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As I walked in to the old convent building one day late last year, I noticed an open cupboard, and written on the back of the door on a piece of masking tape, was M.Wall  Rm 37 Resources, in the distinctive hand of my former colleague, Marlene Wall. 

It took me back 30 years, as we farewelled Marlene in the Chapel at the end of the 1994 school year. When she learnt that my grandmother wanted the old song, “Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye” played at her funeral, Marl thought that would be fun at her farewell and wrote the words out, photocopied them and distributed them to the assembled staff, who, led by me and Kate Dillon, gave her a rousing send-off!

Marlene, who currently lives on the lake at Bermagui, was a colourful member of staff in more ways than one, with a range of coloured spectacles à la Jenny Kee. Her main passion was art, but she taught many other things very passionately over the years, too. Marl lived in a beautiful old home on Plummer Road, called La Mascotte, with beautiful verandahs, servants’ quarters and stables. Incidentally, an annual ball, the “La Mascotte Ball” was held in the Coffee Palace Ballroom in Mentone’s early days. When Marl sold up and left Mentone, the huge block was redeveloped. Fortunately, La Mascotte was lovingly removed and reassembled somewhere in country Victoria. 

Marl’s four daughters attended Kilbreda and, sadly, Anna, who finished here in 1976, passed away after battling cancer in 2020. The others, who attended, as did Marl herself, were Morgan 1975, Caitlin 1978 and Mallory 1987. 

Around the time that I had noticed the door, an article appeared in the Herald Sun, featuring Onella Muralidharan, (Class of 2016) promoting fashion models of all sizes and backgrounds, challenging stereotypes and celebrating diversity. It made me think of how proud Marl would be, as a champion of various causes in her day, to know that a Kilbreda girl was putting herself out there in this way, promoting body positivity. “There are so many real bodies out there, and I think it is so important (for people) to see themselves out there and not feel alienated”, Onella said. 

Vale Anne Scott 

Earlier this year, Kilbreda lost a stalwart supporter of days gone by, Mrs Anne Scott. Anne, the mother of current staff member, Catherine Scott and grandmother of Amelia (Class of 2021), was an ardent worker for Kilbreda in the days when the Parents and Friends had an active and important role in the College. 

Whilst looking for photos of Anne, an obvious characteristic stood out. There were no photos of Anne standing in a group having her photo taken. In every one, she was there in the thick of it in her apron doing one thing or another. She was a ‘doer’ extraordinaire. She can be seen in one picture cooking the barbecue at the annual beginning of the year celebration and in another, behind a stall at the book sale. 

She would often be met along the Colonnade, having just come from the office helping with the organisation of some event or another for a number of years after Catherine had finished school. In keeping with the way she lived her life, Anne never liked to be centre of attention and so many who knew her would not be surprised to hear that she did not want a funeral celebration. Being an avid Tigers fan, she did, however, leave strict instructions that her ashes be scattered in Richmond, I’m sure you can imagine where! 

Damian Smith 

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