From the Archives

1904-1909

This year, as we approach our 115th birthday on 8 August, I’ll take you on a stroll through Kilbreda’s history, decade by decade, with a particular focus on one of the many people who left their mark on our wonderful school.

Despite many having heard the story of Kilbreda’s infancy on many occasions, others, who are new to the College, may be interested to hear the short version of the story. Even for the seasoned readers of my articles, I’m sure there’ll be something you haven’t heard before.

Our first period of focus is from 1904-1909, when a group of seven Sisters began their work in the first metropolitan school established by the Brigidine Sisters in Australia. A group of Sisters, visiting Mentone for Mass at St Patrick’s, a small wooden church which stood where Room 45 is now, spoke with Fr Michael Gough after Mass and he expressed the desire to open a Catholic school in the district. My own Catholic forebears had attended state schools at Cheltenham, Mentone, Heatherton and Mordialloc prior to this, as the only Catholic school was at Brighton.

And so the Sisters agreed to start a school. The question of where to do so arose and the answer was not far away, for the small weather board building was almost overshadowed by the former Mentone Coffee Palace, beside it. The Coffee Palace, built in the land boom of the 1880s, had never achieved the success envisaged by Mentone’s founding father, Sir Matthew Davies, and due to numerous factors, such as the presence of hotels nearby, a financial crisis and the failure of locals to embrace the Temperance ideals of its builders, the Coffee Palace fell into disuse only a few years after its opening in November 1887.

The Sisters turned to a nearby friend, Mrs Mary McGuffie, and her husband, James, when it came to purchasing the building. This resulted in widespread belief that it had been purchased by an owner intent on turning it into a hotel. When it was discovered that it had been bought to become a Catholic school, the decision was met by consternation and was even reported in the press. Fortunately, though, the Sisters acquired the fully furnished building and grounds for £2,050. It is believed to have been built for around £16,000! The Sisters who left the Mother House at Echuca on July 29 1904  and took possession a few days later were Mothers Alacoque Bourke, Agnes O’Keane, Fidelis Callanan, Margaret Mary Murphy, Sisters Liguori Quinn and Michael Shea and a novice Angela Moloney. They set about the difficult task of turning a hotel into a girls’ school, cleaning out accumulated dust, bird nests, spider webs etc in preparation for the arrival of Archbishop Carr who was to arrive by train on August 7 to officially open and bless the Convent and school. Mass was celebrated in the nearby St Patrick’s church and visitors adjourned to the large dining room to partake of refreshments.

The following day, August 8 1904, two schools were opened by the Sisters. St Patrick’s Mentone had about 25 students, who were taught in the church, which served this double purpose for a short time until the second St Patrick’s church was built next door. With its distinctive circular windows, it later became the Kilbreda Hall and was eventually demolished in 1958. Classes at St Brigid’s High School, (Kilbreda) began with just 3 students on the first day, Marian Nunan, and my grandmother’s second cousins, Vera Ryan and Eileen Dempsey. They were joined in the days and months following, by Dolly Sheedy, who later became Sr Genevieve, Annette Kellermann , the famous inventor of Synchronised Swimming, and Mary McGuffie, the daughter of the aforementioned James and Mary. In 1905, enrolments were considerably higher, with about 39 students in attendance. Among them boys and boarders, who continued to be a part of the school community for the next 70 years.

Classes were conducted in what is now the Principal’s office, as well as in the Dining Room and later, Mother Agnes taught primary students in ‘The Cottage,’ a building situated where the science block (Delany Wing) is now. This building was the former Mentone Post Office.

A few days after commencement, on August 11, a sale was held as the Sisters had no need for the billiard table, bar and elaborate furniture of the Coffee Palace and replaced the furniture, crockery, cutlery and even beds with more humble and appropriate furniture, pieces of which were still in the cellar when the 1997 renovations took place.

In 1906, a farm of 33 acres was acquired on Nepean Highway, where Bunnings now stands. It was run by two men, Ned Naughton and Festy Coyne, and supplied the Sisters and boarders with produce for the better part of forty years. In 1907, Sir Matthew’s former villa, Mabernoul, was purchased and became the Brigidine Novitiate for the next few years.

By 1909, there were 59 students in attendance, though only 38 appear in the photo taken that year. One of these, the girl to the far right in the back row, was Kathleen Murphy, the younger sister of the Principal, Mother Margaret Mary Murphy. Kathleen later became Mrs Myers and was the mother of Mary Myers csb and her Sisters Barbara, Linda and Margaret, who were students in the 1930s and 40s.

The College Annual from 1954 tells us that “Mother Margaret Mary Murphy was by turns Head Mistress, Superior, Novice-Mistress and Provincial. Her emphasis while Mistress of Schools was laid on “Correctness”, with all its implications of politeness, courtesy, speech and deportment.” Born Frances Murphy in Tongala, she was educated by the Brigidines at the Echuca Convent, entering the Novitiate there in 1896. Her profession took place there too, in January 1899. Margaret Mary was the first Principal of Kilbreda from its foundation until 1915. In 1914, following the death of the much loved Mother Benedict Moore, she became Superior of the Mentone Convent and remained here as a teacher until 1918. Twice Superior at Mentone, she also occupied this position at the Echuca and Malvern Convents. In 1915, she became Mistress of Novices and from 1938-44 was Provincial of the Victorian Brigidine Sisters. Margaret Mary attended the General Chapter in Ireland twice, the second time was in 1948, when she carried on despite considerable hardship, dying later that year at Malvern on June 23 1948. The Advocate of July 1, described her thus: “She was a saintly woman, a woman of faith, whose charity, humility, purity of intention and perfect trust in God, imparted strength and calmness to her soul in the midst of trials”.

Damian Smith

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