Kilbreda College

Kilbreda College
Kilbreda-College-Mentone
Kilbreda College Mentone
Location
Map
Mentone, Victoria

Australia
Coordinates37°59′0″S 145°3′55″E / 37.98333°S 145.06528°E / -37.98333; 145.06528
Information
Former nameBrigidine Convent School
TypeIndependent secondary day school
MottoLatin: Fortiter et Suaviter
(Strength and Kindliness)
Religious affiliation(s)Brigidine Sisters
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established1904; 120 years ago (1904)
PrincipalNicole Mangelsdorf
GenderGirls
Enrolment900
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)    Ruby, grey, white
Websitekilbreda.vic.edu.au

Kilbreda College is an independent Roman Catholic secondary day school for girls, located in the Melbourne suburb of Mentone, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1904 by the Brigidine Sisters and is governed by Kildare Ministries.

Origins of the school building

The original façade of the building was built by the Royal Coffee Palace Company Limited. It was opened in November 1887 and was known as the Mentone Coffee Palace. The Coffee Palace was the social centre of the town, situated on the corners of Mentone Parade, Florence Street and Como Parade. It is also near Mentone station (formerly known as Balcombe Road Station until 1884) and is surrounded by the local shops. In the 1890s due to competition with Mentone Hotel and the Depression, the Coffee Palace could no longer be run. In 1894 it fell into the hands of the Mercantile Bank of Australia, and the name of the building was changed to Como House. After this the Coffee Palace was only used occasionally for varying purposes. The Brigidine Sisters bought the Coffee Palace in mid-July 1904 for £2,050, considering the actual cost of the building and furniture, excluding land, was £25,500.[1]

Other schools governed by Kildare Ministries are:

Brigidine convent

On 7 August 1904 the Brigidine Convent School was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Thomas Carr, and classes began the next day. On opening, the school had three pupils enrolled in their Convent School and 25 pupils enrolled in St. Patrick's Parish Primary which was located in the Church. The fee-paying convent school began taking boarders in 1905 and subsequently obtained registration as a sub-primary, primary and secondary school. The nuns owned a farm in nearby Johnston street which the students often visited. Boarders and students of primary school age have been phased out; the final primary class being in 1978. The school has been single sex (girls) for many decades. In the 1930s the school's name was changed to Kilbreda College, the name coming from the Gaelic Cill – church or community and Breda – Brigid. Therefore, Kilbreda means Church or Community of Saint Brigid.[2]

Houses

  • Tullow (red)  

Tullow is named after Tullow in the Republic of Ireland. This location was of special note to St. Brigid and the Brigidine Sisters.

  • Kildare (blue)  

Kildare is named after a county in Ireland which holds specials value to St. Brigid and the Brigidine Sisters.

  • Delany (yellow)  

Delany is named after Bishop Daniel Delany who helped and accompanied the Brigidine Sisters travel to Australia and set up some of the first Catholic school run in the Brigidine Tradition.

  • Brigid (green)  

Brigid was named after St. Brigid who was the inspiration behind the Brigidine sisters and therefore the School.

Principals

The following individuals have served as College Principals:

Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 Mother Margaret Mary Murphy 1904 1915 10–11 years
2 Mother Berchmans Foley 1916 1926 9–10 years
3 Mother Margaret Mary Bourke 1927 1965 37–38 years
4 Sister Barbara Mathews 1966 1971 4–5 years
5 Sister Pius Kennedy 1972 1973 0–1 years
6 Sister Marietta Rea 1974 1978 3–4 years
7 Sister Rosemarie Joyce 1979 1980 0–1 years
8 Sister Angela Ryan 1981 1983 1–2 years
9 Sister Catherine Kelly 1984 1984 0 years
10 Sister Mary Dalton 1985 1995 9–10 years
11 Carmel Smart 1995 1995 0 year
− Sister Angela Ryan 1996 1999 2–3 years
12 Sister Helen Toohey 1999 2006 6–7 years
13 Mary Stack 2007 2015 7–8 years
14 Teresa Lincoln 2016 2018 1–2 years (joint appointment)
15 Nicole Mangelsdorf incumbent 7–8 years (joint appointment, 2016–2018)

Core values and symbols

St. Brigid's cross

Most Brigidine schools follow the same core values, motto and school symbols.

The Brigidine Schools' symbols are:

  • Brigid's Cross – The kind of cross St. Brigid used when teaching about the Catholic faith. It is made from woven reeds.
  • The Oak Tree – St. Brigid's monastery in Tullow, is called Kildare. Kildare meaning 'the church of the oak'. Many Brigidine schools grow an oak tree from an acorn taken from one of the oak trees in Tullow.
  • The Lamp of Learning – represents the light of Christian faith
  • School Badge – was designed by the Irish College of Heraldry. The large cross of diamonds is taken from the badge of Bishop Daniel Delany, the bishop who founded the Brigidine Sisters in 1807. The middle diamond contains an image of the lamp of learning, and the image of St. Brigid's cross is contained in the top section.

Notable pupils

See also

References

  1. ^ The Brigidine Sisters, online, http://www.brigidine.org.au. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  2. ^ "Kilbreda College Mentone – History". Kilbreda College Ltd. Retrieved 17 October 2019. ...Boarders dormitory....Farm....[photograph of farm with female students]...

Further reading

  • Underwood, Margaret (2004). A View from the Tower Kilbreda 1904–2004. Melbourne: Kilbreda College.
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