Academy of Mary Immaculate
Encyclopedia
The Academy of Mary Immaculate is a Roman Catholic girls' secondary school, situated in Fitzroy
, Victoria, Australia.
It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy
in 1857.
The Academy is a well known school with girls recognisable for their unique uniform. It achieves good results in the VCE exams and is the oldest catholic school in Victoria. The Academy has experienced success in sport, speech, choir, debating and many other extra-curricular activities. Its central location makes it a popular inner city school and is notable for the Sisters of Mercy
convent located within the school grounds.
Frame, Andree Marcelle (1910–1967) - studied childbirth overseas, pioneered the idea of childbirth preparation, and became patron of the Childbirth Education Association (Australia) for her work in the field.
Actress Mary Maguire
is also among notable alumni.
Natalie Gauci
the 2007 winner of Australian Idol teaches singing lessons.
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, Victoria, Australia.
It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in 1857.
The Academy is a well known school with girls recognisable for their unique uniform. It achieves good results in the VCE exams and is the oldest catholic school in Victoria. The Academy has experienced success in sport, speech, choir, debating and many other extra-curricular activities. Its central location makes it a popular inner city school and is notable for the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
convent located within the school grounds.
History
The Academy of Mary Immaculate was established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1857, and it has the distinction of being the first convent school in colonial Victoria. Three Irish Sisters came to Melbourne in 1857 and were given a 14-room house, with mortgage, by the then bishop, James Alipius Goold. He wished the sisters to be self-supporting and advised them to open a fee-paying select school for girls from the neighbourhood, to be augmented by a boarding school for daughters of Catholics living in rural areas. Mother Ursula Frayne, leader of the Mercy community, opened the school in convent rooms on 29 April 1857 with six pupils. Enrolments were soon at 43, with girls aged between three and 18.Notable alumnae
Ross-King, Alice (1891–1968) - awarded the Florence Nightingale medal in 1949 by the International Red Cross for service in both World War I and World War II.Frame, Andree Marcelle (1910–1967) - studied childbirth overseas, pioneered the idea of childbirth preparation, and became patron of the Childbirth Education Association (Australia) for her work in the field.
Actress Mary Maguire
Mary Maguire
Mary Maguire was an Australian actress who briefly became a Hollywood and British film star in the late 1930s.-Childhood and Career in Australia:...
is also among notable alumni.
Natalie Gauci
Natalie Gauci
Natalie Gauci is an Australian singer of Italian and Maltese descent. Gauci undertook music tuition at the Victorian College of the Arts, formed her own band that played gigs in Melbourne, while also working as a music teacher...
the 2007 winner of Australian Idol teaches singing lessons.