Reflections on the momentous catholic school strike in Goulburn were uppermost at a recent function.
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Up to 80 people, including former students, gathered at the Goulburn Workers Club on November 29 to mark the 60th anniversary of the strike.
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In July, 1962, some 1400 students at Goulburn's catholic schools flooded the city's state schools. The church and civic leaders endorsed the action after the state government refused to fund a new toilet block at Our Lady of Mercy Preparatory School.
The strike ended after about one week and the school eventually secured its toilet block. The event catapulted debate about state aid for catholic aid on to centre stage.
Chair of the Catholic Education Commission for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Patrick McArdle told guests that the 1962 strike shaped catholic education in Australia in many ways.
"It's a legacy that none of our politicians have forgotten," he said.
"Even today, every time there's some suggestion today that private schools, Catholic schools are over funded, or getting too much community largesse, there is that memory of just how difficult it would be should the schools that operate through parental support, close," he said.
While the strike did not immediately achieve state aid, it became "an aggressive discussion" and today, catholic schools "enjoyed a remarkable level of funding", Dr McArdle told the gathering.
Several ex-students who were marched off to public schools attended the dinner. They were Bob Stephens, Philomena Billington, Margaret Lambert, Lucy Price and Angela Matthews. Sister Bernadette Mary Walsh, a Josephite Sister, was working at the boarding school at the time and also returned for the reunion.
Keynote speaker, Dr Ursula Stephens, said her husband, Bob, spent the strike week at Goulburn West Public School and made lifelong friends.
Dr Stephens, a former Labor senator and teacher, taught in the public sector but her children attended mostly attended catholic schools.
"What struck me even then was the emphasis placed on their spiritual wellbeing - something that wasn't part of my teaching life at all," she said.
"Their little souls were nurtured, in ways that have held them steady throughout the years..."
Dr Stephens reflected on her own childhood in Grafton. Her father, Paddy, and mother, Nellie, had emigrated from Ireland in the 1960s with their seven children. When Grafton flooded soon after their arrival, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society came to their aid with furniture and cleaning help.
Her father repaid them in kind, with 50 years' service to 'Vinnies.'
She recalled the large Saint Patrick's Day masses and after parties in their backyard and children from the local orphanage regularly staying with the family.
"Paddy had an enormous heart - and there was always room at the table for one more," she said.
Dr Stephens fondly recalled the Mercy Sisters who taught her and credited them with encouraging students to be "independent thinkers" who strove to make the world a better place.
"Catholic schools are founded on Gospel values. They are nurturing. They focus on the growth and development of the human person - intellectually, spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically," she said.
"And they provide an educational foundation for life to the full. They offer a sense of inclusiveness for students, parents, and staff as part of a joint effort to give the best education possible. And we are seeing that in our parish schools.
"Government funding also means that Catholic schools are not only accountable to their own communities, but they are to be accountable to government. And that's really important too...
"We are so proud of what Goulburn history has delivered for Catholic education across the country. Our schools are powerful. They are influential. Our graduates are influential in all areas of government, and community, and civic life and legal life. Our work is enduring. Our spirit is strong."
Emcee, Trinity Catholic College principal, Gaye McManus, said families felt renewed confidence in catholic schools in the wake of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Childhood Sexual Abuse.
"Our focus in catholic schools is on learning but keeping our students safe and protected is front and centre so this never happens again," she said.
"We're enjoying a revival in community confidence in catholic education and catholic schools have proved to be more robust than we ever thought. Catholic schooling enrolments are booming in Goulburn."
Mrs McManus said key challenges included encouraging more women into leadership positions in secondary education; balancing Catholic identity and teaching while embracing a wider demographic and continuing to find ways for 21st century students to "know and love Jesus."
Bishop Christopher Prowse, Monsignor John Woods, teachers, Trinity Catholic College students and representatives from the National Catholic Education Commission also attended the dinner.
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