50 Years Later 

After 50 years I finally made it up to the Tower

The day was 18 May 2017 when I walked through the front doors of Kilbreda for the second time in my life. The first time was in late 1964 when my mother enrolled me at the College. It was then that I met Mother Margaret Mary for the first time. I still remember that first time vividly and to be truthful, I was scared as!

This time, I certainly enjoyed every detail of the entrance and Denise Leonard greeted us there. My husband Berend and my dear friend Helen Wilson were also there with me. If I had not connected with Helen through the Kilbreda Past Pupils' Network a couple of years ago, I do not think I would have ever returned to Australia!

Denise had organised a College tour for us all and it started with the Tower. This place has always held a magical suspense for me and now after leaving Australia 50 yeas ago, I finally got to climb those stairs, and boy, it was worth it!

We met up with Sister Lia and chatted in Dutch and then Sister Reba (Mother Goretti) joined us for the tour and surprised us with some juicy stories of the “old days”. We roamed through the old classrooms, where the boarders used to stay and the Chapel. The Chapel had changed significantly as had many other parts of the buildings, but I still experienced the Kilbreda 'feeling'.

It was a day to remember and I would like to thank Denise very much for making time available to make this visit possible.

Looking back at my wonderful visit to Australia, I experienced some very emotional moments and the most profound was visiting the migrant camp Bonegilla near Albury. I was 4 when we arrived in Australia in 1957. When I walked into the camp area it was so very quiet, but I could almost feel the buzz of people milling around trying to find their way to their accommodation after a long trip by boat from many European countries. I pictured my parents with two young children and a couple of suitcases looking at the most beautiful scenery, so different from Holland. I was not the only Kilbreda girl who was an immigrant. Kilbreda can be proud of the many nationalities who attended school there.

I can only imagine what migrants these days experience in any country in the world, where they find a possibility to start a new life. Our life in Australia was lovely, and now that I have revisited “the country where I grew up”, I have found a certain peace. Venlo is my home but Australia will always be the place where my memories started.

I wish everyone involved with Kilbreda in the past or present a “good life” and thanks for having me.

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