Georgia Minucci

Georgia Minucci (’08) explains her role as Protocol Officer for Government House and how valuable her Loreto educational was to her career success

For our March Old Scholar Story, Georgia Minucci (’08) shares with us her incredible career journey since leaving Loreto and how she became a Protocol Officer for Government House. Georgia shares with us the amazing experiences she has had from working in Government House and how valuable her educational experience at Loreto was to her career success.

Georgia in her own words:

“Firstly, I would like to say how humbling it was to be asked to contribute to the Old Scholar Stories, given that there are women from my year level who have achieved incredible things in the twelve years since we graduated.

I started at Loreto in Miss Cappo’s reception class in 1996 and had the privilege of being Head Girl in Year 12. My parents had always wanted to send me to Loreto and I loved every one of my thirteen years there. My time at school is so much a part of who I am today.

After completing Year 12, I commenced a double degree of Law and Economics at the University of Adelaide. The first few years of university were tough, as half-way through my first year I fell ill with glandular fever and remained very unwell for the next three years. In my second year, I swapped my economics degree to a Bachelor of Arts and studied Italian and history alongside my law degree. I graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in 2014, and then completed my Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice in the two years following.

At the end of my study, I knew that I didn’t want to pursue law. I love art and had been volunteering at the Art Gallery of South Australia in Front of House during my last years of university. As a result, I wanted to pursue art history. I had also always wanted to live in Melbourne, so I enrolled in post-graduate art history at The University of Melbourne, got a job at the Melbourne Museum, and moved over in 2015. I absolutely loved my time in Melbourne and still think about my beautiful walk to work through Carlton Gardens on a cold winter morning.

In the end I decided against studying art history due to fears about limited job prospects and instead I commenced full-time work at the Victorian branch of the Fair Work Ombudsman. I then worked at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services reading and preparing child protection documents for court subpoenas.

After almost two years in Melbourne, I decided it was time to move back home and commenced at the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption. I learnt a great deal and particularly enjoyed working for its Investigations Team, supporting their Intelligence Unit – it was interesting to say the least!

From there I moved to my current position as a Protocol Officer at Government House. For the past two years I have been part of a small team who support the Governor of South Australia with his constitutional, ceremonial and community roles. It is an absolute privilege to work at Government House and I am so grateful to spend my working day amongst its gardens and historic rooms. Amongst other things, we organise the Governor’s attendance at external events, organise functions at the House, accompany him to events and Government Executive Council, and deliver the Governor’s messages to Parliament.

It has been such a wonderful experience and there are many highlights: seeing children under the guardianship of the Minister come to Government House to see Santa, having the German Ambassador attend with a delegation of artists and musicians and hear their two opera singers perform a capella in the drawing rooms, and having Christmas lunch with Vietnam Veterans at their club rooms and hearing their incredible stories of survival and service.

Currently, I am acting as the Speechwriter and Communications Officer at the House and will continue to fill in for the next few months before returning to Protocol. It has been a wonderful experience so far and I feel honoured to be writing for the Governor.

I would not be where I am today without my family, and Loreto College.

Like many Adelaidian’s, I am often asked where I went to school. When I tell people, they often say, ‘oh that makes sense’, or, ‘oh you’re a Loreto girl’. This tells me that Loreto girls stand out in our community. I think this is because our school not only provides us with a brilliant academic education, it instils values that we carry with us through our adult lives and forever connect us as a community. Values like kindness, compassion, generosity, service to others, confidence, and a strong work ethic.

I think we have to be so grateful to Mary Ward and her unwavering belief in educating women. I will always remember her quote that, ‘women in time to come will do much’. I think she would be very proud of her Loreto girls and what they continue to achieve today.”