On September 13th, 1919, Archbishop James Duhig and Mother Mary Marcella (of the ‘Sisters of the Good Samaritan’ – Mother General) arrived in Gayndah, Queensland, for the opening, and blessing, of the brand new convent.
The convent was to accommodate the ‘St Josephs School‘, and, provide housing for the Sisters and boarding students. However, the school proved so popular that a separate building was soon required . . .
The ‘Sisters of the Good Samaritan’ lived in the convent until 1995, when they moved into a smaller property within the town. The convent fell further and further into disrepair, until 2012, when the then principal of the ‘Gayndah State School’, Kelly Jeppesen, discovered the Federal Government’s ‘Local Schools Working Together’ pilot program. The aim of the program was to encourage government, Catholic and independent schools to work together to develop shared educational facilities, thereby broadening the benefit of government expenditure on capital infrastructure.
‘Gayndah State School’ which is located just across the road from the ‘St Joseph’s Catholic School’ and the convent, came together to put forward a proposal, including concept drawings, to convert the convent into an arts and cultural centre, for both their students and the broader community.
Nine months later, the schools were granted $2.37 million to fund the project.
The restoration works pay tribute to the original two-storey building, which is complimented by elegant grounds. Today the convent houses the ‘Gayndah Arts & Cultural Centre‘.
The old Convent, painted in a warm grey with white trimmings, features a red, corrugated iron, gable roof with two protruding gables at both front ends of the building. The design is somewhat reminiscent of a Spanish mission style, featuring textured stucco render and arched openings. The area between the protruding ends on the front elevation, exhibits an upper level verandah encompassed within the main roof-line as well as a lower level verandah sporting 5 arches – the middle arch is emphasised to indicate the entrance to the building. The arches are carried through to the lower level of the eastern elevation. With bay windows of varied design to each protrusion, the building emits a sense of grace and grandeur.
It is interesting to note that ‘Sisters of the Good Samaritan’, often referred to as “Good Sams”, is a ‘home-grown’ Australian initiative, founded in Sydney in 1857. Five women, diverse in age, personality and experience, came together on the 2nd February 1857 and founded the ‘Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict’. Mother Scholastica Gibbons, a co-founder of the order, guided the sisters during their early years – always faithful to the ‘Rule of Saint Benedict’, which dates back to the sixth century – she was deeply loved and respected for her work. In a time where, for many, Sydney was a place of poverty and degradation, especially for women without husbands, struggling to support their families – often without even a roof over their heads, let alone something to eat. These were desperate times in the relatively new and rapidly expanding city of Sydney . . .
With the support of Archbishop John Bede Polding, an English Benedictine monk and Australia’s first Bishop, the sisters cared for the needy and homeless women in a refuge, the ‘House of the Good Shepherd’ located in Sydney. Orphans were housed at the ‘Roman Catholic Orphan School’ in Parramatta. Focused on education, their work soon expanded beyond Sydney to other cities, into rural areas, and, progressively into the other states and territories of Australia . . ...
Helpful Hints:
– Within Close Proximity to Town Centre – obtain Directions here
– Car Parking available along Meson Street
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- Sealed Road