ST BRIGID’S Catholic School past pupil Judith Holznagels recalls the involvement her family has had with the school during the past century.
Judith is the daughter of Joseph Bennett who was enrolled as a pupil on the opening of the school on January 30, 1922.
Joseph, who was one of 14 children, told his daughter that his memory in the early days was of when the Sister Inspector came to visit St Brigid’s to ensure everything was in order after the opening.
“My father shared with me that the Sister Inspector took one look at the children and told the sisters at St Brigid’s that God was with them as they would certainly need his help,” she said.
“In the 1930s, my mother Kathleen McVay boarded at the Convent as a teacher, as she had been trained as a pupil teacher at the Gympie Convent, and later came to Rosewood.
“The Sisters introduced mum to dad at a church mass and they were married in 1940.
“I was the eldest of five children and we all attended St Brigid’s.”
Judith was enrolled at the school in 1946.
“[It was] the family tradition and stayed in the family for many years as my two sons Mark and Patrick Meehan and the children of some of my cousins also attended St Brigid’s.”
The small Mass building at the front entrance of the school today was their school.
“It was situated about where the present classrooms are today,” Judith continued.
“Father Bill O’Shea was a long-time occupant and I was the first girl to be, confirmed.
“It was fenced with palings underneath to keep the sheep and cows out and underfoot were cinders.
“This is where we also ate our lunches before heading out to play on the very large oval which is now mostly occupied by the Mercy Centre.”
Judith also recalls the isolation room, which was used as a dressing room for the school’s concerts, but for most of the time, the most disruptive pupils in the senior class spent time there.
“Sister Mary Magdalene kept the cane in a cupboard and it was brought out at what was called the Offenders Parade,” she said.
“The names of the students who had been caught doing something naughty would be called out in front of the whole school, and one after the other they would be disciplined.
“Sometimes some of the boys would sneak in and stick chewing gum into the cupboard lock and when sister tried to open it to get the cane out, she couldn’t.
“I tell my family that the Mercy Sisters were equal opportunity people long before the feminists came along as the girls got the cane the same as the boys, and usually for the same offences.”
And she also recalled the grounds back then.
“There was a pepperina tree halfway along the path to the Convent and the wisdom that was passed down to the younger students was that, if you rubbed the leaves on your hands, when you got the cane, it would not hurt.
“This was a big lie as many of us found out.
“Father Treacy used to keep about a dozen sheep and three cows in the school grounds, to keep the grass down to a safe level and to supply milk to the Convent and Presbytery and often the students would have the job of cleaning their droppings off the footpaths.”
Some of Judith’s fellow students were Matt Dale, Greg Hogan, Frank Akes, Fr Bill O’Shea, Pat Lenihan and Betty Sugden – these friendships have lasted for many years.
“Pat Lenihan reminded me of sports days, when the St Brigid’s team competed against the various state schools at the local showgrounds,” she said.
“As the Sisters were not allowed to appear in public, my parents and others used to coach the teams and Mrs Bloxsidge would drive the Sisters down to the Brook’s property over the fence from the grounds so that they could watch us compete.
“I also recall participating in the March Past to a very scratchy record of ‘Sound Off’.
“Our sports uniform was white and I recall my mother lining us up before the March, going along with a spray bottle of snow-white bleach, dabbing the stains off our clothes.
“When my sons were there, the school insisted on changing the uniform to green shorts and T-shirts.”
Judith went on to attend Kelvin Grove College where she completed her teaching diploma. She taught for a few years at Ashwell and Rosewood, TAFE and finished up managing Education programs in a men’s jail.
“Education might be hereditary as my son Patrick is now a university lecturer at the University of Northumbria in England and his daughter is teaching at Peterborough in the United Kingdom,” she said.
“Another member of my family is Retired Admiral James Hinkle of the United States Navy who attended the school for about a year while his mother visited her father in Rosewood. He later returned to the school when his ship was in Brisbane on the return trip from the Vietnam war.
“Some years ago, when I was in England visiting family, the Catholic magazine called The Tablet asked women who had gone to Convent schools between the 1920 and 1980s to send in their memories.
“They received so many that one volume of English only schools was published and a second one, which carried my contribution was the only one featured from Australia.”
