MARY’S MOUNT HISTORICAL WALK
Station B – The Original School Gates & Sister Mary’s Room
Up until 1986 Mary’s Mount School was accessed through double wrought iron gates on a circular, one-way driveway from Davies Crescent. There was an entrance gate and an exit gate and this was where the Jacarandas lined the drive and roses and camellias filled the garden within…
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Up until 1986 Mary’s Mount School was accessed through double wrought iron gates on a circular, one-way driveway from Davies Crescent. There was an entrance gate and an exit gate and this was where the Jacarandas lined the drive and roses and camellias filled the garden within. The 1926 two-storey building stood proud facing Davies Crescent but was a good 75 metres off the road. By the 1940’s the Federation style verandahs had been built in with louvres and timber to make extra bedrooms and then in 1971 when it became a three Parish school four classes occupied the large upstairs rooms and the louvred verandahs became Activity rooms, storage rooms, reading book rooms and Sister Mary’s room for Support teaching.
The four front gates were wrought iron with large tall brick pillars each side of them. A brass/steel plaque on the Entry pillar stated ‘Mary’s Mount Boys’ College’ and was removed in 1986 when the four new classrooms were built in the area encircled by the circular driveway. We found that plaque and two wrought iron gates in the shed at the time of the 75th Anniversary.
Today two of the wrought iron gates are set into the entrance to the school as a decoration and the beautiful brass plaque is kept with the Archives.
In the late 1970’s Sister Mary and her support class shifted into a small brick building that had been used to store reading books and sports gear. It matched the 1952 Noel Rd building and is situated just to the east of it near the car park. The little single room building became Sister Mary’s room and was used for literacy and numeracy support classes even after she left. However, it was always described as Sister Mary’s room. Mary’s Mount has a history of at least 40 years of offering literacy support particularly since Sister Mary came to the school. Support teachers and students have enjoyed lessons in the library, in the chapel, even in the Nature playground, in Sister Mary’s room, in the computer hub and in the literacy and science storeroom where they are at present. I used the little building for Support classes from 1983-1986.
Sister Mary’s room is now used part time by an Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist for the Early Childhood students.
Just nearby are the tennis/netball/basket ball courts that were initially constructed in the 1960’s and have been upgraded many times from a rough bitumen base then to the softfall base of the 21st century. During heavy rains little waterfalls tumble down the limestone walls and send streams across the quadrangle to fall into the valley below. Generations of children have raced leaf and stick boats at lunchtime and watched them make their way down the hill.
The story goes that in the 60’s one of the boys commentated the race and took bets as to which boat would make it to the end first.
Later on in life he became a horseracing commentator!
