The Church and the old school building served as a primary school from the ’30s through to the ’70s and many locals passed through.

This weekend I noticed a family with a camera at my back gate. When asked if I could help them, they asked if the building was still a Convent or owned by the Church. It turned out that the woman had been through primary school and taught by the nuns.  She had brought her family to the area from Sydney for the day to show them her old home area.

She had been to primary school in the ’60s and had some lovely stories to tell including:

• when she missed the bus in Winter. Her Dad had a 30 – 40 minute drive from their country property to pick her up. In the meantime, she was one of the privileged few to be allowed inside the Convent, where the nuns took her to the kitchen for hot buttered toast. She reminded me of the harsh life the nuns led in those days with no stipend/salary and only basic needs being met.
• I showed her the newly restored Grotto and she recounted how in Kindy she had been bullied and one of the ‘big girls’ took her into the Grotto to comfort and talk to her.

Her family took lots of photos of her around the Convent, including trying to replicate where her first Communion photo was taken.

It served as a timely reminder of the role the Convent has played on so many people’s lives.