2023 Valedictory Dinner

Our annual Valedictory Dinner is an opportunity for the Women’s community to come together to reflect on the year and acknowledge the contributions our Graduands and Valedicts have made to the College.

On Thursday 19 October, we congratulated our eight 2023 Graduands and 24 Third-Year Valedicts during a wonderful ceremony that is a highlight on our College calendar. The evening began with an Official Welcome from our Head of College & CEO, Flo Kearney.

College Council President Emeritus Professor Carol Dickenson AM then conducted a very special Fellowship Ceremony for not one but two College community members. The first was for Kim Lyons, who is an alumna of Women’s (2001 – 2005) and was our 2005 Senior Resident Assistant. Kim has served on the College Council for several years and was the Deputy President from 2012 – 2023. The second Fellowship was presented to Jeff Sipek, who has been the College’s Director of Operations since 1989. For the past 35 years, Jeff has made immeasurable contributions to the College.

We were then privileged to hear from our guest speaker, The Honourable Justice Catherine Muir, who is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland. Her Honour spoke about her career pathway from university to working in law, and how making mistakes shaped her and built resilience.

Second Year Resident Sara Metcalf and Cultural Convenor Sophia Ross then performed their gorgeous rendition of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, which was a beautiful way to honour our 2023 Residents and Associates.

Student Club President Phoebe Lingard and Senior Resident Assistant Lili Anderson presented their heartfelt Valedictory Addresses before the College then acknowledged our 2023 Student Leadership Team and other student leaders.

Three special awards were also presented at the event, and we congratulate the Woozas who won the following awards:

• Outstanding Commitment: Ready to Lead Program – Kira Craig
• Associate Award – Imogen Elliott
• The Women’s Wooza – Mary Esplin

Our 2024 Student Leadership Team was then formally introduced to the College community. These students then formed a Guard of Honour for our 2023 Graduands and Third-Year Valedicts as they departed the ceremony.

The Women’s College congratulates all our 2023 Graduands, Valedicts and award recipients. We thank everyone in the College community who helped to make this event the incredibly special occasion that it was.