Showcasing Our Loreto Normanhurst Storytellers

Our teachers are more than educators; many are skilled writers who take their creativity and passion for words beyond the classroom. We’re proud to highlight Maree Badgery-Parker, one of our English teachers, who writes short fiction in her spare time. Her opinion pieces have also been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, which is an incredible achievement. Reflecting on her creative influences and writing process, Maree shares, “I sometimes write, and I know I’m not going to necessarily get published, but I feel creative...  just like, if you’re feeling creative and you want to knit something, or you want to paint something, you do it because you want to.”

Students are also achieving fantastic feats within the realm of creative writing. Year 12 student Rose Cunningham, author of Rainbow Land: The Story of Loreto Normanhurst , emphasises her love of writing – within school pursuits, and even outside of school. “There’s nothing that’s more exciting than having the space to freely discuss and put on paper all these ideas that you have.” Aside from her work on Rainbow Land , which beautifully retells the rich heritage of our school, Rose is also an Editor in Chief within the student-run newsletter, The Mary Word. Her advice to other inspiring writers is to “leave self-criticism at the door… give yourself the liberty of writing and then coming back and revising or seeing what does or doesn’t work.”

Alongside Rose, two talented Year 9 students, Isabel Hon and Kate Starke were also shortlisted for the Gough Whitlam What Matters? writing competition, in which they had the opportunity to write about a topic close to their hearts. Kate’s piece, I’m Addicted, reveals the harmful nature phone addiction and the negative impact it has on our daily lives. “Writing can be hard, especially being honest with yourself, but it’s also a great way to understand your own habits,” Kate explains. “My advice to new writers is to start with your real experiences because there’s always something important in them.” Isabel’s piece, But it’s a joke, right? addresses the issue of racism, faced by young Asians. Speaking on the purpose of her piece, she states, “I hope that young people with an Asian heritage can read my work so they can learn that it is okay to stand up for yourself. I want people like me, to be proud of their culture.”

We are also thrilled to highlight other accomplished staff. Bonnie Dastyari, a Diverse Learning Assistant, has published two of her works, Under a Starless Sky , a memoir chronicling her family’s escape from Iran, as well as The Russian Tapestry , a daring historical novel inspired by a true story. “When I was 12, my family and I escaped from Iran, and years later, I wanted to be able to tell that story to my children,” reveals Bonnie, when asked about the story behind Under a Starless Sky . “It’s still a very raw and visceral story for me. So, I wrote a book for them.” Sharing that she loves telling ‘migrant stories’, Bonnie says, “in Australia, 44% of us are either first- or second-generation migrants and we all come with a suitcase of memories and stories.”

Often behind the scenes, our maintenance staff play a crucial role in keeping our community running smoothly. But their talents extend far beyond their daily duties. This is demonstrated by Ben Nicholls, published author of two crime thrillers, Fort Avenue and Rogue Justice . When asked about his preferred writing environment, Ben shares, “My writing habit is [that] I actually like distractions... the best time that I found in my writing was when I wrote the first couple chapters of my second book, Fort Avenue , while waiting for a friend to pick me up at the Gold Coast Airport terminal. Everything was happening around me, the chaos and the announcements and the arrivals, and the to-ing's and fro-ing's of the people all around.” Encouraging others to prioritise reading in their daily lives, Ben says, “If you’ve got time, you’ve got time to read, and just that escapism, it’s magic. You can’t beat it.”

These students and staff exemplify the deep love of learning and creativity that we nurture at Loreto Normanhurst. Opportunities for aspiring writers are abundant, from our student newspaper, The Mary Word, to our annual Write a Book in a Day competition, along with internships, excursions and incursions that encourage imagination. From students to staff, our community’s voices reflect a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives. At Loreto Normanhurst, learning is never solely about academic achievement – supporting students to achieve their personal goals and desires has always been at the heart of our school identity.