A remarkable discovery brought together two girls whose great-aunts were at St Cath’s over 80 years ago.

In March, School Archivist Mrs Evangeline Galettis OAM (Barris, STC1969) had been contacted by Stephen Bargwanna, who has a long-standing family connection to St Cath’s. Stephen is the grandfather of Finn T (Year 4) and the father of Old Girl Orlaith Bargwanna (STC2004). His mother, Mary Wills (STC1938), and aunt, Nancy Wills (STC1942), also attended the school, and Stephen was especially eager to learn more about their experiences at St Cath’s. 

Drawing on records from our archives, we were delighted to share with him some anecdotes of his mother’s experience as a boarder at the school in the late 1930s. We were also thrilled to be able to locate specific materials related to his aunt Nancy at that time. In a remarkable turn of events, that very same afternoon, Cecilia Richie, mother of Frances L (Year 4), visited the museum to donate a collection of photographs that had belonged to her great-aunt, Pamela St John (STC1942). 

To our astonishment, among the beautifully labelled photographs were several showing Pamela alongside her school friend—none other than Nancy Wills, Stephen’s aunt! The two girls were close friends, with the images perfectly capturing their time at St Cath’s. 

We were amazed by the serendipity of it all, with such a remarkable and unexpected connection unfolding in a single afternoon. And as if that coincidence wasn’t extraordinary enough, we soon discovered that Pamela and Nancy’s great-nieces, Frances and Finn, are not only classmates but also close friends in Year 4. 

We immediately knew what we had to do and brought the two girls together to recreate one of the original photographs of their great-aunts, taken more than 80 years ago. It was a beautiful moment that really emphasised the strength of the connections within our school community.