St Mary’s Catholic College school captains Richelle Bethke and Rory Browne helped with the massive roll call of ex-students on Sunday afternoon
June 3, 2015
St Mary’s Catholic College principal Michael Nayler, staff and students are now breathing a little bit easier … the school’s huge anniversary reunion weekend is over and it was a great success.
The weekend, which celebrated a number of milestones for the school over 2014-15, was more than a year in the planning.
A large contingent of ex-students enjoyed a social day at the Nanango Races (see separate report) before coming back to the school on Saturday night for Mass followed by food, entertainment and lots of chatting, photographs and browsing memorabilia.
On Sunday, there was an Open Day at the school where visitors could inspect classrooms and enjoy a barbecue.
Current students also provided entertainment and there was also a large roll call marking off the names of the returned students.
A special guest at the weekend was Kingaroy resident Kevin Schultz who started school at St Mary’s in 1929 – the year the original Sisters of Charity opened the first Catholic school.
The visitor who clocked up one of the longest travelling distances was Ruth Eastick, who travelled from Alice Springs especially for the reunion.
Ruth and her foster brother Gabriel were the first Aboriginal children to attend St Mary’s. She finished Year 12 in 1978.
Mr Nayler said there had been more than 600 people in the c0ngregation for the Saturday Mass, and probably another 250-300 came along on Sunday for the Open Day.
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2014 was the:
85th anniversary of primary education at St Mary’s which began with the Sisters of Charity in 1929
80th anniversary of the Good Samaritan Sisters who began work at St Mary’s in 1934
50th anniversary of continuous secondary education which began in 1964 at the then primary school
2015 is the:
50th anniversary of the 1965 opening of secondary education at Kent Street
25th anniversary of P-12 education at Kent Street (1990)
St Mary’s Catholic College principal Michael Nayler with some of the plaques which were officially unveiled on Saturday night … the Resource Centre at the school was also officially re-named in honour of former St Mary’s Parish Priest Fr Vince CarrollSitting front and centre on Sunday for the roll call were first day pupil Kevin Schultz and his wife Claire, from Kingaroy; Kevin was eight years old in 1929 and living with his parents on a share farm at Booie
Year 11 dancers Jorja Smith, Jayde Novak and Keeley Walker
Peter and Gina Nightingale – with Imogen, 2, and Alexander, 4 – are both former students
Music teacher Jane Iszlaub with student Lydia Ford … Jane has only recently joined the teaching staff at St Mary’s Catholic College
Year 12 student Hannah Depper does some face-painting for Grace Langley, 7
Margaret Kearney and Marie McGrath point to their names on the Scholarship Honour Board
Straight from the AFL to the reunion were Ricky Steggall, David Black and Daniel Clacy
Year 10 dancers on Sunday … Shania Weier, Alycia Martin and Sajeewa Ranasinghe
After Mass on Saturday night, back row, Fr Nigel Sequeira, Catholic Education Executive Director Pam Betts and St Mary’s Catholic College principal Michael Nayler; front row, Good Samaritan nuns Sr Eugennie Levinson, Sr Roslyn Bond and Sr Maureen Schick (the last Good Sam sister at the school, who left in 1997) with Dr Tessa Ho, who was representing the trustees of the Mary Aikenhead Ministries who took over the Sisters of Charity hospitals and schools in 2009
Nanango parishioner Bob Ricketts provided some of the Saturday night music
Helping out on the coffee stall (where else?) were Jason Frecklington and Bonnie Heit
School friends Ruth Eastick and Anne Logan
Murray and Anne Beil, from Kingaroy
Some well-known local faces … Michael Nayler, Myolene Voller, Mary Jackson, Rory Voller, Margaret Kearney and Fr Nigel on Saturday night
Old and new music … DJ mixer Samuel Vinci and violinist Rory Browne on Sunday
Shammee Higgins, who left St Mary’s in 2008,with her dad John Higgins, Ellesmere
Swapping memories … ex-students from the late 1950s and early 1960s
