On Saturday 2 November our Alumnae Association, led by Emily Steel, held a number of events at the school to honour our Founders’ Day. Our Founders were particularly special in conceiving a vision for educating women in an academic school while following the traditions of the Anglican Church. Back in 1903 it was not an expectation for women to be highly educated, and women had only been given the right to vote 10 years earlier. Today we show our appreciation to the Founders and ask ourselves what have we learned through this journey.
One most important aspect is being part of a sisterhood that spans generations of women ensuring that the equity gains continue to deepen and embed in the future. There are examples around the world where women have lost their right to vote, are not allowed to be educated or make decisions about their education and health. In our country, we are fortunate that educating women is a high priority and important to uphold so that our strong voice and ability to influence is not diluted. We once led the world with women in New Zealand being the first women to vote in a democracy, and there is much more to maintain and achieve.
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua: ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’
This whakataukī is about a beautiful perspective where the past, the present and the future are viewed as intertwined, and life as a continuous process. We were delighted to welcome Jane Williams and her daughter Katie Williams to speak to our assembly.
Jane’s great grandfather was Sir Edwin Mitchelson who was one of the founders of Diocesan and the first chairman. We continue his legacy at Dio with one of our eight houses named after him. Throughout the 120 years of the Mitchelson family at Dio, there have been only 41 years when there hasn’t been a relative of their family at the school. Jane and her daughter Katie shared their delightful stories of life at Dio with photos from the past. It was a wonderful event, fully enjoyed by the staff and students. Our thanks to Jane and Katie for their entertaining stories of lives connected through the past and future of Diocesan.
Edwin Mitchelson has five current great great great grand-daughters at Dio.
Founders’ Weekend
Over the weekend we hosted a high tea for our older Alumnae, followed by a chapel service and the Diocesan Alumnae Annual General Meeting. In the evening, a cocktail event welcomed many people from past years but particularly celebrated the 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984 and 1974 (and 1972) alumnae. This was a wonderful opportunity for our alumnae to see around the school with tours hosted by our Junior High School students. It was a wonderful weekend to acknowledge the past and present of Diocesan and to take time to catch up on the amazing lives of our young people who are making a difference here in New Zealand and in many parts of the world. It was particularly special watching some of our alumnae perform the school song in our new theatre. What a treat that they still remembered the words!
Our thanks to Emily Steel, Chair of the DAA, Angela Coe – Director of Development, and Kate Eatts – Development and Community Relations Manager. We felt sure that the Founders of Diocesan School for Girls would have been very proud to see what communities over the years have achieved.
