five years apart, Jane and Alie’s time at MLC overlapped, and their bond as sisters deepened through shared school traditions, friends, and unforgettable moments - none more vivid than a reunion at Marshmead.

“I’ll never forget the image of Alie in the back of the 4WD, crying happy tears as it came down the dirt road,” Jane recalls. “The moment it stopped, she ran out and threw herself into our arms. She loved Marshmead, but that reunion was so special.”

Now, both sisters maintain lifelong friendships formed at MLC - connections that have endured well beyond their school years. And with Jane’s daughter soon to join the College in Year 5, a new chapter of the family’s MLC story is about to begin.

01/12/2025

There’s something about this time of year… all the emotions, and all the nostalgia. ✨
Who remembers this iconic Speech Night song still sung by MLC’s Year 6s?

“It’s time to go, it’s time to say goodbye… I really thought that it might never end.
But maybe someday, if we’re lucky, our paths will cross again - until that day, I’ll say farewell, my friend.”

Some things you never forget. 💚

30/11/2025

Join the Old Collegians Club Committee and be part of a passionate team dedicated to creating meaningful change through collaboration and community engagement.

We host a variety of events throughout the year and are currently looking for support in governance, social media, and program planning. Whether you’re looking to get more involved, give back, or connect with fellow alumnae, this is a great opportunity to make a difference.

📝 We’re accepting applications now with the new committee being announced in March!

✨ Ready to get involved?

Apply now: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=UowMV4LxdUeI63_qKRpKbsmqMX_p7IZGn8TnLpEHyClUNzNYMzFEOFlHTkxUNDVDVE9CN1dFVFlFQSQlQCN0PWcu

28/11/2025

Happy Flashback Friday! ✨

Today we are honouring Ada Fitchett (1859-1945) - born in Geelong, she was the niece of MLC Founding Principal Rev Dr W. H. Fitchett. She joined the teaching and residential staff in 1883, and was Lady Superintendent from 1896-1921. Dedicated to the academic and social needs of students, she was seen as “understanding, just, and lovable” and devoted forty years of her life to MLC.

Upon retirement in 1922, she took on the great adventure of establishing a farm in remote Bruny Island, achieving, as she said, “the two things women long for most, though they will not always admit it … a home and freedom.” A fondly remembered figure in MLC’s history. ⭐️

26/11/2025

How inspiring to see MLC alumna Rebecca Adam (Class of ’88) doing such incredible work! 👏 From her early days overcoming barriers to now leading Expression Australia as its first deaf CEO - Rebecca is driving real change for the deaf community.

Read more about her journey and impact here: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/stay-connected/news-and-stories/fast-five-with-a-deaf-community-advocate

Alum Rebecca Adam, now CEO of Expression Australia, is partnering with Science Gallery on the Deaf Art Science Festival to empower and inspire the deaf community.

26/11/2025

✨ Davida Forshaw (1980) & Fiona Caffery (Russell, 1980) ✨

A Bond Forged at MLC 💚

Some friendships are written in the stars, others begin in the classrooms and corridors of MLC.

Davida Forshaw and Fiona Caffery first connected through a mutual friend, Leeanne Lambart (1980), while students at the College. That early connection has since grown into a lifelong friendship spanning decades, families, careers, and countless shared adventures.

“We’ve celebrated milestones together, raised daughters together and through it all, MLC has been the thread that binds us,” says Davida.

Their professional lives have even intersected. Davida, a former international airline pilot, once arranged a surprise birthday announcement mid-flight for one of Fiona’s travel clients a shared moment of joy that perfectly captures their mutual love of travel and each other’s worlds.

A favourite memory? Watching their daughters, Tess Melville and Tessa Forshaw (2007), step into Year 7 at MLC side by side. “We took them to lunch before school started, so they’d have a friend from day one,” says Fiona. “Seeing them walk into school together that first morning, full of confidence, it was a moment we’ll never forget.”

Now, with hopes of seeing their granddaughters continue the legacy, Davida and Fiona’s connection to MLC has only deepened. Their story is one of generational ties, professional kinship, and a friendship built to last.

24/11/2025

Happy Memory Monday! Those dancing classes with the boys’ schools - equal parts thrilling and slightly awkward. Who remembers them? 💃🕺🪩

21/11/2025

A favourite end-of-year ritual...the uniform signatures! Did you get yours signed? Let us know below! 👇

20/11/2025

For some of us, graduation feels like a very distant memory, while for others it wasn’t all that long ago. What year did you graduate, and which memories from that time have stayed with you? 🎓

19/11/2025

✨Glenda Russell (McMillan, 1955) & Gwenda Smith (Hansen, 1953)✨

A Friendship Sparked by Service and Sustained by Shared Values 💚

Glenda Russell and Gwenda Smith didn’t cross paths during their school years at MLC, in fact, they didn’t meet until decades later. But when they did, it was the MLC spirit that brought them together.

Their connection began in the early 1980s, when both became involved with the MLC Old Collegians’ Club. First meeting through a local Waverley mothers’ group, they soon found themselves working side by side on the OCC Council in 1983, and have been close ever since.

“We didn’t know each other at school,” Gwenda says. “But we share the same values, and that has built a strong and lasting friendship.”

One of their most treasured memories together was visiting Marshmead in its earliest days. “It had only been open a term,” Gwenda recalls. “About 15 to 20 of us drove down by bus, stayed in Mallacoota, and toured the site. The cottages were all new, it was an exciting time.”

Now living nearby and attending the same church, Glenda and Gwenda still see each other regularly. They’re also part of a wider group of Old Collegians, many of whom graduated in the 1950s, who have been gathering for more than 37 years.

“We’ve gone from meeting monthly to a couple of times a year now, but we’re still going strong. I think that’s a pretty big effort,” Gwenda says with a smile.

Their friendship, like so many within the MLC community, is built not just on shared history, but on shared values, purpose, and a commitment to staying connected, even as the years go by.

16/11/2025

Sunday Spotlight: Tuck Shop / The Refectory 🏫

One of the most loved of MLCs past buildings, the Spanish-style tuckshop was built in 1927 and located to the North of Nicholas House (Home Sciences/Language Centre). Old Collegians have reported that this building was a pale pink colour with green trim. A tuck shop was an exciting and new concept to have at a girls school at the time. The provision of food for students was deemed necessary as enrolment numbers grew rapidly during the 1930s. It was demolished in 1971 to make way for the Woodgate Resource Centre.

15/11/2025

Join the Old Collegians Committee and be part of a passionate team dedicated to creating meaningful change through collaboration and community engagement.

We host a variety of events throughout the year and are currently looking for support in governance, social media, and program planning. Whether you’re looking to get more involved, give back, or connect with fellow alumnae, this is a great opportunity to make a difference.

📝 We’re accepting applications now with the new committee being announced in March!

✨ Ready to get involved? Apply now: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=UowMV4LxdUeI63_qKRpKbsmqMX_p7IZGn8TnLpEHyClUNzNYMzFEOFlHTkxUNDVDVE9CN1dFVFlFQSQlQCN0PWcu