The Barbreck Tradition Continues

This week has proven to be a momentous occasion for our Barbreck girls and their families, and an important time in the history of St Catherine’s School. School Council member, Mr John Steven, and father of four daughters, Emily (’09), Kate (’13), Annabel (’15) and Sarah, who each enjoyed their time as Barbreck girls, announced on Wednesday evening at the Toast to Barbreck that the tradition of the Barbreck name, synonymous with the School, will continue. The new Junior School will also be called ‘Barbreck’.

During John’s Address, he reflected on the words of past School Captain, Nicola Sitch, from her Address at the 2015 Speech Night:

“Nicola referred to the strength of tradition in our School. She talked of ‘the hand marks on the walls. The way Sherren house creaks under the weight of 7000 girls past and present. The knowledge that, for almost 120 years, St Catherine students have sat together and wondered about the future’.

Her words apply as much today to Barbreck and our Barbreck girls as it did to the broader school then, although with Barbreck, probably with far more hand marks on the walls. This sense of tradition with Barbreck pervades everything we do. Referring to the new Senior School development in 2015, Nicola said ‘our stories are as much a part of its build as the glass and brick. In 10, 20, 30 years time, girls will walk through the halls and feel these memories, as we do when we step into the Boarding House or the Wintergarden. Someday soon, we will come back and look at that desk, or through that window and feel the presence of our friends at 15, 16, 17 and 18. We will remember that life changing conversation, or teacher and how empowered and loved we felt here.’”

In announcing the name, Barbreck, for the new Junior School building, John shared an historical account of the origins of the name Barbreck:

“The original Barbreck House was built in 1887 by a Scottish immigrant. His Scottish grandmother’s property was his inspiration for its unusual name. According to experts in the Gaelic language, ‘Barbreck’ means ‘speckled hilltop”. There is nothing speckled about the current site nor are we on a hilltop but it has proven to be a wonderful name for our Junior School. St Catherine’s purchased Barbreck House in 1948, sixty years after it was built. We had previously purchased Sherren House 26 years earlier when the School moved onto its current site.

Initially, Barbreck housed only the kindergarten and Years 1 and 2 but with increasing student numbers, it expanded over time to take the higher grades as well. Patchwork add-ons were sufficient for a while but eventually by 1972 the ever increasing student numbers required a larger building. Barbreck (as it then was) was demolished and the new Barbreck was built and officially opened in 1975. The Barbreck canopy that sits over the red brick steps at the entrance to Barbreck was added in 1986. It is said that it was the first such canopy ever built in Australia.

Generations of St Catherine students and parents have strong memories of their time at Barbreck – whether it be sitting on the ‘Land of the Giants’ red steps in a’Beckett Hall, the red brick steps at the entrance to Barbreck, the Artist’s Garden, the Centenary paving in the Barbreck bricks created by our girls in 1996, the statue of young girl, restored and erected at the Barbreck entrance in 1994 and the celebratory 110 year anniversary Mosaic by the Barbreck girls of 2006.

These are just some of the physical signs of Barbreck that contain wonderful memories of girls’ schooling experiences. Each of them will live on in some shape or form in our new Junior School. The Barbreck name runs far deeper through the life of our School than just as a building. Barbreck is, and has always been throughout the last 70 years, a key part of the heartbeat of our School and a core part of our School community.

So it will be for our current Barbreck girls and parents as they transition to the new building. They will build new memories, forged in the new Barbreck. And our past Barbreck girls and parents will remember and reflect on their times in their Barbreck, knowing how empowered and loved they felt here.

It is for these reasons that the St Catherine’s School Council has decided that our new Junior School will continue of course to be named Barbreck, as it has for the past 70 years and will for many, many years to come.

So as we toast the old Barbreck (this Barbreck), we can also toast the new Barbreck. To Barbreck.”

School Council – Annual General Meeting

On behalf of St Catherine’s School, I extend my congratulations to Mr Wayne Kent and Mr Allan Holmes who were re-elected as Council Members at the AGM on Tuesday 19 June. Ms Becky Hyde, current parent of Charlotte (Year 7), Chloe (year 10) and Emma  Rodgers (Year 12), joins the Council as a newly elected Council Member.  I would like to thank and list our Members of Council who so willingly volunteer their time, skills and experience and, at so many levels, make a huge contribution to our School Community.

 

Ms Jane Hodder Chair
Ms Kate Barber Deputy Chair
Mr Allan Holmes Honorary Treasurer
Mr Patrick Cody
Rev Dr Peter French
Mr Jamie Gray
Ms Noelene Horton
Ms Becky Hyde
Mr Wayne Kent
Mr John Steven
Associate Professor Melinda Truesdale
Dr Anne Waterhouse

 

Staff News

This week, we sadly farewell Mrs Mary Hugh, following many years teaching Chinese in the Language Faculty. I recall travelling with Mary for a few days in China in 2014 on a School Study Tour, and her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for providing the girls with an amazing educational opportunity was ever-present. This was just a small insight into her professional expertise and experience. She will be dearly missed by her colleagues and students at St Catherine’s and we wish her well in her retirement.

We also farewell Mr Justin Gale (Arts Faculty) and Mr Rob Harrod (Humanities Faculty) who have completed their teaching contracts at the School. I thank them both wholeheartedly for their contribution to St Catherine’s School. In Semester 2, we welcome the return of Year 12 Head of Year and teacher in The Arts Faculty, Ms Lilly Dusting from her Maternity Leave and Humanities teacher, Mrs Elizabeth Ryan, who has been teaching at The Archer School, LA for two years.

In our General Staff, we farewell Mrs Petalyn Walker from the Marketing and Communications Office, and thank her for the significant contribution she has made to the development of the School marketing material across a range of mediums. And in our Boarding House, we also farewell Helen Haskings and wish her the very best in her retirement. We greatly appreciate Helen’s contribution to the care of our boarders for a number of years.

Queen’s Birthday Honour for Old Girl

Congratulations to St Catherine’s alumnae Rosemary Syme (Farran ’56) who received an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for service to several community organisations. This is a wonderful recognition of her community service.

End of Semester 1

It provided me with much joy to watch the excitement on the faces of our Barbreck girls as they explored their new building for the first time on Thursday. Their enthusiasm, squeals and complete amazement at their new learning spaces provided both teachers and staff members closely associated with the design and construction phase of the building considerable joy. The pleasure for the girls in finding their new classrooms, framed with large book quotes to entice the girls inside, the delight at walking into their new Language Lab, STEM Room, Art Studio and Auditorium/Music Room was certainly palpable, as was the response to the stunning Library, with books already shelved and displayed. I now await the delivery of their classroom furniture next week and the excitement of the girls when they return next term.

Over the course of the mid-year break, I will be travelling to Boston to join other Principals at the Principals Connect initiative with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This is an exciting new program, introduced in partnership with Independent Schools of Victoria (ISV) to fulfil a commitment to connect Principals with expert researchers, thinkers and mentors, thus enabling Principals to forge valuable connections with Victorian colleagues and international counterparts. During my absence in the first week of Term 3, Director of Student Wellbeing, Ms Merran O’Connor, will step into the role as Acting Principal.

I wish all the St Catherine’s families an enjoyable and relaxing mid-year break and look forward to seeing the students return for Term 3 on Tuesday 17 July (Senior School and ELC) and Wednesday 18 July (Junior School).

Michelle Carroll

Mrs Michelle Carroll