The College recently had an Open Day to showcase the school, including its many buildings and facilities. It also showcased some of the student talent. A search through the College Archives has shown that back in the 1910s, the College used to hold an annual Speech Day, whereby the students performed and were presented with academic prizes.
The annual Speech Day event usually attracted a large gathering including a number of parents from Melbourne whose children attended the school. At the 1913 Speech Day one of the parents, TW Simpson, described it as: “The Sisters saying in effect to the parents; Here are your children; we have done our best for their educational advancement and physical development”.
The Lilydale Express newspaper reported on the 1915 event proclaiming: “a first class programme was gone through, including instrumental and vocal music dancing, and physical culture, all of which were carried out in splendid style, reflecting very great credit on the teachers and scholars alike. The programme was much appreciated by the audience, who were unstinted in their praise”.
At the 1916 Speech Day, the Shire President, Councillor Hughes, said: “the teaching staff was the very best obtainable and the performance of the pupils in examinations, especially in music, was most gratifying”.
Earlier, in 1910, the local paper declared at the end of a similar event: “The Sisters, as well as the pupils, are to be congratulated on the excellence of the different performances, and it must have meant an immense amount of work to turn the performers out in such an efficient manner”.
Well done MLMC on all its achievements — then and now.
Pictured above: the Simpson children in 1916 and the Lilydale Express article from 19 December 1913.
The invitation to Lily Burgi to attend the annual distribution of prizes in 1911.
Students from 'the Convent school'.
