St Columba's Convent, Dalby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Columba's Convent (former) |
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St Columba's former Convent, 2010
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| Location | 169 Cunningham Street, Dalby, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900–1910s (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | George Bernard Roskell |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: St Columba's Convent (former), Iona | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 9 December 2010 |
| Reference no. | 602761 |
| Significant period | 1913–2010 |
| Significant components | grotto, convent/nunnery, dormitory wing, chapel |
| Builders | John Draney |
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The St Columba's Convent is a historic building in Dalby, Australia. It used to be a convent for Roman Catholic nuns. The building was designed by George Bernard Roskell and built in 1913 by John Draney. It is also known as Iona. Today, it is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important part of Queensland's history and should be protected.
Contents
St Columba's Convent: A Look Back
The Convent's Story
The St Columba's Convent was built in 1913 for the Sisters of Mercy. These nuns needed a place to live and to house the students who boarded at their school. At this time, Dalby and the areas around it were growing fast. The Sisters of Mercy lived in the convent until 1990. After that, the local church bought it. It was then used as a hostel for students and later as a youth and community center.
Dalby's Early Days
Dalby grew as a key town in the Darling Downs, a big farming area in Queensland. The town was first planned in 1852. It was named Dalby after a place on the Isle of Man. Soon, Dalby had important services like a post office (1854) and a school (1859). The town became an official municipality in 1863. When the railway line reached Dalby in 1868, the town really boomed!
The Catholic Church in Dalby
When James Quinn became the first Catholic Bishop of Brisbane in 1861, many people in Queensland were Catholic. In Dalby, about 28% of people were Catholic. At first, priests visited Dalby to hold church services in hotels. The first Catholic school in Dalby started in 1864. Dalby's first Catholic church, St Joseph's, opened in 1866.
In 1876, Bishop Quinn asked Father Denis Byrne to start a convent in Dalby. The Sisters of Mercy, who had come to Queensland in 1860, were very important for starting Catholic schools across the state. They helped fund the new convent.
An old hotel, the Plough Inn, was bought by Bishop Quinn in 1876. On August 8, 1877, a group of Sisters of Mercy arrived from Toowoomba. The old Plough Inn became their eleventh school in Queensland, named St Columba's. A new timber church was built in 1886. By then, one-third of the Darling Downs population was Catholic.
Building the New Convent
Dalby continued to grow in the early 1900s. More railways were built, and farming, especially dairying and wheat, expanded. This growth, and the need for more boarding schools, led to plans for a brand new Catholic convent in Dalby.
In 1910, land was given to the Catholic Church for the new building. James Duhig, who would later become Archbishop, laid the foundation stone in November 1910. In November 1911, local architect George Bernard Roskell asked for builders to bid on the project. Roskell was a talented architect who had worked on many important buildings, including the Dalby National Bank (1910) and the Dalby Hospital (1914).
The Grand Opening
St Columba's Convent officially opened on June 8, 1913. About 500 people came to the ceremony. Father Nolan, the local priest, said the convent cost £7,267. People donated about £1,600 at the opening to help pay off the debt. Everyone praised the builder, John Draney, and the Clerk of Works, Michael Kelly.
The local newspaper, The Dalby Herald, described the new convent as being in the Gothic style. It was built on strong foundations. The entrance had fancy iron gates with "St Columba's Convent" written on them. A path led to the main entrance, which had a simple gabled porch. The front porch (verandah) had pretty cast iron railings. The floors inside were made of a strong timber called crows ash.
Inside, the main hall had reception rooms on each side. To the right was a study for the boarding students, which could be opened up to a dining room. Four music rooms were nearby. A staircase led up to the students' dormitory. The nuns' dining room was behind the entrance. To the left, a grand timber staircase led upstairs. Beyond the staircase was the chapel, which was about 63 feet long. It had beautiful arched stained glass windows.
Upstairs, the students' dormitory took up the entire western wing. It had very high ceilings. There were also bathrooms with showers. A corridor led to an infirmary (sick room) for smaller children. Six small rooms for the nuns were also on this floor. The eastern wing upstairs had three more nuns' rooms and a large community room. Water came from a bore and large tanks. The convent was one of the first buildings in Dalby to have a septic system for waste.
Dalby's Catholic Growth
More Catholic buildings were added in Dalby over the years. A new school was built behind the convent in 1916. A new church (1921) and a presbytery (1930) were also built nearby. Father Nolan, the priest, was honored by the Pope in 1930 for all the beautiful church buildings he helped create in Dalby. He also helped build new churches in other towns like Bell, Warra, and Jandowae.
Dalby, along with other towns like Toowoomba and Warwick, became important centers for education. Many Christian schools, including boarding schools, were set up. St Columba's was a key part of this educational growth.
Changes Over Time
Boarding at St Columba's stopped in the 1960s. The school itself continued to grow. In 1980, St Mary's College became co-educational (for both boys and girls), and St Columba's became the primary school. In October 1990, the Sisters of Mercy left Dalby. This was part of a trend where lay teachers (non-nuns) started running schools.
In 1991, the local church bought the convent from the Sisters. They updated it and opened a student hostel called St Joseph's. In 1998, the St Columba's school building behind the convent was badly damaged by fire. The school eventually moved to a new location. In 2008, St Columba's and St Mary's merged to form Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.
The student hostel, St Joseph's, closed in 1999. The former convent then became known as Iona. It was used by different community groups. In 2006, the Myall Youth and Community Network Centre (MYCNC) moved in.
What Does It Look Like?
The former St Columba's Convent is on a corner block in Dalby. It's a two-story building made of brick and timber. It looks impressive from the street. The main part of the building is made of reddish bricks. White bands decorate the front.
Some of the timber verandahs (porches) were originally enclosed, and others have been enclosed more recently. You can still see the original timber decorations on the verandahs, especially on the front. The main roof is made of corrugated iron. Two brick chimneys stick up from the roof. You can also see Celtic crosses at the ends of the main gables (the triangular parts of the roof).
Outside Features
The front of the building, facing Cunningham Street, is mostly symmetrical. It has a central porch made of timber. The verandahs here have original white cast iron railings. The western side has three tall, narrow windows (lancet windows) on each floor with pink and green glass. The eastern side is a bit narrower, with two lancet windows upstairs and a projecting bay downstairs with three more lancet windows.
The back of the building has two wings that stick out, forming a courtyard. There are many different types of windows, including original timber windows and newer ones.
Inside the Convent
Most of the inside of the building is still in its original condition. Many ceilings are covered with pressed metal in different patterns. The walls are plastered and painted. Most rooms have a timber picture rail. Wide timber skirtings are at the bottom of the walls. The timber floors are mostly covered with carpet.
The ground floor layout is mostly the same. You enter from Cunningham Street into a small lobby. The main entrance door is fancy, with patterned glass. A central hallway runs through the middle of the building. On one side are the nuns' dining room and a small office. The main staircase has a polished silky oak railing. The nuns' dining room has a fireplace with a carved mantelpiece.
The chapel is in the north-eastern wing. The altar area is lit by beautiful stained glass windows with flowers and symbols. The glass is in shades of green. The Stations of the Cross (pictures showing Jesus's journey) are in timber frames.
The south-western wing has two large rooms that used to be the students' study and dining room. These rooms are separated by tall folding timber doors. At the southern end is a kitchen, which has been updated, but an original stove area remains.
On the first floor, there are six small rooms that used to be the nuns' cells. There's also a large room that was the infirmary (sick room), now divided into two. The enclosed verandah behind these rooms has a kitchen, dining area, and bathroom. The north-eastern wing has a meeting room and three more former nuns' cells. The south-western wing used to be one long dormitory for students, but it's now divided into five rooms. The original high, curved ceiling is still visible in some of these rooms.
Gardens and Memorials
The St Columba's property has open lawns with trees and shrubs. Some old bottle trees are still there. There's a brick pavilion with a crucifix statue near the north-east side. It has a gabled roof and arches. There's also a grotto made of stone with a garden. A statue of the Virgin Mary is in an alcove, and a marble plaque remembers Sister Mary Agatha, who died in 1917.
A brass plaque in the front garden celebrates 113 years of the Sisters of Mercy in Dalby. Another plaque near the main door remembers the blessing and reopening of the building as St Joseph's Parish Hostel in 1991.
Notable People
- Ivy May Pearce, a famous aviator and fashion designer, was a student at St Columba's.
Why St Columba's Convent is Important
The former St Columba's Convent is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because it meets several important criteria:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
St Columba's Convent was a large building built in 1913, mostly paid for by donations. This shows how much wealth came from farming and raising animals in the Darling Downs, a very productive area in Queensland. The convent also shows how the Catholic Church grew in regional Queensland. The Sisters of Mercy played a huge role in setting up schools and boarding houses across the state. They served the Dalby area for 113 years, living in St Columba's for 77 of those years.
- It shows the main features of this type of building.
St Columba's Convent is an excellent example of a Sisters of Mercy convent and boarding school. It still looks very much like it did when it was built. From Cunningham Street, it has a strong presence. Its outside shows typical features: a front with three gables (triangular roof parts) that use Gothic designs, and verandahs all around. Inside, it's also very original, with its chapel, sacristy (a room for sacred items), stained glass windows, decorative timber, dining rooms, and the nuns' cells and students' dormitory upstairs with its special ceiling.
- It has great aesthetic (beauty) value.
St Columba's Convent is a beautiful building. Its front facade with three gables, brick walls with white bands, and timber verandahs make it look very elegant. Its design and size give it a powerful look on Cunningham Street, Dalby's main road. It shares this quality with two other important church buildings nearby: St Joseph's Catholic Church and St John's Church of England.
