Religious women set up some of Australia's first schools, but their history remains veiled
- Written by: Odhran O'Brien, PhD Candidate in History, The University of Western Australia
St John’s Pro-Cathedral, the Convent of Mercy and the girls’ school in Perth circa 1862. State Library of Western Australia In a wealthy country like Australia, a time with no government schools seems unimaginable. But back in the 1840s, when the Sisters of Mercy opened the first seconadary school in Western Australia, there were...




















