Fanning the Flame - Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College

Fan into a flame the gift that God gave you…
2 Timothy 1:6
Encouragement of the Heart of another is the foundation of true friendship.
When St Paul penned these words it is clear that he desired only the best
for Timothy. Their openness of Heart enabled profound honesty,
unwavering hope and unity of Spirit as they recognized the call and the
presence of their God in their life journey.
It is important for us to take time to rejoice and be grateful for the many
gifts that have been so much a part of the life, the history and tradition of
the OLSH College family. Indeed the flame in the Hearts of the OLSH
Alumnae is alight and brightly burning, reflecting the giftedness of so
many members of our family.
As our Alumnae network continues to grow, there have been more
successful events this year. On 17 July we held the OLSH Girls Big Day
Out at the Races for the Monash Stakes at Caulfield and on 16 September
the 2009 Alumnae celebrated their first year out reunion at Bistro 97 in
Oakleigh. These occasions are great opportunities for us to build our OLSH
family. We extend our gratitude to our Alumnae Secretary, Shane O’Neil,
who has been a dedicated and creative leader in these activities.
One of the significant aspects of the growth of the Alumnae Foundation
has been the inspiration to set up the OLSH Alumnae Foundation
Scholarship. We are currently in the process of applying to the Australia
Taxation Office to establish this as a tax deductible fund and anticipate a
successful response by the end of 2010.
As we reach the close of another year, it is worth reflecting upon the
wisdom of Jules Chevalier msc, the founder of the Daughters of Our
Lady of the Sacred Heart and the man with the vision that led to the
establishment of this great College. His deep sense of the capacity of the
Heart to love was the essence of his vision.
Jules Chevalier knew that God’s Heart loved without limits…
Jules Chevalier brought that love, to his life, to his world
and, through others to our lives and our world!
We must fan into the flame this same gift!
Anne O’Loughlin
College Principal
Newsletter of the Alumnae Association of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Bentleigh
Fanning the Flame
Regnet Christus!
December 2010 Vol.2 No.2
Winners are
grinners!
ISSN 1837-5316
Over 50 people attended the OLSH Girls’
Big Day Out at the Races at Caulfield on
Saturday 17 July.
A great time was had by all, especially Louise
Brock, current teacher, (above left) seen here
flourishing a winning ticket.
Both Louise and Marina Coletti, a 1979
alumna and former teacher, made good use
of the form guide, supplemented by hot tips
from Andrea (Junkaris) Cormick, 1985.
Past students from as far back as the first
Matriculation class of 1951 came along, as
well as some more recent alumnae.
The Girls’ Big Day Out at the Races now looks
set to become a biennial event, so all you fillies
out there, prepare to giddy-up for 2012!

From the
Alumnae
Secretary
This is the second full year of the
OLSH Alumnae Association and
what a busy year it’s been. Next year
promises to be even bigger and busier.
Already there are conversations about
the 50 th anniversary of the graduation
of the class of 1956-1961 which also
coincides with 2011 being the 60 th
anniversary of the first matriculation
year; and those very active girls from
the class of 1961-1966 are planning
a get together to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of their first year at OLSH.
At the other end of the scale, we have
the 10th anniversary for the class of
2001 and of course, the first year out
cocktail party reunion for the youngest
alumnae, the class of 2010.
It seems almost anything is a cause
for celebration, and why not?
On a more serious note, the article on
pages 4-5 honours some of our very
first alumnae from the foundation
class of 1938. We are planning to more
formally acknowledge the role of our
very early alumnae by holding some
sort of function next year – perhaps a
special afternoon tea or a more formal
lunch. It is thought that alumnae who
attended OLSH from 1938-1953 be
invited as in 1953, the school’s enrolled
population reached 100 students for
the first time.
The major difficulty with this idea is
that the school’s records for the very
early students are rather sketchy. We
would need a lot of word of mouth
communication to make sure we
reached everyone who wanted to come
to such an event. If anyone had some
thoughts about this, please contact me
(see page 12).
All the best for a wonderful Christmas
and New Year. And remember, OLSH
aprons make wonderful gifts!
Shane O’Neil
Alumnae Secretary
2
E . D . I . T . O . R . I . A . L
Reflection
Flames
by Sri Chinmoy
What is important
In Infinity?
Smiling flames.
What is important
In Eternity?
Climbing flames.
What is important
In Immortality?
Glowing flames.
Sri Chinmoy (1931 –2007)
was an Indian spiritual teacher
and philosopher. His teachings
emphasise love for God, daily
meditation on the heart, service to
the world, and religious tolerance.
His words are especially apt as we
move towards the end of 2010 and
the start of a new decade.
May you always be able to offer a smile,
reach higher and glow with inner peace
and courage in the every day.
Sr Elizabeth Taylor fdnsc
College Chaplain
Recent Donors
Many thanks to Clare (Keane)
Kennedy, 1955; Margaret (Ilott)
Shaw, 1952; Morea (Stevens) Reid,
1961, Maree (Lewis) Osborne, 1975;
and Louise Brock, current teacher,
for their recent generous donations.
You are fanning for the flame for
future alumnae.
“We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
Vale
Sr Maria
Shanahan fdnsc
Principal
1959-1967
Clare Shanahan was born in Sydney,
14.10.1927. In 1946, after an education
at OLSH College, Kensington, she
entered the Daughters of Our Lady
of the Sacred Heart and became
Sister Maria. She was a woman of
considerable intelligence and completed
a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of
Education at Sydney University. Maria
served as teacher and lecturer at both
secondary and tertiary levels and from
1959-1967 was principal at OLSH
College, Bentleigh. Simplicity and
humility, kindness and thoughtfulness,
great love and appreciation were all
characteristic of Maria. She passed to
eternal life on 12.5.2010.
May the choirs of angels come to greet you.
May they speed you to paradise. May the
Lord enfold you in his mercy. May you
find eternal life.
“Song of Farewell” by Ernest Sands
Vales continued on page 6...

R . E . U . N . I . O . N . S
Memories of the 1960s
This group was celebrating the 50 th anniversary of their
first year at OLSH and also, simultaneously, the 45 th
anniversary of their graduation year. That might seem
strange given there are six years of secondary education,
but do the maths and you’ll see it is so. Here are some of
the recollections from that night of stories and laughter.
Christine Spirason
Fifty years on – who can believe it! Watching Helen and
Marie telling stories and shrieking with laughter was how
I remember them from 50 years ago. The essence of each
one of us still seemed the same. It was a happy night. It
is a special thing to have friendships from school days –
thanks to everyone for the shared moments at the dinner,
particularly close friends Kath, Patricia and Helen who
have all been involved in organising our reunions.
Christine is one of five Spirason girls, four of whom attended
OLSH: Lee, 1963; Frances, 1966; and Marian, 1974.
Christine is the manager for Interchange’s northern region.
Anne (Vaudrey) Felmingham
Being Sports Captain from 1964-66, sport played a big
part in my time at OLSH. Two vivid memories spring to
mind. Firstly, that sports uniform – those awful, heavy,
yellow-pleated sailors’ suits with the big floppy collars and
blue ties – you could hardly move, let alone play sport in
them! Secondly, the only inter-school sport OLSH played
was netball. Our team entered in A-grade and won its first
championship in 1964, the year the sports uniform took
on a completely new look – a ‘not-so-heavy’, mid-brown
cotton dress and gold blouse – freedom to move!! The
celebratory bash, back at the College, included a huge cake
sponge cake baked by the Convent cook, Sr Carmello. The
cake was iced and decorated with a netball court complete
with goalposts and players on top!
Anne is the eldest of the three Vaudrey sisters who attended OLSH
College. Cathy, 1968, now the College canteen manager, came
next and then Margaret, 1970. Anne’s career was in nursing.
Thirteen women from the class of 1960-1965 gathered
for a night of memories at Red Pepper restaurant in
Bentleigh on Friday 15 May.
Back Row (L- R) Suzanne Cummins, Maree Laragy, Marilyn Phillips, Kathleen Fogarty, Anne Vaudrey, Christine Spirason,
Margaret Keady, Mary Stewart Front Row (L- R) Margaret Yates, Helen Hyrons, Patricia McCormack, Kathleen Barry, Marie Burke.
Maggie (Yates) McGregor
When I go back to my time at OLSH I think fondly of
several teachers. There was Sr Delores, a tall, gentle and
dignified nun who posed questions, I still remember, about
the writer’s craft. Sr Canice, warm and chuckling, used
to scratch her head against the blackboard and who could
forget the olive and plum twinsets and A-line skirts worn
by our year 8 History teacher, Ann Creed. I loved listening
to Sr Regina reading us Hamlet in Year 11, though not all
of us were interested. Over the road was St Joseph’s Park
where we marched, ran relays and shouted for our house
till we were hoarse. It was there I broke Brenda Bellamy’s
nose playing softball in Year 8. Sorry!
Maggie is the oldest of the four Yates sisters: Bernadette, 1969;
Anne, 1971, and Mary, 1973. She is currently working as an
ESL teacher at Croydon Secondary College.
Mary (Stewart) Grant
Friday night was often the time some of us girls who
lived locally would help to polish the wooden floor in
the hall, which also doubled as the classroom for our
Year 9 (or Proficiency as it was called in those days). A
huge blob of polish on the end of a ruler was flicked onto
the floor and “professionally” applied with a very heavy
electric buffer. There was often much laughter as the poor,
often small, operator was carted off by that old machine
which always seemed to have a mind of its own! While
the polishers did their work, another group of “volunteers”
would be busy applying Vaseline to the legs of stacks of
chairs so that the chrome didn’t rust. Those were the days!
Mary is the oldest of eight Stewart sisters who all attended
OLSH: Mary, 1965; Margaret, 1967; Elizabeth, 1968; Ann,
1975 (died tragically 2004), Madeleine, 1977; Josephine,
1980; Catherine, 1983, and Caroline, 1985. Margaret and
Madeleine were College Captains in their respective final years.
Mary’s five brothers and two foster brothers went to Christian
Brothers College, St Kilda.
3

They were the first – Class of 1938
4
Betty McCloskey
Around the age of seven, when
Australia was deep in the grip
of the Great Depression, Betty
became aware of those around
her suffering hardship. It was
1932 and unemployment had
reached a record high of 29%.
Betty’s father would spend his nights after work delivering
milk and vegies provided by the local council to neighbours
in straitened circumstances. He did it quietly and without
fuss, preferring not to “wear his religion on his sleeve”.
Inspired perhaps by her father’s example, from a very early
age Betty knew that she too wanted to help those less
fortunate. She had a very natural loving relationship with
God whom she regarded as her “Big Brother” and talked
with him on her way home from school. Being shy, she
thought of becoming a member of an enclosed order, a
Carmelite.
But school and learning came first and it was with great
excitement and also trepidation in 1938, that Betty joined
the first class at OLSH College, studying subjects like
Commercial Principles and Practice, Shorthand and
Typing. Betty didn’t enjoy Shorthand at all and so made
sure she and Beryl Cormick always met up with Pat Lacey
at the corner of Centre and Jasper Roads with enough time
before school to crib Pat’s homework.
After school, life proceeded on, a mixture of clerical work
at the Cheltenham Cemetery Trust and pleasure including
attending Children of Mary dances in Bentleigh. However,
Betty’s Big Brother was still patiently waiting for her to
spend more time with him.
While at OLSH, Betty had confided in Mother Juliana
about her dream of entering a convent. One day, Mother
Juliana showed her a photograph of a young girl
resplendent in a huge starched headdress.
F . E . A . T . U . R . E
Beryl Cormick, Betty McCloskey, Patricia Lacey and Dorothy Arnott were the first
four students in the foundation Year 9 Commercial class that launched OLSH College
in 1938.
Soon after completing her two years at OLSH, Patricia became a Daughter of
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart; Betty went on to become a nun with the Daughters
of Charity; Beryl married and had children; but nothing is known of what direction
in life Dorothy took after she left the school.
We acknowledge the pioneering spirit of these very first alumnae and the vision of the
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in setting up a College dedicated to their education.
It was Catherine Labouré, a sister of the Daughters of
Charity, an order of nuns founded by St Vincent de Paul.
Betty took the photo of Catherine home to her parents
and showed it to them saying, “If I ever say I want to enter
this order, tie me to the chair.” And she added by way of
explanation as she stabbed her finger at the flying nun
headgear, “I don’t want to wear that hat.”
But as Betty tells her story, it wasn’t long before she had to
follow her heart and forget about that hat. At age 18, she
entered the order of the Daughters of Charity. She says
she had a “fantastic” working life and was educated by the
people she worked with in and around Collingwood and
Fitzroy.
“That’s where I really grew up,” explained Betty. She was
a parole office and an advocate for those who had little
support and also worked with domestic violence victims.
She says, “The three most important things I learnt from
my time on those streets are affirmation, validation and
connectedness.” And she added, “If you’ve got those three
things, you can go a very long way indeed.”
Betty now lives in Bethany Hostel, an accommodation
centre run by the Daughters of Charity in Eastwood, NSW.
She recently celebrated her 85th birthday in fine form.

Patricia Lacey fdnsc
Born in Bentleigh on 26
May 1924, Patricia was the
fifth of the nine children to
Francis and Anne Lacey. She
completed Year 8 at St Paul’s
and then joined the foundation
class of 1938 at OLSH for one
year of commercial studies.
Patricia must have had a vocation from a very early age
because as soon as she turned 16, in May 1940, she wrote
to the Provincial General of the Daughters of Our Lady of
the Sacred Heart saying she wanted to enter the order.
Her request was granted and she entered as a Postulant
at Bowral on 8 December 1940, being given the religious
name Sr Mary Nicholas.
Soon after, Patricia moved to Kensington where she
successfully passed the Intermediate and Leaving
certificates and completed her teaching qualifications.
F . E . A . T . U . R . E
Beryl Joan Cormick
Beryl was the second daughter
of Charlie and Emma (née
Ward) Cormick. Charlie and
his brother William ran the
Cormick Brothers’ Bakery in
East Bentleigh. William made
the dough and Charlie was
the night baker.
The Cormick family lived in Tucker Road and Beryl
attended St Peter’s school in East Bentleigh. After Year
6, Beryl transferred to St Paul’s for Year 7 and 8. In 1938,
she commenced her Secretarial Studies course in Year 9 in
the very first class at OLSH College. Classes were held on
the verandah of St Paul’s while building works were being
completed at the present College site over the road.
Beryl describes fellow classmate, Betty McCloskey, as “the
quiet one” and herself as “forward”. She recalls, “I wasn’t
cheeky or bold.
I just had my say.” She remembers not enjoying piano
lessons first thing in the morning with Sr Tarcisius, but has
fond memories of Sr Juliana. “She was very firm but also
very good to us,” Beryl said.
Like Betty, Beryl also went into clerical work, and during
the war, was employed by the Department of Labour and
National Service at Capitol House in the city. Not long
after the war’s finish, she met the handsome Edward
Mackie, newly returned from RAAF service in England,
at a Saturday dance night at Prahran Town Hall. They
married and had two children, Maree and Stephen.
In another pioneering move, Beryl was the first past pupil
to have her baby daughter consecrated to Our Lady in the
Convent Chapel.
At age 85, Beryl still lives in her own home in Dingley
Village which she maintains beautifully herself, as well as
managing her own vegie garden. “I have someone mow
the lawns though,“ she said with a smile.
For 41 years, Patricia worked as a teacher in Victoria,
Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and
Tasmania.
In 1951, the same year her old school, OLSH College,
Bentleigh, had its first Matriculation class, she became a
foundation staff member of a new OLSH College, this
time at Enfield in South Australia.
Patricia was a gifted teacher of English, Book-keeping,
Shorthand and Typing and although she was a firm
teacher, the girls respected her very much. Many
ex-students enquired about her over the years and often
said they owed their success at all levels of office work to
her careful, expert training.
Only days before her death, Pat was still sharing her dry
wit and sense of humour, together with that twinkle in her
blue eyes, with those around her. She passed to eternal life
on 18 August 2006.
Nina Cull
The Girl Who Wanted to Type
•
In the next issue of Flame, we will have a
special feature on Nina Cull (1924-2010),
another of our first alumnae.
5

6
Babies
Mary Dawes,
1988
On 30 January
2009, Mary
married Paul
Brockhoff
(ex-Salesian
College)
at St Joseph’s Catholic Church,
Port Melbourne. They spent their
honeymoon at tranquil Johanna
Beach, on Victoria’s south west coast.
Harold Joseph Brockhoff was born
on 17 November 2009 and baptised
on Easter Sunday 2010. Next Easter
he will have a new brother or sister.
Mary has enjoyed primary teaching
for 11 years, spending the last six
prior to Harold’s birth at Sacred
Heart in Kew.
Vale
A . L . U . M . N . A . E N . E . W . S
Weddings
Doahn Duong, 1990
Stephanie Yeung, known as Doahn Duong, born
24.02.1972, older sister to Leanne, 1991, sadly passed
away in 2009 after a four-year battle with bowel cancer.
She was married to Michael Ha and had no children.
Former classmates remember her as a loyal, caring and
considerate friend. Stephanie is deeply missed but we
know she is now at peace with God.
Rose Mary Lorenz, 1955
Born 16.10.1937, Rose Mary attended OLSH from
1950-1954. She then trained and worked as a teacher
across three states for the next 30 years, including time
in the 1970s as Principal of St Catherine’s, Moorabbin.
For most of Rose Mary’s working life, she served as a
Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart sister.
Rose Mary was a woman of strong faith and great
courage. Her trust in God and the surety of hope
of eternal life in heaven brought her great peace and
serenity. She passed away on 26.12.2009.
Andrea Lane, 1984
Andrea Skender (née Lane), born 21.01.1967, older
sister of Jenny Riddle (1988), sadly passed away in
2000 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. She
was married and an amazing mother to a beautiful
daughter Lauren, now 13. Andrea was also a talented
cartographer with the Department of Survey and
Mapping. She is deeply missed by all.
Danni Tran,
1999
On 2 May
2010, Danni
Tran married
Jason Tan,
at Auburn
Uniting
Church, Hawthorn, with the bridal
party including Tracey Killeen,
1999, as the maid of honour. Jason
(Overnewton Anglican College
graduate) and Danni are both
qualified in accountancy and Danni
has also completed her CPA. The
pair went to Europe for their
honeymoon, followed by a second
wedding in Malaysia for Jason’s
relatives in October, and a second
honeymoon in Bali.
Penny Spruce,
1965
After leaving
OLSH in 1964,
Penny did a
hairdressing
apprenticeship
and went on
to work in this field for 30 years with
breaks to have three children. Twenty
years ago, she decided it was time for
a change and applied for a position
as a Community Care Aide with the
Royal District Nursing Service. This
work involves caring for the frail
elderly, the disabled and the dying, in
their own homes. She was based in
Moorabbin for this time, which she
describes as “like coming home”, but
since her recent marriage to George
Caulfield on 27 March 2010, she has
transferred to Frankston RDNS.
Jacinta Romari, 2002
On 1 April 2010, a
requiem mass was held
for Jacinta Romari
(18.2.1983 – 26.3.2010).
She was a much-loved
special needs student
with Jouberts Syndrome
who attended OLSH
from 1997-1999. One
of her favourite sayings
was a quote from
Forrest Gump: “My momma always said, ‘Life was
like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re
gonna get.’ “ Jacinta’s mother, Meg O’Brien, 1971, and
aunts, Monica, 1974, and Carmel, 1976, also attended
OLSH. Meg says that Jacinta “changed our whole way
of thinking and helped us grow and learn so much. She
taught us how to live, laugh and love in a way we would
never have imagined.”
• • •
The priests of the St Columban Mission Society have offered
a memorial mass for the repose of the souls of each of these
members of our OLSH Alumnae.
We entrust them and their families into the gentle care
of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

F . L . A . M . E G . I . R . L . S
We Believe! We Achieve!
Erin Renwick, 2001
Music is a big part of Erin’s life
so we were proud to have her
return as a guest adjudicator for
the recent OLSH Performing
Arts Spectacular. Erin has a
Bachelor of Music from Melba
Conservatorium and a Diploma
of Education from Australian Catholic University.She
has sung jingles for commercials and performed at
national conferences for Hotondo Homes. Erin loves
singing with choirs and has been a part of Young Voices
of Melbourne, the ACU Choir, The Royal Melbourne
Philharmonic Choir and Exaudi Youth Choir. Erin is
now teaching music and religious education at St Mary
of the Angels in Nathalia and will marry her sweetheart,
David Shaw, in April next year.
Sally Giannopoulos, 1992
After OLSH, Sally attended
Monash University completing
a double Bachelor’s degree in
Business Systems and Commerce
in 1997. She works in the
wholesale energy sector, focusing
on securing and managing longterm
energy supply agreements for power stations.
Presently, Sally is a Trading Originator for International
Power where her focus is more on getting the business
ready to trade carbon in local and overseas markets;
as well as originating structured energy agreements.
Since starting work, she has obtained her Master of
Management and married David Calder with whom she
has two beautiful little girls, Olivia Grace and Arabella
Mary. Sally’s favourite colour is purple.
Naliza Chhit, 2003
When she enrolled at Monash
University’s Peninsula campus to
become an Ambulance Paramedic,
Naliza didn’t know she’d also
be climbing the Himalayas in a
bid to raise $1 million dollars to
find a cure for cancer. Inspired by
fellow Emergency Health student Amanda Ghirardello,
diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in October 2008
and now in remission after surgery and chemotherapy,
Naliza will be part of The Remission Possible Team
trekking into Everest Base Camp next March before
ascending to the summit of Island Peak, 6189m above
sea level. If you want to help sponsor Naliza or find out
more about this project, contact her on nalizachhit@
yahoo.com.au or 0401 000 720. Web page:
www.remissionpossible.com.au.
Naliza (above) on the right, with fellow climbers.
Margarette Payens, 1965
After painting and drawing all
her life, Margarette decided to
study for a Fine Art Diploma and
graduated in 1982 with Honours.
Since then, she has won many
awards for excellence in art and
her work is represented throughout
Australia and internationally. Margarette has run
a successful Art School in her local community of
Sylvania Waters for 20 years and often travels interstate
for demonstrating and teaching in other communities.
Her other passion is photography.
Sheena Saunders, 2007
Following her graduation, College Captain Sheena
commenced a degree in Nutrition and Food Science
at Deakin University. Over the past year, she has
been working part-time as an Electorate Officer for
various members of the Victorian Parliament, including
Luke Donnellan, Member for Narre Warren North
and the Hon. Robert Smith, MLC, President of the
Legislative Council and Upper House member for the
South Eastern Metropolitan Region. As part of her job,
Sheena assists members of the public with issues such
as immigration, housing, and social security. Whilst
her employment in the public service has proven to be
challenging, she says it has also been rewarding as “the
results of your efforts can have far reaching results on
people from all walks of life”. Sheena is considering an
honours year in Nutrition in 2011.
Carice Williams, 1998
Since she left OLSH, Carice has travelled overseas
to Europe, America and Asia and completed a double
degree (Science/Education) at Deakin University. She
is currently Head of Junior School at Fountain Gate
Secondary College. In April 2007, Carice married
Wayne D’Rozario. Her three bridesmaids were all OLSH
girls: her best friends, Nathalie Delpirou and AnnaLynn
Yu, and her cousin, Sheena Saunders. In 2004, Carice
had a brief teaching contract at OLSH which she loved.
She says, “it was amazing to see how much the school
had progressed” but also how some things had stayed the
same. In between the craziness of teaching, Carice loves
travelling and spending time with her friends and family.
Not only cousins
but good mates
too: Carice (left)
and Sheena
(right) having a
great time at the
Ragga Muffin
music festival in
January 2010.
7

The Kennedy Clan
In 1938, the OLSH Sisters opened the College at
Bentleigh with four students.
One of these first students was Beryl Cormick, a cousin
to the Kennedy family, who had originally hailed from
Tipperary and had first settled in the Bentleigh area 90
years before in 1848.
This first generation of OLSH students were a tight knit
group of sisters or cousins all very loyal to the Sisters.
Some of them were regular Bentleigh names, mostly from
the East Bentleigh area: Kennedy, Cormick, Cochrane
and Brennan. The fathers and mothers were involved in
volunteer work, of which there was plenty. This included
clearing the ground, laying down basketball courts, and
the old favourite, fund raising.
The Annual Fete was the school’s biggest fund raising
event and the East Bentleigh market gardeners,
(Kennedys, Cochranes and Prendergasts) all supplied
goods for sale such as cabbages, cauliflowers potatoes
and carrots, and managed the bustling stalls with the
help of wives and friends.
Nance Scanlon and Jim Kennedy, who married in 1928,
were among these very early OLSH families. They sent
all their six daughters to the College. Eileen, the first,
commenced school in 1945 and was followed by each of
her five sisters Margaret, Nancy, Clare, Rae and Joan in
the years afterwards.
Nance and Jim worked really hard to support and educate
their six energetic daughters. Jim, (or J.J. as he was known,
short for James Joseph), is remembered as being the one
who held the fort, who was there all the time. He was
“loved by everyone”. Nance said often to her daughters,
“I never knew what a home was till I married your father.”
Three of the Kennedy girls went on to become OLSH nuns,
working in Australia and overseas missions, and the other
three sisters all married and had children.
Around 1952 or 1953, Jim Kennedy was instrumental in
acquiring the land the new Convent is built on. This land,
formerly St. Joseph’s Park, served for many years as
a playground for College students.
We are grateful to Sr Margaret and Sr Rae Kennedy for this
memoir of their family’s long connection with OLSH.
Sr Margaret, now resident in the new convent opposite the
College, worked in many OLSH communities throughout
Australia, and spent 10 years in Kiribati. Sr Rae, who has
spent the last 49 years in Papua New Guinea, is also presently
living in the new convent. The statue of St Joseph that
previously stood in the courtyard of the old convent has now
been moved across the road and keeps watch over the Sisters
as they tend the vegetable garden.
8
F . A . M . I . L . Y M . A . T . T . E . R . S
Kennedy is a name well known and woven into
the history of OLSH College, Bentleigh, as well as
throughout OLSH communities elsewhere in
Australia and overseas.
Nance and Jim Kennedy lived with their six daughters at
78 Bignell Road, East Bentleigh, on the sprawling market
garden so lovingly tended by Jim. The property extended
north from beyond Rae Street and south to South Road and
east almost to the boundary of the Yarra Yarra Golf Club.
Rae (left) and Margaret hold a group portrait of the six
Kennedy girls taken more than half a century beforehand.
Clockwise from top left: Margaret, Joan, Eileen, Nancy,
Clare and Rae. The images of Margaret and Eileen were
added afterwards to the portrait because by the time this
photograph of the four younger sisters was taken, the two
older sisters had already left school.

F . A . M . I . L . Y M . A . T . T . E . R . S
Jim and Nance
Kennedy’s d aughters
E ileen born 1931
Commenced school here in 1945 and was followed by each of her five sisters.
Eileen left school in 1947 and later joined the OLSH Congregation, going to
Kiribati and working in various mission stations in teaching and administration.
Eileen was awarded the Kiribati Medal of Honor for her work with the local
people, with whom she is still involved.
Margaret born 1932
Joined the OLSH Congregation in 1952. After leaving school at Yr 11 in
1948, she trained as a secondary school teacher, achieving her BA and Dip Ed.
Margaret taught at OLSH colleges in Corinda, Kensington, Enfield, Kiribati
for 10 years and Alice Springs for another nine years. She was the community
leader at Kensington convent and also at Bentleigh.
Nancy born 1934
Was in the first matriculation class of in 1951 and also College Captain.
She married Geoff Hall, a fellow parishioner of St. Paul’s Bentleigh. Nancy’s
daughters, Anne Marie Hall, 1976, and Catherine Hall, 1979, attended
OLSH and Anne Marie’s daughter, Bridgette Gale, has just graduated from
Year 12 at the College, thus representing three generations at OLSH.
C lare born 1936
Married John Keane, a wheat/sheep farmer from Wycheproof in the Wimmera,
and had nine children. She trained as a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital from
1955-1958 and then studied mid-wivery at St Margaret’s from 1958-1959. Clare
retrained in Horsham after her children had grown up and nursed again at
Charlton and Wycheproof in the 1990s.
R ae born 1938
Entered the OLSH Congregation with cousin, Elaine Cochrane, in 1956.
Five years later, Rae amd Elaine both went to Papua New Guinea where they
worked in various mission stations in teaching and administration. Rae has also
received an OBE award for her work with the local people. In mid 2010, she
returned to Melbourne.
Joan born 1940
Had the distinction of being appointed College Captain in both 1956 and
1957. She married John Clarke, a parishioner of St. Paul’s Bentleigh and lived
in East Bentleigh, Clematis, Rowville and now resides in Glen Iris. Joan
trained as a primary teacher and had six children.
Reunions
in 2011
Early Alumnae
Plans are being made to organise
a gathering for our early
alumnae. For more information,
contact Shane O’Neil, Alumnae
Secretary, on 03 8520 9263 or
alumnae@olsh.vic.edu.au.
Class Of 1956-1961
A get-together will be held early
next year – possibly Sunday
lunch, 3 April. Anyone who was
part of this class for any period of
time is welcome. To register your
interest, please contact either
Celia (Shaw) Weston 03 9531
6441; Kaye (Condon) Phelps
03 9585 2556; Marlene (Carrick)
Cashman 03 9580 1245 or
Barb Bretherton 03 9553 2661.
Class Of 1961-1966
A 50-year reunion of our Year 7
will be held sometime in 2011.
Anyone who was part of this
class for any period of time is
welcome to attend. To register
your interest, please contact
Anne (Vaudrey) Felmingham
on 02 6020 9253 or
0413 549 514 or by email
saintannie@virginbroadband.
com.au
Class Of 1996-2001
Next year, we will be 10. To
celebrate, a reunion is being
planned for mid year. Details
of time and place are yet to be
finalised, but we are looking for
expressions of interest from a
couple of people to help organise
this B-I-G event. Please contact
Jacinta Moore on 0412 377 729
or jacinta.l.moore@gmail.com
or Erin Renwick on 0402 257
539 or e_renwick@hotmail.com
if you’d like to help or have any
great ideas.
9

Mission brown and golden egg yellow are not known as
high fashion colours, and especially not worn together!!
But they were much in evidence at Sammy’s Bar in the
McKinnon Hotel on a cold, rainy afternoon early in June
when collegians from the Class of 1980 gathered for their
30-year reunion.
There were yellow and brown balloons bumping the ceiling,
a “Class of 1980” banner coloured in the same shades and,
yes, a chocolate-brown cake topped with caramel icing
symbolising the gold.
Why all this fascination with brown and yellow? Well, as
those of us who went to OLSH prior to the introduction of
the current blue and green-toned uniform will remember
all too well, these were the colours of the uniforms in the
days you attended ‘SLOSH’!
Two mannequins dressed in the school uniforms of the
late 1970s stood to attention, like the days of assembly; one
in the pleated winter tunic and the other in the summer
uniform, both with their blazers, of course.
10
R . E . U . N . I . O . N . S
The Old Brown and Gold
Class of 1980 – 30 Year Reunion on 6 June 2010
Back Row: Janice (Meehan) Ridout, Jacinta Hayes, Debbie (Di Giorgio) Topp, Jo (Mills) Walton, Christina (Joynson) Matthews,
Leanne (Sauer) Wilson, Suzie (Nath) Hannebery, Louise Stevens Third Row: Vivienne Egan, Shannon Keebaugh, Jennie (Conway)
Antonino, Jacquie Gundish, Amanda Marshall, Nella ( Accetta) Bonanno, Therese (Russo) Bailey, Lindy Eaton, Mirella (Fioretti)
Olsen Second Row: Janine (Harrington) Rose, Bernie Gilmore, Cathy (Byrnes) Wescott, Bernie Siebel, Jenny Richards, Helen Tucker
Front Row: Chris Barca, Tracey Hurlbut, Cathy Convey, Robyn McGaw-Krull, Gwen (Rozario) Finnigan.
Some girls revisited memory lane by having their photos
taken with the mannequins, while others spent long
minutes examining the class photos from Years 7, 9 and 11.
It was obvious many friendships were being rekindled and
stories recalled.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was watching some
of the group do a spirited and impromptu dance routine
to Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits”. They might be
approaching the age of 50 but these girls still know how
to kick up their heels! Roll on the next reunion!
Apologies: Barbara (Tyquin) Grondin, Jennie (Davie) Hof,
Shaye (Goudie) Giles, Cathy (Madden) Meredith, Manuela
Coletti, Louise Hamer, Luisa Bazzani, Maria (McCourt)
Thompson, Janette (Patterson) Marcon, Georgina Kanizaj-
Clark, Pauline Manley, Anne-Marie Lopez.
Deceased: Kathy Hickey, Frances Consoli, Krisi Peltonen.
Organisers: Cathy Convey, Therese Bailey, Tracey Hurlbut,
Gwen Finnigan, Robyn McGaw-Krull.

R . E . U . N . I . O . N . S
All grown up and ready to party
On a cool September spring night, girls from the 2009 Year
12 class converged on Bistro 97 in Oakleigh to catch up on
all the news at their first year out cocktail party reunion.
And cocktails were certainly the flavour of the evening.
There was a choice of a Fruit Tingle or a Bellini, each
loosely based on the OLSH colours of gold and brown
(then) and white, blue and green (now).
No drink was complete unless it had either a bendy straw
topped by a paper fruit, a strawberry with an umbrella or
else was decorated with a plastic palm tree stirrer.
Even glasses of the yummy non-alcoholic fruit punch
received the full treatment and several of the little
umbrellas ended up enhancing hairstyles.
The room was full of white, blue and green helium balloons
and streamers of the same colour hung in swathes from the
walls, courtesy of the interior design skills of 2009 College
Captain, Stephanie Mansour, and LOTE Domain Leader,
Carolyn Graffeo.
A big screen cycled through a presentation of over 300
images put together by Stefi Stratoudakis from the girls’
six years at the College. It remained a constant source of
fascination all night.
Bistro 97 provided a great venue for the gathering with
the manager being a former OLSH student, Lisa Griffin
(1999), whose classmate Michelle Spitzer works there, as
well as Lisa’s sister, Kirsty Griffin (2006). For this night,
Lisa also employed current Year 12 student Allana Burns
and Jessica Nomikos from Year 10 to serve the delicious
finger food; the salmon bites being especially popular.
A guest appearance was made by the 2009 Year 12
Coordinator, Anthea Sholl, with her beautiful baby, Olivia.
Other staff who came along to catch up with the girls
were the Principal, Anne O’Loughlin; Director of Faith
and Mission, Lee Toll; VCAL Coordinator, Maureen
Malone; Pathways Coordinator, Anne Jamieson; Year 11
Coordinator, Cathy Pearce; Religious Education Domain
Leader, Gavin Brown; English Domain Leader, Pauline
Canty; VCE English and History teacher, Philip Cassell,
and Admin officer, Mandy Mannion.
More teachers would have attended but they were busy
negotiating the rigours of the Year 9 camps at Clifford Park
and Fraser National Park.
Roving photographer, Maegan Harper of Year 11, sister
of 2009 alumna Alana Harper, took these happy snaps.
Special thanks to Morea Reid (1961), of SalonQuip who
generously donated some beauty products for door prizes.
11

Row 5 L-R: Christina Lauriola, Hannah Cater, Stracy Lewis, Ella Fomin, Rebecca Patogiannis, Sally Nixon, Katelyn Bennetts,
Jade Kelly, Tasha Esteves, Bridgette Gale, Alice Williams, Stephanie Mackay, Jordan Coutts, Rachel Leihy, Claire Pilch, Anita
Marcou, Jessica Austin, Elise Wilson Row 4 L-R: Crystal Rodrigues Ibel, Charis Ectoros, Christina McIntosh, Sarah Carlin,
Stacey Frangopoulos, Maree Micozzi, Marina Seifen, Nicole Neophitou, Ellie Goulding, Monique Kelly, Danielle Pappas,
Jayde Allamby, Alexandra Tsiavis, Heidi Ducasse, Emma Coutinho, Michelle Fabres, Michela Poletta, Laura Colaianni
Row 3 L-R: Madeline Wilson, Jennifer De La Roche, Allana Burns, Jihan Guirguis, Katie Neumann, Alyssa Lentini, Angela
Iannelli, Vasudha Akula, Sara Modica, Zoe Pocock, Mamta Farbrother, Catherine Attard, Sarah Muschamp, Chloe Thomas,
Claire Posthuma, Jade Liang, Danielle El-Hajj, Emily Crockford, Nicole D’Rozario, Siena Rossi, Row 2 L-R: Crystal Nung,
Paulina Hiep, Olivia Milinski, Cloe Woodward, Stacey Vranas, Nolene D’Souza, Demi Voulgaris, Melissa Traynor, Lauren
McInnes, Natalie Abilmona, Mariah Borgonha, Zoe Bourke, Stephanie Christodoulou, Leah Astone, Chriselle D’Souza, Lisa
Aiello, Fiona Betoulis, Kathryn Cummins, Isabella Medalle Row 1 L-R: Priya Sivayoganathan, Christine Marcello, Laura
Listro, Stephanie Plummer, Shana Wijesekera, Erika D’Souza, Caitlin Janes, Ellen Plier, Janeaya Hooper, Vanessa Son, Senora
Mendonca, Renee Bacongco, Razanne Riman, Emma Nuthall, Janet Kan, Wendy Truong, Joanna Petousis, Vivian Vu.
This year 93 girls completed their
Year 12 studies at OLSH with a
combination of VCE, VCAL and
VET courses.
Wednesday 20 October was the last
day at the College for the class of 2010.
It was jam-packed with events, starting
with an early breakfast at the school,
and then a special farewell assembly
with each Year 12 girl teamed with her
Year 7 “little sister”.
In her final speech as College
Captain, Laura Colaianni, expressed
the feelings of many when she said:
“We will remain connected forever,
witnesses to our mutual past, dreamers
of our individual futures.”
The day ended with a moving
valedictory mass at St Peter’s in
2 . 0 . 1 . 0 Y . E . A . R 1 . 2
We ’ ll see you again soon . . .
East Bentleigh, followed by a
celebratory graduation dinner with
parents and teachers at Merrimu in
Murrumbeena.
As this cohort moves off into the world
of further education and work, we
wish them all the very best as young
“women of Heart”.
In September 2011, these girls will
be invited back for their first year
reunion cocktail party to renew the
connections with their circle of friends.
But for now, we say a fond “goodbye” to
the 2010 Year 12 students and a warm
“hello” to the class of 2010 alumnae.
Know that you will always be part of
the OLSH community, wherever you
go and whatever you do.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
111 Jasper Road, Bentleigh, VIC 3204
Your Say
If you have some news to share, or
just want to get in touch, here’s how:
Mail:
Ms Shane O’Neil
Alumnae Secretary
OLSH College
111 Jasper Road
Bentleigh, VIC 3204
Phone & Fax:
03 8520 9263
03 8520 9299
Email:
alumnae@olsh.vic.edu.au
Website:
http://www.olsh.vic.edu.au
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Tel: 03 8520 9200 Fax: 03 8520 9299 Email: alumnae@olsh.vic.edu.au Web: www.olsh.vic.edu.au