Mary MacKillop College
Old Scholars’ Association
August 2011
Annual Reunion
Dinner
Friday 28 October 2011
Gather your tables and book now
A special welcome to the classes of
2001, 1991, 1981, 1971, 1961 and 1951
More details inside
Bookings close 19 October
Contact MMCOSA for help making contact with your fellow students
Mary MacKillop
Feast Day Mass 8 August
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Mary MacKillop College Kensington Old Scholars Association
Mary MacKillop College Old Scholars Association
Annual Reunion
Dinner 2011
Portrait by Margaret Rennie © Mary MacKillop College 2009
MMCOSA welcomes all past Students, Staff and
Friends (partners are welcome) to join together
in the Annual Reunion Dinner
Friday, 28th October 2011
Date:
Venue:
John DiFede Reception Centre
10 Freebairn Street
Windsor Gardens SA 5087
Time:
7pm -11pm
Cost:
Complete the booking form below and return
with payment by 19 October to:
MMCOSA
Mary MacKillop College
PO Box 4034
Norwood South SA 5068
Phone: 8333 6300
Fax: 8364 3863
Enquiries and Email:
$60
[email protected]
Bookings close Wednesday 19 October 2011
Name: ________________________________Table booked in name of: __________________________________
nee: ____________
Address: _________________________________________________
__________
Suburb: ______________________________ Postcode: ____________ Phone No: __________________________
Year of leaving: _____________
Email: _____________________________
Dietary Requirements: __________________________________________________________________________
Number of people attending: ___________ (please list all names on reverse)
Payment: Cheque
Cash
Credit
Visa/MasterCard
Cost: _____________
Payment in full with booking please
Credit card holder: ____________________________Credit card No: _____________________________________
Credit card expiry date: ________________ Signature: _________________________________________________
Photographs taken at the MMCOSA Dinner may be included in newsletters of the Mary MacKillop College Old Scholars’ Association
Maureen Keane
1952-1956
Our school companions, after family, were probably the key formative
persons in our development. An ongoing revisiting, however spasmodic,
of those formative shared experiences helps us to understand ourselves.
This is one of the most important values of an Old Scholars Association.
May 14th is the first anniversary of the death of an old scholar,
Maureen Keane, who was loyal to the College through its development
from St Joseph’s Higher Primary / St Joseph’s High School in Bridge St to
Mary MacKillop College in its present location. For Maureen, location and
name were not the key issues. It was the heart of what the school/college
stood for that she espoused.
When school opened at the beginning of 1952 two girls from the country, where a State School education
was the only option, and who had only ever met two religious sisters in their lives, were welcomed to
Bridge St. by Sister Teresita and taken out to be introduced to Maureen Keane whose task was to make
them welcome, to care for them and to introduce them to other students. That was the beginning of a
friendship between Maureen, my sister, Ellen, and me that continued for the rest of our lives.
Maureen’s death last May, from an aggressive form of motor neurone disease was sudden and a shock to
us all. During her short time at Mary Potter Hospice she started to write an autobiography. She
commenced it with a quote from Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Less Travelled”
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference
She then states that “for reasons best known to myself the lines have served as a metaphor for my life.”
One could begin by contradicting her and saying that hers was a road well travelled, because travelling
was a key part of her life. From 1965 to a few months before her death Maureen visited many parts of
the world. My own memory enables me to name England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Greece, United
States, New Zealand, Noumea, Japan, Hong Kong, Fiji, Taiwan, Israel, India, Egypt, Alaska, Canada, Spain,
(some of them visited several times) and I know there are many others. These major journeys were
interspersed with more local travels within Australia, including a months camping between Adelaide,
Broome, Darwin and Alice Springs (“once was enough” she said)
However, Maureen’s life was in many ways “a road less travelled”
It was “a road less travelled” in the sense as Maureen said “Partners and children have not been mine,
but I have been blessed with a loving family and loyal friends. God and life have been good to me
It was “a road less travelled” in the sense that few have achieved her academic excellence. Her years
at Adelaide University, where she completed an Arts Degree and a Diploma of Secondary Education, she
described as “the great years when you could set the world to right without actually having to be
responsible for it.”
Her three years teaching at Henley High School convinced her that her career should take a different
path. In her words “after being a rebellious student, I was paid out with equivalent students whom I
found very difficult to discipline – still think the nuns had an easier time with us.” She worked for a year
in The Barr Smith Library, and followed that by six months in the Library of the House of Commons,
London. Returning home Maureen became Principal Librarian of the Adelaide Teachers College Library,
remaining with it through its many amalgamations and name changes to become the South Australian
College of Advanced Education, where she moved into academic administration as a policy analyst.
From 1984 she worked partly in that unit and partly as a lecturer in librarianship. When the
SACAE became part of the University of SA, Maureen continued lecturing in library management. Throughout her working life she added to her original Degree and Diploma an Advanced
Diploma in Education, a Master of Librarianship (she was the first Monash University’s graduate in this field), a Master of Business Administration, and PhD from the Adelaide University.
More importantly, Maureen’s life was “a road less travelled” in what her lifelong friends from
Adelaide Uni. days described in her eulogy as the key to her character – She put others first.
She had a strong commitment to and love for her family, both her immediate family and her
relatives in Ireland and elsewhere. She didn’t talk a lot about her own feelings, but it was obvious from the way she followed their progress, looked forward to their phone calls, letters,
visits and outings, and the way she spoke about them, that their happiness and wholeness was
key to her life.
Maureen always welcomed people and was interested in what was happening in their lives. She
had the ability to make whoever she was with, and what was important to them the subject of
the conversation, so that people left her presence feeling that their life was important and
interesting. One could always rely on her to carry out the task she had committed herself to,
despite the fact that she always described herself as “having a brain like a sieve”. Maureen
accepted others as they were and did her best to offer help and advice if that was at all
possible. The generosity with which she responded to family and friends was also lavished on
many others in the community. Her “hands on” response to many people through her work in the
St Vincent de Paul Society was done with respect and in a spirit of generosity. She not only
distributed to the needy what others had contributed, but included in her response much from
her own resources. Her contribution to parish and the wider community was not just in the provision of resources, but was often in the form of carrying out the chores that are timeconsuming and mundane. Despite the fact that household chores were not her favourite
occupation she volunteered to dust the church pews and was happy to spend time doing those
tasks that “had to be done by someone within the community”. Maureen’s regard for others was
evident, when all seemed to have been taken from her and she could no longer speak, when the
message conveyed to those who sat with her was not what was happening to her but rather
“I know this is hard for you.”
As was said by her lifelong friends “All this perhaps makes Maureen sound much more serious
than she was, even pious. But she wasn’t like that at all. She had a rather wicked sense of
humour that came out at the most unexpected times.” She was perceptive, could read motivations and see the funny side of most situations – but this was not done in a judgmental way. She
usually turned other people’s foibles into a joke about herself. This she was doing when her only
means of communication was to print on a whiteboard and when we all convinced her that for
the first time in our own lives we could read her writing.
To return to where this tribute began, Maureen was a school companion who was instrumental in
striving to keep former connections alive and her interest in the welfare and life of each
person enabled many of us to revisit those past experiences and to contact again those people
who contributed so much to who we are. The many who walked the journey with Maureen will
continue to miss her, because she was a friend whose sense of humour, loyalty and generosity
of spirit brought a smile at all times.
Catherine Clark RSJ
It was with much
pleasure that MMCOSA
was honoured to award
life membership to
Sr Teresita Cormack
(here with Sr Margart Kenny)
at our Friday in the Courtyard
gathering in February.
Sr Teresita has been a loyal and
constant supporter of MMCOSA
through several generations of
students. Many years ago she was
one of the first to embrace
communication by email and still
maintains an active interest in
past students of the College.
From your committee
We again look forward to a great reunion dinner on Friday 28 October.
Help us to make it a success. Please invite your friends, gather your tables and finalise bookings
by 19 October. Our MMCOSA network is expanding, see our Facebook group or let us know if
we can help you make contact with school friends. Thank you in anticipation to those who act as
table co-ordinators and year group contacts. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you too to those who have contributed articles and news for this newsletter. Let us know
what has happened since you left school. New faces are always welcome to join our committee,
we meet for about an hour at the College at 6pm on the first Monday of each month.
This year the committee group is working to set a future path for MMCOSA. A draft
vision statement is included here. Let us know your thoughts.
MMCOSA
VISION
The Mary MacKillop Old Scholars Association embraces and passes on the living
tradition of the College community in the spirit of St Mary MacKillop.
It encourages life long links amongst its members and has a special relationship with the
Sisters of St Joseph.
The Association fosters justice and compassion, hospitality and concern for those in need.
Therefore the Old Scholars Association aims:
• to build and encourage the network of members
• to assist Mary MacKillop College and it’s pupils in any manner which may be practicable
• to promote and encourage a variety of social activities among the members of the Association
• to provide positive role models/mentors for our current student body
• to raise funds to support the vision and objectives of the association
Loretta Mongelli (Class of 1999) and Nicholas De Palma
married at The Monastery of St Paul on Sunday 5th December 2010
Maid of honor was the bride’s sister Daniella Mongelli,
Best Man was grooms brother Paul De Palma, grooms men was Nick Mezzino
and flower girl was baby Daina Rozitis accompanied by Tijana & Bonnie
Radibratovic. They celebrated their reception at Sfera’s function centre with
family and friends and Cruised to New Zealand for their Honeymoon.
Loretta is the daughter of Angelina Mongelli, of Woodville,
Nicholas’s parents are Peter and Albina De Palma, of Rostrevor.
Breeana Gleeson
Class of 2009
While receiving awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Service to
Sport and The Caltex All Rounder, this Prefect’s number one passion was
basketball. 2009 saw her not only complete Year 12, but tour with the
SASI Basketball Team to the United States to play against College teams
from the States, Germany and France.
Breeana won a scholarship in 2010 to study at Young Harris College in Georgia, USA and has recently returned to Australia for her summer break and
to address the students at MMC. She shared with our girls the importance
of maintaining a high academic record while spending long days of training to
maintain the highest standard in basketball. The girls were thrilled to see
Breeana in action on a DVD of one of the games in which she threw the winning goal to celebrate victory for the Young Harris Team. Students and staff were particularly excited to hear the game call
where a strong American accent announced Gleeson, from Adelaide, Australia who went to Mary MacKillop College.
Breeana is a true Josephite girl who attended St Joseph’s Payenham in primary school and in the
words of their Principal Mr Laurie Zammit “She has done us proud!” The Mary MacKillop Old Scholars
Association wish Breeana all the best for her future
Class of 1970
Reunion
earlier this
year
I would like to sincerely thank the school for the privilege and the
opportunity to speak to you all here today. It is still difficult to
reconcile myself with the idea that, for the first time in five years, this
isn’t my beginning of year mass. That my schooling journey is complete,
and has culminated in this, is still sinking in. Being the school dux is a
great honour, and one of which I am genuinely proud and grateful to
have received. As such, it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge
here all of the people who helped me achieve this- namely my teachers,
my family and my friends. All of who were present at every stage of my
stressful year 12 journey.
However, while I am honoured by this status and this award, I can’t help but remember the
values that were instilled in me throughout my schooling at a Josephite college, values best
summed up in St Mary Mackillop’s words ‘never see a need without doing something about it’.
In this saying, repeated at almost every school function I can remember, there is no reference
to academic success. This quote, which is so demonstrative of our school’s values, speaks of
charity, community and empathy, as the most important qualities that any person and any
establishment can boast.
In our society, there is a tendency to judge a school’s quality and worth based on their academic
success, and the number of merits their students receive. However, as we ourselves have been
taught, there is so much more to a good school than these. Far too often in this day and age,
people fall into the trap of judging others, and indeed schools such as our own by numbers, not
values. Figures such as TERs, or bank statements or promotions seem to be taking the place of
morals and principles and past deeds when it comes to evaluating a person’s character.
One of the largest advantages of our school is that it resists this trap, and concentrates not
solely on producing academically successful students, but individuals who will contribute to their
community, rather than focus on personal advancement.
If we as a generation wish to develop our society to be one which values justice and equality, we
need people with these beliefs, not only people who topped their classes, or strive constantly for
recognition and success in their chosen fields. I doubt anybody remembers or even knows how
Nelson Mandela did in school, or whether or not Martin Luther King topped his classes. It is
people’s values, and the actions they perform as a result of those values, which are remembered,
and it is this message that our school tries so hard to instil in us.
So to all the students of Mary Mackillop College- try your hardest. Aim for the stars
academically. But always remember that the age old adage is true- actions speak louder than
words, and it is your actions, not your marks or your report cards, which will define the sort of
person you are in this stage of your life.
Nadia Baldassi-Winderlich
Marie Morgan
1958-1962
We were saddened by the death of old scholar Marie Morgan (1958-62) in May
2011. Marie was a valued and much loved former staff member and friend of the
College community. Marie left a significant position with the Bank of SA to help the Sisters at
Mary MacKillop College for two weeks. She stayed for thirty years until her retirement in 1999
with poor health.
Staff fondly remember individual, hand written notes from Marie telling them that she would
transfer their pay earlier so that they had time to do some shopping for Christmas.
Marie’s contribution to our College is incalculable.
Marie is the sister of Sr Pauline Morgan who taught at Mary MacKillop College and was the first
Chair of our board until she was appointed Provincial Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph in
Western Australia. Marie’s younger sister Kathryn is also an old scholar and their father, Jack,
was a voluntary maintenance worker at the College for many years.
We extend our prayers and sympathy to Sr Pauline, Kathryn and all Marie’s family.
Robyn Carroll
Prof Trudy Kriven
Director of School Development
1962-1966
Professor of Material Science and
Engineering at the University of Illinois,
addressed the College assembly during
a recent lecture tour and visit home to
Australia. Trudy encouraged a love a
learning and inspired the students to
follow their dreams and realise their
potential, especially in science.
Class of 1977
Where are you?
Please contact
Liz Dawson via MMCOSA
email or Facebook page
Thanks to those who supported our movie screenings, Harry Potter and
more recently, Jane Eyre. This delightful new movie, featuring Mia
Wasikowska, has many of us again reading Charlotte Bronte’s classic.
We thank Bob Parr and the Wallis staff of the Chelsea Cinema for
their ongoing support of MMCOSA. In June this year Bob was
honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service
to the community as a contributor to charitable fundraising activities.
Our heartiest congratulations!
Year 9 in 2002
Chiara Barr would like to
contact her classmates
from year 9 in 2002,
via our Facebook page