Anecdotes from the Archives

Pictured above: Boarders left behind on Christmas Day, 1898.

School holiday for the boarders 

As our own school holidays begin at the end of this week, I thought it might be interesting to cast our minds back to a time when some unfortunate boarders reached the so-called 'May holidays' without having seen their families since late January.

Considering that some boarders were only in the Junior School, the idea of such a long separation fills us with horror today. We need to remember that these were parents who wanted the very best for their daughters, so sacrifices had to be made by all parties. An education by the Presentation Sisters at St Mary’s College was considered the best of all opportunities.

In 1871, a few years after the College opened, there were only a few boarders, but by 1874 there were at least 50. A large extension built in 1888 provided more accommodation, and by the time the boarding school closed in 1970, the boarders averaged 60 each year.

Boarders came from Smithton, Queenstown, Zeehan, Rosebery, as well as the Huon, New Norfolk and Channel areas. The first weekend of the month was a weekend home for those who lived close enough, while some girls boarded from Monday to Friday only each week. Examples of this, which I can recall, were boarders from Snug and New Norfolk. On the third Sunday of the month, boarders were allowed to be hosted by a local, reliable family. I can remember having boarders home for the entire weekend, so that must have been allowed as well.

For boarders who lived on the West Coast, before the opening of the Murchison Highway in 1963, boarders’ weekends were not always a possibility, as the road journey was such a long and arduous one. Famously, a boarder from the 1930s, Kath Johnston, came from a lighthouse and one year was unable to be delivered home. She reported that the Sisters were very kind to her, making her little treats and allowing her a much less rigorous day than in school time. Luckily, she was a voracious reader (she later became a celebrated English teacher) and was happy to bury her head in books.

In Fermoy Cottage, there is a mock-up of a corner of a dormitory, including original boarding school bed linen as well as crockery and cutlery from the time. Students love to visit this room during tours of the Cottage.