In 1903 my grandmother wrote these words as part of the address of welcome to the Sister of Mercy on their arrival in Crookwell “Dear Reverend Mother and Sister, with a feeling of great joy and gladness, we the parishioners of St Mary’s Crookwell hasten to offer you a most hearty welcome to our midst”. Ironically, Bryan spoke on behalf of the parishioners to farewell the sisters.
The Sisters came from Ireland to Goulburn in 1859, established the Convent and School which eventually became Our Lady of Mercy College and soon attracted many students and also novices.
They then set up communities in Albury, Boorowa, Cootamundra, Gundagai, Grenfell and Jerilderie. In contrast to the burning heat of Jerilderie they were to set up a Convent and School at Crookwell, probably the coldest climate in the Goulburn Diocese. Prior to that time, provisional schools which were virtually Catholic Schools, had functioned in various parts of the district, such as in Loughnan’s paddock at Grabben Gullen in 1868 with 32 pupils. The teacher, Maria Garvey, had been educated at the Goulburn Convent. There was a Catholic certified school in the then new St Andrew’s Church at Laggan in 1866, where the cemetery now is. These types of schools, often in slab huts or sheds, came and went as demand fluctuated and government policy altered, but often they were staffed by girls who had been educated by the Sisters in Goulburn. It was the Sisters themselves, however, who introduced Catholic education into Crookwell.
The Crookwell township grew rapidly in the 1880’s and demand for a Catholic school became pressing.
The nuns, consisting of Reverend Mother and four Sisters, accompanied by Bishop Gallagher, arrived by train (the rail service was less than one year old) and were greatly welcomed by the community. A ten room convent and schoolrooms were built, with the completed the Church building in 1891. The nuns provided secular education and culture, as well as visiting the sick and lonely in their homes. It was a common sight to see the sisters moving through the streets in pairs. The sister made religious education possible to the children whose parents could not otherwise afford it. They earned the respect of all the community, providing an even handed approach to all students, regardless of denomination. Many local young people were inspired to follow the nun’s example by joining religious life. Their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience meant they went where they were needed.
From the original school building almost joining the Convent and Church, increased student numbers required the parish to build the existing School Hall in 1911. The original school room was then used as an Infant School. The Hall was divided by a green curtain, which did not help dull the sounds from the other side of the curtain, just made one more curious. Two classes were at each end of the hall with Sisters at either end of the hall. When a function was to be held in the Hall, often weekly, the desks had to be stacked three high in the alcove. In 1928, the community room and Chapel were added to the Convent. A new Infant School was built at the bottom of the school grounds. The original classroom was converted to a children’s Chapel on the side of the Church. A portion was used as an altar boy’s sacristy and part for commercial classes with typewriters etc.
In 1924 the Sisters opened a Convent and school at Binda, the geographical centre of the Parish, even taking in boarders there. This school functioned for about 35 years, but eventually a shortage of nuns forced its closure.
Sister Angela, the cook, was the forerunner of the St Vincent de Paul meal centre. She worked away in the hot kitchen, always with her little dog Nigger on the door mat. No itinerant was ever turned away, and as payment for their meal Sr would take them up the back to ‘chop a bit of wood’.
In those early days Sister ‘Cook’ also made the Altar breads. She would spread the mixture over a small electric plate on which was the imprint of the hosts. She would bring down the top which had the obverse side on it and make about 12 breads plus one large one for the Altar.
With all building works having come to a halt during the war, overcrowding became a big problem after the war. Fr McKenna, a WW1 veteran wanted to see a school built to honour the war dead, used all his influence and guile with local MPs and government departments to get the building application through with some speed.
As well as the normal educational subjects being taught by the Sisters, music was a very strongly supported subject within the school and with students from other schools in the district.
The Sisters prepared the children for their First Confession, Holy Communion and Confirmation, always having them very well instructed and presented. They travelled to the country churches to help the local catechists. The Sisters also trained the altar boys, which often proved quite a challenge.
The Sisters were great at training the children for sport and marching, as well as, teaching typing and shorthand. Very multi skilled people indeed.
By 1958 the numbers were increasing so much due to many small country schools closing and the school at that time went to Intermediate level, so a new classroom and staffroom were added to the Colyer Street side of the school. By 1962, changes to the syllabus reduced the school to primary level only.
1962 saw the diamond jubilee of the Convent, and at that time the back verandah was enclosed to make it more comfortable and small bay window added at the front to catch winter sun.
In 1976 more additions at the school joined the school to the Hall, making the building more workable.
The sisters finally left the convent in late 1993.
Extracted from presentation by Bryan Kennedy