Excursions and Immersions

Youth Fest 

Last Friday, students from Years 7–10 had the opportunity to attend the Echuca Youth Fest, a community event designed to celebrate and empower young people. The festival featured a wide range of activities, performances, and information stalls, all aimed at encouraging youth involvement, creativity and leadership.

Our students embraced the occasion with great enthusiasm, engaging positively with the activities and interacting respectfully with members of the local community. They demonstrated a willingness to participate, learn and contribute, showcasing the values of teamwork, respect and responsibility. It was pleasing to see our students not only enjoying themselves but also supporting one another and representing the College in such a positive manner.

The day was a valuable experience for our students, providing them with the chance to build connections, explore new opportunities and strengthen their sense of belonging within the community. We are proud of the way they conducted themselves and the maturity they displayed throughout the event. 

Year 9 Brigidine Campus History Walks

As part of our Term 3 focus on the Early Church in Australia, we have been looking at people who have made contributions to the development of the early church, including the sort of memorabilia we still have today to remind us of their legacy. The opportunity to view the memorabilia and learn more about the early contributions of the Brigidine sisters to the early church in Echuca has been invaluable for the students to make meaningful connections. Matthew Wilson has done such an amazing job of pulling together the artefacts and is so knowledgeable of the story, he was able to share this with the students during the visit. 

Here is what some of the students had to say:

Gabrielle Jansen: 

Today, we visited the Brigidine Campus for a memorabilia walk to learn more about the school’s history. On display were many items and objects from the school’s past, showing how the school has grown from its beginning in 1866 to today. I found it interesting to learn about the nuns and the school. One interesting fact that stood out to me was that, when you became a nun, your family had to provide money, which you weren't allowed to look after, and the bishop and other leaders had to look after it. I also found it surprising that every day the principal would stand at the front of the school and make sure you had the right uniform on and everything that came with it. Overall, it was a great experience to gain new knowledge about the school's memorabilia and the history behind it. 

Sophie Tritton:

Our trip was very informative. We explored the deep history of our school. I learned a lot about how the school came to be and found the new room of the school with all the memorabilia very interesting.  I loved learning about the history of the nuns and how they lived and all the dates of the school. It made me realise how long the school had actually been around.

Matilda Matthews:

On the 9th of September, my religion class visited the Brigidine campus to see the memorabilia in A-10. Memorabilia are objects that are kept because they are connected to important people, events or history. This visit tied in with our topic on Australia’s Catholic Church.

We got to see some fascinating artifacts, like the old school uniform, which was originally brown instead of the green we wear now. We also learned about the nuns who lived and worked here—one had to return to Ireland, and sadly, another passed away. It was interesting to hear that they came to Australia because the bishop of Sandhurst requested more Catholic education in the area.

Before our school became a school, it was actually a boarding house. The main building still looks much like it did back then, although some extensions have been added. It was really cool to see some of the nuns’ old lockers in the room—they still looked very new! We also saw a student’s old workbook, which was neat and well-presented, showing what school life used to be like compared to now.

Walking around the campus, we got to explore the areas that have been added over the years, learn who blessed them, and discover how they were made. It was amazing to see how far the school has come.

Olivia Lees:

When we visited the incredible archives that were put together at Brigidine campus, lots of us were really amazed about what had been done with the space. Many of us found the old St Joesphs uniform super interesting, as well as the replica of what the Nuns wore. It was so fascinating seeing all the small little bits of memorabilia that were small portions of our school's extensive and interesting history. All round it was a great afternoon we all really enjoyed, and we are so thankful for the incredible work of those involved in making and organising that afternoon.  

Susan Carroll