Angela Browne (nun)

The Sister took over the education of the pupils who were being taught in a room at the back of St John the Baptist Church and contacted Catholic families in the wider district who had school age children.

With the assistance from the Connor family land was purchased and in 1903 the foundation stone was laid for a new two-storey Convent building called Mercy House.

In 1921 the Mother Superior Sister Angela Browne wrote, ‘for the past few years requests for admission have exceeded the accommodation...’[2] The Convent's reputation was such that parents from Perth and as far away as Albany and the North-West were wanting to send their children there.

[3]To help with their extensive building programme the Convent raised funds from the sale of cows and calves, held euchre parties, and organised concerts.

A description of one ball held in 1938 suggests Sister Angela and her team were not only imaginative but knew how to throw a great party.

Both the dance hall and supper room were effectively decorated, the ballroom scene depicting an unusual and brilliantly conceived solar system with a large golden sun radiating light and shining through rain on to a rainbow, while at the far end of the room the moon and stars were outstanding features of the picture presented.

Over 400 people danced to bright music supplied by Miss M. Willoughby's orchestra, and an excellent supper was served.

She was known to shoot rabbits and kangaroos from the Convent balcony, probably because they were grazing on the vegetable patch, and to have thrown stones onto the tin roof of the nearby presbytery because she was annoyed with the parish priest who lived there.