A Brief History of MLCMLC School began by breaking the traditions of girls' education in New South Wales even as it opened in January 1886. The announcement of the impending opening of the Wesleyan Ladies College, Burwood in the Sydney Morning Herald, spoke of the School 'making provision for those who wish to prepare for university honours.' This was only five years after women had, for the first time, gained admission to The University of Sydney.MLC began with a radical recognition that much more could be expected of girls' skills and talents during their school education. Almost immediately these girls from Burwood distinguished themselves as university entrants and graduates, to begin MLC's enviable tradition of academic excellence. The initial four House names, chosen in 1942, are aboriginal words: Mooramoora, 'good spirit'; Leawarra, 'uprising'; Churunga, 'sacred place' and Booralee, 'an ideal to which we must aspire'. Another five Houses take their names from eminent leaders in the School's history: Lester, Prescott, Sutton, Wade and Whitley. Abbeythorpe House takes its name from one of the original homes on the school site, which was for many years the Junior School . The first four Houses have the colours red, green, violet and gold which when combined with the indigo and pale blue of the school colours, create white light, a reference to the School's motto Ut filiae lucis ambulate ~ 'Walk as daughters of the light'. The School Song with music by Australian composer Lindley Evans, who was a teacher at the School during the 1930's, to lyrics by Poet Laureate John Masefield, encapsulates MLC's traditions of passing to the generations to follow a place of beauty, truth and kindness. Click here for a copy of the music. MLC has a wonderful history as a boarding school from its opening until 1979. Fire destroyed the boarding area, dining room, offices and some classrooms in 1977. Click here for an MLC Fact Sheet. MLC School is now a school in the Uniting Church in Australia. In June 1977 when the Methodist Church was subsumed into the new union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches the school Methodist Ladies College Burwood became known officially as MLC School. Since 1886 some things have been unchanging; the blues of the School's colours adopted from Oxford and Cambridge, the recognition of students' achievements on the annual Speech Night, music excellence at the highest levels of accomplishment in both performance and composition as well as enthusiasm for and success in competitive sport. This founding belief that girls can make great contributions to society has always been, and continues to be, rewarded in the history of remarkable achievements attained by the women of MLC School.
Year 9 delve into our War History with the help of MLC ArchivesA small plaque honouring MLC Old Girls who served as nurses in World War One was hung on a wall in Potts Hall many years ago and is still there today. Who were these brave women that made the unusual decision to join the Imperial Forces and travel by ship to the Western Front or Egypt over ninety years ago? To commemorate ANZAC Day, MLC Year 9 History students attempted to find out more about these WW1 MLC Old Girl veterans as well as investigate the enormous impact of the First World War on Australian society through the experiences of an actual MLC student at that time. Students examined material produced during the 1914-1918 war, such as Excelsior articles, speeches by the Headmistress, letters, school reports, school admissions registers, photographs, shipping records and war service records from MLC School’s Archives and Museum and the National Archives of Australia’s website. Some discoveries were moving. In a June 1917 Excelsior, a student was in the Prize List and on the next page her brother was in the In Memorium List as 'killed in action at the Front'.
The students’ research resulted in either a diary of an MLC student during WW1 or a war service profile of an Old Girl as a Powerpoint presentation – a selection of the projects will be placed on the MLC website. Click here to view Simona Bellos, Harriet Keane and April Brady's presentation. Ultimately, the projects will be entered in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs ANZAC Day Schools’ Awards. The awards encourage the use of technology, innovation and local history research. MLC students have come a long way in addressing these criteria with their projects but more importantly in understanding the historical significance of ANZAC Day and why we commemorate this special day each year. Ms Mylee Angelo |
