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ociety of the Sacred Advent
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ociety of the Sacred Advent is intrinsic to the fabric of our identity.
At the heart of our schools you will find the values and wisdom of our founders, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent. Our Sisters have provided a firm Christian foundation which underpins all we do.
Sisters Agatha and Chaseley (Tufnell Home)
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This brochure shares the story of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent and how their philosophy and ethos provides the foundational fabric for their two schools, St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s Anglican Girls Schools. We give our thanks for their faithfulness and service.
1949 Townsville - Back: Sisters Lois, Irene, Jean Marie Front: Una Mary, Dorothy, Bernardine
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Sister Frances
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The History of the
Society of the
Sacred Advent
The work of the Sisters of the
had arrived in time to observe the
Sacred Advent (SSA) began in
abolition of financial aid to church
Brisbane in 1892 with the arrival
schools and restricted religious
of its founder, Sister Caroline Amy
education in state schools. The
Balquy, who had been professed
church’s response was to establish
in the Anglican community of John
a network of church schools
the Baptist, Clewer, England. She
throughout the Diocese. Canon
intended to establish a boarding
Stone Wigg in 1895 clearly defined
school for girls, noting that in
the church’s attitude: “While most
order to “have a progressive and
anxious to extend the schools, we
tolerant community, educated
are determined not to open them
women are a pre-requisite”. The
unless the teaching offered is of
Courier Mail in its Saturday edition
the very best.”
of December 1892 records: “Among the passengers by the steamer Rodondo from Sydney yesterday (were) Sisters Caroline and Minnie (Deaconess) of the Anglican Sisterhood. The Sisters were welcomed in the afternoon and evening in St John’s Cathedral grounds. The Reverend M.J.
philosophy, based on religious principles and never narrowly academic, also actively sought to educate “the whole personality, physical, mental and spiritual that the girls may live to their fullest capacity”.
Stone-Wigg addressed words of
This philosophy informed each of
welcome to which Sister Caroline
the SSA schools - St Margaret’s
replied. During the afternoon,
(established in 1895) and
Bishop Webber, who had given his
St Aidan’s (established in 1929),
approval of the formation of an
both which remain SSA schools.
Anglican Sisterhood in the colony,
The Sisters also established
was present.”
St Michael’s in Brisbane,
Education in Queensland in the nineteenth century was a two-tier system, with schools run by government and by the churches. By 1860, the first Anglican Archbishop, Dr Tufnell,
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The Sisters’ educational
St Catherine’s in Warwick, St Anne’s in Townsville, St Gabriel’s in Charters Towers, St Mary’s in Herberton and All Saints Hostel in Charleville, together with Tufnell Home for Children and St Martin’s Hospital.
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The Sisters’ Spirituality
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The Sisters’ Spirituality
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The Sisters’ spirituality has been observed, and can be described, in six ways.
Incarnational Faith The Sisters have always embraced the importance of: •
the sacramental life of the church, as part of its dual ministry of word and sacrament
•
prayer and contemplation
•
practical acts of service and hospitality.
Mother Eunice
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Holistic Education
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Sister Anne (St Margaret’s, possibly early 1970s)
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Holistic Education The Sisters’ holistic educational legacy, as demonstrated in the educational approach of St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s, entails: •
empowering young women so they can achieve their potential
•
academic rigour and excellence
•
musical, artistic, cultural and sporting development
•
incorporating the insights of modern science, social sciences and other learning with spiritual inquiry.
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ociety of the Sacred Advent
Sister Chaseley Anne (St Margaret’s, 1979)
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Compassion for those less fortunate
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Sister Katharine Domini (Mackay, 1915)
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The Sisters have served orphaned children, the sick, and young single mothers with inadequate social support, and have provided hostels and school education in country regions with insufficient resources. This emphasis on serving others continues to be promoted in the Sisters’ schools today, as does the provision of educational scholarships.
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ociety of the Sacred Advent Sister Evelyn
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Courageous Hard Work
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Sisters Vera and Dorothy (outside Sisters’ Chapel)
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Courageous Hard Work The Sisters have rolled up their sleeves in difficult circumstances of human need with limited resources. They have modelled perseverance, not only in their daily tasks, but also in their unswerving
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commitment to their lifelong vows of faith and service.
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ociety of the Sacred Advent
Sister Chaseley Anne (Townsville)
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Adaption to New Challenges
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Unknown
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Adaption to New Challenges The Sisters of the Sacred Advent had their genesis in an undeveloped and vulnerable Australian colony amidst a fledgling Anglican Church. They adapted to the needs of a harsh country and to communities struggling to meet the humane demands of a civilised
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society. They did this by assessing the needs, setting up their own community of contemplation and action, and then moving out to respond to the social issues they saw, by rapidly establishing schools, orphanages, hostels,
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refuges, hospitals and welfare programs.
ociety of the Sacred Advent
Sisters Rhoda, Agnes, Evelyn, Irene (Lone Pine)
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Humility
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Sister Joan (St Martin’s Hospital)
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Humility The Sisters do their faithful work without fanfare. Their humility is in line with their Patron, St John the Baptist who, in speaking about Jesus of Nazareth, acknowledged that “one who is more powerful
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than I is coming after me�. (Mark 1:7b)
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ociety of the Sacred Advent
Sister June Ruth
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Our students It is on this foundation St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s are built – a living tradition incarnated every day in the lives of young women and the communities of which they are a part. It is on this foundation that young women from these school communities are being formed as part of a constructive change in our society: today and in a future filled with possibilities. Both schools have helped develop young women who have taken on the Sisters’ philosophy, endeavouring to make a change in our world.
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Sister Alice (Townsville, c1918)
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AMANDA STEIN 1986
Business Woman, Philanthropist
PIP HARVEY ROSS 2010 Charity Worker
2014/15 St Margaret’s Patron After graduating from St Margaret’s in 1986, Amanda Stein travelled and worked in Canada, England, China and Japan. Inspired by the advances in perliculture she saw overseas, Amanda identified a business opportunity and, combined with a love of antique jewellery and collectibles, created PandaPearls Australia, which celebrated 10 years in Brisbane’s Nundah Village in 2015. Amanda has used the same business acumen behind the internationally renowned PandaPearls brand to drive many successful fundraising initiatives. Her regular Sidewalk Sundays and other numerous philanthropic endeavours have raised funds for charities including Women’s Legal Services, The Pyjama Foundation and The Mater Foundation, to name just a few. Originally from Papua New Guinea, Amanda is also passionate about issues effecting rural, regional and remote communities. Locally, she is a dynamic presence within her own community, helping to drive the rejuvenation of Nundah Village. Amanda believes the spirit of charity and empathy instilled in her by the Sisters has empowered her to realise the potential everyday people have to change lives.
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Pip Harvey Ross spent a term on exchange in South Africa with the St Margaret’s Global Exchange Program in 2008, and so began her fascination with Africa. Graduating from St Margaret’s as a Prefect in 2010, she returned to Africa in 2012, and volunteered at a small school in Tanzania. Here she saw the need for a bus to bring the children to school (some walking three hours or more), and for small group homes for orphaned and abandoned children. In 2013, Pip climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and raised enough money for a school bus. At the end of that year she launched her not for profit organisation Many Shades Inc, and raised sufficient funds to purchase land for the first Many Shades community centre and group home, with plans to open the home by 2017. Since 2014, Pip has been working for a similar organisation in Tanzania, managing a group home and gaining the necessary experience to ensure the success of the Many Shades homes. She continues to fundraise, and to work towards obtaining charity status for Many Shades. While in Tanzania, Pip is studying for a Bachelor of Laws, with a focus on Human Rights Law. She also continues to photograph her journey.
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EMMA BETTS 2008 Cancer Awareness Campaigner
LUCY STRICKLAND 1990 Humanitarian Aid Worker
St Aidan’s 2014 Distinguished Young Alumni
St Aidan’s 2015 Caroline Amy Alumni Award Recipient
Emma Betts was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma in 2012 and since then has dedicated her life to raising awareness and funds for melanoma research, as well as raising awareness for the need for regular skin checks. Emma graduated from St Aidan’s in 2008, as a Prefect and the Leader of Global Shields. During her time at school she was awarded the Australian Defence Force Long Tan Award for Leadership and Teamwork for two years running (2007 and 2008).
Lucy Strickland graduated from St Aidan’s in 1990 and is currently a UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Global Education in Emergencies Specialist.
After graduating from St Aidan’s, Emma completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Resolution. While studying she joined the Oaktree Foundation (Australia’s largest youth-run organisation, leading a movement to end poverty) and became the Queensland State Director (20102012), as well as volunteering in Guatemala and East Timor, working with disabled children, before illness brought her home to Brisbane. Emma has created a strong, supportive community through her blog “Dear Melanoma”, which has over 5800 followers on Facebook, and regardless of her terminal diagnosis, she continues to raise awareness and funds for melanoma research and teaches kids of all ages about sun safety.
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Prior to her current role, Lucy has worked for Oxfam in Haiti, USAID Upper Nile State, The Sudan, Oxfam Ethiopia, CARE International Afghanistan, CARE Cambodia and AusAID Vietnam. Lucy’s fluency in six languages has allowed her to assimilate and take control quickly to support and have immediate impact on children’s lives in war-torn or disasteraffected countries. In Afghanistan, Lucy focussed her efforts on fighting female education exclusion; in Ethiopia, she has co-ordinated emergency drought response; in Nepal, after the recent earthquake disaster, she worked with the Nepalese Ministry of Education to establish temporary learning spaces to get children back into schooling. She is currently working in Northern Iraq, where she has designed an educational program for 160,000 displaced children in refugee camps.
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The Society of the
Sacred Advent The Meaning of the Sisters’ Cross
Upright stem and bar across – symbol of the lily, (also on the reverse side), bearing in mind Mary and Easter. The tips of the Cross - letters S O A D stand for “Society of the Advent of the Lord”, (Domini). The outer circle - carries the words “Angels and Archangels”. The smaller circle - the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P) are the initial letters of Christ. Berries at the end of the X possibly represent holly for Christmas, (cf.. the carol, “The holly bears a berry as red as any blood”) Reverse Side of the Cross. The tips of the Cross depict angels. The outer circle carries the words of the angel to the shepherds at the time of the first Advent, “I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” The inner circle - the letters IHS, the abbreviation of the Lain, Jesus Hominum Salvator – Jesus Saviour of Mankind, (Jesus Saviour of the World).
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The Society of the Sacred Advent believes that one of the best gifts that we as a society can give young women for an empowered future that contributes to the common good is an education. This enduring educational vision is as true now as it was in the early 1900s. In 2004, the Sisters established the Trust to ensure this vision would always guide St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s, and their living traditions would forever continue for future generations.
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The Sisters have ensured that the Trust arrangements preserve for the future certain fundamental features, including: • the purpose of the Trust for the advancement of education, including spiritual, moral, social and physical training; • the support of the Society and its charitable work; and • the requirement that the schools must be conducted at all times into the future in accordance with the Philosophy of the Society. The Philosophy of the Society is as follows: To nurture the individual within a caring community so that each will realise his or her full potential to engender Christian values, encourage high academic standards and service to others so that all will have not only one goal, but also the inner strength “to love one another as I have loved you” [St John 13:34]. Within this spirit the aims and objectives of the Society and the Trustee for St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s are: • to put love of God above all else and love of one’s neighbour as our constant theme; • to produce people of fine character and scholarship and to develop each to their fullest potential; • to engender courtesy at all times and respect for all; • to try to inculcate the ability to communicate effectively; • to encourage development of initiative and a sense of responsibility; • to provide guidance and counselling for spiritual and personal problems as well as for careers and other matters; • to have every member of the school community working together and faithfully striving to uphold these aims and objectives; and • to have each student take part in as many aspects of school life as possible, thus making all students better persons and the school a richer place.
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The Trustee is ultimately controlled entirely by the Society of the Sacred Advent. If the Society ceases to exist at a future time, the control of the Trustee will pass to the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. It is important to note that should the control of the Trustee pass to the Diocese, the fundamental features of the Trust arrangement do not change. The Sisters have ensured that the key traditions of St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s will continue into the future. In particular, the arrangements established by the Sisters require that the Trustee’s approval must be sought before: • making any change to the traditional blue uniform; • accepting enrolment applications from male students; and • making any change to the non-selective enrolment policy of the schools. In addition, the Trustee, with the assistance of the joint schools Ethos Committee, provides oversight on the Religious Education Policy to ensure a continuation of a relevant Anglican focus.
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ociety of the Sacred Advent
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The Society of the Sacred Advent believes that one of the best gifts that we as a society can give young women for an empowered future that contributes to the common good is an education. This enduring educational vision is as true now as it was in the early 1900s. St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School 11 Ruthven St, Sherwood, QLD 4075 3373 5999 www.staidans.qld.edu.au CRICOS CODE: 01194K
Schools of the Sisters
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 11 Petrie St, Ascot QLD 4007 3862 0777 www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au CRICOS Code 00511K
of the Society of the Sacred Advent
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Front Cover - Sister Vernon Back Cover - Sister Alice (Townsville]
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