Anecdotes from the Archives

The spread of Presentation Schools in Tasmania 

Recently, our St Mary’s College staff shared a Spirituality Day with the staff of St Brigid’s School, Corpus Christi School and St Cuthbert’s School – all schools that were, at one time, run by the Presentation Sisters.

Perhaps we do not reflect often enough on the spread of Presentation schools across Tasmania and the many lives touched in this State by the presence of the Presentation Sisters as educators.

Although we generally acknowledge St Mary’s College as their foundation school, in fact the Sisters also ran a small school in Richmond, where they resided from November 1866 until January 1868 while St Mary’s was being built. At the same time, they travelled often to Colebrook to run small classes there as well, although not in a school.

In 1868 the Sisters decamped to Hobart and established St Mary’s College. Almost at once they began to gather the children of poor and struggling Hobart families and within a few years, the free school, St Columba’s School, was added to the site of the original convent building.

By 1873 the Sisters had set their eyes on the north of the State, establishing Sacred Heart School in Launceston in 1873, along with a substantial convent. In 1984 the secondary section of Sacred Heart College amalgamated with two other schools to form St Patrick’s College.

The Launceston Sisters went on to establish St Finn Barr’s School in Launceston in 1894. A school at Queenstown was opened in 1899 but later handed over to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Also in 1899, after much demand, the Sisters opened St Francis Xavier’s School in Beaconsfield and in 1903, St Monica’s School in Longford. Over the following years, at least four Presentation Sisters first discerned their religious vocations as students at St Francis Xavier’s School in Beaconsfield.

The south of the State saw much expansion, with Corpus Christi School being opened at Bellerive in 1935. Then followed St Cuthbert’s School at Lindisfarne in 1938. The Sisters took over leadership of St Brigid’s School in New Norfolk from the Sisters of Charity in 1950.

The next moves were to establish Star of the Sea College in George Town in 1957, St Anthony’s School in Riverside, Launceston in 1961 and finally Our Lady Help of Christians School in Newnham, Launceston, in 1961.

No further proof of the reach and influence of the Presentation Sisters in Tasmania is needed! While a number of the country schools may have closed and others may have amalgamated and still others are now under the umbrella of Catholic Education Tasmania, our Sisters over the many decades have greatly influenced the minds and souls of young people in Tasmania and have left an enviable heritage.