History of St Catherine's

The School had a chequered history during its early years. Its first ‘superintendent’, Miss Loftus, attempted to impose strict standards of discipline on pupils whom ‘the free and untrammelled life of a new country had rendered unwilling to conform readily to all the rules which she thought necessary.’ Mrs Barker eventually decided to appoint an English woman, Miss Law, as Headmistress. It was said of Miss Law that her face ‘though kindly while smiling, could smite a girlish offender with fear.’ She remained as Head until 1883. There were only 14 pupils when Miss Phillips became Headmistress. From 1884, to allow enrolments to grow, it was decided by the newly formed Advisory Council to enroll daughters of the laity, while still requiring girls to board.

The 1890's were difficult years since the Depression caused a severe drop in enrolments. The Sydney sprawl had now reached Waverley and St Catherine's was no longer out in the bush. It was decided, therefore, to accept Day Girls as well as Boarders. By the time of the school's jubilee in 1906, when Miss Lenthall was Head, there were 48 girls to join in the celebrations.

Miss Lenthall, ‘a clever intellectual with a great sense of humour’, remained as Head for a near-record period of 32 years. She was followed by Miss Isabel James, (later Mrs Isabel Hall), who was responsible for adding the Chapel wing to the old school building to provide for the growing enrolment of 120 pupils. Mrs Hall steered the School through the difficult post-Depression years of the Thirties and the Second World War. 

In 1950, an Old Girl of St Catherine's, Miss Una Fitzhardinge, became Head and five years later Miss Faith Patterson was appointed and became the longest-serving of all the Heads, remaining until 1987. Miss Patterson built the School up from 200 to 900 girls and carried through a succession of building projects to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers. She transformed St Catherine's into the School it is today with such additions as the St John's building, the Assembly Hall, the Lenthall block, the Isabel Hall Wing, the swimming pool, the Maccallum Junior School and the Faith Patterson Study Centre.

In 1988, when the School was 132 years old, Mrs Jo Karaolis became its tenth Headmistress. In 1994 the Dame Joan Sutherland Centre was opened followed five years later by the new Junior School. Her Headship was a time of great curriculum change.