The St Margaret’s Story – 125 years strong Ros Curtis Principal
For 125 years there has been consistency in the St Margaret’s narrative. From its foundation to the present day, St Margaret’s has always been a school where both academic achievement and a wholistic education have been encouraged. At times in its history, its continued existence was uncertain, but the school prevailed thanks to the dedication and strength of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent (SSA). St Margaret’s flourished as a result of the vision, courage and commitment of two women. The order and school were established by Sister Caroline Amy who came to Australia to further the mission to care for people and educate young women and girls. It was Sister Emma who, as mother of the order, oversaw the development of the SSA’s ministry in schools and a commitment to rural and regional areas. St Margaret’s was one of 10 schools created by the Sisters, two of which remain under the banner of the SSA Trust. In 1895, St Margaret’s began with an enrolment of three students – Effie Morris, Agnes McDonnell and a girl from Morven. We, unfortunately, do not know her name as there was no register of enrolment at the time. St Margaret’s began in Nundah, relocated to Toorak Hill and eventually moved to its current location in 1910. St Margaret’s early growth and development occurred while Australia was in its infancy as a nation; the backdrop of the second Boer War, Federation in 1901, Conscription, World War I, and the Flu Epidemic play out in its first 25 years. There was no electricity, no telephone, and, for some of that time (until 1914 at least), no uniform.
There are other aspects to the narrative too, some not so positive. Mother Emma’s diary reveals a story of limited resources through growth, indicating that the Sisters had to beg in order to do their work, including running St Margaret’s. There were two Church of England girls’ schools operating at the turn of the 20th century – Eton High School for girls that was to become St Margaret’s and the Church of England Collegiate School for Girls. The latter closed early; St Margaret’s remained viable but only because the Sisters were, of course, unpaid. These early times were precarious. The Sisters also began a school in an era of ambivalence to girls’ education. In fact, The Church Chronicle in 1900, in reference to the debate about the importance of religious education in schools, wrote: ‘We are inclined to think that the Church must always undertake secondary education – at least of boys.’ There is no doubt the prevailing view of the time was that secondary education of boys was accorded a greater priority than for girls. The Sisters did not let limited resources and the focus on boys deter them from their mission.
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Back then, life was very different. Information gleaned from early census data tells us those formative years occurred during a time when many children were illiterate, and the colony had a larger male population (although that changed after World War I). Since those early days, there has been a 480 times increase in university students, an eight times increase in independent and catholic schools, and Brisbane has increased its population by about 17 times.
The St Margaret’s narrative is supported by stories of individual achievement and endeavour by the Sisters, staff and students. Despite varied student experiences there is a common theme; I will call it the St Margaret’s spirit, and what interests me is how the St Margaret’s spirit has endured for 125 years, while everything and everyone in the school has changed and continues to change. After researching the archives and talking to past and current students, there is little doubt that community features largely in the success of the school. High expectations of behaviour and academic scholarship are common references, as are friendship, respect, hard work and responsibility. In fact, the six core values – courage, passion, spirit, faith, integrity and respect – reflect well the consistency in the story over 125 years. They were not recorded until 2002; nevertheless, they feature in practice for the entire St Margaret’s story.
