19/11/2025
✨Glenda Russell (McMillan, 1955) & Gwenda Smith (Hansen, 1953)✨
A Friendship Sparked by Service and Sustained by Shared Values 💚
Glenda Russell and Gwenda Smith didn’t cross paths during their school years at MLC, in fact, they didn’t meet until decades later. But when they did, it was the MLC spirit that brought them together.
Their connection began in the early 1980s, when both became involved with the MLC Old Collegians’ Club. First meeting through a local Waverley mothers’ group, they soon found themselves working side by side on the OCC Council in 1983, and have been close ever since.
“We didn’t know each other at school,” Gwenda says. “But we share the same values, and that has built a strong and lasting friendship.”
One of their most treasured memories together was visiting Marshmead in its earliest days. “It had only been open a term,” Gwenda recalls. “About 15 to 20 of us drove down by bus, stayed in Mallacoota, and toured the site. The cottages were all new, it was an exciting time.”
Now living nearby and attending the same church, Glenda and Gwenda still see each other regularly. They’re also part of a wider group of Old Collegians, many of whom graduated in the 1950s, who have been gathering for more than 37 years.
“We’ve gone from meeting monthly to a couple of times a year now, but we’re still going strong. I think that’s a pretty big effort,” Gwenda says with a smile.
Their friendship, like so many within the MLC community, is built not just on shared history, but on shared values, purpose, and a commitment to staying connected, even as the years go by.
