Hi Gabbi

I’m at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls and we run the Whitby Society which captures those two exact groups you mentioned: past staff and past parents who are not Old Scholars. It is something we reignited a few years ago and offer the following to members:

– Dedicated Whitby Society newsletter which is published twice a year and emailed to members. The newsletter highlights school news, event information and ways to engage.
– Discounted tickets to school production and concerts
– Invitation to the annual Whitby Society past staff morning tea held in Term 4
– Invitation to past parent morning teas that tie in with their daughter’s reunion (eg: Parents of the Class of 2006 morning tea will be held the week after the 20-year class reunion)
– Invitation to school Christmas Eve service
– Opportunities to volunteer on campus at the Heritage Centre (our archival centre)

Those who are interested can sign up to be part of the Whitby Society via the school website or they can email/phone us directly. We are very lucky in that our archivist gathered the names of past retired staff (she has been at the school for over 40 years) so we started off with a strong number of members- and she is incredible for continuing to reach out to people.

We also encourage members, via the newsletter, to pass on information about the Whitby Society to their contacts that might like to join, as we may not always have their up to date details. The society continues to grow, and it has become a lovely group of engaged community members who can stay connected with the school in a regular and meaningful way.

If you would like any further information, please feel free to email me: niamh.fitzpatrick@sthildas.wa.edu.au