Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Enriching spirits ~ Educating Minds
Celebration Plaque
Cranny Family
Bill and Alice Cranny were great supporters of Catholic education and they ensured that their children, Lesley, Michael, Maureen, Phillip, Vincent and Anne, had the opportunity to attend Catholic schools.
Mick and his sister Lesley remember walking from Cooee Bay to St Joseph’s School each day. On the way home they would often cross Ross Creek, holding their ports and clothes over their heads so they wouldn’t get wet from the incoming tide. By the time Phillip attended school, he enjoyed the luxury of the school bus, a flatbed ute with bench seats installed on either side, surrounded by chicken wire.
The Crannys remember the great devotion to Our Lady and the nightly rosary spent kneeling in prayer. At school everything stopped at noon for the Angelus. The family provided a fertile ground for the sharing of the Catholic faith and the mission of the Catholic school.
After Mass on Sundays, many of the local families would gather to socialise, share their stories and support each other in any way needed. This spirit of support extended to the school community to which they belonged.
About the Era
World War 2 had ended and the 1950’s was a time of immigration to Australia with people escaping war-torn countries and capitalising on new government immigration schemes. The population in Central Queensland grew and Yeppoon was thriving.
At this time many of the primary school classes were still being held under the old St Ursula’s convent building, known as St Joseph’s, with its irregular dirt floor and low wooden walls. Other primary school students were educated by the Sisters in the junior section of St Ursula’s College.
With increasing population, both St Joseph’s and St Ursula’s needed additional space. A new Catholic primary school was planned on an adjacent block of land near to the Sacred Heart Church in John Street.
The Catholic community spirit, driven by the common mission of passing on the faith, saw fundraising and planning for the new school a major focus. The hard work and dedication of so many families made the progression of Catholic education possible.
Pineapple Industry
Memories
SHIRLEY HODGE (NEE JOHNSON)
(Written by Barb Tamassy)
Shirley Hodge (nee Johnson), from the Longreach district, attended St Ursula’s College from 1947 to 1950 as a boarder.
Although I had been boarding in Longreach for two years, I was still a little apprehensive, but much luckier than others as home sickness did not affect me. I was a ‘Bush Kid’ and still a bit ‘rough around the edges’ compared to a few of my fellow boarders, however, I settled down and concentrated on my studies. Mother Superior in 1947 was Mother Evangelist and for the next three years Mother Angela.
The big event of 1949 was the cyclone which hit the local district causing much damage and destruction; I cannot recall which month. Wind and rain built up through the day and roared on into the night. We awoke to a calm morning but found the dormitory verandah covered by water which had been blown in under and around the windows during the night. The flooring was of narrow hardwood planks which did not leak. I don’t know how we cleared it up but I guess we had a lot of fun doing it! Unfortunately the nuns were not so lucky- their building had lost part of the roof over the sleeping quarters. Those of us who could searched the nearby streets to retrieve as much roofing iron as we could. I remember Father Brown telling us about a phone call from Bishop Tynan asking how the original building had fared and was almost speechless when told the only damage to any Parish building was the ‘New Convent’.”
THE BAGLOW GIRLS
CECILY PICKETT AND JOAN SCHICK
(Written by Barb Tamassy)
Cecily and Joan, and sister Patricia were all pupils at St. Ursula’s College; Cecily from 1948 to 1958 and Joan from 1945 to 1955.
“We lived close to the school in John Lane so it was very convenient for us, sometimes too convenient, as we spent half our time at school. Sr. Denise expected us to help at the church three nights a week. School was our community, everyone knew everyone and the nuns knew everything! Our social life and school life were based around the school and church located in John Street. There was a strong community spirit within the parish.”
Boarding in those days was at the back of the school with music classrooms at the front. There was also a tennis court at the front of the College. Classes were small when Joan was at the College; only 10 girls, of whom eight were boarders and two day girls were in her class, many of whom still live in Yeppoon. The nuns were strict, but then they had to be as all the classes from prep to Grade 7 were in one room with four teachers with a dirt floor. The boys in particular were quite hard to control. Joan was once sent home for crying when she had been admonished for day-dreaming, but told her mother she had been sent home for talking. Students were given specific instructions for holding their pens correctly and sitting up properly. The 3R’s were the focus of their education with some time given to drawing, however, this was not a structured lesson. There was no library at the College, right through their secondary education, so seeking information was extremely hard, of course there were no computers or internet in those days. )! Joan recalls wearing a navy pinafore in primary school, but both girls wore the brown tunic, or dress during their days at the College. Many community activities were embraced by the school; Anzac Day, making paper roses for floats. Sports, marching and the garden parties were memorable events. Every week there were fundraising functions and activities until planned giving was introduced.
Yeppoon History
Bishops of Rockhampton Diocese
1946 – 1960 Andrew Tynan
Priests of Sacred Heart Parish Yeppoon
1946 – 1948 Fr Frank Arthurs
1947 – 1955 Fr Royston Brown
1949 – 1950 Fr Michael Lanigan
1950 – 1952 Fr Kevin Treacy
1952 - 1956 Fr Ray Benjamin RIP 2016
1956 – 1957 Fr Frank Arthurs