, motto_translation = Strength and Kindliness , established = , type =

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

, denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, religious_affiliation = Brigidine Sisters , gender =

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...

, principal = Nicole Mangelsdorf , location =

Mentone, Victoria Mentone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Mentone recorded a population of 13,197 at the . It is known local ...

, country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Melbourne , pushpin_image = , pushpin_mapsize = 240 , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, pushpin_label = , pushpin_label_position = , campus_type = Suburban , enrolment = 900 , colours = Maroon, Grey, Green , homepage = Kilbreda College is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

for

girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...

, located in the

suburb of

, Australia. It was founded in 1904 by the Brigidine Sisters and is governed by Kildare Ministries.

Origins of the school building

The original

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

of the building was built by the Royal Coffee Palace Company Limited. It was opened in November 1887 and was known as the Mentone Coffee Palace. The Coffee Palace was the social centre of the town, situated on the corners of Mentone Parade, Florence Street and Como Parade. It is also near Mentone station (formerly known as Balcombe Road Station until 1884) and is surrounded by the local shops. In the 1890s due to competition with Mentone Hotel and the Depression, the Coffee Palace could no longer be run. In 1894 it fell into the hands of the Mercantile Bank of Australia, and the name of the building was changed to Como House. After this the Coffee Palace was only used occasionally for varying purposes. The Brigidine Sisters bought the Coffee Palace in mid-July 1904 for £2,050, considering the actual cost of the building and furniture, excluding land, was £25,500.

Related Schools

Other schools governed by Kildare Ministries are: * Brigidine College (Indooroopilly) * Brigidine College (St. Ives) * Clonard College (Geelong) *

Kildare College , motto_translation = Strength and Gentleness , established = , type = Independent secondary day school , denomination = Roman Catholic , religious_affiliation = Kildare Ministries , ...

(Holden Hill) * Killester College (Springvale) * Marian College (Ararat) * Marian College (Sunshine West) * St. Joseph’s College (Echuca) * Star of the Sea College (Brighton)

Brigidine convent

On 7 August 1904 the Brigidine Convent School was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop Thomas Carr, and classes began the next day. On opening, the school had three pupils enrolled in their Convent School and 25 pupils enrolled in St. Patrick's Parish Primary which was located in the Church. The fee-paying convent school began taking boarders in 1905 and subsequently obtained registration as a sub-primary, primary and secondary school. The nuns owned a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

in nearby Johnston street which the students often visited. Boarders and students of primary school age have been phased out; the final primary class being in 1978. The school has been

single sex In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are only two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism c ...

(girls) for many decades. In the 1930s the school's name was changed to Kilbreda College, the name coming from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

Cill – church or community and Breda – Brigid. Therefore, Kilbreda means Church or Community of

Saint Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...

Houses

*Tullow (red) Tullow is named after

Tullow Tullow (; , formerly ''Tulach Ó bhFéidhlim/ Tullowphelim'') is a market town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney where the N81 road intersects with the R725. , the population was 4,673. History There is a statue of ...

in the Republic of Ireland. This location was of special note to St. Brigid and the Brigidine Sisters. *Kildare (blue)

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

is named after a county in Ireland which holds specials value to St. Brigid and the Brigidine Sisters. *Delany (yellow) Delany is named after Bishop Daniel Delany who helped and accompanied the Brigidine Sisters travel to Australia and set up some of the first Catholic school run in the Brigidine Tradition. *Brigid (green) Brigid was named after

St. Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogr ...

who was the inspiration behind the Brigidine sisters and therefore the School.

Principals

The following individuals have served as College Principals:

Core values and symbols

Most Brigidine schools follow the same core values, motto and school symbols. The Brigidine Schools' symbols are: *

Brigid's Cross Brigid's cross or Brigit's cross (Irish: ''Cros Bríde'', ''Crosóg Bríde'' or ''Bogha Bríde'') is a small variant of the Christian cross often woven from straw or rushes. It appears in many different shapes, but the most popular designs fe ...

– The kind of cross St. Brigid used when teaching about the Catholic faith. It is made from woven reeds. * The

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

Tree –

's monastery in

, is called

. Kildare meaning 'the church of the oak'. Many Brigidine schools grow an oak tree from an acorn taken from one of the oak trees in Tullow. * The Lamp of Learning – represents the light of Christian faith * School Badge – was designed by the

Irish College Irish Colleges is the collective name used for approximately 34 centres of education for Irish Catholic clergy and lay people opened on continental Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. History The Colleges were set up to educate Roma ...

of Heraldry. The large cross of diamonds is taken from the badge of Bishop

Daniel Delany Daniel Delany DD (February 1747, in Paddock, Mountrath, Laois, Ireland – 9 July 1814, in Tullow, County Carlow) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. Educated at the Irish College in Paris, he taught at the English Boys Col ...

, the bishop who founded the Brigidine Sisters in 1807. The middle diamond contains an image of the lamp of learning, and the image of St. Brigid's cross is contained in the top section.

Notable pupils

* Catherine Arlove – three-time Olympian who competed at the 2008 Beijing, 2004 Athens and 2000 Sydney Olympics in judo * Simone De La Rue – Former dancer turned Hollywood fitness expert, and founder of Body By Simone dance based fitness studios * Noeleen Dix AM *

Maggie Fitzgibbon Margaret Helen Fitzgibbon (30 January 1929 – 8 June 2020) was an Australian actress and singer. Coming from a show-business family, she was the older sister of musician Smacka Fitzgibbon. Biography Fitzgibbon was born in Melbourne. She began ...

OAM – actress and singer * Ann Henderson – Former Australian Politician * Dr Bridie Kean –

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...

player, bronze medalist at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

in Beijing, silver medalist at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

in London *

Judith Kinnear Judith Kinnear (born 1939) is an Australian academic, a geneticist, and was the first woman to head a New Zealand university. Academic career Kinnear was educated at Kilbreda College in Melbourne, Australia, and holds a BSc, an MSc and a PhD ...

– the first woman to head a New Zealand university * Tania Luiz – Olympian who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in badminton * Bree Munro – 2010 Winter Olympian who competed in freestyle skiing *

Vikki Petraitis Vikki Petraitis (born 1965) is an Australian true crime author, based in Melbourne, Victoria. Media Petraitis regularly speaks on the ''Australian True Crime'' podcast hosted by Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb. In September 2019, Petraitis was i ...

– author of crime novels * The Honorable Marilyn Warren – former chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

and former lieutenant governor of Victoria

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1904 Rock Eisteddfod Challenge participants Girls' schools in Victoria (Australia) Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne Brigidine schools Convents in Australia 1904 establishments in Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia Buildings and structures in the City of Kingston (Victoria)