St Margaret’s girls have always enjoyed the physical side of their education and the subject ‘Health and Physical Education’ has always been part of the curriculum. There have been many Sports Mistresses (P.E. teachers) over the years who have taken the ‘ladies’ of St Margaret’s through their rigorous exercise regimes. The Avoca (Mooloomburram) original stables served many purposes, but one of the main ones was as the school’s first gymnasium. The girls would change upstairs in the loft.

1933 saw the construction of the 25-yard pool. We were the envy of all schools as we had our very own swimming pool. We no longer had to travel into the Valley Baths for lessons and training.

That pool served the school well. For many years, in the latter part of our history, it was the domain of the primary school with a specially built shallow end which allowed even the tiniest students to be in the pool and touch the bottom. The change sheds became something of a mecca for photographers as they captured the essence of a bygone era.

At the beginning of Term 4, 1956, there was much celebration with the opening of our new, very modern gymnasium. Teaching gymnastics in there did pose a small problem as work on the parallel bars was hindered by the ceiling!

March 1969 saw enormous excitement as our Olympic pool was opened. A school with two pools – unbelievable! Lessons continued in earnest. Any athletic practices required a walk down to Crosby Park but the return walk up Lapraik Street was never a joy! Tennis courts came and went on the school grounds.

In 1996, a true milestone was achieved – our first purpose-built sports hall with a dedicated gym floor, mezzanine, indoor court space for several sports, classrooms and carpark underneath. During this time, the P.E. department continued to expand, and more qualified staff joined the ranks. Outside coaches were also now engaged for the increased number of sporting teams.

1998 marked another milestone when we took on the lease of Windsor Park, increasing our sporting resources to include two ovals, a change shed, netball courts, cricket pitch and space where HPE lessons could be conducted. This led to a surge in sports offered and P.E. lessons now included cricket, soccer, and other field events because we now had the space! The status quo was maintained until 2018 when plans for a new state-of-the art sporting precinct were revealed. But that’s a whole other story for another time!

Two of our earlier Sports Mistresses are still going strong. Miss Jennifer Brett is 91 and Miss Sheena Dyason is 90.

Per Volar Sunata

Mary Surtees
Archivist