1955-1956 MARIST BROTHERS DARLINGHURST PART III

I apologise for the poor quality of this image. The top Floor Classroom at this end was our Fifth Year Classroom and the one next to it away from the camera was our 4th Year Classroom. The fine building on the right was used for the Tuck Shop ( Is there an American equivalent for something so basic?) and a Sports Kit storage.area.The spiral staircase was quite a feature of the school building and relieved pressure on the enclosed stairway on the Southern (left hand side in this picture)

The heart of the School was provided by the Marist Brothers. Marist Brothers had educated me at Lidcombe and it was grand to have them again at Darlo. They had operated the School since it opened in the 1890's I believe. They are an Order of French origin, founded by Saint Marcellin Champagnat who was Beatified in May, 1955 by Pope Pius XII when I was in Fifth Year, and Canonised in April, 1999 by Blessed  Pope John Paul II in April, 1999. The Order seemed to attract and develop well- balanced men , though of course not free of the human foibles we all share. We became familiar with the French terminology used in the Order - the Mother House ( Maison Mere) was the worldwide headquarters. Interestingly, I was to encounter the same terminology many years later in the Banque Nationale De Paris - but that is another story.

The Principal at the time was Brother Fergus ( family name : McCann) whom I liked and admired immensely. He was an intelligent gentleman and a good teacher. He was a gentle soul who would try to see the good in everyone present and historical. He was, I am afraid too good a man for the likes of some of the students in our Class. As I have said, a number had repeated 5th year and were really, physically at least ,young men and he treated them and all of us accordingly. Regrettably some lagged in maturity of character and caused him a lot of unnecessary difficulty - he was too good for the likes of them. The next most senior teacher was Brother Cloman who was dubbed "Trigger"because the top of one of his fingers was missing. He was the ultimate in low key operating style. But the same feral oafs who sensed vulnerability in Brother Fergus and worked on it, were totally under Brother Cloman's thumb! Without histrionics, or raised voice, or physical gestures - with no seeming communication by sound or sight he seemed to exude an aura that affected them and shut down their "stirring"tendencies. It was wonderful to see, and all the more so because he was in no way pre-possessing in appearance! He was universally well liked.

The Internet never ceases to amaze. Here is the grave of Brother Fergus, died at 90 yrs in 2003 -
God rest his gentle soul.

Two other teachers were Brother Cassian and Brother Patrick. Brother Cassian had the nickname "Skull"( how merciless we were!) since he was thin and his skull was very evident. He taught Physics and Maths and was not popular - it was generally said of him that he must have lain awake at night thinking up his carefully crafted "impromptu"remarks! Brother Patrick was far more down to earth than the others, with a short fuse and a no nonsense manner. In 1955 he was the first person EVER to publicly call me ""Tony", when going around the Class putting faces to the list of names he had. It stuck well and truly! I had never liked it, and had always been called "Ant"or "Anth"in the family and at Marist Brothers Lidcombe it was "Dicko" as for many other boys Surname contraction or embellishment was used e.g. "Walshie". 

Brother Samuel who had taught me in Sixth Class at Lidcombe came to Darlo in 1956 but since he was teaching Primary School I did not have much to do with him. The last of the Brothers I recall was a young chap Brother Athanasius( a mighty Patron to live up to!) He took our Latin Class and had great trouble with one young fellow, whose name I had better not mention in case I might be deemed to sully his reputation, but he was a little terror and beyond rational control.

For the first time I encountered Lay Teachers here at Darlo. Mr. Connolly and Mr. Everingham were both good men, Mr.Connolly the younger ( perhaps 50) and the more likeable. He had lost a son due to illness I believe, and the trauma was reputed to be the cause of his virtual baldness save for a few irregular tufts of hair. He was also given a rough time by the usual suspects. Mr. Everingham was much older (60 Plus) and seemed rather crabby  and was not popular. The arrival of Lay Teachers into Catholic Schools may have been necessary as the number of religious vocations declined in the face of post-War prosperity and growing materialism, but it was quite adverse in its effect on the authentic Catholic spirit of our schools and the quality of Religious education.

Our Darlo years came to an end after we sat for the State Leaving Certificate examinations. To do this, we Darlinghurst Catholic School Students were required to go for several days to Cranbrook College (Anglican I think) a very expensive and snobby place which had a reputation for rather "limp-wristed boys"which was carefully nurtured by a ditty to the tune of the Sailors Hornpipe tune. It must not have been a reputation given only by our students because in later years I heard the same thing referred to on Radio National. Anyway we were set at some psychological disadvantage by the requirement. The reputation of the "Cranbrook"students was reinforced in our eyes when we found most of them falling in with their own "fashion"of getting about with their shirt collars turned up! We did not regard such affectations well!

The years of High School culminate in the Leaving Certificate results which have become a much more frenzied pre-occupation in recent decades. After a short period they fade quickly in importance as the real world takes over our lives. I did quite well in the exam and my now Brother-in law did somewhat better and Darlo acquitted itself quite well overall as I remember. Tony went on to University in the Arts Faculty , and I went on to St. Columba's Minor Seminary at Springwood. And that is another story!