Nell Cuddigan

Earlier in the year, I wrote of the formation of the Past Pupils’ Association in 1918. The three boys in the photo above are the Cuddigan brothers, Des, John and Leo, who were younger brothers of Nell Cuddigan, who was instrumental in its establishment and was its first President. She then remained on the committee for many years completing the roles of Assistant Secretary 1923-26 and was on the general committee from 1927-32, and was Vice President from 1929-32.

A talented musician, Nell was the daughter of Simon and Abina Cuddigan of ‘Cloyne’, Bay Road Highett and was a pupil here from 1908-1916. The Cuddigans had four sons, Jim, Des, Leo and Jack and their only daughter Nell was born at Highett in 1897. When Nell completed her first year at the Brigidine Convent, Mentone in 1908, in the third and fourth combined class, while she won prizes for grammar, composition, reading, geography and poetry, her musical talents were still to be discovered and did not rate a mention.

As early as 1909, Nell’s abilities had been recognised and while she once again won academic prizes for her class in grammar, geography, spelling, reading and writing, the Brighton Southern Cross recorded her as progressing through the musical grades, along with a number of her good friends from the Brigidine Convent, attaining 4th grade in the Higher Division for piano. An examiner from the Associated Board of the London Academy and Royal College of Music, London, came to the Convent and others like it to assess students just like Nell.

For the annual concert in 1910, “a play ‘Nemesius’, a Christian drama, was presented”, in which Nell was one of the young ladies who “acquitted themselves creditably”. 1 At the 1911 speech day, it was “Master Jim Cuddigan’s solo ‘What’s the Use’, which caused much amusement”. 2 For the Mother-General’s Feast Day in August 1915, “the programme opened with ‘Festal Greeting’, an ode, the music for which was composed by Miss Nellie Cuddigan”.3 In her final year, 1916, Nell was awarded Grade 1 for practical music from the University of Melbourne examiner, and Grade 3 for music theory. She then opened the programme at the Annual Distribution of Prizes ceremony with a piano solo and later played a number of her own compositions to the delight of all present.

Mr Simon Cuddigan was Honorary Secretary of the Committee which brought Archbishop Mannix to Mentone, where “a grand operatic concert was held in the Mentone Skating Rink on Friday 15 August 1919 in aid of St Patrick’s building fund”. 4 Nell and Hilda Meadows accompanied the various acts.

Instrumental in establishing the Past Pupils Association, it was understandable that Nell once again offered her own compositions at the end of the three-day retreat, which took place in July 1918 as the first reunion of the association. In 1919, the Advocate reports that Nell was accompaniste on piano at the annual concert of St Brigid’s High School at the St Patrick’s Hall on June 24th and that Miss Cuddigan’s work was “as usual, of artistic merit”. 5

Over the following years Nell continued to be at the forefront of past pupil activities at Kilbreda, and it is believed that our traditional colours of red and green were adopted following Nell’s wearing of those colours to an association meeting. The 1933 annual acknowledged that “our esteemed Vice President has thrown her unrelaxed energies into each function in aid of the convent debt. She herself provided the valuable gift mentioned in connection with the final great effort of the year – The Hostesses’ Evening on October 28”. The aforementioned gift, “the chief attraction from a prize point of view, was the sovereign, valued at 37/6. (37 shillings and sixpence) It was the munificent gift of our ever-generous past pupil, Miss Nell Cuddigan, whose modesty would not then allow us to disclose her name”. 6 Even thirty years after leaving the school, Nell was “still one of our loyalest and most energetic members”. 7

The Herald reported in 1936 “A recent addition to the ranks of Australian composers, Miss Nell Cuddigan, of Sandringham, has had a little piano solo, “Meditation”, accepted by Allan’s for publication soon...Three of her efforts, “Home”, “Jenny” and “Dawn”, have been sung over the air.” 8

In a letter from Nell’s niece, Maureen Arthur, nee Cuddigan, we learn that Nell “captained the Kilbreda cricket team. Kilbreda and Loreto Mandeville Hall were the two schools where she taught piano and she was loved by all her pupils. Nell played for musicals such as Gilbert and Sullivan and silent movies as well. She died in her nineties at “Elanora” Brighton and is remembered as a caring aunt who encouraged the love of music in her nephews and nieces, taking Maureen and her brother “to the city for lunch before enjoying front row seats at the theatre where Nell would educate us on the happenings in the orchestra pit”. 9

“As ‘first’ President of the Association, Nell piloted our initial efforts with gentle, dignified persistence. Her musical compositions have power to charm us as of old into oblivion of mundane realities”. 10

A number of Nell’s compositions, including “Home”, “I dream of you” and “My blessing”, are included in the Australian Music Centre Archive. https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/191437716?q&versionId=208940619

Damian Smith

Archives

1 Moorabbin News 31/12/10

2 Moorabbin News 1911

3 Tribune 9/9/15

4 Advocate June 1919

5 Advocate June 1919

6 Kilbreda Annual 1933 p 34

7 Kilbreda Annual 1947

8 Herald May 1936

9 Letter Maureen Cuddigan June 2018

10 Kilbreda Annual 1932

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