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Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle Luncheon 2021 | Celebrating Lauriston Bequestors
Wednesday, 9 June 2021
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In April we launched a Gifts in Will Week@Lauriston to celebrate the giving spirit and generosity of our community and their gifts, which have helped the School to educate generations of accomplished women. The significant part of these celebrations was the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle (EKC) annual luncheon. The EKC was established to honour benefactors who have chosen to support the school directly through a gift in their will. The luncheon was held at the RACV Club in the city and attended by current bequestors, their families and many Lauriston past students and friends. We thanked our past, current and future bequestors and shared our gratitude for their generous gifts, their loyalty to the school, and their foresight in giving to the future of girls’ education.
 But the highlight of the luncheon were the presentations from our current and past students. Jayde Cosford (2019) talked about her time at Lauriston and how attending the school made a real impact on her life. She joined Lauriston as the inaugural Belinda Phillips Goldman Sachs Memorial Scholarship recipient and combined her academic studies with strong involvement in her chosen sport – Triathlons. She even represented Australia in the 2019 Triathlon, Multisport World Championships in Spain. Jayde is very enthusiastic about her Lauriston education and thankful for the opportunities the school offered her: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Lauriston, and without the support of the Lauriston Foundation, I never would have had the opportunity to experience Lauriston. I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received and know that the generosity of others has had, and will continue to have, such an impact on my life.’ After graduating from Lauriston Jayde was awarded a Hansen Scholarship to attend the University of Melbourne and to live on campus. She is currently in her second year of Biomedicine. Megan Ho and Amelie Graham, our current School Captains, shared their passions and projects they are involved in. Amelie talked about how her experiences at Lauriston had helped grow her self-confidence and resulted in a love of public speaking, and how this would help her in her future career. Megan spoke about being involved in a hands-on project where her team was asked to design a solution to address a real-life problem – assisting a woman to pursue her love of photography despite her disabilities. Seeing the positive impact their solution had for this woman has convinced Megan that her future career will be linked to design and engineering. The luncheon was a great opportunity for the School to thank the past, current and future bequestors and was enjoyed by all participants, judging by the thank you notes we received: “Thank you for your generous hospitality and for creating such a warm and welcoming environment. “ “Thank you, too, for the really beautiful and delicate gift which I will wear with much pride.” “Thank you for the lovely lunch. What a wonderful celebration.” “I was going to write and say how I enjoyed the luncheon and catching up with the intent of the EKC. The girls spoke very well and our young future Doctor will go a long way I am sure.” “Great to catch up with friends and their families who had lots of mutual memories….” “I was inspired by the stories of the two school captains.” Our School Captains were thrilled to meet so many women and men, who have been connected to the school for years: “We absolutely loved attending the lunch, it was so great to be able to speak to all of the EKC members, whose contributions to Lauriston are so important. Thank you for having us!” Gifts left in wills continue to have a major impact on the school’s ability to deliver contemporary teaching and learning facilities, and to provide deserving young women with the opportunity to experience an outstanding education. Alix Bradfield is a former parent and grandparent at the school who also led the School Council. She is a bequestor and Honorary Chair of the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle. According to Alix, “giving a bequest to a world I know nothing about but knowing that there will be a need for education and education of girls will play a big part in that new world, it’s a very exciting prospect”. We will see everyone again at the 2022 EKC luncheon! You can find out more about the Gifts in Will Week@Lauriston and discover stories about school benefactors at https://www.lauriston.vic.edu.au/the-lauriston-foundation/bequests To discover how your gift can make a difference to girls' education please contact Bo Rutecki on 03 9864 7555 or ruteckibo@lauriston.vic.edu.au. |
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