2 minute read
From the Archives
LESSONS FROM
COVID-19 is not the first virus to impact school life at MLC, and it may not be the last. Delving into the College Archives provides an insight into the lived experience of staff and students during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918–20 and the waves of Polio outbreaks that terrified the nation in the middle of last century. These valuable snippets tell the story of a strong and supportive school community facing challenges with resilience and adaptability, just as the current MLC community has done over the past year.
MLC was only in its 36th year when the Spanish Flu reached Australian shores. The 1918 Report from the President and Headmaster stated “no single case of serious sickness occurred during the year. Perhaps nowhere else indeed in Australia could be found such a great household of bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked girl-life as in the MLC.”
The 1919 edition reports the delay of the start of the school year to May, with lost time recovered during the holidays. Principal, Dr Fitchett wrote that, “the MLC took most vigilant care, making the school one of the most lightly touched or affected schools in the state.” The Headmaster, Mr Le Couteur, described the College as “rising to the occasion and challenges with loyalty and good humour.” Sporting events were cancelled, and all camps were postponed.
Australia battled through periodic waves of Polio outbreaks between 1937 and the mid-1950s. Houses were fumigated, people were quarantined and emotions ran high. Once again, school life at MLC was impacted, most significantly in 1949. Assemblies were moved outdoors to prevent transmission among students. Even in the winter months, there were few complaints. The editorial from Silver and Green in that year stated, “it only rained once and our voices have certainly improved in range” and “each of us must be sure that she is doing her best, for it is only by doing this that we can succeed.”
The MLC community has displayed the same positivity throughout the COVID-19 health crisis. Today’s technology provided options not even imagined in past decades. Lessons were adapted, not halted. Sport, music and assemblies continued online. Best of all, the remarkable stories and images of 2020 and 2021 are being recorded in great detail, ready to inspire future generations of students. Houses were fumigated, people were quarantined and emotions ran high. Once again, school life at MLC was impacted, most significantly in 1949. Assemblies were moved outdoors to prevent transmission among students.
Pictured top: Students in the Front Garden during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. Pictured bottom: An assembly held outside during the Polio epidemic in 1949.
