Class of ‘36
24 April 2018 | General Interest
The occasion of Lenore McKie’s 87th birthday was an opportunity for both celebration and sharing of memories. A small group of volunteers at the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre and some past volunteers and friends, gathered for a shared afternoon tea on Friday, 13th April to celebrate with Lenore her birthday.
After an invitation to share some memories of her early years at Penola, Lenore produced a photo of the group of students who formed the first class at St Joseph’s School after the Sisters of Saint Joseph returned in 1936. Lenore was able to recall each student by name. With extraordinary clarity and unwavering memory, much admired by her audience, Lenore also related interesting snippets of interest about places of residence and family members. This prompted the relating of more stories and sharing of memories by others in the group.
Claire Larkin presented Lenore with a lovely plant to not only mark this significant occasion, but also to acknowledge with gratitude Lenore’s contribution to the Penola story, and to the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre in particular, over many years. Of special note is the fact that Lenore has donated to the Schoolhouse her precious case from her early school days and some other items which will shortly be on display. The occasion was a fine opportunity, too, for the gathered group to imbibe more insights from one of our treasured wisdom women and to express our appreciation for their continued presence amongst us.
