Kilbreda College

Kilbreda College
Location
Mentone, Victoria
Australia
Coordinates 37°59′0″S 145°3′55″E / 37.98333°S 145.06528°E / -37.98333; 145.06528Coordinates: 37°59′0″S 145°3′55″E / 37.98333°S 145.06528°E / -37.98333; 145.06528
Information
Type Independent
Motto Latin: Fortiter et Suaviter
(Strength and Kindliness)
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1904
Principal Teresa Lincoln & Nicole Mangelsdorf
Gender Girls
Enrolment 977
Campus Mentone
Colour(s) Red, grey and green
Website kilbreda.vic.edu.au

Kilbreda College is a Roman Catholic independent girls secondary college located in Mentone, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1904 by the Brigidine Sisters and is governed by Kildare Ministries. In 2004 Kilbreda celebrated its centenary.

Origins of the school building

The original façade of the building was built by the Royal Coffee Palace Company Limited. It was opened in November 1887 and was known as the Mentone Coffee Palace. The Coffee Palace was the social centre of the town, situated on the corners of Mentone Parade, Florence Street and Como Parade. It is also near Mentone station (formerly known as Balcombe Road Station until 1884) and is surrounded by the local shops.

In the 1890s due to competition with Mentone Hotel and the Depression, the Coffee Palace could no longer be run. In 1894 it fell into the hands of the Mercantile Bank of Australia, and the name of the building was changed to Como House.

After this the Coffee Palace was only used occasionally for varying purposes.

The Brigidine Sisters bought the Coffee Palace in mid-July 1904 for £2,050, considering the actual cost of the building and furniture, excluding land, was £25,500.

A Brigidine Convent

On 7 August 1904 the Brigidine Convent School was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Thomas Carr, and classes began the next day.

On opening, the school had 3 pupils enrolled in the Convent School and 25 pupils enrolled in St. Patrick's Parish Primary which was located in the Church. The school also began taking boarders in 1905. Boarders and students of primary school age have been phased out since, the final primary class being in 1978.

In the 1930s the school's name was changed to Kilbreda College, the name coming from the Gaelic Cill – church or community and Breda – Brigid. Therefore, Kilbreda means Church or Community of Saint Brigid.

Principals

Kilbreda-College-Mentone
Kilbreda College Mentone
  • Mother Margaret Mary Murphy (1904–1915)
  • Mother Berchmans Foley (1916–1926)
  • Mother Margaret Mary Bourke (1927–1965)
  • Sister Barbara Mathews (1966–1971)
  • Sister Pius Kennedy (1972–1973)
  • Sister Marietta Rea (1974–1978)
  • Sister Rosemarie Joyce (1979–1980)
  • Sister Catherine Kelly (1984)
  • Sister Mary Dalton (1985–1995)
  • Mrs Carmel Smart (1995)
  • Sister Angela Ryan (1981-1983/1996-1999)
  • Sister Helen Toohey (1999–2006)
  • Ms Mary Stack (2007–2015)
  • Mrs Teresa Lincoln & Ms Nicole Mangelsdorf (2016–)

Kilbreda's core values and symbols

St. Brigid's cross

Most Brigidine schools follow the same core values, motto and school symbols.

The Brigidine Schools' symbols are:

  • Brigid's Cross -The kind of cross St. Brigid used when teaching about the Catholic faith. It is made from woven reeds.
  • The Oak Tree – St. Brigid's monastery in Tullow, is called Kildare. Kildare meaning 'the church of the oak'. Many Brigidine schools grow an oak tree from an acorn taken from one of the oak trees in Tullow.
  • The Lamp of Learning – represents the light of Christian faith
  • School Badge – was designed by the Irish College of Heraldry. The large cross of diamonds is taken from the badge of Bishop Daniel Delany, the Bishop who founded the Brigidine Sisters in 1807. The middle diamond contains an image of the lamp of learning, and the image of St. Brigid's cross is contained in the top section.
Kilbreda College Badge

Notable pupils

Kilbreda's sister schools

Kilbreda College, Mentone is one of ten schools governed by Kildare Ministries. The other nine are:

See also

References

  1. Margaret Underwood, 2004, A View from the Tower Kilbreda 1904–2004, Kilbreda College, Melbourne
  2. Kilbreda College, online, http://www.kilbreda.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 5 February 2007
  3. The Brigidine Sisters, online, http://www.brigidine.org.au. Retrieved 12 February 2007
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