Former Teachers
Irene Ritchie
Irene was unfortunately unable to attend the recent 1979 Reunion but she has kindly updated us on what she has been doing since leaving Sacré Cœur.
Time at Sacré Cœur
1974 - 1977 Taught full time at Sacré Cœur
Taught Year 11 and 12 Politics and Social Studies
Year 7-10 Histories and Integrated Studies
1978 - 1983 Left to have two babies
1983 - 2000 Part time at Sacré Cœur
Taught History, Integrated Studies, Australian studies, Drama and Geography
Irene was Head of History and Head of Integrated Studies and Head of Australian studies at different times.
Post Sacré Cœur
From 1998 until 2003 I returned to Monash University part time and did a major in Indonesian resulting in a Bachelor of Letters and a Post Graduate Diploma in teaching Foreign Languages. I left Sacré Cœur in 2000 to work at Eltham College City Campus for two years teaching Indonesian and then went to Scotch College for three years teaching Indonesian, History and Communication. I then taught at Mentone Grammar and taught Year 11 and 12 Indonesian and Primary Indonesian for five years.
Since retiring from teaching, I write for various magazines on travel in Indonesia and Javanese and Balinese culture. I regularly interview Javanese Muslim intellectuals for articles on Indonesian Islam. I am fluent in Indonesian and travel there twice a year.
I have co-authored six books of Indonesian folk stories including five with senior lecturer, Eddy Pursubaryanto, from Gadjah Mada University in Yogykarta, Indonesia. The English Department of Gajdah Mada University publish a new book by myself and Eddy each year. The stories have been retold in English and are based on the traditional Kancil [mouse deer] legends.
In 2015 I received a Seniors’ writing award from the City of Port Phillip for an article called A Kooglhoupf Adventure on the history of a well known cake shop in St Kilda. I give workshops and talks on my books in Indonesia and Australia. I play Indonesian gamelan music and am currently learning Javanese. My new stories, The Kancil, the Dragon and the Drone and An Indonesian Mouse Deer Goes to America are new modern creations I have done.
For more information on Irene and her publications, please visit her website: