Where are you from and what brought you to Singapore?
I was born in London, but my family moved to Australia when I was three. I grew up on the south coast of NSW in Wollongong but at 23 my husband and I left to work and travel the world. Missing our family and friends, we decided to return to Australia in 2001 where we continued to further our careers and education and started a family. In 2006 we moved to London where we welcomed our second child, but never a family to settle down for too long, we left for Singapore in 2016 when an opportunity came up with my husband’s company.
What made you choose Dulwich?
Having grown up in Australia and the UK, our children consider both countries home, so having a balance of British and Australian families was important. Dulwich has a large Australian community but is also home to families from over 50 nationalities. We wanted a school that would give our children a true international experience. We were looking for a good standard of academics but also wanted an encouraging and secure environment which they felt challenged by but never pressured. A well-rounded approach to education was important, in terms of languages offered, sports, arts, music and pastoral care.
Tell us about your work with FoD.
I have an incredible team and we help coordinate social activities, community events, and facilitate parent representative meetings. On the administration side I organise the AGM, assist with policy documentation updates and liaise with members of the College Leadership Team to ensure effective communication to the community. I love working in our second-hand uniform shop daily so I can meet as many new and existing parents as possible. Keeping my team positive, creating new charity fundraising events and finding volunteer work for FoD is a priority! There is nothing more rewarding than giving back to the community and bringing about change.
What is the importance of FoD?
“Our Dulwich family” is what FoD believes so passionately in. We are elected parent volunteers working to enrich the Dulwich experience for all parents and students, whilst also contributing to the local community. We have many nationality representatives who help us celebrate the diverse, multi-cultural College community. In a normal year FoD organises the College’s Black-tie Gala, Christmas Fair, quiz nights, bake sales, new parent coffee mornings, author talks, school discos and more. We also support many local Singaporean charities.
How have you kept the parent community engaged and motivated during Covid?
It’s been a difficult time for everyone and keeping our community together has been challenging. When the College re-opened in August last year, there were still many restrictions, but we could open our second-hand uniform shop as an essential service. This meant new parents could meet members of FoD face to face. This has been a positive for many parents, particularly those who were new to the Dulwich community. Even with restrictions in place we have continued supporting our longstanding initiatives such as raising funds for mental health. Last year we made and sold over 700 facemasks to Dulwich parents to support this initiative! We also run a Facebook group to keep the community engaged. Through this we can keep communication going, keep spirits up and let our parents know we are always here for them.
