Monday, April 26, 2021

2021 #AtoZChallenge V is for ...Vinnies

  I've been researching my family history for over thirty years. Along this genealogy journey I have been supported by hundreds of books, many of which I have listed on my Librarything page. 

During the 2021 #AtoZChallenge I will be writing about two of my passions, books and family history. I'll be taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting some of those books that have enriched my genealogy experience.


Students and staff at my Alma Mater, St Vincent's College, called our school Vinnies. It is now a secondary school but, in my day, students could commence in kindergarten and complete their educational journey at this institution. When we were at school we were told that the school was the oldest Catholic Girls' School in Australia and a bit about Mother Mary Aikenhead, the founder of the Sisters of Charity, but we didn't learn much more about its history.

I was delighted when with the members of the Leaving Certificate Class of 1965 I returned to the College for our 50 year reunion. We were all given a gift, St Vincent's College Potts Point 1858-2008 : 150 years of catholic education. It is a cherished gift.

Fifty years after leaving Vinnies and several years after being a staff member at that institution, this beautifully produced coffee table type book by former student, Samantha Frappell, taught me all about the history and characters of the school I loved.

Reading this book gave me a deeper understanding of the place that had such an influence on my personal history. 

5 comments:

Alex Daw said...

There's nothing quite like a school history is there? I treasure both of mine.

GeniAus said...

Those ties are strong Alex - the class of '65 still gathers a couple of times per year.

Molly's Canopy said...

My late mother would have wanted a copy of that book. She taught music at a parochial school in our hometown run by the Sisters of Charity, some of whom became great pals of hers. https://mollyscanopy.com/2021/04/various-other-teen-interests-from-rod-serling-to-rfk/#comments

Cassmob (Pauleen) said...

I treasure my school history too, and when I first got it was amazed to learn of the academic achievements of the woman I’d been writing to in the USA about my early genealogy endeavours...she too was a past pupil of my mother’s era and had been hiding her light under a bushel. Sadly our three generation history has ended with our only granddaughter being in Darwin. My old school is only five years younger than yours and the oldest in Qld.

lindamaycurry said...

How lovely to have such lovely memories of your school. I attended one of my school reunions about 20 years ago but I think they have fallen by the wayside. My memories of school are such that I would rather just keep in touch with particular friends.

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