Sophie Panapoulous was certainly prominent in the Young Liberals at Melbourne
University in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but as far as I can recall she did
not hold any positions within the Student Union. Within the student body, she
and her young Liberal colleagues were considered rather silly and strident. In
their late teens Sophie and her young Lib cohorts on one occassion I can recall
went to the docks to welcome in a US nuclear submarine. This was considered by
the rest of us self respecting, pub dwelling first and second years as highly
ridiculous.

(BTW: in her latter years at Melbourne’s exlusive St Catherine’s School,
Sophie and a number of friends were left of the political centre. A number of
her colleagues at school recall that her intention was to join Young Labor on
starting at Melbourne University. Rumour has it, that she and another St Caths
friend were put off doing so by the unwaspy, unwashed appearance of the young
Labour lads at the Labor recruitment stall during O’week. The Young Libs won out
on the basis of fashion and background and the rest is
history.)