All Hallows' School

All Hallows' School (AHS) is a Catholic day school for girls, located in Fortitude Valley, close to the central business district of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

This article is about All Hallows' School in Australia. For the buildings, see All Hallows' School Buildings. For the school in England, see Allhallows College. For the college in Ireland, see All Hallows College.

All Hallows' School
Address
547 Ann Street

Brisbane
,
Queensland
,
4000

Australia
Coordinates27°27′38″S 153°2′1″E
Information
TypePrivate, single-sex, day school
MottoFrench: Dieu et Devoir
(God and Duty)
DenominationRoman Catholic, Sisters of Mercy
Established1861 (1861)
PrincipalCatherine O'Kane
Employees~93 (full-time)[1]
Enrolment~1,550[1] (2016)
Colour(s)Light blue, white, rust
     
Websitewww.ahs.qld.edu.au

Founded in 1861, the school is a day school, having had a boarding school attached to it for many years. It follows in the tradition of the Irish Sisters of Mercy, and caters for over 1,550 girls from Years five to 12.[1] The school was the first permanent home of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland, and is the oldest surviving secondary school in Brisbane.[2]

All Hallows' is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[3] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australia,[4] the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association,[5] and the Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls' Sports Association.[6]

The school's motto is in French, Dieu et Devoir (English: "God and Duty"). This motto was formulated in 1911, 50 years after the school opened. The French language was chosen for the motto on the basis of the strong French influence in the school's early years.[7]

Many of the All Hallows' School Buildings have been listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.[2]

In the 2017 NAPLAN Year 9 test, All Hallows' was ranked in the top 10 Queensland secondary schools.[8]

History

19th century
Bishop James Quinn, c. 1860

The story of the foundation of All Hallows' School must be set against the rudimentary "pioneer" education system and bitter sectarian disputes in Queensland education during the 1850s and early 1860s. According to Johnston,[9] until 1860 "secondary education tended to receive a fairly low priority in state thinking – which was not surprising since the provision of a primary level was so difficult, too difficult to manage". He continues: "There were no state initiatives to provide its own system until 1912. Secondary education, seen as a perquisite of middle-class life, suitable for the children of business and professional men and established pastoralists, was allowed to be offered by private and church bodies."[9]

Queensland historian Ross Fitzgerald points out that until well into the twentieth century "the majority of (Queensland Catholics) ... belonged to lower socio-economic groups".[10]

First Catholic secondary school in Queensland
Mother Vincent Whitty, founder of All Hallows' School

Contrary to the development of most schools, All Hallows' School, as the first Catholic secondary school in Queensland,[11] sought to serve those less fortunate in colonial society while operating under the same legislative framework as the more affluent grammar schools. Serving poorer, often Irish, Roman Catholic, immigrant women in the area of Fortitude Valley, the school did not raise the required subscription for government aid and, in a time of bitter sectarianism within Queensland, the school maintained fierce independence in curriculum from what was seen by many within the Catholic community as attempts by a hostile secular government at interference.

Relocation to Duncan's Hill
All Hallows' Main Building at Duncan Hill, c. 1889

In 1863, with pupils and sisters growing in numbers, it was soon realised that a suitable place for a convent must be found. It was envisaged that a small House of Mercy would be established on the site of what would become All Hallows' School. 1 November 1863 saw the transfer of the party from a small structure adjacent to what is now Saint Stephen's Cathedral to 'Adderton House' overlooking the Brisbane River from high upon Duncan's Hill.

The Bishop has lately purchased the finest house and situation in Brisbane for a convent. The purchase money is 6,000 – where it is to come from I know not – but I trust God will send it. As soon as we get into it, we are to commence a House of Mercy ... The constant influx of Emigrants renders a House of Mercy desirable but it will not be a big one.[12]

Mother Vincent Whitty marvelled at the position of the new house in a way that many visitors to the school have done since 1863. Writing to Ireland with news of the move to Duncan's Hill she stated:

I wish I could give you an idea of the beauty of the situation of this house. The view of the river from the Balcony is lovely and in the distance the thick bush, is here and there cleared away, with the town at one side of the River, it certainly is very beautiful.[13]

Adderton House

Adderton House was constructed in 1858 by John Petrie for George Fullerton (Mahoney, 1985 p. 6).

St Ann's Industrial School
All Hallows' School 1861–1863 location within the building in the foreground of St Stephen's Cathedral, c. 1910
A 1914 image of St Ann's Industrial School (part of All Hallows' School). Road level of Ann Street, Brisbane, has been lowered on numerous occasions since 1861 and this has affected the proportions of the current gate.

St Ann's Industrial School was opened on 15 July 1894 by the Governor of Queensland Henry Wylie Norman. Its purpose was to provide a home and education to neglected or delinquent girls. It was designed by architect F. D. G. Stanley. In the 1940s it was partially converted to a boarding house for young women working in the Brisbane central business district or studying at the University of Queensland. In 1964 it was remodelled as classrooms for the All Hallows' School.[2]

House system

All Hallows' has a mixed age house structure. Every student and staff member belongs to one of the eight houses which are named after people or places within the history of the school. Each house is given a color.[14]

  • Adderton – green, named after Adderton House, the first building on the school grounds.
  • Coolock – blue, named after the house in Ireland where Catherine McAuley lived.
  • Gorry – gold, named after Queensland born Mercy Sister Jane Gorry.
  • Loretto – pink, named after long serving school principal Sister M. Loretto Flynn. Principal: 1916, 1933–1959.
  • McAuley – silver, named after the founder of the Mercy Sisters, Catherine McAuley.
  • Mercedes – orange, pronounced /mɛərˈseɪdɛs/ mair-SAY-dess as per the Spanish word for 'Mercy'.
  • Tighe – purple, named after the first enrolled student at AHS, Annie Tighe.
  • Whitty – red, named after the first principal of AHS, Mother Vincent Whitty.

Notable alumnae

Former students of All Hallows' are known as "Old Girls"; they may elect to join the Past Pupils' Association.[15]

Historic images
  • Sister Jane Gorry, first Queensland-born Mercy sister
  • Mother Catherine McAuley – founder of Mercy Order
  • A class, with their Mercy Sister teachers, at All Hallows' in 1890
  • An image from Main Street, Kangaroo Point looking north across the Brisbane River to All Hallows' School. The architect for the main building was Andrea Stombuco.
  • This photograph taken in 1915 of the staff of the Austral Carriage Company shows the facade of what is now beneath the Claver Theatre and Consilo Aquatic Complex. This facade is heritage listed and provides part of the All Hallows' School Boundary Street fence line.

See also

References
  1. "Annual Report 2016: Data from the 2016 school year" (PDF). All Hallows' School. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  2. "All Hallows Convent and School (entry 600200)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. "AHISA Schools: Queensland". Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. April 2007. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  4. "Member Schools". Alliance of Girls' Schools Australia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  5. "All Hallows' School, Brisbane". Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  6. "Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls' Sports Association History". Fox Sports. 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  7. "Symbols at All Hallows". All Hallows. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  8. Stigwood, Emmaline (3 August 2017). "NAPLAN results 2017 Qld: Private colleges dominate high schools". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  9. Johnston (1982), p. 104
  10. Fitzgerald (1984), p. 12
  11. "The All Hallows' Story". Allhallows.qld.edu.au. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  12. M. Vincent Whitty on 18 August 1863 in Mercy Women Making History, 2001, pp. 61–62
  13. M. Vincent Whitty on 19 October 1863 in Mercy Women Making History, 2001, pp. 71–72
  14. "AHS House System". Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  15. "Past Pupil's Association". All Hallows' School. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  16. Sheridan, Susan. (2011). Nine Lives: Postwar Women Writers Making Their Mark. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 9780702247415.
  17. Perkin, Corrie. (28 February 2009). "Member at the seat of the fire". The Australian. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  18. "Member Biography". Legislative Assembly of Queensland. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  19. "Twins rasied(sic) on a menu of faith" Archived 9 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine by Selina Venier, The Catholic Leader, 12 December 2010
  20. "Chris Beck talks to Ellen Fanning", The Age, Green Guide, 9 November 2006.
  21. Mahlouzarides, Molly; Miller, Danielle (22 December 2011). "Diane Fingleton". University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  22. "Teresa Gambaro". Liberal Party of Australia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  23. Griffith University (November 2017). "Griffith medicine grad named Queensland's 2018 Rhodes Scholar". Griffith News. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  24. O'Kane, Catherine (August 2018). "Message from the Principal". All Hallows' School Newsletter.
  25. McKay, Belinda (2004) "'A lovely land ... by shadows dark untainted'?: whiteness and early Queensland women's writing" in Moreton-Robinson, Aileen (ed) Whitening Race: Essays in Social And Cultural Criticism. Aboriginal Studies Press. ISBN 9780855754655. p154.
  26. "Houston has the rowing world at her feet". (5 November 2002). The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, Australia. p35.
  27. Melissa Field (8 October 2009). Miranda's Kerr-Ching! factor Archived 9 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. The Daily Telegraph. Accessed 4 April 2012.
  28. Crouchley, Betty (1986). "Mayne, Mary Emelia (1858–1940)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 30 August 2011 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  29. Fraser, Andrew (27 February 2007). "Hard start unites McKew and Rudd". The Australian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
  30. The Catholic Leader (March 2011). "Women honoured on international day". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  31. The University of Queensland (15 October 2002). "UQ Student Wins Rhodes Scholarship". UQ News. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  32. de Silva, Margaret. (2011). "Person of the Year 2011 – Candidate #6: Sarina Russo", bmag. Retrieved 16 January 2013. Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  33. Moran, Jonathan (19 September 2013). "Unknown brother-and-sister Aussie musos Conrad and Grace Sewell on a path to fame and fortune". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  34. Robson, Frank. (7 August 1999). "Cyclone Tracey". The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. p27.
  35. "Swimming Archived 9 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine", All Hallows School. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  36. "Sport". All Hallows' School. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

Sources
  • Fitzgerald, R. (1984) A History of Queensland: 1915 to the Early 1980s, Brisbane: UQP.
  • Johnston, W. Ross (1982) The Call of the Land: A History of Queensland to the Present Day, Brisbane: Jacaranda.
  • Mahoney, J-M (1985) Dieu et Devoir: The Story of All Hallows' School Brisbane, 1861–1981. Brisbane: Boolarong Publications
  • Mercy Women Making History: From the Pen of Mother Vincent Whitty (2001) Brisbane: Corporation of the Trustees of the Order of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland.
  • State Library of Queensland, Picture Queensland: All Hallows' School
  • Women Making History: A Heritage Exhibition Celebrating the First 40 Years of the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland 1861–1901 (2000), Brisbane: Sisters of Mercy – Brisbane Congregation.
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