Reunion 15th 16th & 17th November 2024

Sacred Heart
Redwood

Hours
Minutes
Seconds

The Granary &
St. Mary’s Church & Hall, Nelson

Dear Sacred Heart Girls’ College and Redwood College Past Pupils,

Are you ready? The long-awaited Sacred Heart & Redwood Reunion Weekend is almost here – Friday, 15th November to Sunday, 17th November 2024, for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration.

We will be together to relive our treasured memories and rekindle the lifelong friendships formed during our Sacred Heart Girls’ College & Redwood College days. The weekend will be filled with laughter, reminiscing, and the chance to create new memories that will last for years to come.

See you at the reunion!

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Friday 15th November, 2:00 pm
The Granary at Founders Heritage Park.

Welcome to the first day of our highly anticipated Sacred Heart & Redwood Historic Reunion! We’re excited to kick off this memorable weekend filled with nostalgia, laughter, and cherished reunions.

Please join us at the Granary, Founders Park, Nelson, to commence our festivities. Here’s what you can look forward to today:

Event Details:

  • Location: Granary, Founders Park, Nelson
  • Time: 2 pm
  • Activities:
    • Sign in and reconnect with your college year groups
    • Enjoy a welcome drink and indulge in Nelson’s light bites (afternoon tea)
    • Collect your welcome gift pack, including your name badge

Scheduled Highlights:

  • Official Reunion and Class Group Photographs: Commencing at 3:00 pm

Be sure to arrive promptly to catch up with old friends, make new friend connections, and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of our reunion.

Let’s make unforgettable memories together as we celebrate the legacy of Sacred Heart & Redwood.
We look forward to seeing you there!



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Saturday 16th November, 2:00 pm
The Granary at Founders Heritage Park

6:00 pm Dinner at Tides Restaurant, 66 Trafalgar Street.

As we continue our Sacred Heart & Redwood Historic Reunion, we invite you to enjoy a leisurely morning exploring the sights, sounds, and tastes of Nelson Markets or take the bus ride to the iconic Mapua Warf. Spend quality time with your friends and families, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere of your hometown Nelson.

There is always plenty to do in Sunny Nelson:
Nelson Markets: Explore and savour the delights of Nelson’s local produce, crafts, and more.
Mapua Wharf: Experience the charm of Mapua with its scenic vistas and culinary delights.

Or just rest up at home as is a big afternoon and evening ahead.

After your morning, we reconvene at the Granary, Founders Park, Nelson, at 2:00 pm for an afternoon filled with meaningful activities:

Afternoon Programme:

2:00 pm: All attendees gather at the Granary for:

Couch Stories and Remembrance Time
Historic Convent and College presentation
Past Teachers and Pupils sharing their stories
Afternoon Tea

Evening Celebration:

6:00 pm: Join us for a celebratory Reunion dinner at the Tides Hotel Bar & Eatery (formerly known as Trailways Hotel), located at 66 Trafalgar Street, Nelson.

Further details regarding our special Reunion Dinner and Function will be updated and emailed to all registered past pupils.

We look forward to reconnecting, reminiscing, and creating new memories together throughout the day and evening. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to us SHReunion@gmail.com



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Sunday 17th November, 12:30 pm
Mass at St. Mary’s Church
Manuka Street.

A Dedication Mass for all reunion attendees, friends, and families will be held at 12:30 p.m.

Following the Mass, we invite you to lunch at St. Mary’s Hall, Manuka Street, for an afternoon of conversation, laughter, and shared memories.  Please note that for non-registered adults $15.00 is requested for lunch costs.

The Reunion will finish after lunch, and we bid each other farewell, cherishing the time spent together.

Before you depart, please take the opportunity to stroll around the grounds of the old Convent site and St. Joseph’s school, and enjoy reflecting on its history.

Guided Archive Room visits will also be arranged.




Reunion Book

Dear Sacred Heart & Redwood Community,

We are thrilled to announce the creation of the Reunion Book—a beautiful collection of stories and photographs that will preserve our shared memories for years to come.

The Reunion Book will feature images from our Facebook group, shared photographs, website gallery, and candid moments captured throughout the reunion weekend. This self-published keepsake will soon be available, with final details on purchasing and pricing to be confirmed on Sunday, 17th November. Pricing will be based on the total number of pages, plus shipping costs.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their memories and helped bring this project to life. We look forward to sharing this special book with you.

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Big Thank You To Our Nelson Community





We are indeed grateful for the support from our Nelson Community.

"We cannot live solely for ourselves, as countless connections bind us to each other. The true greatness of a community is best reflected when we work together for the betterment of each other – assisting others in ways that we could not achieve alone." Bernadette K-T

We are indeed grateful for the support from our Nelson Community.
* The creative and most helpful men at the Nelson Menzshed, making our photobooth props and helping out with lots of cool stuff. Thank you to Denis Moriarty and his team. https://menzshed.org.nz/nelson/

* Beggs MusicWorks 264 Hardy Street, Nelson 7010, thank you to Sandra Babbage and her team for assisting with the music and lending us their keyboard. https://beggsmusic.co.nz/

* Philip Mathews from Mathews Eyecare, 1 Buxton Square, Nelson 7010, helping behind the scenes and popping something into our goodie bags. https://matthews.co.nz/practices/nelson/

* St. Josephs School and Garin College, lots of surprises here! https://www.stjosephsnelson.school.nz/ https://www.garincollege.ac.nz/

* Spotlight Nelson for providing an extra welcome discount! https://www.spotlightstores.com/nz

* Maria – Richmond Antiques and Curios, 2 Salisbury Road, Richmond. https://www.facebook.com/Richmondantiquesandcurios

* Paul Keenan – Richmond Office Products https://richmond.opd.co.nz/ Great support – thank you.

* Parish of The Holy Family, Archives Room. Contact Parish Archivist, Bernadette King-Turner email" Archivist@HolyFamilyNelson.org.nz

Yes, we would love to receive your support, please email us, thank you. SHReunion2024@gmail.com


Memories

Thank You

For Your Memories

Imagine being a fourth former and thinking you have all the confidence in the world because you are no longer a Third former or a newbie and also don’t have the stress of being a fifth former with School Certificate to worry about and then your mother gets summonsed to the school to be told her daughter is boy crazy!! Thanks, Sister Celine!!!!

Erin Silke December 1975

"Boy Crazy"!

On a warm day our Science Teacher had scheduled her lesson on chemical reactions, or specifically why Phosphorus is stored in water – it ignites when exposed to oxygen. We did have in our scantily resourced Lab a Fume Cupboard. She exposed a piece of phosphorous to the air and shut the cupboard door – we then had a second unscheduled lesson. The poisonous fumes escaping through the vents at the back of the cupboard were sucked back into the classroom through the open window next to it – warm air flows toward cold air! We evacuated the Lab, lesson cut short – yippee.

Clare Haycock (Byrne) December 1975

Science Lesson – Phosphorus Fumes & Evacuation!

Starting in 1971, our year was one of the first to be at Redwood College right through, rather than at Sacred Heart or a little of both. We did feel so very grown up when we arrived on our first day in our new red uniforms and panama hats. No gloves by the time we started but our hats were legendary. I’m sure everyone from my year will remember how perfect Anne W’s hat remained right throughout our years at college. Everyone else’s looked pretty battered in next to no time but Anne’s remained pristine from start to finish.

Paddy McBride 1971 to 1974

New Red Uniform & Panama Hats!


I enjoyed the special occasions when the nuns would take us around to Our Lady’s Grotto and we would help tidy the area and plant new flowers. The Grotto was my favourite place to visit. Other special memories were our sunbathing on the far end of the back fields, chatting about our fun and happy lives – and most likely chatting about the boys walking past on their way to the Boy’s College! Plus of course, sitting on the fire escape outside the common room, and watching the boys walk by!

Bernadette King-Turner December 1975

Our Ladies Grotto, Sun Bathing & Boys

For all those girls who were in Form 3 at Sacred Heart College Nelson in 1955 – here is a true story. Now let’s see how many of you remember this ‘Dastardly Deed’ which is chicken feed compared with what happens at College these days. Cast your minds back to Sister Faith’s class room second floor up, and looking toward the left of the blackboard, where a row of cupboards stood. Now I think it was one of the Boarders who told me that there was a trap door in the cupboard. So one day curiosity overcame our terror, and two or three of us (who were you?)crept upstairs during lunchtime and with one of you as guard at the classroom door, – myself and two others with hearts beating madly, quietly opened the cupboard to find YES the trapdoor was positioned on the floor. We gingerly and carefully lifted it up; our mouths fell open as we leaned forward to view the Sisters at work in the kitchen below. BUT something unexpected happened while I had my mouth open, – a long snake like dribble oozed from my mouth, and to my horror before I could slurp it back, it wound itself slowly down, and dropped fair and square onto one of the Sisters headgear. For several seconds our eyes were transfixed as the last of the dribble descended, and then panic set in; – we hastily closed the trapdoor and cupboard door, and fled. The rest of the class thought we were so brave and brazen. I can still remember this as if it were yesterday. It’s actually 68years ago this year. Diana Clark (nee Inwood)

Diana Clark (Inwood)

‘Dastardly Deed’

The giggling excitement and rowdy commotion of Redwood college girls leaning out the first-floor windows announcing the sight to those of us inside is one to remember. Mrs. Maplesden had arrived wearing a TROUSER SUIT. More of us rushed to the old-sash windows to get a look. This was the early ‘70s, but to see a woman teacher in trousers, I actually wondered if ‘the nuns’ would allow it! It had cuffs and pressed lines, burnt orange, the jacket open at the front with a twin set top underneath. But life soon went on as usual, Mrs Maplesden, who seemed above it all, continued having cheerful chats with Sr Celine, occasionally throwing chalk at pupils at the back who were talking rather than listening, and teaching us Geography and English, leaving us all with many fond memories.

Gabriel King-Turner

Mrs. Maplesden


Sacred Heart & Redwood Reunion 15th, 16th & 17th November 2024

Reunion Registrations are now closed.

Thank you to past pupils who registered to attend the Sacred Heart Girls’ College and Redwood College Reunion on 15th, 16th and 17th November 2024.

See you in Nelson and we look forward to our celebrations.

If you have any queries regarding the Reunion Programme, please contact us on SHReunion2024@gmail.com thank you and see you soon.