Focused on celebrating individuals 40 years old and under, the Emily Hensley Award gives past students of Melbourne Girls Grammar the opportunity to share what they’ve been doing since leaving school and inspire our current students and community, to pursue their passions.
Melbourne Girls Grammar is delighted to announce Hannah Pelka-Caven (2007) as the 2025 recipient of the Emily Hensley Award, recognising how her life and work demonstrate exemplary leadership, service and a profound commitment to community. Hannah received her award at Speech Night, on 26 November, please join us in congratulating her.
Hannah’s career spans two demanding and deeply human fields – the law and the creative arts, and she has established herself as a respected advocate, artist and sector leader who continually strives to uplift others.
Starting her story back at School, Hannah has fond memories of her time at MGGS. The School’s culture of encouragement, coupled with exceptional teachers and wide-ranging opportunities, allowed her to explore music, languages, literature and a breadth of academic subjects.
“What I loved most about Melbourne Girls Grammar was the supportive environment. The teachers were phenomenal – so encouraging and kind – and the opportunities were incredible.”
Her years at MGGS were marked by early morning rehearsals, afternoons spent in vibrant co-curricular programs, and the strong sense of connection fostered in the library and among peers. This environment helped shape her intellectual curiosity and her discipline as a musician. “I played in all the musical groups – orchestras, choirs – and I loved having the chance to study so many different things,” she said.
Following graduation, Hannah pursued a Bachelor of Music at Melbourne University. She enjoyed life post School and spent her spare time travelling and playing music, teaching, working in hospitality and running her band, the Raglins.
“We’ve been together 14 years. My band mate is an architect, so we formed because we loved folk music, but were quite serious about study. We had a good time together and decided we had to be the most efficient band in the world if we were going to study and play music.”
Hannah’s gigs at the time included performances with the Victorian Opera and Chunky Move Dance and at the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
“I was bouncing around doing gigs, not making much money but having a very nice time, living in a share house in Parkville. The thing about university is that you get to go out and explore the things that you wanted to do when you were younger and didn’t have the chance to. So, amongst other things, I learnt how to juggle and met all these wonderful circus performers and creative artists.”
Hannah got a job at the National institute of Circus (NICA) and, while there, learned of an incident with a trapeze performer who was injured on a cruise ship. There followed a discussion around the legalities of who was liable for the injury as it occurred on open waters and there was much uncertainty about the incident. The incident inspired Hannah to want to look deeper into law and protect workers in the Arts industry and she applied to study for a Juris Doctor degree.
“I thought I wasn’t smart enough to study law, but I was curious to see if I could.”
She saw the move as a challenge she wanted to embrace and felt it would make her a more well-rounded person. Embarking on her new path of study, she enjoyed meeting different people from those she met through her music degree and embraced the change.
Hannah completed the Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne. Her legal career began with a clerkship at Holding Redlich, working in their intellectual property and commercial team, doing film and television work. She then settled in workplace relations.
Hannah gravitated toward work that aligned closely with her values, going on to accept an Industrial Officer role, acting as an employment Lawyer for the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance – the union for Australian creatives and journalists.
“I worked with stage actors, journalists, ushers, backstage crew, ballet dancers, film actors and crew. My first case was representing stunt performers on a major feature film.”
Simultaneously, Hannah has grown her performance career as a singer, violinist and songwriter. She has performed with major companies and festivals, collaborated widely, and has toured nationally with her long running folk duo, The Raglins. Her musical work ranges from classical performance to folk music, recording sessions and festival stages, all sustained alongside her legal work.
“To be honest, it’s never been one part (of my life) here and one part there. It’s always been interwoven. I did the Edinburgh military tattoo when I worked at the law firm. It was amazing. One thousand performers in a stadium, and at least 200 bagpipers. It was an incredible experience. I met people from all over the world.
In the last year I have played festivals with the Raglins, recorded backing vocals with other musicians, recorded my own songs, completed a residency, and I’m currently playing for Wright & Granger who are UK based storytellers with two shows at the Adelaide Fringe – whilst I’m still working as a lawyer”
Hannah’s current role is with the Australian Education Union. Her work now focuses on protecting the rights, safety and wellbeing of teachers across the public education system, navigating complex regulatory environments and advocating for fair treatment.
In 2023, Hannah received a shock leukaemia diagnosis. She was about to perform in a New Zealand circus show for Laser Kiwi for four weeks. After a routine blood test, she received a phone call from her doctor.
“I got a phone call that afternoon saying ‘You need to go to the hospital right now. You have no immune system’. So, I went to hospital and didn’t come out again for six weeks.”
Hannah underwent 10 months of treatment.
“It’s confronting having leukaemia at 33. We lost someone very special from my year level at MGGS to leukemia before she turned 21, and I thought about her a lot.
When you have no immune system, you’re not allowed to touch people, you’re not allowed to touch grass. It was very strange, especially having no symptoms and then being told you’re not allowed to touch a flower for fear it could (legitimately) kill you”
Hannah is grateful for the medical facilities we have in Australia and the support she had during her time in treatment and reflects on how her outlook has changed.
“I think you concentrate more on the things that you want to do. I am more willing to take risks than I used to. But I think it’s still too soon to tell. I think I’m still evaluating the impact.”
Beyond her professional roles, Hannah has devoted significant time to arts organisations and community-led initiatives. She sits on the Australia Council Board for Creative Australia, the Australian Government’s principal arts investment and advisory body.
“There are lots of very exciting things happening. We are about to have an Australian Poet Laureate and the new organisation, Creative Workplaces is doing really important work assisting and advocating for creative workers. It’s an exciting time to be passionate about the arts particularly given our National Cultural Policy”
For the past six years, Hannah has also served on the board of circus charity, Happy Haps Productions, run by circus performer Hannah Cryle, encouraging women and girls in the arts and advocating for women as strong creative leaders. She also volunteers on the board of the National Folk Festival, contributing governance expertise, strategic insight and practical support to ensure creative communities continue to thrive. She is particularly proud of initiatives that remove barriers for women and parents in the performing arts and creating spaces that prioritise accessibility, safety and belonging.
“I love meeting different people, and I think that’s been one of the most rewarding parts of both my legal work and the arts work.”
Hannah’s outlook and work exemplify the values of Melbourne Girls Grammar; Integrity, Courage, Compassion and Self discipline and her dedication, generosity and diverse achievements make her a deserving recipient of the Emily Hensley Award. Her story reflects a belief in possibility, purpose and the power of contributing to the world with skill and integrity.
Congratulations, Hannah!