Kilvington Centenary
Welcome to the Kilvington 2023 Centenary page. Here we will bring you events, news and updates on all things relating to Kilvington’s 100th birthday.
Centenary video
Enjoy our Centenary video, where we reflect on the past and look to the future ...
VIP Centenary Morning Tea
On 14 February, we held a special VIP Centenary Morning Tea. It was wonderful to be in the presence of the many individuals and families who have made enormous contributions to the life of the School.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The School commenced as Ormond Girls’ School in 1923 with 15 students (13 girls and two boys).
A young Constance Barrett applied for a tutoring role advertised by a Mrs Fethers and quickly realised that there was a need for a school in Ormond. The savvy young Barrett was not a qualified teacher so she enlisted the help of her Mum (Caroline Barrett), who was a teacher at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School at that stage.
Both women were incredibly courageous to pursue their dream of opening a school during the aftermath of the Great War, the impact of the deadly Spanish Flu, and with an economic depression looming.
While Caroline took care of the teaching and learning, young Constance was negotiating bank loans to support the growth of the school, as they continued to move around Ormond to accommodate the growing interest and enrolments. Our Centenary year gives us an opportunity to honour these formidable women.
FOUNDERS’ DESCENDANTS
A number of descendants from those early founders and influencers joined us at our morning tea.
Dr Greg Wilmoth: Greg is the nephew of Phylis Fethers, who advertised for a tutor for her children and unknowingly set in motion a chain of events that leads us to where we are now today, 100 years later. Greg is also a former Kilvington teacher, where he inspired many of our girls to pursue an interest in science and robotics. Fethers House is named after his aunt.
Michael and Angela Barrett: Michael is the grandson of Caroline Barrett. His father, John Arthur Barrett, has a General Mathematics award named after him that is presented each year at Celebration Night.
Bronnie Dean: the great granddaughter and niece of Caroline and Constance Barrett. She was a student, teacher and parent at Kilvington. Barrett House is named after our Founders.
John Burman: The great grandson of Ernest Sydney Burman, who had six grandchildren attend Kilvington in the 20s and 30s. It was Ernest Burman who fought hard for the School to be able to use the Church of England parish hall in Ormond, despite initial resistance from the vestry. Ormond Girls School was born in the parish hall thanks in no small part to Mr Burman’s persistence. Burman House is named after Ernest.
KILVINGTON ROYALTY
Joan and Ann Cleghorn: The Cleghorn family has a long and valued relationship with Kilvington which started in 1965. Both Joan and Ken Cleghorn were active in the Parents and Friends Association. Ken Cleghorn served on the School’s Council for an incredible 34 years. In 2004, the Senior School was named the Ken Cleghorn Building and Ken was appointed to the position of Life Governor the same year. Their daughter Ann was a student and taught at Kilvington for more than 35 years. The family supports a Year 10 Personal Best Award handed out each year at Celebration Night.
Patsy Venn: Patsy led the Kilvington music program for forty years, from the 1970s to early 2000s. She has left an indelible mark on the School's musical history. Our current Music School building is named after her.
Staff: We were delighted to acknowledge key staff - Ann Dillon, Alison Kershaw, Helen Cole, Kerryn Warburton, Natasha Puschina, Pat Lehman and Peter Woolfrey, who have all contributed meaningfully to Kilvington for more than 20 years.
Cecily Close, Jean Harley, Rosemary Wright: These amazing women are the matriarchs of our Walsh Club - former students who graduated more than 50 years ago. We were entertained by their stories and insight during a panel session with our School Leaders, Felix McShane and Joanna Lee.
It was a truly memorable occasion, one that gave us a chance to reflect on the School’s rich 100-year history and acknowledge all who have gone before us and have helped to shape the School into what it is today.
Centenary key resources
Below you can find key resources on our Centenary including links to a special Centenary website and the event schedule for the year.
CENTENARY EVENT SCHEDULE
CENTENARY WEBSITE
Visit our Centenary website to learn more about our history, view archive photographs and documents and read about some of the incredible things our former students are doing!
CENTENARY MERCHANDISE
We have created a range of merchandise to mark the occasion of our 100th birthday! You can purchase it here.
