St Patrick’s College for Girls Campbelltown, one of Australia’s oldest schools, is marking 185 years of history in 2025.
The first school built privately in NSW in 1840, it was located in what these days is the Campbelltown Tourist Information centre, also known as Quondong.
Current principal at St Patrick’s, Mary Leask, says they’ve gone back to those early days for the theme of this year’s celebrations, which include a gala ball.
“We’ve taken as a theme for our 185th A Legacy of Light,’’ says Ms Leask.
“Many of the stories that I’ve heard, when the school was first established, it was really about giving people hope, a way of moving up and forward, and that idea of light being the guiding light resonates quite well this year.
“And we’re taking as our focus the idea that we’ve been given this legacy, and in turn, we’re responsible for leaving a legacy moving forward.’’
Archivist Joanne Cavallin, who has joined principal Mary Leask for the interview with the South West Voice in Macarthur, chimes in to remind us that at first St Patrick’s was a co-educational school serving the children of local Irish Catholic residents.
Ms Cavallin, who knows just about everything there is to know about St Patrick’s College, is a retired teacher.
A few years ago, she offered to do some more volunteering and was told that the school archives needed some work, and that turned out to be the understatement of the century.
“I went to the store room and found that the archives were still in boxes,’’ says Ms Cavallin.
“There were lots of discoveries in the archives and it soon became a labour of love.’’
Going back to 1840, Ms Cavallin says St Patrick’s was a co-educational primary school at Quondong for 48 years.
Things were on the move from 1888 onwards with the arrival in Campbelltown of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict.
They were sent here by the Catholic Church to grow the educational opportunities being provided in and around the Campbelltown district.
“The Sisters were charged with taking over the school at Quondong but also tasked with developing a girls boarding school,’’ says Ms Cavallin.
“And that was put up at St John’s on the hill.
“They also had the preparatory school for boys; so they were running three schools at the same time.
“The current site here in St John’s Road was purchased in 1888 and there were little cottages on this place, where the Sisters set up the boys boarding school.’’
Enrolments for boys started to dwindle in the 1960s, so in 1969 St Patrick’s was switched over and the girls from the boarding school moved a little further up the hill to occupy the premises.
And that’s where it has been since then, producing academic excellence in girls from Campbelltown and beyond.
But as vitally important academic success is, principal Mary Leask says that the school takes a holistic approach towards its female students.
“I had a Year 12 girl who during her holidays competed in a kind of rodeo event – she’s a wonderful horse woman – she came second overall, and has been invited to go to Wyoming this year to compete on the international stage, so for her that’s going to make her year,’’ says Ms Leask.
“In my first 12 months here, I’ve seen the way teachers go out of their way to get to know the girl, the whole girl, not just, ‘she’s my best maths student’,’’ she says.
Ms Leask, who has been a principal for 19 years, thinks that girls only schools like St Patrick’s could still be around in 100 years’ time.
“Girls school are fabulous places, and I think they will be around; whether they will look the same, or not I am not sure,’’ she says.
“I think girls in a girls only environment can flourish; there’s no competition in a classroom, because they’re competing against themselves, and they see themselves as equals in the classroom.
“I think they are more likely to take some risks in their learning, because if they get it wrong, it won’t matter to the boys.
“Here at St Patrick’s the girls are focused on the learning, here the girls can try out, particularly in the science and maths area, levels of maths and science which they would perhaps be less comfortable to try in a co-ed school.
“I look at the girls I’ve worked with last 19 years as principal, and I just think: there were some amazing young women there, who absolutely just blossomed,
“And I think girls schools allow that,’’ Ms Leask said.
Archivist Joanne Cavallin is really looking forward to recording for posterity the 185 years celebration in 2025.
“I will be certainly attending as many events as I can,’’ she says.
To mark the College’s 185th anniversary, the Legacy of Light Gala Ball on March 15 at the Cube, Campbelltown Catholic Club, will raise funds for scholarships that support young women facing disadvantage, allowing them to access a quality education at Macarthur’s only independent all-girls’ school.
The night will be hosted by Cameron Daddo, with a special performance by award winning singer Samantha Jade. Everyone is invited. If you’d like to attend, get your tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1316398
