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St Catherine’s News Autumn 2015
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Warburton… Linking our Past with our Present
In 1942 as the Second World War actions edged closer to Australian soil, the St Catherine’s School site was vacated and became a training base for the WAAAF. On the 10 March 1942 the Australian Government took over the campus grounds and within two weeks the entire School population (280 girls) relocated to Warburton.
Sherren House provided the RAAF personnel a more accessible rest and recreation centre while the School operated at the foot of Mt Donna Buang amidst the tall forest and ferns and the sprawling azalea and rhododendron garden of the Warburton Chalet. On the 14 November 2014 the students of 1942, Warburton Old Girls, were invited to attend a Principal’s Morning Tea to reconnect and share their memories of that time. The group of 31 ladies were entertained by a Year 2 music performance, answered the inquisitive Year 2’s history questions and shared their memories with a few Year 7 students who recorded this on iPads. They were also addressed by Principal, Mrs Michelle Carroll, 2014 SCOGA President, Mrs Deborah Berry and Dean of Year 10 and English and Literature Teacher, Ms Vasiliki Spanos. Following is part of Ms Spanos’ speech.
This morning we honour you, the dear students of 1942, whose time in a little town some 80 kilometres east of Melbourne, has helped add to the rich tapestry of our School history, as well as to the rich tapestry of Warburton, my home town. I have spent much of the past couple of weeks reading your memories in Warburton Reminiscences and one point that came up quite often was indeed how cold it gets in Warburton. When the weather is cold, inevitably, people get closer to keep warm and it is clear that during your time in Warburton you came together in so many ways that I am sure words cannot fully express and we, from a very different time, may not even be able to imagine. Miss Sophie Borland’s words resonate deeply, ‘Looking back over this time, it seemed like a lifetime, but was actually only about eight months, I see that there were things of positive value in the experience…All I think were influenced by the nearness of the bush and the hills. However, the growth of fellowship between girls and adults, forced into living in a new way and sharing the responsibilities and the problems, was – as I see it – the best thing that came out of the Warburton experience.’
The manner in which the School adapted and adjusted to the Warburton move in 1942 and the subsequent manner in which staff and students carried on and made the most of the situation, has set the optimistic tone that represents an undeniable St Catherine’s School quality. Our ethos embraces challenges and certainly seeks to make the most of a situation, whilst simultaneously serving others. But where do these values come from? Family, society, faith, our personal experiences, and of course, our history. The history of our School has many examples of strong individuals, strong women dedicated to education, who loved their work and who led by example. The Warburton move, and everyone involved in it – students – teachers – parents – is one such instance and we are grateful for your input. These girls, now women sitting in front of me, were asked to move and change their lifestyles, not on a whim. It was a time of war. The headlines of the day, allow us a way to understand what it must have been like at the time. The Argus, on Monday, 24 March, 1942 ran with “Katherine and Darwin Bombed by Japs…Canberra, Sunday… Enemy aircraft attacked Katherine, in the
