 |
|
DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART |
|
| CONGREGATIONAL FOUNDATIONS | ||
| ||
| BELLINGEN | BOWRAVILLE | |
|
| 1911 | BELLINGEN | 1950 |
| THE DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART WERE ALREADY ESTABLISHED AT BOWRAVILLE WHEN FR DURNEY, THE FIRST PARISH PRIEST OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED PARISH OF BELLINGEN INVITED THEM TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL THERE. THE SISTERS WERE PROVIDED WITH A SMALL COTTAGE FOR USE AS A CONVENT AND OPENED THE CONVENT SCHOOL DEDICATED LIKE THE NEW PARISH CHURCH TO ST MARY IN 1911. AS WELL AS RUNNING THE SCHOOL UP TO JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL THE SISTERS TOOK ON SMALL NUMBER OF BOARDERS AND CONDUCTED CATECHISM CLASSES AROUND THE PARISH. A PARTICULAR REQUEST TO THE SISTERS WAS FOR THE PROVISION OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AT THE GOVERNMENT ABORIGINAL SETTLEMENT AT YELLOW ROCK FROM 1934. FOLLOWING LOSSES TO THE PACIFIC MISSIONS DURING WORLD WAR II THE PROVINCIAL LEADERS FELT THE NEED TO FOCUS ON REBUILDING IN THIS AREA AND IN 1950 AFTER THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF DEVOTED WORK IN THE PARISH THE DECISION WAS SADLY TAKEN TO WITHDRAW FROM BOTH NORTH COAST SCHOOLS. FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF THE SISTERS THE PARISH SCHOOL WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE LISMORE PRESENTATION SISTERS. CONVENT OF ST MARY | ||
 | CONVENT OF ST MARY |
| THE PARISH OF BELLINGEN HAD MADE PROVISION FOR THE SISTERS PRIOR TO THEIR ARRIVAL WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SMALL COTTAGE NEXT TO THE NEW CHURCH (BELOW LEFT MARKED BY THE ARROWS). WITH THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE BOARDING SCHOOL EXTENSIONS WERE MADE TO THE COTTAGE WHICH EVENTUALLY BECAME A LARGE HOUSE COMPLETE WITH SHADY VERANDAH. THE DOMESTIC STYLING OF THE WEATHERBOARD CONVENT (LEFT) WAS TYPICAL OF MOST RURAL CONVENTS OF THE ERA WITH ITS EMPHASIS ON SIMPLICITY AND LOCAL MATERIALS. THE CONVENT SERVED THE SISTERS WELL FOR NEARLY FORTY YEARS BEFORE PASSING TO THE PRESENTATIONS. NEXT |
 |  |
| ST MARY'S SCHOOL | |
| ST MARY'S CONVENT SCHOOL |  |
| THE PRINCIPAL APOSTOLATE OF SISTERS IN BELLINGEN WAS IN EDUCATION. ORIGINALLY CLASSES WERE HELD IN THE CHURCH / SCHOOL OF ST MARY BUILT IN 1911 WHICH NECESSITATED THE CONVERSION OF THE SCHOOL EACH FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN BACK AGAIN ON SUNDAY. WHEN THE NEW CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1919 THE OLD ONE WAS MOVED A SHORT DISTANCE AND BECAME ST MARY'S CONVENT SCHOOL (ABOVE RIGHT). IN TIME THE 1911 BUILDING TOOK ON A MORE SCHOOL-LIKE APPEARANCE WITH THE ADDITION OF A WIDE VERANDAH AROUND THREE SIDES (RIGHT). DESPITE WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY CRAMPED QUARTERS THE BUILDING SERVED AS THE SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THE SISTERS STAY IN BELLINGEN UNTIL IT PASSED TO THE LISMORE PRESENTATION SISTERS. | |
| TOP SCHOOL WEBSITE GO TO CONGREGATION PAGE | |
|
| 1905 | BOWRAVILLE | 1950 |
| THE DAUGHTERS OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CAME TO THEN ISOLATED BOWRAVILLE AT THE INVITATION OF BISHOP DOYLE AND THROUGH THE AGENCY OF THE SACRED HEART FATHERS WHO WERE ENTRUSTED WITH THE PARISH OF BOWRAVILLE FROM 1903-1906. THE SISTERS ESTABLISHED A SMALL CONVENT AND OPENED A PRIMARY SCHOOL. THE SISTERS ALSO BECAME INVOLVED IN THE EDUCATIONAL APOSTOLATE TO ABORIGINAL CHILDREN ADMITTING THEM TO THE SCHOOL IN 1919, THE FIRST SCHOOL IN BOWRAVILLE TO DO SO. AMONG OTHER DUTIES THE SISTERS CARRIED OUT VISITATION WORK IN THE DISTRICT DURING THOSE YEARS WHEN NO PRIEST WAS STATIONED IN THE VALLEY. IN 1906 THE MSC FATHERS MOVED ON FROM THE PARISH BUT THE SISTERS REMAINED AND CONTINUED TO TEACH UNTIL 1950 WHEN THEY TOO WITHDREW TO IN ORDER TO STAFF THE PACIFIC MISSIONS. THE SCHOOL WAS THEN PASSED TO THE SISTERS OF MERCY. CONVENT OF ST MARY | ||
 | CONVENT OF ST MARY |
| WHEN THE SISTERS FIRST ARRIVED IN BOWRAVILLE THEY LIVED IN A RENTED HOUSE UNTIL THE CONVENT WAS COMPLETED IN 1906. THE CONVENT, A COMFORTABLE SINGLE-STORY BUNGALOW TYPICAL OF MANY RURAL CONVENTS, WAS LOCATED IN GEORGE STREET NEXT TO THE OLD CHURCH. IN 1912 BOTH IT AND THE OLD CHURCH WERE MOVED TO THE NEW SITE IN CARBIN ST BY BULLOCK DRAY AND RELOCATED BEHIND WHERE THE PRESENT CHURCH NOW STANDS ( LEFT ). WHEN THE SISTERS WITHDREW IN 1950 THE CONVENT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE MERCY SISTERS WHO USED IT UNTIL 1977. IN THE 1980's THE FORMER CONVENT WAS FINALLY DEMOLISHED. ST MARY'S SCHOOL |
| ST MARY'S CONVENT SCHOOL |  | |
| THE PURPOSE OF THE OLSH SISTERS IN COMING TO BOWRAVILLE WAS TO PROVIDE A CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN AND SO ON ARRIVAL IN 1905 THEY OPENED ST MARY'S CONVENT SCHOOL IN THE OLD CHURCH IN GEORGE ST (RIGHT). IN 1912 THE CHURCH / SCHOOL AND CONVENT WERE MOVED TO CARBIN ST BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE SCHOOL WAS OUTGROWING ITS PREMISES. IN 1913 A NEW CHURCH WAS BUILT AT CARBIN ST (BELOW) AND THIS QUICKLY BECAME PART OF THE SCHOOL ALSO WHICH BY NOW HAD GROWN TO ENCOMPASS AN INFANTS SCHOOL HELD IN THE ORIGINAL CHURCH, A PRIMARY SCHOOL HELD IN THE THEN CHURCH AND A BOY'S BOARDING SCHOOL. TO EASE THE PRESSURE ON THE SCHOOL CAUSED BY THE NEED TO CONVERT THE CHURCH EACH MONDAY AND FRIDAY YET A THIRD CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1928 AND BOTH OF THE FORMER CHURCHES THEN SIMPLY BECAME THE CONVENT SCHOOL. NEXT | ||
| IN 1919 THE SISTERS PERSUADED THE THEN PARISH PRIEST TO ERECT A SEPARATE BUILDING ALONGSIDE THE ORIGINAL SCHOOL TO PREMIT THE EDUCATION OF ABORIGINAL CHILDREN FROM THE CAMP BEHIND THE CHURCH. ST MARY'S THUS BECAME THE FIRST SCHOOL IN BOWRAVILLE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR THESE CHILDREN. THE SISTERS NOT ONLY CARED FOR THEIR EDUCATION BUT ALSO PROVIDED MEALS AND BOOKS FOR THEM, EVEN PROVIDING MUSICAL TRAINING TO THEM, A THING UNHEARD OF IN THOSE DAYS. IN 1950 THE OLSH SISTERS WERE FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM THE SCHOOL AND IT THEN PASSED INTO THE SAFE HANDS OF THE GRAFTON MERCY SISTERS. | |
 |  |
| ^^^^ THE PRIMARY SCHOOL BUILDING, HERE SEEN IN 1914, WAS ORIGINALLY THE SECOND CHURCH. TODAY THE BUILDING IS STILL USED AS A LIBRARY AND SCHOOL RESOURCE CENTRE. >>>> | |
| TOP SCHOOL WEBSITE GO TO CONGREGATION PAGE | |