1940s

These photographs were taken in the 1940s.

The recollections of two students at the time:

"Margaret Anne Davies and Sister Ann Walsh spoke about their experiences of school life during World War Two. The boarders were sent to an institution in Maitland, as Mayfield was considered too dangerous for the students to be permitted to board there. The students continued to attend school at Mayfield, and were obliged to carry a ‘dilly-bag’ in case of an air-raid. Dilly-bags contained emergency and first-aid items. San Clemente had built an air-raid shelter below what is now a tennis court. If an air-raid were to occur the students would take their dilly bags and race down to the shelter."

There are more reminiscences of the war years in Alumni's stories as well as in the annual copies of The Dominican below.

	San Clemente, Mayfield 1940 (The Dominican, 1940) "Enthusiasm in the raising of funds for new Parish Church - St. Columban's. ... St Columban's opened on the Feast of our own St. Dominic"
	Students in 1940
	1940 Students at the front of the school
	1940 Bernice Breese - probably in Fairy Dell, which had benches and hedges for the comfort of families visiting boarders.
	1940 Claire Finnegan, June and Jan
	School notes 1941 (The Dominican, 1941) "To the accompaniment of greetings from the Nuns and the barking of faithful Jock, San Clemente Boarders, old and new, arrived back on January 29th."
	School notes 1943 (The Dominican, 1943) "We returned to school this year with a greater sense of security than we had felt at the beginning of 1942, when the danger of Jap bombs scattered many of our schoolmates to safer regions, and kept on tenterhooks the sturdy folk who remained."
	Boarders 1944 Mary Lawrence (now Scott), Glory McCormack (now Bailey). Glory was head of the Boarders in 1950
	1944 Expansion of Activities “The Home Science course begun this year at San Clemente is proving not only useful, but also most popular… Great enthusiasm is shown by the youthful cooks, who, in snow-white uniforms and caps, set about the creation of delicacies in a most businesslike manner… The popularity of this course in the school curriculum suggests that a much larger field of activity will be necessary as soon as war restrictions are raised. It is gratifying to see the enthusiasm of the girls in matters pertaining to Housekeeping, the inborn instinct of the child to become proficient in that most important of all arts – the making and maintaining of a happy home, the dearest asset of true womanhood.” (The Dominican, 1944)
	1945 "The creditable success of last year's Intermediates was most heartening and the newly-formed class of thirteen resolved to keep up the standard..." (The Dominican, 1945) The Intermediate Certificate was gained at the end of the 3rd Year of High School. Left to right : Lorna Byrnes (now Morgan), Pat Eggleston, Fay Daniels (now Leis), Pat Clark
	This was taken in 1945, at the front of the school - the palm in the background is one of a pair that are still flourishing in 2017.
	1945 dance practice one Sunday afternoon Mary Dooley, Colette Todhunter, Claire Donovan, Mary Lawrence, Loretta Barrett
	1946 2nd Year Home Science class with Miss Pauline Cheetham, Lay Teacher Photo taken at the same time as the one below
	1946 - Home Science 1st Year Back row: P Clarke, Thelma Withers, P Bowman, Miss Cheetham, M. Parkinson, L Queenan, P Irwin Front row: Helena McNulty, F Daniels, L Byrnes, Patricia Eggleston
	Maure Campbell and the other 1st Year students at a school picnic 1946
	The 2nd Years at the picnic 1946
	The 3rd Years - the Intermediate Certificate class 1946
	1946 by the grotto
	1946 St Columbanus 5th class
	Bernadette Ferry, Ceclie Ryan, Minnie Abraham (Palmer), Irene Ward and Laurel Playford. 11 August 1946
	Child of Mary, 1947 These two photographs were given to the school by Marie Donnelly - she writes: "I loved that day - being made a 'Child of Mary' with veil and blue cloak".
	In both photos, the students are: Top from left: Clare Innes, Claire Renwick, Mary Dooley, Gloria McCormack, Mary Smith, Claire Donovan, Marie Donnelly Bottom from left: Pauline Hall, Pat Irwin, Fay Daniel, Pat Clarke, Daphne Ryan, Loretta Stevenson, Beaulah Glover
	1947 in "Fairy Dell" with the school in the background.
	1947 A Grade Premiers, Mayfield Basketball Back row: Ruth Simms, Anna Rutherford, Joan Gribble, Dawn Piper Front row: Mary Smith, Pat Irwin, Barbara Hodges
	A Grade Premiers Mayfield Basketball 1948
	C Grade Premiers Mayfield Basketball 1947 "This undefeated team displays Pennants and Cup" (The Dominican, 1948) Back row: Clare Renwick, Kathleen Lynch, Bernice Crouse, Glory McCormack Front row: Pauline Hall, Betty Ann Beard, Colette Todhunter
	1948 Winners of Senior Swimming Cup Jeanette McMurtrie, Mary Dooley, Anna Rutherford, Mary Smith, Margaret Egan, Betty Ann Beard.
	1948 Loretta Barrett, Barbara Date, Mary Lawrence.
	First Leaving Certificate Class, 1948 "San Clemente has now established its own Leaving Certificate Class." (The Dominican, 1949) The Leaving Certificate was gained after five years of High School, and was an external examination, taken at a venue in Union St. (Sr. June Peck, pers. comm. 2017)
	Sr Maure Campbell on her last day of 3rd Year 1948
	"San Clemente," Dominican Convent A Registered Secondary School for Boarders and Day pupils "The equipment is modern throughout" Advertisement in the Newcastle and Maitland Catholic Sentinel, Dec 1, 1948 The rear wing of the school comprising music rooms and laundry with boarders' amenities above can be seen in this photograph. This wing was demolished to make way for the construction in the 1980s.
	"The secondary school pupils of San Clemente, 1949." There are 127 students in the photograph. (The Dominican, 1949)
	Junior boarders, 1949
	Fourth and Fifth Years, 1949, all proudly wearing their Children of Mary medallions Sister Maure Campbell is top left in the photograph, Anna Rutherford third from left.
	Fourth and Fifth Years, 1949 This was taken at the same time as the one above.
	1949 "Children of Mary"
	1949 This was the year of severe Maitland floods: "Excitement always runs high at certain times during the school year, but this year we had something special to stir it - the Maitland Floods. Whilst they were on we received several members of Maitland's Leaving Class and so interesting were their tales of the flood that I think some of us were secretly hoping that the floods would come down to Mayfield also" (Written by Anna Rutherford, student - photo above in the sports teams, from The Dominican,1950)
	"Junior Seniors at San Clemente" (The Dominican, 1949) This is all the information given. Perhaps these students are in 6th Class at St Columbanus, Boarding at San Clemente.
	Day of Joan Stokes' Confirmation, 1949 Margaret Paisley, Dianne Paisley, Joan Stokes, Mary Lawrence.
	1949 Jeanette McMurtrie And Anna Rutherford 5th Year Prefects with their prefect badges and Child of Mary medallions
	Last day of school, 1949 Sr Maure Campbell and other 4th Yr students
	Last day of school, 1949 Sr Maure Campbell and other 4th Yr students

Photos from the collection of Mrs Fuller, nee Helena McNulty, taken between 1946 and 1948. Mrs Fuller's son Michael worked at San Clemente High School as the Religious Education Coordinator from 2004 to 2009.

	1948
	1948 : Sister Seraphina
	1948 : Mary Larsen, Patricia Eggleston, Pauline Hall
	1948
	1948 : Clare Jordan, Diane Paisley, Janice