General News
24 April, 2026
St. Augustine’s School
I moved from Daylesford to Maryborough in 1962. My first association with St. Augustine’s School was in 1966 when my son Gavin was enrolled in preps, the teacher being Miss Gloria Rossi. I immediately joined the Mothers’ Club.
The Mothers’ Club played tennis on Tuesdays on the old hard courts opposite St. Augustine’s Church, long before Highview Christian Community College took over the whole block — Mary Crameri, Paddy Harper, Thelma Brady, Margaret Petersen, Ada Egan, Elaine Dellavedova, Win O’Halloran and Norma Handley.
Mothers’ Clubs in the sixties were an important part of the community.
Elaine Dellavedova was president at the time and one of the local tennis family. Being new to Maryborough I now became involved with a great group of women.
On cold winter mornings, one of our “duties” as good mums was to meet in the ancient kitchen of the old church hall (which has since been demolished) light a fire under the copper, pour the bottles of free milk into the copper, heat it, then transfer it back to the bottles for our pampered little darlings at morning recess.
We had endless fundraising and social activities, being stay at home mums and homemakers.
Our annual Christmas break-up became an important part of our social year, over which I must draw a veil.
Mary Crameri was a natural stand up comedian and frequently entertained and surprised us with her genius for comedy.
On another Christmas breakup we organized an outrageous debutante set, compered by our school principal, who did an amazing Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) impersonation — in public at the local Cambrian Hotel.
One of our social triumphs was acquiring THE Toni Lamond — Helen Reddy’s sister, to compere the ladies’ inter church annual concert, when we Catholic ladies had our turn at being hosts.
The other ladies’ prim church groups, thought we were being a bit pushy bringing in an “outsider.”
Another of our other activities was catering for “the trots” at the Carisbrook Trotting Track, for all its meetings. We were the sole providers of food.
The kitchen was a tin shed. Our hot water system was an old copper over a fire (used in our home laundries not that long before.)
The dining room for patrons was part of this shed. The unsightly, uncomfortable built-in tables, had ugly benches for seating. Even illustrious visitors/guests had to use this archaic facility.
All our food was home made/home cooked — meat, vegies, cakes, sandwiches, with Ada Egan’s specialty — the making of a bucket of custard, to accompany our home-made sweets.
We’d prepare for days beforehand, then on the day, work hard until late afternoon, when the local hotelier would bring us a couple of trays of ice cold beer. That’s where I learnt to appreciate beer —with the Catholic Mothers’ Club. We were so hot and tired working in that tin shed all day and the beer beautifully cold and refreshing.
In 1970 we had a fun bike ride out to Craigie Park for a barbecue picnic. We had seven bike riders with a couple of us being dinked. Some of the mothers drove cars to take our equipment and food.
When the new parish hall was built, Geraldine O’Connor, Helen Lenten and I made those ghastly orange curtains which survived for many years, before being replaced.
One time I was asked (as a parent) to supervise Grade Six for a whole period. As soon the teacher left the room it was chaos. I could not call them to order no matter what I said. Then Father Flanagan walked in and there was total silence.
At one time teachers from Melbourne came to teach our students all types of dancing from ballroom to disco.
In 1977 I was employed by the parish, as secretary at St. Augustine’s School.
I worked for three school principals, for the following 11 years. I also had the role of teacher’s aide, so I had my office duties as well as being involved in all the classrooms.
Gerry Tobin was principal for three of these years. He was a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, and knew every performance and every part by heart. Consequently we had many fun dress up days. One of the best was when the staff all organised to come to school dressed the same as our impeccable Miss Gloria Rossi — black tailored jackets and skirts — the blokes all in black. Gerry wore a villain’s cape from his Gilbert and Sullivan wardrobe. Father Arundell wore his black soutane. Everyone was in on it except Gloria. Amazingly that day she came to school in a tan blazer, but when she realized what was going on she charged off home to change it to black.
At recess we all skipped and danced around the playground with the whole school joining. The lovely hilarious day culminated by a visit from a local doctor and his nurses, for injections. They joined in the fun thinking we were quite mad.
Gloria has a great sense of humour and would think up pranks and get me to carry them out.
One time she drove me to a local furniture store and got me to go in and ask if I could borrow their cardboard life-size publicity figure of Edna Everage. Gloria draped a nun’s veil over Edna’s head and Father Kevin Arundel escorted Edna to our staff morning tea, to celebrate one of our teacher nuns’ special day.
Over the years I had great experiences, attending school camps, walkathons, picnics and excursions. I loved being involved with the students and made lasting friends with the parents and staff.
One memorable winter walk, was when I accompanied teacher Trish Sporn (later Crameri) and her Grade Sixes, to Bristol Hill in 1981, when Maryborough was covered in snow. I had recently experienced a similar snowy winter in Scotland.
Another dress up day, was when the principal was away for the day for a meeting at the Catholic Education Office. We all came to school dressed like her. I went to the local op shops and purchased some “frocks” to go with cardigans and flat sensible shoes. Some of the staff borrowed from their mothers’ wardrobes. One of the Grade six girls said to the teacher on yard duty, “All the teachers look like their mothers today.’”
Mrs Cait Upton is our present day Mrs Chips at St. Augustine’s school.
I remember the day she arrived at St. Augustine’s as Cathy Mann, just a year out of teachers’ college, struggling in at the “front door” of the school.
My so-called office was a table and chair, about six inches from the door, almost hitting my back when opened. As Cathy started to walk down the corridor a guy approached and she asked in surprise, “What are you doing here?” At practically the same moment he said, “What are you doing here?” It was my son Gavin Menz, they knew each other well from their mutual clubbing in Ballarat.
Over time the regime changed and after 11 years as secretary at St. Augustine’s school I had worn out my welcome, I was demoted, but fortunate enough to be employed at the Christian Community College across the road, as lab assistant.
For a few weeks I had two jobs at once — lab assistant in the mornings and secretary/teacher aide in the afternoons. I had 19 happy years at C.C.C.
In my retirement years I was President of Maryborough U3A and organised three of us grey and wrinklies to teach knitting to Cait Upton’s Grade Fives and Sixes.
I wanted my contemporaries to experience a school situation. The kids loved it, especially the boys. Over the years my two children, grandchildren and great grandson have been pupils at St. Aug’s.