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Breakfast proved a great start to the day!

It was an early start for some of our students on Wednesday 28 September, as they proudly brought their dads along to Westlake’s inaugural Father and Daughter Breakfast.

More than 360 people packed the Event Centre, greeted at the door by some of our rowing squad members (who organised the event) and talented pianists Hana Tani and Tara Yoo.

A balloon and flower arch, along with Westlake’s media wall, provided back-drops for photos before guests took their seats downstairs for coffee and breakfast cups of muesli, yoghurt and fruit compote. After a welcome by Deputy Principal Nicky Whitham-Blackwell, breakfast was served by more of our fabulous rowers – cinnamon scrolls, corn fritters with bacon, mini croissants and bacon & egg pie.

Principal Jane Stanley then spoke on the vital role dads play in their daughter’s academic achievements, citing research from the Institute for Family Studies which showed that daughters whose fathers are actively engaged in promoting academic or athletic achievements, and encouraging self-reliance and assertiveness, are more likely to graduate from university, and enter higher paying, more demanding jobs that have been traditionally held by males. She said the research also found that there is an increasing number of young women who are working in the same field as their fathers, which researchers attribute to society’s changing gender roles, but also to daughters receiving more mentoring from their dads.

Our Guest Speaker for the event was alumna Andrea Nelson who is CEO of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. She shared stories from her time at Westlake, along with insights from her sports career journey – which was something of a surprise to her as she wasn’t into sports when she was at high school. Shen encouraged dads to support their daughters into sports careers.

Our final speech was by our incredible Head Prefect Ivy Mitchell who shared some hilarious stories about her dad.

We want to pass on a huge thank you to our rowing squads and their amazing families who made the breakfast happen.

Your organisational skills were next level and your attention to detail made the breakfast an exceptional event.

We’ll be back next year, so watch this space!