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Welcome for Duke and Duchess of York, 29 April 1927
In 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) visited Australia.They passed through Ballarat on Friday 29 April 1927, for approximately 1 hour on their way from Melbourne to Adelaide. In that time they visited the Town Hall and the Arch Memorial.
The people of Ballarat lined Sturt Street to watch the royal procession pass, including the students from each school. At Loreto Abbey, Lucy Kerley (student) and M. Catherine Goddard organised for the painting of murals and decorating of the front gates in celebration. Large arches also lined the front drive, and student musicians played in honour of the royal visitors.
The scene stopped the procession, as documented in the Age newspaper the following day:
A few seconds later the procession deviated, and momentarily paused to witness one of the features of the welcome, a magnificent display arranged [by] the reverend mother, nuns, and students at Loreto Abbey, Mary’s Mount, in Sturt-street. Lending itself admirably for the purpose, the old Tudor gateway was decorated with Tudor roses as the motif. From the parapet above the centre of the main arch hung the coat of arms of the Duke, while the design in the spandrels was a large Tudor rose, kept in position by sprays of royal blue columbine, similar designs filling the lower arches. The arms of the Commonwealth were held on one buttress. The lower portions of the buttresses was painted to represent an avenue of successful signs of welcome. Probably the most imposing feature of this unique effort was the decoration of the ten-foot brick wall which turns in towards the gateway. On one side was a picture of the entrance of the City of York, and on the other a view of Windsor Castle, with the Royal Standard floating from its tower to complete the effect. The students, with garlands of Columbine, lined the roadway in front of the Abbey, and as the royal car paused the students’ orchestra played the National Anthem. The Duke made acknowledgement, and the procession was resumed amid enthusiastic cheering and loyal enthusiasm.
ARRIVAL AT BALLARAT. (1927, April 30). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 16. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205802547
Mother Catherine Goddard
The daughter of a sea captain, Emily Goddard was educated by the Loreto sisters in Ireland and Germany before studying art in London. In 1896 she came to Australia and opened an art studio in Sydney.
In 1902 Emily entered the IBVM order at Mary’s Mount, Ballarat, becoming Mother Catherine Goddard. She became Mistress of Schools at Mary’s Mount, Mistress of Art to Senior Classes, and taught English, Christian Doctrine and History. Students came from as far away as Brisbane to attend her newly formed Culture/Finishing Class which included travel and art lectures based on her extensive travels in Europe, church history, cooking and drama. Mother Catherine and her students produced living tableaux reproductions of famous paintings. Many of the artistic contributions to the school at the time were made by Mother Catherine. She painted stage sets, celebratory banners, and certificates and designed the stained glass in the front entrance
Further information: https://www.loreto.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mother-Catherine-Goddard-1.pdf
Lucy Kerley
Lucy Kerley was born in Geelong in 1908, where she lived for most of her life. She was educated at St. Agnes School, then at Madame Clancy's Central College before becoming a boarder at Loreto Mary's Mount in 1923 where she completed her schooling.
She left us with a wonderful memoir of her school days in the 1920s. It is witty, honest and irreverent. And Lucy Kerley’s bequest made possible the extensive restoration of the Chapel and the Chapel art and statues in 1999.
Read Lucy’s memoirs of life at school in the 1920s:
https://www.loreto.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lucy-Kerleys-Memories-Marys-Mount-1920s.pdf
(Loreto Province Archives)
Further information about Lucy Kerley: https://loreto.vic.edu.au/loreto-college/heritage/philanthropy/lucy-kerley/
Front Gates & Wall
Built in 1881, around three sides of the grounds. The original wooden fence was falling down, and the Loreto sisters and their students were feeling ‘considerable annoyance’ regarding the ‘curiosity of passersby’. Designed by W.B. Tappin, it was built thanks to community donations.
LORETTO CONVENT, MARTS MOUNT, BALLARAT. (1881, April 27).
The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), p. 3.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21932867
Restoration works on the fence in 2011
Extra lighting was added to the front gate and fence line to make Loreto College more accessible at night for after hours activities, mainly held in the new MMC theatre.
Archery Club, 1899
Physical exercise, including games, sports and dancing, was considered an important aspect of a girl’s well-rounded education.
Physical activities in early Loreto schools included calisthenics, croquet, tennis, cycling and horse riding, dancing, archery, hockey and basketball. The “Paddock” (now the school oval) was a designated recreational ground, with only an Infirmary built on the site during the 1880s.
Loreto students were some of the earliest players of women’s basketball (now called netball), after it was introduced to Australia in the 1890s.
Swedish Drill was a form of women’s gymnastics that was popular in the late 19th century. It emphasised precise movements designed to promote balance and physical health.
Tennis was a popular sport at Loreto Abbey, and was played at least as early as the 1880s. In the 1920s two more tennis courts were built on the ‘Paddock’.
“The practical outcome of these varied physical exercises and sports is found to be exceptionally good health, buoyant spirits, and that zest for mental work which comes only when mens san is in corpore sano [a healthy mind in a healthy body].” (Prospectus 1901)
Laying of Chapel foundation bricks, September 1899
The Loreto Chapel was long desired by Mother Gonzaga Barry, who wished to be able to replace the original temporary (and very small) chapel built for the school. Aided by the generous donations of past pupils and the local community, a chapel was designed according to Mother Gonzaga Barry’s vision and work began on the Chapel foundations in January 1898. Sadly, work soon needed to be paused when the available funds ran low.
That same year, Countess Elizabeth Wolff-Metternich attended Mary’s Mount as a parlour-boarder after spending time visiting friends in Australia. Although determined to enter the convent as a novice, she was encouraged to return home to her family for their blessing first. She died in April 1899 en route back to Germany, and in her will left a bequest to complete the chapel.
When construction recommenced, each of the students were invited to lay a brick in the foundation.
Visible in the background of the photo is St. Michael’s Novitiate (the three-storey red brick building built in 1895) and the original Wynne residence (the current gothic facade and second storey extension were added c.1913).
Opening of Chapel, 10 December 1902
Four years after the first bricks were laid, the Mary’s Mount Chapel was officially opened and blessed. Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, it was usually referred to as the ‘Children’s Chapel’.
The children pictured below are the students who performed a procession around the outside of the chapel and school grounds, following the Mass held inside. White dresses and veils today are usually associated only with the celebration of First Communion, but were common dress for Mass in the early 20th century.
Work continued for several years after the opening, with the installation of the large marble altar, the stencilling of fleur-de-lis and monograms in the arches, and the painting of the star-studded ceiling.
Further information about the Chapel:
https://loreto.vic.edu.au/loreto-college/facilities/loreto-chapel/
Further information about Countess Elizabeth Wolff-Metternich:
https://loreto.vic.edu.au/loreto-college/heritage/philanthropy/the-countess-and-the-church/
First Pupils of Mary’s Mount, 1876
The original school building, pictured behind the students, was owned by E.A. Wynne and built c.1868. The Loreto sisters purchased the property 1875 (and later the field beside it) and moved in on 23 September.
The house quickly became too small for the growing numbers of students. In 1876-7 a wooden dormitory building was built, followed by the tall stone ‘Residential Wing’ in 1881.
First students
Loreto Abbey Mary’s Mount opened as a boarding school on 29 September, 1875. Recorded in the Mary’s Mount Pupil Registrar are the following first students, and their date of enrolment:
- Alice O’Callaghan (aged 16) from Gordon, 28 September
- Minnie Ellis (17), Gordon, 2 Oct
- Amelia & Margaret Hudson (13), Portland, 2 Oct
- Minnie Twomey (15), South Yarra, 5 Oct
- Pettie Twomey (12), Penshurst, 5 Oct
- Lizzie Tobin (15), Ararat, 5 Oct
- Margaret (14) and Maude (11) Coghlan, Warrenheip, 2 Nov
- Annie Magill (16), Ballarat, 2 Nov
- Margaret Gleeson (13), Stawell, 8 Nov
A further 21 students enrolled in 1876, and numbers grew each year. The majority of students came from Ballarat and the surrounding Western District of Victoria, although later they travelled from all across Australia, prompting the Loreto sisters to open further schools in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Boarding Life
Students slept in large dormitories, with dressing rooms (wardrobes and washstands) on the floor above. As the school grew in size and new buildings were added, senior students were given their own personal cubicles in a dormitory known as ‘Rue Celeste’.
Eucalyptus Blossoms
The Loreto Convent Schools magazine, Eucalyptus Blossoms, was first published in 1886. Editions contained letters from Mother Gonzaga Barry to her ‘children’, photos and articles of activities the students participated in, and a collection of articles, stories and poetry written by the students.
Digital versions can be found on the Loreto Province Archives website: https://www.loreto.org.au/records/loretto-eucalyptus-blossoms/
Junior Students and Activities, 1901
Mother Gonzaga Barry’s vision of education was that of a ‘Sensible School for Girls’, which would teach both academic and technical skills to each individual student based on her interests and needs.
From the beginning, Loreto Abbey Mary’s Mount students participated in technical and academic classes, as well as physical education, music and the arts, and Religious Education.
Academic Education
Students were able to study a variety of academic subjects to a level that would enable them to pursue higher education at university. The Loreto sisters themselves were highly educated in the areas they taught: Literature, Modern Languages (eg: French, German), Latin, Mathematics and the Sciences (Botany, Geography, Chemistry, Physics)
Technical Education
Mother Gonzaga Barry and the Loreto sisters were interested in progressive educational ideas, such as the Scandinavian ‘Sloyd’ Movement which promoted handicrafts and applied learning.
“Mary’s Mount, whose motto would appear to be en avant, so eager is dear Rev. Mother to keep her young people abreast with all the latest educational movements, now boasts among its environments a “Sloyd” room. Lest this uneuphonious odd looking word should puzzle our readers, we must explain that it is taken from the Scandinavian word slöjd, signifying “cunning’’, ‘’clever’’, ‘’handy’’, and that the Sloyd system of education aims at implanting a respect for work in general, even the courser forms of manual labor, and develops activity, order, cleanliness, neatness, and accuracy. Our ‘’Sloyd’’ room already contains a printing press, which has turned out some exceedingly good work, a washing machine, a cooking range, where our Domestic Economy Class prepare all kinds of delicacies, a sewing machine, &c; and in the near future we are to have there a class for wood carving, and another for fine art house painting and decoration under the supervision of competent artists, or should we rather say artizans?’’ (‘Eucalyptus Blossoms’ June 1889)
Loreto students also studied music, fine arts and the performing arts. They participated in orchestras, created detailed tableaus and performed in stage productions held in St Cecilia’s Hall.
Physical education at Loreto Abbey saw students play and compete in a range of sports such as calisthenics, tennis, cycling and dancing, as well as some of the earliest examples of women participating in archery, hockey and basketball.
Bella Guerin
Bella Guerin was born in Williamstown in 1858, and became the first women to graduate from an Australian university when she achieved her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne in 1883.
After achieving her M.A. in 1885, she taught at Mary’s Mount and edited the first editions of the school publication ‘Eucalyptus Blossoms’. During her time at Loreto she advocated for the higher education of women and the establishment of scholarship to enable all girls the opportunity to attend university.
After Loreto, Bella became the principal of Ballarat School of Mines university classes. From the mid-1890s she was involved in the women’s suffrage movement, becoming Vice-President of the Women’s Political Association from 1912-1914, and she led the Women’s Anti-Conscription campaign in 1916.
Bella Guerin died in Adelaide in 1923. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001.
