MMCRC 40th Anniversary

This photograph is an aerial view of the College grounds taken in 1989.

Renae Littlejohn's 40th Anniversary Address

Below is the full text of Renae Littlejohn's address, delivered as part of our 40th Anniversary formal proceedings on 6 August 2026.

Renae's address was one of the highlights of a very special day. Her outstanding and deeply personal reflection on her father, our founding Principal Ed Carmody, her family, and the pioneering students, staff and families of the foundational years captured beautifully the spirit of those early days and the extraordinary commitment required to establish our College.

Through her memories, Renae brought to life the courage, determination and, above all, the "leap of faith" taken by those who believed in the vision of Catholic secondary education for the young people of South Gippsland. Her reflections provided a powerful reminder that the College we know today was built on the vision, sacrifice and generosity of those who came before us.

Renae also generously provided the photographs and captions accompanying the address. They appear throughout the speech, providing a broader visual record of the Carmody family's connection with the College and those foundational years. While not every image relates directly to the accompanying text, together they add another dimension to the story of an important period in our College's history.

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It is a great privilege to stand before you as we celebrate 40 years of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College.

I am fortunate that I was a student at Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College (MMKCRC) in the first graduating group of 1991, a past parent and teacher, former Chair of the College’s Advisory Council, and daughter of founding Principal, Ed Carmody.

It is fair to say that Mary MacKillop has been a huge part of my life, as an incredible role model and as patroness of our College. She had vision, commitment, courage, grit, determination, fortitude, and deep faith and devotion to God. Mary believed that all children, especially the poor, deserved an education; she was a true pioneer, and her traits and beliefs have laid the foundation and remain deeply embedded in day-to-day life at Mary MacKillop College.

I’d like to start with a question for all of today’s College students and families. How would you feel if you were enrolled at a school where there were no classrooms and no books, only 2 days before the first day of the school year? That is what the pioneering students in the first year in 1986 had to deal with at Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College.

These students and their families never focused on what they didn’t have; they always celebrated what they did have.

So, what did these students have?

They had:

• A new uniform with a well-designed emblem that represented the Holy Spirit, the 5 parishes, and the rolling hills and coastline of South Gippsland.
• Passionate and dedicated parents who were full of faith, believed in Catholic education, and, like Mary, had a deep devotion to God.
• Five parishes filled with people of all ages to support them, and who also believed that the young people in their communities deserved a Catholic education.

• A charismatic leader and Principal who would make it happen and was willing to drive all over Victoria and parts of Australia to collect books and equipment that were required for science classes, music lessons and library research.

   

OVERALL, these pioneer students and families had a mix of the right people and the right style of leadership, at the right time!

The first time I had ever heard of Leongatha was when Mum and Dad told us that Dad had landed a job starting a new Catholic College in Leongatha- I had never heard of this town before.

How did we end up here and how did Dad get this job? It was thanks to Terry Synan, Director of the Catholic Education Office, who encouraged him to apply. And so he did, even though there was no school and no students enrolled. Dad was given a 3-year contract to start with, and many people didn’t think he could make it happen!

Ed was a visionary, and so true to form he applied for the job, and was successful. He and Mum sold the dream to my sister, brothers and I, and we were all totally ready for this new adventure. Before we moved to Leongatha, Dad was back and forth recruiting staff and students in preparation for day 1 and the opening of the College. He collected school equipment and books from schools all over Melbourne. In fact, there was a standing joke amongst the Principals throughout Melbourne that if Ed Carmody knocked on their door they should lock up their classrooms because they may not have any music or science equipment left after he had been there.

Ed anchored to Mary MacKillop’s spirit and charism- he believed in her, and he followed her lead. He used to say to teachers and parents that every child deserved to be loved, that it is all of their job (collectively) to find that special thing in each child that Jesus loved, and nurture it!

He was a dreamer, and sometimes his ambitions weren’t overly realistic:

• He was obsessed with having an oval the same size and dimensions as the MCG- he sowed the seeds and mowed it religiously and could be found on a tractor any time of day and night. AND we have it!
• He also promised an in-ground Olympic-sized swimming pool. In fact, it was one of his early pitches to students- unfortunately, he couldn’t pull that one off.

I look at the many photos displayed at Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s feast day, and there are a couple of things that really stand out for me, in particular, the sweeping driveway and the oval. In the early days when the driveway was filled with potholes and rocks, Fr Matthew White from Wonthaggi used to say to Ed, “One day this driveway will be sealed, and there will be a line of trees for people to park their cars under”. He was right, and that is what we now have today.

Everyone who knew him has an “Ed Carmody story”. He was a man who had a unique set of random skills that came together and made things happen. However, he did not do it alone. In fact, he had a mighty team of pioneers around him. When we celebrate the history of this College, we celebrate more than buildings and milestones. We celebrate these pioneers.

We celebrate the parents who believed in a dream before there was any physical evidence that it would become a reality. We celebrate the staff who took a leap of faith: not only did they teach, they also helped to clean, build and create the classrooms that they taught in. We celebrate the students who helped build the culture and spirit of this brand-new school.

Back in those early years, working bees were the norm, and parents were known to garden, paint and even sand second-hand desks two days before the school was to open in 1986. These jobs were not just undertaken by parents; the children and students also spent weekends picking up rocks from the grounds where the chapel and oval are located.

When I asked some of those first-year students from 1986 what their favourite memories are, I am reminded of some unique and very special times.

Student 1 (Lizzie Walder)

One thing that will always stay with me was Ed’s vision and big picture thinking. He was a true visionary in every sense. He understood the value of having smarter people in the room for details. That allowed him to stay in his zone of genius. I still laugh when I remember the temporary portables located behind St Laurence’s and Ed dragging us up to “the block” (that’s what he called the permanent College site in those days) to show us a cow paddock. That was all I could see as an 11-year old kid, however Ed saw something entirely different- he already saw lots of buildings and kids learning in them. He took us there to watch Halley’s Comet in the early hours of the morning one day, but I know deep down that it was to start to share his vision for the future. His enthusiasm was infectious and he made everyone believe in a future that only he could clearly see at that stage.

When someone said he could not do something, Ed simply said “challenge accepted!” That spirit became part of his legacy and I still draw on this when reaching for something that others call impossible or challenging.

Ed’s real gift was bringing the right people together. He knew how to share the vision, create belief, build momentum and bring the community on the journey.

Forty years later we are still living the result of something that I will always be grateful for.

Student 2 (Sarah Bourke)

I remember those early days when we had classrooms but we didn’t have school bags or jumpers. None of that really mattered though. We just made do with what we had because we believed that we were part of something truly special and that bond has continued amongst the group of 66 students and teachers.

Apart from learning that we can turn vision into reality, Ed also taught us early students the importance of hard work, genuine connection, having fun and always being there for each other. He made everyone feel like they were part the community.

Student 3 (Matt Brosnan)

I was always going to Wonthaggi High School, right or wrong. Then St Joes held an information night where Ed was coming over to speak to any Grade 6 students who were interested in going to Mary Mac.

I went along just to hear what Ed had to say. Mum and Dad obviously came along too. Ed gave one of his fabulous talks and had everyone inspired. I was in awe and had such belief in everything that he said that if he had asked me to run through a wall that night, I would have.

After his talk, I went up to my best mate Pete Piasente (who was definitely going to MacKillop), and I said I will come with you.

When I got home, I told Mum and Dad that I wanted to go to Mary MacKillop.

They also really wanted me to go, but they really didn't have the money to send me to a “private school”. However, somehow they scraped and saved and no doubt were behind in the fees but still managed to put me and my two brothers through the College from years 7-12.

If it wasn't for Ed that night inspiring the kids and their parents and selling his dream there would have been a lot less enrolments in 1986.

Past teacher (Margi Dekker)

It was the last day of the school year and we were all gathered in the Leongatha Memorial Hall and everyone was rowdy (probably because we were all excited about the holidays). The students were particularly ratty and lacking self-control. Then, all of a sudden Ed walked down the middle of that big hall and in an instant the noise stopped, the feet stopped shuffling, the children looked up, and Ed spoke. We all felt safe and calm. Ed’s common statement, and one that I will always remember was “Just lead with love Deks, that’s all there is”.

I will always cherish those early years at Mary MacKillop.

My Family

My siblings and I have so many special memories of Dad’s leadership during those early years of the College.

We will constantly be reminded of the role that the Registered Schools Board (RSB) played in enabling the College to grow and prosper; however, there were also moments when the RSB caused a huge amount of stress at the most unexpected times. An example of this was in 1987 when Dad received a phone call two days prior to the start of the school year. He was told that there was a problem and that he couldn’t open the College that year. Knowing that he had his team of determined supporters (including the students) behind him, he confidently replied by saying that they can drive to Leongatha and tell 240 parents that their children couldn’t get the education that they needed……… They didn’t show up and the school year commenced as planned.

The years of conversations and inspections by the RSB continued. Some were easy and others were not. A strong memory that we all have was when Dad had students running fire hydrants from classroom to classroom ahead of the inspectors, as there were not enough on site. He would also walk inspectors around the few classrooms and sheds that existed on site in an ad hoc way to confuse and disorientate. The pressure was so high to have the correct standards, and money was so tight, that these activities were necessary to keep the College open in those early days.

We can remember when those pioneering students were the subject of religious slurs when they were walking to and from school. Dad went into protection mode. He was fiercely protective of his students, recognising that they were part of a new movement in Catholic education in South Gippsland that hadn’t existed before. As a black belt in karate, Dad decided to teach his young female students self- defence to build confidence and capability so that they could cope better with any negative public situations.

Another one of our strongest memories was the day that Dad drove to Sydney when he had heard that Mary MacKillop’s body was being exhumed and placed into a new tomb. When we woke and asked Mum where Dad was, we were told that he had left at 5.30 in the morning and was aiming to bring back a part of Mary’s coffin wood as a relic for the College chapel that was planned for the future. As a result of Dad’s vision, faith and passion, the College now has a magnificent chapel filled with specially designed stained-glass windows, sculptures, and an altar.

We can remember Dad driving all over Melbourne to collect books and school equipment for the College. Everything was received with gratitude and was cherished, especially the library books. One of Dad’s proudest moments was receiving a full set of encyclopedias- he was excited that students could use them for project research and learning.

Every part of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College has a story and forty years later, Mary's spirit continues to guide us.

• Her courage.
• Her faith.
• Her commitment to education.
• Her determination in the face of adversity.

These are not simply values we talk about. These are values that continue to shape generations of young people who walk through our gates.

As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we do so with gratitude.

Gratitude for those who had the courage to bring secondary Catholic education to South Gippsland. Gratitude for those who nurtured and grew the College across four decades. And gratitude for those who will carry this story forward into the future.

Today, we celebrate not just 40 years of buildings, programs and achievements, we celebrate:

• 40 years of faith.
• 40 years of community.
• 40 years of friendship.
• 40 years of opportunity, and
• 40 years of transforming lives through Catholic education.

I know Dad would be immensely proud of what Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College has become. I also believe that he would remind us that the best way to honour our past is to continue building the future with the same vision, courage and faith that inspired our founders.

Congratulations to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey and happy 40th anniversary to Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College.

Thank you to the Businesses who donated items

We would like to thank the sponsors of our 40 Years Celebration Day - their contributions to the day not only helped to make the fete a fabulous event, it also enabled us to raise money for our designated charities: