Alumni Profile: Jeanette Robertson OAM

Jeanette Robertson OAM (FR 1972) arrived at St Catherine’s College in February 1972 expecting to spend three years in Perth. That same year, she officiated at her first National Athletics Championships.

It was the beginning of two journeys that would shape her life far beyond anything she could have anticipated.

Jeanette stayed in Western Australia for 41 years, building a distinguished career in nursing, research and education. Alongside it, she maintained a lifelong involvement in athletics that would eventually take her from Perry Lakes to the track at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

She was 22 when she arrived from Victoria, having completed a Diploma of Physical Education at the University of Melbourne. Looking out across the UWA campus from St Catherine’s on her first morning, she remembers thinking she had “died and gone to Heaven”.

More than five decades later, Jeanette can trace much of what followed back to those first years in Perth: new friendships, a change in career direction, the beginnings of her life in Western Australia and an involvement in athletics that would ultimately take her to the Olympic Games.

What brought you to St Catherine’s?

I came to Perth from Victoria intending to stay for three years. At the time, the University of Melbourne did not offer the degree in Physical Education I wanted to pursue, so, like many Victorianian students, I travelled west.

My introduction to Western Australia included a speeding fine at Northam, but things improved considerably when I reached StCatherine'ss!

I made many friends at College and, in my second year in 1973, I was elected Treasurer of the Student Committee.

Athletics became an important part of your life in Perth. How did that begin?

Athletics had been part of my life before I came west, but Perth marked the beginning of my journey as an official at a national level.

I began officiating at Perry Lakes Athletics Stadium while I was living at St Catherine’s, and in 1972 I officiated at my first National Athletics Championships, held in Perth.

At the time, of course, I could never have imagined where that involvement would eventually lead.

I continued officiating over the decades alongside my nursing career, regularly travelling interstate for national championships. In the late 1990s, when Sydney was preparing to host the Olympic Games, I decided that if I wanted the opportunity to officiate there, I needed to prove myself at the highest level.

From 1997 to 1999, that meant travelling around Australia to officiate at Schools, Junior and Senior National Championships. It took a considerable commitment of both time and money, but I never regretted it.

In 2000, I was selected as one of the athletics officials for the Sydney Olympic Games, officiating in the track events and the men’s marathon.

What do you remember most about Sydney 2000?

One of my most vivid memories is CathyFreeman'ss 400-metre final.

I was not rostered to officiate that particular race, so I was standing with some of the other officials near the 200-metre mark.

As Cathy came past us, I remember thinking,”“You need to put the burners on, gir”” — and she did.

I can still remember the flashbulbs lighting up the stadium and the extraordinary roar of the crowd as she came around the track and won gold. The excitement of that night is something I have never forgotten.

The Olympic Games were followed by the Paralympics, which I found incredibly inspiring, and in 2006 I was selected to officiate at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Athletics remained part of my life long after Sydney. In 2015, shortly after returning to Victoria, I was awarded Life Membership of Athletics Australia, recognising my contribution to the sport and, in particular, my work developing documentation used by officials in Australia and overseas.

What was College life like in the early 1970s?

Some traditions would seem very different today.

Jeans were forbidden in the dining room, and you needed theWarden'ss permission to take your place at the table. A simple nod from the dining room door was your signal to find your seat.

There was also a fashion for colourful striped toe socks. Anyone rushing back from a 5.00 pm lecture for the 6.00 pm evening meal would hurriedly put a skirt over whatever they were wearing, often leaving their colourful socks in full view.

And then there was the celery. Celery must have been very cheap when I lived at College. We ate it raw and every way you could possibly cook it. I believed that if the cook had possessed a recipe for celery dessert, we would have been served that too. Thankfully, she did not!

What are some of your favourite memories?

I remember the less formal moments most fondly.

After a formal dinner with the StGeorge'ss boys in 1973, 100 rented glasses mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately, a surprise search of selected rooms at their College located every missing glass, which was returned intact with the appropriate apologies.

Another memorable weekend was a rainy and windy Easter trip to Albany with two friends. We returned with a very wet borrowed tent and needed somewhere to dry it, so we pitched it on the lawn outside the JCR and had a sleepover in the courtyard. By morning, the sun had done its work, and we could return the tent to its owner in good condition.

I also loved Inter-College football and PROSH. Around this time, I took up rowing and began officiating at Perry Lakes athletics stadium, an interest that would remain an important part of my life for decades.

Your career eventually took a very different direction from the one you had planned. How did that happen?

I supported myself with part-time Physical Education teaching at two Perth high schools, but I quickly realised teaching PE was not for me. In 1973, I withdrew from the course and enrolled in Science at UWA, majoring in Anatomy and Human Biology.

The UWA career centre later found me work as a research assistant in the Dental Department at Princess Margaret Hospital, where I assisted with research projects and managed the Combined Clinic for children with facial clefts.

When our research grant was not renewed, combined with an unexpected need for surgery, I was forced to reconsider my plans. I had to stop my studies and, sadly, leave StCatherine'’s.

My familiarity with the hospital environment led me to consider nursing. I began training at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in 1974 and, without the senior nursingstaff'ss knowledge, re-enrolled at UWA at the same time to complete my science degree.

I completed my nursing exams in 1978 and my Bachelor of Science in 1980.

Where did nursing take you?

My nursing career lasted 41 years and included clinical care, clinical teaching and nursing education throughout Western Australia, as well as project work with the Health Department and Nurses Board of WA.

In 1985, I travelled to Edinburgh to complete aMaster'ss degree in Nursing Education. My thesis focused on antenatal care, particularly the needs of younger mothers. During my midwifery training, I had noticed that few teenage mothers attended antenatal classes, often because they felt ostracised by married couples. I like to think my work helped increase awareness of the need for antenatal services specifically for younger mothers.

After returning to Perth, I worked at Curtin University before returning to Princess Margaret Hospital in 1988 as its first Nurse Researcher. My work focused on improving nursing care through research, and in 1995 I published a book designed to help nurses use research to improve their practice.

I also travelled throughout Western Australia helping country nurses access online resources for clinical care and later managed the Archives Collection at Princess Margaret Hospital during its centenary celebrations.

Your interests outside nursing have been just as varied.

They certainly have been.

I volunteered at Perth Zoo and established theZoo'ss library in 1982, which later led me to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies at Curtin University.

Athletics also remained a major part of my life. I regularly travelled interstate to officiate at national championships and was selected to officiate track events at the 2000 Olympic Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games.

In 2008, I was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to nursing, athletics, Perth Zoo and other voluntary organisations, including the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, WA Swimming Association and WA Genealogical Society.

What has life looked like since retirement?

I retired in 2015 and returned to Victoria to care for my elderly mother. By then I had overstayed my original three-year plan for Perth by 38 years.

Soon after arriving at my new home in Port Fairy, I learned that I had been awarded Life Membership of Athletics Australia, recognising my work developing documentation used by track officials in Australia and overseas.

Retirement has also allowed me to travel extensively, including trips to the United Kingdom to research my family tree, a cruise around the world and even a stay with the polar bears in Manitoba, Canada.

What does StCatherine'ss mean to you today?

My time at StCatherine'ss remains memorable, from the warm welcome I received from seasoned College residents when I arrived to my unexpected departure in 1973.

I am so lucky to have been a small part of College history.

What I originally thought would be three years in Perth became 41 very happy years, and St Catherine’s was the springboard for everything that followed.