Mother Margaret Mary

Modern students only recognise this name from the building named, not in her honour, but for her patron saint, the ‘Saint Margaret Mary Wing’. However, for students from the 1920s to 1960s, the name held great respect and awe. In our history, A View from the Tower, an early past pupil is quoted as saying: “Mother Margaret Mary WAS Kilbreda!” and that she was for a generation or two of locals. An article on her Golden Jubilee in 1962 calls her “A legend in her own time”. A formidable woman, the anniversary of her death occurred last Sunday 19 May .

I recall my mother telling us that she had died, now 45 years ago. While she was not known to the Kilbreda girls of 1979, stories continued to be told of her famous claps to gain attention and of her guiding students into one profession or other. M. M. M. would say, “Kilbreda students do not go for jobs, they apply for positions”. She was the Principal of Kilbreda from 1927, my grandmother’s final year until 1965, my aunt’s Year 8 and oversaw my mother’s entire 13 year education at Kilbreda. She made so many innovations at Kilbreda, including giving the College that name (she also named Kildara), which are too numerous to mention a post such as this.

A couple of memorable moments from her lengthy career which included teaching here from 1918 to 1923, in addition to her Principalship, include being accompanied by Sr Canisia in 1963 to travel to the Italian Consulate, where she was awarded a special medal to recognise her pioneering work in the teaching of Italian. On another occasion, when the Kilbreda team was successful in the ‘Parliament of Youth’ public speaking competition, she appeared on TV on Channel 7 to accept the award.

In 2001, to mark the Centenary of Federation, a list of 100 or so women who had made significant contributions to Victoria in various fields, were inducted onto that roll. Mother Margaret Mary was nominated by former pupil and past Principal of Kilbreda, Dr Rosemarie Joyce csb, and was one of four from the Kilbreda community to be inducted in that initial list. That number now approaches twenty.

Just last week, I received an email from Ireland from the grandson of Mother Margaret Mary’s brother, Lorcan Bourke, who is coming to Australia in coming months to learn more about his highly esteemed great aunt. Among interesting tidbits I have sent him already, was a series of pages in her own hand, which was to become ‘Kilbreda Hand’ outlining her life’s work, written at the time of her Golden Jubilee. He will also be interested to hear, no doubt, an audio tape of her speaking, recorded by Sr Michelle Nailon.

Damian Smith
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