Patsy Norton 

 (by Barb Tamassy)

​Patsy Norton  was both a student and teacher at St Ursula’s College, Yeppoon.  Currently Dr Patsy Norton holds the position of Master Teacher at Craigslea State High School, Brisbane, responsible for improving teacher learning and teacher capacity. Prior to taking up this position she was Academic Writing Coordinator and teacher of English at the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries, an IB school within the Department of Education and Training, Qld.  She has more than 40 years of teaching and administrative experience from her work in Anglican, Catholic and public schools.     

“My education with the Presentation Order started with a form of kindergarten at St. Ursula’s in 1954. I have a memory of a small group of children on the verandah outside the refectory and kitchen area in the original building.  This could have been a very limited experience, perhaps something started to introduce children to the school before starting Year 1.

I commenced year 1 in 1955. My sister was still at the school, as she was five years older than me. Both brothers (Robert and Ron) had completed primary school at St. Ursula’s before going to St. Brendan’s. On the first day of Year 1, I absconded, not a hard thing to do, as home was just down the road at the end of William Street.   My mother convinced me to return. My memory of that was that she belted me with the electric jug cord over the two blocks from home to school, but I think that probably I received a few good slaps and she took me back to school.

At some point (about Year 5, perhaps) the whole of the primary school moved under the original building where desks, blackboards, etc  were positioned on the dirt. I can remember that the ground sloped uphill, and so it was not a comfortable situation. This shift was apparently necessary, before   the movement of the primary school to what was called the Sacred Heart Primary School site near the church, on the corner opposite the college.  As far as I was concerned, this was still St. Ursula’s, although there may have been some political changes re the division of schools.

 I spent the next years of primary schooling there, completing Scholarship with Sister Philomene. That year, 1962, was the last time Scholarship exams were held. Sister Philomene was a great sportswoman, and set up my skills in basketball (later termed netball).  I say this because those skills later enabled me not only to be a competent player for the school, but also to play A grade Basketball (termed then American Basketball) with Lang Park Club in Brisbane, and to be selected  in regional teams.  I used her training techniques as a coach years later, both at St. Ursula’s and in state schools.

From 1962, Saturday morning school was quite the norm, this time being devoted to doing past papers in preparation for the Scholarship exam, or Music theory papers. The practice continued through Junior and Senior years. 

From 1962, Saturday morning school was quite the norm, this time being devoted to doing past papers in preparation for the Scholarship exam, or Music theory papers. The practice continued through Junior and Senior years.