“Our college year has passed quietly and uneventfully and although we have as yet no great successes to report, we can conscientiously say that the work throughout the school has been thorough and in some cases even brilliant.

During the recent epidemic of scarlet fever and diphtheria, we wore fortunate in not having a single, case amongst our pupils. We had a system of monthly examinations, which we find very beneficial, as it accustoms the girls to express themselves clearly and concisely, besides giving the teacher an opportunity of strengthening the weak points of each pupil. A record of these examinations is taken each month, and sent home to every parent to be signed, so that the parent can form a very good opinion of the progress being made. We pay special attention to history, the study of which we do all we can to encourage, for without an intelligent knowledge of the past, of the great men who have lived, and had their day, of the deeds which have won our Empire, can the Present be rightly understood? For the two — Past and Present — are irrevocably joined’ together. Gapt. M ‘William has offered us a special prize, to be competed for next year. We would like to see a greater number of girls taking classics, a knowledge of which is necessary for a good education and gives the privilege of being able to read the great Greek and Latin authors in the original. The French classes are well attended, and the work this year has been exceptionally good. We hope next year to form a class for English literature, to which girls not attending the College will be admitted. We purpose not only to study the works of ancient and modern writers, but to encourage the study of our Australian writers, for Australia is destined in the future to produce many sweet singers as well as cultured writers.

We do not neglect the physical welfare of our girls, as the course of marching and club exercises gone through on Tuesday evening will have shown. There is a class for Calisthenics, which is held regularly every morning, and is attended by nearly every girl in the College. Needlework, that most necessary branch of a girl’s education, is not neglected, as the work shown will testify. We do not at all approve of the learned “New Woman, ‘ who knows all the “ologies,” but cannot sew a button on. We aim at turning out, not only students, but girls fitted mentally, morally, and physically to be the woman of the future. There is one thing I should like to speak about, and that is that parents should insist on their girls being regular in their attendance, and not allow anything but illness to keep them away.

Since the beginning of the year we are gratified to report that our members have more than doubled, and next year we hope to have a still greater increase. I must thank Mr Robertson for so kindly consenting to distribute the prizes. We make it a rule not to award a prize unless the marks obtained average 75 per cent, so that every girls whose name appears on the prize-list has worked for it — not-merely for the prize, we hope, but, true to our motto, ‘ Fioiscoronat opus,” she has learnt not for school only, but for life.”

Miss Jeanie Hood
December 1897

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