CELEBRATING 120 YEARS

120 YEARS REFLECTIONS – MRS DENISE KNIGHT

With the College celebrating it’s 120th year in 2026, Mrs Denise Knight spoke about her time as a College staff member at the Term 1 College Assembly. Denise is known to our students and often visits the College as a representative of St Vinnies Mildura, where our students participate in several fundraising and community activities.

I started teaching at St Joseph’s College in 1982. I had previously taught in Central Australia on an Aboriginal mission. I had my interview with Sr Marion via satellite phone.

My first class of Year 7s had 36 students in it, and I taught them English, Maths, Religion and PE. My classroom was the room at the back of the Hall. On a very wild, windy day with the worst dust storm in living memory, the new portables arrived. There was so much excitement, and we had a proper classroom where we could move around and display student work on the poster boards.

At this time there were only about 400 students, not nearly so many teachers and only one administration person. Considering the size of the school now, it’s hard to believe that it has grown so much and is now over three campuses.

The great thing was that we were like a family, where everyone knew each other. Sr Marion was always in the yard and she knew you, your siblings and your parents. So watch out if you did anything wrong!

Throughout my many years of teaching I saw a huge change in the number of students (almost 1000 in some years), the change in how we taught Year 9 and 10 students, the purchase of the second campus, and the building of the Maths/Science building, the building of the Arts building and the Library. When I taught Year 9s, my classroom was where the English staff room is now. I also saw the change in the uniform: no more horrible brown shirts for the boys and no more sleeveless dresses for the girls. No one is ever happy with a uniform, but believe me – it’s much nicer now.

I had the opportunity to build on my career, at first as the Humanities Coordinator, then as Year 9 Coordinator. I was also House Leader of the mighty Padua for nine years. I was very inspired by the leadership of my captains each year. They were amazing young people. I became the first Mercy Ethos Coordinator in Australia in the 2000s. This was Sr Sylvia’s dream child, and I was very privileged to do the work. Much of my research into the early years of St Joseph’s College is on display in the Heritage Centre and the corridor leading into it. With the assistance of Year 8 teachers, we established the Mercy Works program for Year 8 students, and this continues today. I am so happy to hear that you have an opportunity to be involved in the Young Mercy Links Program also.

Of course, schools are not about buildings and uniforms. Schools are about relationships and community. St Joseph’s College has always been a school held in the highest esteem in the wider community. Employers in the district would often ring the career’s counsellor and ask for names of students they thought would fit well into their business. Many students started working lives in this way.

Students of St Joseph’s College have always been known for their generosity and compassion. Project Compassion, Winter Appeals, Harmony Day, Christmas Appeals to name just a few of the causes that you have raised funds for. I remember once a tsunami wiped out part of Papua New Guinea and we donated one tonne of rice that was transported to Melbourne to go in a container to New Guinea. That’s a lot of rice!

As a parent of two daughters, my husband and I didn’t hesitate to enrol our students at St Joseph’s College. I believe they received the best education available in Sunraysia. They both went on to university and live very rewarding lives, one as a journalist then a social worker, the other a teacher. Both have a tight knit group of friends with whom they still keep in contact.

I have seen many teachers come and go over the years, and now that I am retired, I don’t know everyone here. What I do know is that the teachers at St Joseph’s College work tirelessly to bring you the best opportunities for success. That’s part of the building of great relationships: mutual respect, a bit of fun, and engagement in learning. I really miss teaching, since I retired in 2019, but I hear so many good things about St Joseph’s College from teachers, from students and from the wider community. It always makes me feel so proud when I hear someone talking about students who have achieved excellence in sport, in community service or academically. It also makes me proud when I know someone has just turned up to school. Life is not always easy, but St Joseph’s College has always been a safe space. Make sure you do your bit to make this continue for everyone.

Thank you.