From hand to hand, the bears slowly travelled down the rows, as a steady yet excited clap echoed through the Assembly. Nervous anticipation hung in the air, with each girl secretly hoping to be chosen for this historic moment. When would the music stop, and would it stop on me?
A game of pass the parcel with 1,120 students might not be the first thing that comes to mind when celebrating 170 years, but it was exactly right, as it perfectly captured the joyful and playful spirit of our school. “Even though the bear didn’t even get passed to me, I still had so much fun. It was the best,” Mariska D (Year 10) shared.
She also loved that the game brought our history to life. Each time the music stopped, the girls holding the bears came to the front to unwrap a layer, revealing a photograph from our past. With every reveal, another piece of our 170-year story was shared.
“For 170 years, our school has been a place of education and opportunity, where generations of girls have discovered their strengths, formed lifelong friendships and grown into confident women who make a difference in the world,” Head Girl Chiara R (Year 12) said. She added that she is “so excited to be part of celebrating such a milestone in our school’s history.”
Our girls were also joined by three generations of St Cath’s women, Sarah Gittoes (Coombs, STC1972), Jessica Hardy (Gittoes, STC2003) and Olive H (Year 3), who spoke about the enduring impact of the School and what it means to belong to such a strong community. “It was so wonderful to be included in the assembly today as I have such a strong sense of belonging here,” Jessica reflected. “Since leaving school, I have drawn on some really key experiences I had while at St Cath’s. These special moments really do shape who you are and the person you become.”
For 170 years, our school has been a place of education and opportunity, where generations of girls have discovered their strengths, formed lifelong friendships and grown into confident women who make a difference in the world.
Chiara R (Year 12)
Her mother, Sarah, also shared her handwritten birthday wishes for the school: “Wishing you years ahead with both learning and laughter. Keep shining, stay curious, and continue to inspire everyone around you. Always support your fellow students in whatever their endeavours. My husband says to our grandchildren in the days before school: ‘Look at who is talking to you. Listen to what they have to say. Learn as much as you possibly can. Laugh – Laughter is the world’s best medicine. Be happy.’ Wishing you a happy 170th birthday.”
The celebrations continued with cake and presents still to come. As Chiara and Penelope T (Kindergarten) joined Ms Magill to blow out the candles, the entire school sang Happy Birthday before enjoying cupcakes together. Each girl received a commemorative badge and tote bag featuring a special 170 design. As Ms Magill explained to the girls, the phrase on the design, “all the treasures,” is a familiar one, drawn from our School motto: “In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” “We chose it as the theme of our birthday year because that is our hope for all of you: all the treasures,” she said.
The girls also took part in another historic moment: an all-school photo on the lawn. Arranged in the shape of ‘170’, they were captured from above by a drone. Staff later formed a border around the numbers, confetti was released, and an impromptu dance party broke out. The all-school photo has long been a part of our milestone celebrations, and was first taken in 1906 to celebrate our 50th birthday, albeit with a much smaller group of students.
As the School grew, so did the scale of the photographs. At this year’s Generational Families Afternoon Tea, Sneha Balakrishnan (STC2001) shared that she had been part of the 140th anniversary whole-school photo, where students were arranged on a towering metal frame to capture the image. “There was no drone back then, so we took the photo on this massive stand,” she said, “Obviously, my daughter Ishana’s (Year 7) experience today is a little different, but it is really special that she is here for a big milestone celebration like I was. I had such happy times here, and it’s really nice to be able to give my daughter that experience now.”
Impressively, she was not the only guest at this year’s Generational Afternoon Tea who had attended a previous milestone celebration. Anna Durbin (Confos, STC1989) recalled being at the school when the 1978 time capsule was created. “I also remember that for the fête that year, my mum collected all these big biscuit tins. She must have had a hundred of them. She painted them all maroon and then carefully painted the crest on each one in gold. She was an amazing artist. I can still picture them lined up around the house, and me trudging past saying, ‘God, Mum, what are you doing?’” she laughed.
Buildings will come and go, but the spirit of this school will remain and be passed on.
David Adkins (STC1988)
While Anna won’t be volunteering to paint biscuit tins at this year’s Magnolia Fair, she is thrilled that her family will once again be part of a milestone celebration at St Cath’s, with her daughter Mariska now in Year 10. “It’s just so exciting,” she said. “There’s one word that always comes to mind when I think about this school: joy. There’s so much fun here, and I’m so glad my daughter gets to be part of that.”
Anna also shared her hopes for the next 170 years of the school, adding that “I feel like I’m looking into the future when I stand here and see all the possibilities for our girls. So much has changed and developed since my time at the school, and I can only see that continuing.”
But while the school will no doubt continue to evolve, some things will always endure, as David Adkins (STC1988) aptly reflected: “Buildings will come and go, but the spirit of this school will remain and be passed on.”
