A Felicitous Centenarian Words by Pat Prendergast & Judy-Ann Quilliam
When we sent proud Loreto community
her school life and in 1936, she was voted
The love Pat
member, Pat Prendergast, an email to wish
one of four Head Prefects by her student
her a happy 100th birthday in January,
peers. The love Pat developed for school
developed for
she responded immediately online to tell
was so strong that she followed her heart
us about her day. We knew then that we
into the profession of teaching.
school was so
had to interview this spritely and felicitous
strong that she followed her heart into the profession of teaching.”
centenarian for Verity.
Pat married and moved to Ballarat in 1946 with her husband. Together they raised
Email may seem an odd choice of
three daughters (Mary, Ann, and Eileen)
communication for a centenarian, but
and five sons; the girls all attended both
not for Pat. In fact, email has been her
Loreto Dawson Street and Mary’s Mount.
saving grace throughout the lonely days
When her eighth child was 18 months old,
of Covid-19 restrictions with no visitors
Pat was asked to help out in an emergency
permitted to her residential care home. On
and taught Grade 2 at Mary’s Mount for six
the day I visited Pat, she was sitting up with
weeks when a staff member was ill.
her iPad eagerly waiting for me to arrive and cursing because she had hurt her arm
Pat continued with her teaching and taught
and could not type.
at St Aloysius in Redan, where the Principal at the time was Mother Anthony ibvm (who
Patricia (Pat) Prendergast (nee O’Sullivan)
had taught her for her First Communion in
grew up in Adelaide and her strong long-
Adelaide). Mother Anthony shared great joy
term connection with Loreto schools started
to have one of her own teaching with her.
when she attended Loreto Marryatville for
She taught on and off for many years and
her primary and secondary years. Her family
was finally Principal of Clarkes Hill Primary
home was located just over the road from
School before retiring at the age of 60.
the school grounds and she has very fond memories of the school and the Loreto
Pat’s long-term connection to Loreto
nuns.
Ballarat was cemented when Mary’s Mount and Dawson Street schools amalgamated
28
Pat was a very shy little girl, and she
to form Loreto College Ballarat in 1978.
remembers spending some lunch times
At the advice of Mother Theodore Gillick
sitting in the corner of the playground
ibvm (a past pupil of Loreto Marryatville),
reading a book. However, one of Pat’s
Pat was elected to be President of the new
fondest memories of Loreto Marryatville
Loreto Ballarat Past Pupil’s Association
was when a teacher asked her to show the
(PPA). Her three daughters had attended
whole school how to march properly. She
both Ballarat schools and she was a Loreto
was only in Grade 4 or 5, but she held her
Marryatville past pupil, so she would be
head high and lifted he knees and that was
a good independent leader. Pat proudly
the proudest march she ever performed.
performed the roles of President, Secretary
Pat was also proud to be head of the day
and Treasurer for many years. Her love
scholars table for the last couple of years of
for Loreto schools was such that she also
