Jubilee Choirs Festival. Jubilee Choirs Festival.
CHOIR FESTIVAL WIN FOR W.A. GIRLS
The West Australian
22 September, 1951
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MELBOURNE, Fri.- Twenty girls from St Rita’s Convent School, Katanning, tonight won the B section (for small schools) of the Commonwealth Jubilee Schools Choirs Festival. They will travel by air to Canberra and on Monday night will give a national broadcast with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Eugene Goossens.
The winner of the A section (large schools) was the choir from Our Lady of Mercy College, Deloraine (Tasmania). These girls will also go to Canberra and sing with the orchestra. A choir from Perth Girls’ High School competed in this section, singing “Dawn.”
The girls from St. Rita’s, which has an enrolment of 97 pupils, were wildly excited after their success. Competing against four other choirs, they had sung Sarson’s “Pixie Haunted” before a huge crowd in the Exhibition Building. Mrs. D. C. Pope conducted, and the accompanist was Mrs. D. J. Galloway.
Mr. Menzies Mobbed
Trophies were presented to the girls from St. Rita’s by the Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies) who complimented them on their fine singing. After making the presentations Mr. Menzies was mobbed by a horde of schoolgirls seeking his autograph, and within a few seconds was desperately signing thrust-out autograph books. Ushers rushed to his rescue and after signing one last autograph he stepped from the dais.
The results were announced by the convenor of the Jubilee Arts Sub-Committee (Mr. C. J. A. Moses).
The girls will celebrate their victory by going to the Borovansky Ballet tomorrow night. It will be the first time any of them have seen the ballet.
St Rita’s Convent Choir
Winners Commonwealth Jubilee Schools Choirs Festival 1951 – B Section
Back (L-R): Yvonne Coventry, Shirley Clayton, Patricia Noonan, Yvonne Taylor, Helen Mouritz and Margaret Haggerty.
Centre: Mrs D.C. Pope (conductress), Veronica McAuliffe, Shirley Taylor, Kathleen Sullivan, Patricia Best,
Noreen Norrish, Jane Trevenen, Barbara Clancy and Mrs J.D. Galloway (accompanist).
Front: Gillian Simpson, Patricia Stayt, Katherine Galloway, Patricia Clayton, Joan Simpson, Joyce McHarg,
Irene Colohan and Shirley Holland.
KATANNING ON JUBILEE MAP
Great Southern Herald
28 September 1951
CHOIRS FESTIVAL WON BY ST. RITA’S CONVENT
The twenty girls who formed the St. Rita’s choir have brought distinction to themselves and the town of Katanning, and honour to their music teacher, by winning the “B” Section of the Australia-wide Jubilee Schools Choirs Festival in Melbourne on September 21.
The girls also took part in a concert presented in Canberra on Monday last and combined with the choir from Our Lady of Mercy College, Deloraine, Tasmania, to sing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Goossens.
The St. Rita’s Convent Choir of twenty girls was successful on Friday last in winning the “B” Section of the Commonwealth Jubilee schools choirs festival, when choirs from all States of Australia competed in the Exhibition Building, Melbourne. The choir from Our Lady of Mercy College, Deloraine, Tasmania, won the “A” Section for schools of over 100 pupils.
The two choirs travelled by air to Canberra and on Monday gave a national broadcast with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. On the same programme the choirs combined under the baton of Eugene Goossens to present “Land of Mine,” the winning entry in the Jubilee competition for a national song. The St. Rita’s girls only had three days in which to prepare for the combined rendition.
In the short period the girls were in Melbourne they found time to squeeze sightseeing in between a civic reception, tendered by the Lord Mayor, Councillor O. J. Nettson, and going to the Borovansky Ballet. A round of functions was also arranged for the two winning choirs in Canberra and included a civic reception and attending the opening day of the present Parliamentary session.
The latest information available at the time of going, to press was that the St. Rita’s choir girls would leave Canberra on Thursday morning in time to make a connection with the west-bound plane at Melbourne.
Although it was originally considered possible, they would be given a break in Perth before continuing home, the advice received is that the girls will catch Friday’s diesel, arriving back in Katanning this afternoon.
If necessary, arrangements can be made in time, the Katanning Band will parade to meet the diesel. It is also understood representatives of the Katanning Road Board will also attend to welcome the girls’ home.
The Katanning Road Board and Katanning Jubilee Celebrations committee are to combine in the holding of an official civic function to fittingly recognise the choir’s achievements. The function will be held in the Town Hall on a date in the near future most suitable to the girls themselves.
CHOICE OF “PIXIE HAUNTED”
The
events leading up to the outstanding success of the girls in the Jubilee
competition read almost like a fairy, tale. Over a period of many years the
musical standard of St. Rita’s Convent has always been remarkably high and
excellent results obtained in various examinations.
Similarly, the choral work has been of the same high standard, although the extent of its quality had not been fully realised because the choir had not entered any competitive field.
During the last two years, Education Department Inspector, Mr C. W. Cook, has been greatly impressed with the excellence of the musical standard attained by the Convent, and it was largely at his instigation the school entered the Jubilee competition.
On the occasion of the last visit of the late Sir James Mitchell to Katanning, he visited the Convent where the, girls sang “Australia, Our Favoured Isle” and “Pixie Haunted.” Mr Cook was present for the function and he encouraged the choir into entering for the competitions. The choir’s first number rendered that day so happened to be the set piece to be sung in the competition; while the second piece was to be one of the choir’s own selection. They were told how splendidly Sarson’s “Pixie Haunted” had been rendered, and as the girls themselves were particularly fond of the number, it was decided it should be the second piece to be given. From that stage, the choir’s progress through the competitions was one of achievement after achievement.
On the preliminary visit to Perth to compete in the State final, and for the ultimate flight to Melbourne for the Australian finals, the choir was accompanied by Mesdames J. D. Galloway and D. C. Pope. Mrs Galloway acted as accompanist and has been associated with the girls since they commenced as a choir in the competitions; she played for them at Wagin, practised with them and of course, was their accompanist in both Perth and Melbourne. Mrs D. C. Pope was asked to conduct the choir and after the Wagin visit put in many hours of practice with the girls before their successful entry in the State final and the Eastern States successes.
The standard of the choir is amply illustrated, by the girls winning the Australian final against competition from all States, and too high praise cannot be given their work; nor can too high praise be given the Sister (Sister Salvarious) responsible for the teaching and final coaching of the girls.
GIRLS OF THE CHOIR
The twenty girls who comprised the choir were: Shirley and Patricia Clayton, daughters of Mr and Mrs Clayton, Hyden; Yvonne Coventry, only daughter of Mr and Mrs R. A. Coventry Katanning; Patricia Noonan, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs W. H. Noonan, East Katanning; Yvonne and Shirley Taylor, daughters of Mr and Mrs P. A. Taylor, Tambellup; Helen Mouritz, elder daughter of Mr H. J. W. Mouritz, Katanning; Jane Trevenen, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs J. B. Trevenen, Tambellup; Veronica McAuliffe, youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs P. McAuliffe, Katanning; Kathleen Sullivan, only daughter of Mr and Mrs D. J. Sullivan, Kojonup; Patricia Best, elder daughter of Mrs E. Graham, Beacon; Noreen Norrish, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs A. J. Norrish, Katanning;
Margaret Haggerty, only daughter of Mr H. Haggerty, Muradup; Barbara Clancy, youngest daughter of Mr J. J. Clancy, Katanning; Patricia Stayt, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs T. Stayt, Katanning; Irene Colohan, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs A. J. Colohan, Muradup; Katherine Galloway, third daughter of Mr and Mrs J, D. Galloway, Katanning; Joyce McHarg, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs H. F. McHarg, Kojonup; Gillian Simpson, only daughter of Mr and Mrs A. Simpson, Broomehill; Shirley Holland, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs E. Holland, Katanning; Joan Simpson, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs H. Simpson of Tambellup, also a pupil of the St. Rita’s Convent, was debarred from singing with it because she was over 16 years of age; however, her parents were able to arrange for her to take a holiday, and paid her expenses in order she might make the trip with her school friends.
In 1948, Joan won the State Medal in the preparatory Division of the Trinity College of London for singing.