Religious Education -Past Pupil Talks

Our Year 12 RE classes were visited by alumni who spoke about their experiences of their time at Kilbreda and the positive impact the college had on their lives. In the first session, I began by giving the girls and their teachers a brief history of the area, from the times of the Bunurong people to the present. This touched on Mr Balcombe from the Briars in Mornington and his Napoleonic connections, to the founding of Mentone, with its landmark Coffee Palace and that buildings subsequent transformation into the school we now know as Kilbreda.

Following this, my uncle John Chapman spoke, whose name some may recognise from the oval at St Mark’s Dingley which was named in his honour. John started school in Prep in 1946 and shared some poignant memories of life at Kilbreda from a boy’s perspective. John recounted the story of losing his lunch one day and, on being found by some senior girls who discovered his predicament, took him to lunch with them in the boarders’ dining room.

In the second session, we heard from Sr Reba Woodwiss, whose artistic talents can be seen in our College Chapel window, designed by Reba for the centenary in 2004. Reba spoke of the opportunities she was given to develop and demonstrate leadership during her time here. This culminated in her being first a house leader and then being asked by Mother Margaret Mary to be College Captain in 1955, quite an accomplishment for a day pupil. Reba also impressed upon her audience the importance of being involved in college life which reaps rewards of its own. On leaving school, Reba became a Brigidine sister and returned to Kilbreda in 1960 as Sr Goretti.

Mrs Denise Leonard (nee Morrissey), who now heads the Past Pupils’ Committee and represents that group on the Stewardship Council, was a student here until 1961. Denise mentioned her longing to see inside the walls of this building she often passed, saddened by the fact that she was enrolled elsewhere. Eventually, Denise’s wish to attend Kilbreda was realised and she regaled us with her delight in the many items of uniform this entitled her to wear. Denise studied teaching and eventually returned as a staff member in the early 1980s, eventually becoming Year 7 Coordinator and later Vice Principal.

The talks, which have become a tradition in Year 12 RE, were much appreciated by staff and students.

Damian Smith

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