Timeline of Major Events

Construction of the first St Mary’s Church

The same year, the first St Mary’s Church in Dandenong was built at a cost of £1159 and a Catholic school was started five kilometres away at Eumemmerring. St Mary’s Parish was established in 1883 by Archbishop James Alipius Goold.

Sisters Patrick Considine and Angela Bourke, two of the three original Presentation Sisters to arrive in Dandenong on 12 February 1912. Sister Patrick became the first head teacher of St Mary’s School. Sister Angela taught the junior grades and gave violin lessons.

Parish priest Father John Gleeson wrote to Mother Ita Cagney of the Presentation Convent in Windsor, asking her to send some nuns to Dandenong to open a new convent and start a Catholic school. He purchased two adjoining properties on Langhorne and McCrae streets to erect the school and convent.

The original school building, built in 1912, was a weatherboard building consisting of two large classrooms separated by a folding corridor, a raised stage and two small rooms.

On 12 February 1912, Sisters Patrick Considine, Fidelis Burgess and Angela Bourke arrived in Dandenong from Windsor to establish a convent at 71 Langhorne Street. St Mary’s Catholic School was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Thomas Carr of Melbourne on Sunday 3 March. The school opened with 75 students and the first school concert, attended by 250 people, was held in June 1912. By the end of the first year, 100 pupils, including both Catholics and non-Catholics, were enrolled.

St Mary’s students enjoying the outdoors.

Early student Sarah Carroll recalled that the first school sports meeting was held in October 1914: ‘the track to be traversed was from the pine tree… to the fence down towards Power Street end of the grounds’. Sport and physical exercise were important aspects of the education provided by the Presentation Sisters from the very beginning. Len Keating remembered Sister Patrick following an instruction book on physical exercises published by the Defence Department and she ‘even gave demonstrations of knees bending with arms stretching.’

The old convent at 71 Langhorne Street was vacated and rented to tenants in 1924 in favour of the new convent at 69 Langhorne Street, pictured here. Facilities remained quite basic. Running water was introduced at both the school and the convent in 1935.

In 1924 a new convent was built next door to the original convent, at 69 Langhorne Street.

This commemorative grotto was constructed at the Presentation Convent in 1937 to mark 25 years since the arrival of the first three Sisters in 1912. It was built by former student Ted Green with stone supplied by another past student, Bernie Leigh.

To commemorate the silver jubilee of the Presentation Sisters in Dandenong in 1937, a grotto was constructed at the convent.

Students pictured the day after the school concert in the early 1950s. The first annual concert was held in December 1912. School concerts were important events for the community and quickly became a highlight in the annual calendar of parish events.

After the end of World War II, Dandenong underwent a period of major development. The rural character that had defined the area since the establishment of the first pastoral run in 1837 gave way to a new era, as the post-war industrial boom, coupled with migration from Europe, resulted in enormous growth in the region. Migrant children began attending the local schools, including St Mary’s. By 1955 attendance had risen to 484 and numbers peaked in 1957 at 738. More classrooms were added to accommodate the growing number of enrolments.

Dandenong underwent a period of rapid growth and development in the 1950s as paddocks and stockyards were converted to shops, houses and industrial sites. Large factories were established on the flat land south-east of Dandenong by companies such as Heinz, General Motors Holden and International Harvester, pictured here.
Airspy Collection, State Library of Victoria, H2008.41/43

Rapid industrial growth and accompanying rising population in Dandenong prompted parish priest Father Michael O’Sullivan to make provision for the expansion of Catholic education in the area. In 1953 he purchased a 4 ½ acre site in the heart of Dandenong for £11,000. Located opposite the original St Mary’s School, the site was bounded on three sides by McCrae, New and Power streets. The attractive property contained the burnt-out brick shell of ‘Roseneath’, Dr Francis Langley’s historic home, which had been built at the turn of the century but was unfortunately destroyed by fire.

Opening of third St Mary’s Church

On 15 March 1959 the new St Mary’s Church was opened and blessed by Archbishop DJ Simonds in the presence of over 2000 people. Architect Robert O Ellis had been instructed to design a new church on contemporary lines to seat 900, complete with a choir balcony.

St Angela’s Girls School students in 1971. The secondary school developed in the 1960s to cater for girls who wished to continue their education without moving away from St Mary’s parish. It was later renamed St Angela’s in honour of Sister Angela Bourke, the last surviving member of the first Presentation Sisters in Dandenong.

With increasing numbers of St Mary’s girls leaving to attend the newly established Killester College at Springvale to continue their secondary education, principal Sister Imelda Lynch was encouraged to conduct classes up to Grade 8. The secondary section of St Mary’s soon adopted the name of St Mary’s Girls Secondary School. The senior school curriculum gradually expanded and the first matriculation class graduated in 1968. In 1970, the secondary school was renamed St Angela’s in honour of Sister Angela Bourke, the last surviving member of the first Presentation Sisters in Dandenong.

St Mary’s school buildings in 1974 after the construction of an eight classroom junior block and tuckshop in 1970.

The school buildings underwent extensive refurbishment in 1974 after teacher Faye Chandley fell through the floorboards of an upstairs classroom and broke her ankle. The principal at the time, Sister Ann Halpin, recalled that the building still contained reminders of its previous inhabitants – the students of St John’s College – with relics including ‘old pen nibs dangling from the ceiling’.

Grade 3 students in 1979 with Sister Helen Carboon (far left). Sister Helen started at St Mary’s that year as Grade 3 teacher and Religious Education Co-ordinator.

Peter Slate, the first lay principal of St Mary’s Primary School, was appointed in 1979. However, this did not mean that the Presentation Sisters’ involvement with the school was at an end. Sister Helen Carboon also started at St Mary’s in 1979 as a Grade 3 teacher and Religious Education Co-ordinator. She was the only Presentation Sister on the staff, although Sister Macnise Dowling, who had taught at the school for many years, still maintained a presence at the school and helped with remedial classes.

St Mary’s staff in 1983. Principal Faye Chandley is standing in the front row, second from right. Sister Macnise Dowling is in the front row, third from right, and Sister Helen Carboon is standing directly behind her.
Presentation Sisters of Victoria Archives

Faye Chandley joined St Mary’s Primary School as a teacher in 1972. After taking up opportunities elsewhere in 1977, she returned to take on the role of principal at St Mary’s in 1983. Having grown up in Dandenong herself, Faye brought to the position a wealth of varied experience and a deep understanding of the needs of the children of Dandenong. Over the next ten years Faye Chandley led the school through years of great change – both in the increasingly multicultural nature of the students and in modern, innovative curriculum.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Presentation Sisters community in Dandenong, 1987. St Mary’s School also celebrated its 75th anniversary that year and a special Mass of Thanksgiving was held at St Mary’s Church.
Presentation Sisters of Victoria Archives.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Presentation Sisters in Dandenong and of St Mary’s School, a Mass of Thanksgiving was held at St Mary’s Church on 29 November 1987, attended by local parishioners and members of the Presentation Sisters community. Prayer services and celebrations within the classrooms were also held as the school and parish community joined together to acknowledge the enduring philosophy of the Sisters to nurture and support the children and families of the school.

The writer’s workshop held in 1987 was the beginning of an annual program that involved themed activities for the whole school and encouraged participation from parents and the wider community. The event was sponsored by local businesses and Koala Bill from the Community Credit Union made a guest appearance in the afternoon for a giant balloon lift-off. The program was a huge success, with one visitor commenting ‘Congratulations on creating such a wonderful learning experience for all’.

St Mary’s Primary School staff in 1992.
Courtesy Faye Chandley

For Australia’s first national Hospice and Palliative Care Week in April 1992, a primary schools pilot program was organised by a committee made up of teachers from local schools and staff from Dandenong Palliative Care Service. Teachers from 41 schools in Dandenong, Springvale and Berwick attended an in-service event focused on assisting teachers to better understand and feel comfortable with concepts of death, dying and grieving, and schools were encouraged to develop programs for children which encompass these important life issues. Several recent deaths in the local community at the time spurred on this pioneering program.

St Mary’s students on a school camp. During his time as principal in the 1990s Tom Lindeman introduced a Prep to Grade 6 camping program.
Courtesy Faye Chandley

Tom Lindeman recalls that one of his first impressions of St Mary’s when he arrived to take on the role of principal was the strong links that the school had with the local community. In St Mary’s parish, Tom discovered a core group of people who had been ‘born and bred’ in Dandenong and could be relied upon to provide support to the school when needed, from volunteering on a committee to helping at working bees and school events.

St Mary’s Primary School staff in 2004 with principal Rosemary Tesoriero back row far right.
Courtesy Rosemary Tesoriero.

Rosemary Tesoriero joined the St Mary’s staff in 1989 and worked as a classroom teacher for several years, later taking on the deputy principal role. Father Guelen invited her to return as principal in 2000. Rosemary recalls that her vision for the school was to truly make a difference and ‘really try and provide the very best for the children so that they had the best chance possible later on in life’.

Sudanese students taking part in Seasons for Growth, an educational program for children who have experienced significant change or loss, early 2000s.
Courtesy Rosemary Tesoriero

One of the most significant changes at St Mary’s during the past decade has been the influx of Sudanese refugee families into the Dandenong area. This had a huge impact on the school, with one in six students by 2006 coming from a Sudanese background. During this busy and challenging time, the St Mary’s parish community pulled together to provide support to the newly arrived families. At Christmas time, teachers put together gift packages that were delivered to families to make them feel welcome and an important part of the community.

In August 2009 the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, visited St Mary’s to launch a major government stimulus funding plan. She is pictured here with Principal, Greg White, Father Anthony Guelen and Deputy Principal, Di Taranto.

Current principal Greg White started at St Mary’s Primary School in 2007. He has made literacy a focus of the school curriculum and has also developed the sports program, enhancing students’ physical well-being through participation in inter-school sports. Through such initiatives, St Mary’s staff continue to focus on the broader development of students, enhancing learning through art, music and sports programs that enrich students’ general well-being and encourage them to develop a broad range of skills.

Celebration of 125 years of St Mary’s Parish.

2008 was a significant year in the history of St Mary’s school and parish for several reasons. A booklet was published to celebrate the 125 years since the creation of St Mary’s parish in Dandenong, and Archbishop Denis Hart attended a special mass at the church. It was also the year that Pope Benedict XVI visited Sydney for World Youth Day. Dandenong was chosen as a central point for celebrations of World Youth Day, with the Cross and Icon coming to the district for a day, as part of its twelve month journey around the country.

Students create the number 50 for Father Anthony Guelen's anniversary.

Also in 2008, Father Anthony Guelen celebrated his 80th birthday together with the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. A celebration was held at St Mary’s Church in July, with parish choirs and Samoan and Sudanese song and dance performances bringing ‘real life and joy to the Mass’. St Mary’s school children held a special concert for Father Guelen and presented him with a school photo of the students and staff standing in the school yard in the shape of the number 50. Father Guelen retired the following year as the longest serving priest in the 125 year history of the parish. He was replaced by Father Declan O’Brien.

Today, St Mary’s is attended by students from many diverse cultural backgrounds, with 40 different nationalities represented in the 2011 enrolment. Pictured are Students at the Mass held on 12 February 2012 to launch the centenary year of St Mary’s Primary School.

In 2012 St Mary’s Primary School proudly commemorates its 100th anniversary. The year-long celebrations commenced on Sunday 12 February with a Mass, followed by cutting of the celebration cake in the school auditorium. Current and past staff, pupils and parents joined with Presentation Sisters and parish priests to launch the centenary year, 100 years to the day since the school opened its doors.