This year Mount Lilydale Mercy College is celebrating its 125th anniversary. To celebrate this wonderous milestone the College will publish a book that features 125 stories from 125 Years of MLMC.
Below is one of those 125 stories. It features Glenys Heath and Lynne McLaughlin — both strong and dynamic women who forged roles at the College in this era but whose lives were tragically cut short in 1992.
We look forward to sharing more of these stories with you over the coming weeks.
Glenys Heath joined the College in 1975 and guided the Creative Arts Department through its formative years, establishing it as a strong component of the curriculum. She was described in the yearbook as “a woman of insight, wisdom, compassion and balanced judgement”, who had “a full understanding of the meaning of education”. Glenys also brought these qualities to her role of Senior Campus Coordinator. In this capacity much of her work was directly related to the counselling of students. The College held dear her “creative and sensitive influence” and it was said that the lives of many students “have been enhanced by her presence”. The Glenys Heath Memorial Award is named in her honour, as is the Heath building. Both her sons and two grandsons have attended the College.
Lynne McLaughlin oversaw the Humanities department at the College. Described as “a woman of vision with great inner strength, a free thinker and a woman of faith”, her leadership qualities were apparent in her ability to unite people to work towards a common goal. It was noted that “she was forthright in her views, with a great sense of justice and preparedness to pursue such issues, daring to be different and innovative. As a teacher she had no peer; she was a gifted public speaker and the depth and richness of her knowledge in all areas was a source of inspiration. Her students respected her because she set down guidelines based on courtesy and consideration for all and shared her own delight in learning”.
