Anyone At The Franciscan Convent From 1960 1964. My Name Was Barbara O' Hagan

Hi Barbara - sorry for not responding sooner but I have been away twice in the last five weeks. I did want to get in touch but I am not on Facebook so I am putting my mobile on here 07932464904. Hope you get it.

Hi Alexandra, good to hear from you.
I live in the USA, so not sure where your phone number located...
I Remember most of my classmates from back then, thank god! 😊 Irena Davis (nickname Teepee, not sure of spelling)
Paula O'Shea, Juliet Garrett, Orenana Enrico, Elizabeth Brown,
Renata and Angela Belini, Carol and Helen Petitt, Amanda Magee,
Suzanna Peters, those are a few that pop into mind besides you.
I remember all the nuns that you mentioned also sister Edna, she was always with us also.... I remember having to sleep in the "Top Room" and in the morning remember being back in our dormitory, I had slept walked all the way back down, haha ... And one time had gotten bubble gum in someone's hair on top, not sure if it was you and I cut the area off with scissors, so the nuns wouldn't find out, but like everything else they did... Do you remember the incident with the crayon? It happened to you? I will wait and see if you remember... So many other memories nice to chat with you about the experiences we had there... I have not been able to get back, I came to America right after I left there in 1964 and do not like flying anymore so we have talked about taking the boat over, but it hasn't happened yet 😟 Wish you where on Facebook, so you could see my pics from back at the time I went to the convent, if you don't remember me or what I looked like then...
I had left a memory on here a few years back and only heard from John Hopper, I have not heard from him since then, he still lives in England... Barbara😊

Hi Alexandra, good to hear from you.
I live in the USA, so not sure where your phone number located...
I Remember most of my classmates from back then, thank god! 😊 Irena Davis (nickname Teepee, not sure of spelling)
Paula O'Shea, Juliet Garrett, Orenana Enrico, Elizabeth Brown,
Renata and Angela Belini, Carol and Helen Petitt, Amanda Magee,
Suzanna Peters, those are a few that pop into mind besides you.
I remember all the nuns that you mentioned also sister Edna, she was always with us also.... I remember having to sleep in the "Top Room" and in the morning remember being back in our dormitory, I had slept walked all the way back down, haha ... And one time had gotten bubble gum in someone's hair on top, not sure if it was you and I cut the area off with scissors, so the nuns wouldn't find out, but like everything else they did... Do you remember the incident with the crayon? It happened to you? I will wait and see if you remember... So many other memories nice to chat with you about the experiences we had there... I have not been able to get back, I came to America right after I left there in 1964 and do not like flying anymore so we have talked about taking the boat over, but it hasn't happened yet 😟 Wish you where on Facebook, so you could see my pics from back at the time I went to the convent, if you don't remember me or what I looked like then...
I had left a memory on here a few years back and only heard from John Hopper, I have not heard from him since then, he still lives in England... Barbara😊

Hello Alex, hello Barbara, I remember you both. My name was Wendy Ayers and I was at this place from around 1960 until 1963, first as a day pupil and then as a weekly boarder. I also remember Elizabeth Brown, Juliet Garrett, Oriana Enrico, Julie Wheelan, Loretta Gniochi, Shelley Caulfield, Stella de la Gumlia, TP, Julie and Renata Bellini, Linda Nesling and many others. Alex, the end of your bed butted on to the side of mine in the dormitory. You were six when I began boarding there; I would have been just nine. I remember taking you to the bathroom (the one with the three tubs where you lined uo to share the tepid, dirty water) when you threw up when we all had some bug. You were really upset and the nuns were not sympathetic.

I have often thought of you and wondered how you got on once you got out. You seem to have many happy memories of the place; I can't say the same for myself. Sr Attracta was a sadist - I can remember her beating Loretta Gniocchi black and blue with the side of a ruler. Even Sr Assumpta, who was also a dab hand at with a cane, was freaked. (Sr Bonaventure was the only decent teacher, she took the top class.) Always the boarders who were abused, I suppose they knew they couldn't get away with it with day pupils. Amd why on earth were three and four year olds at a boarding school? I know my parents sent me there after my brother died and my mother could not cope. I was quite happy as a day pupil, and although as a boarder I was never personally abused by any of the nuns I witnessed it frequently on other children. I'm glad you have happier memories of the place than me - all I can remember besides the viscious 'carers' was the terrible bullying by older girls which the nuns seemed to sanction. Oh - and the time the tree fell on the Rev Mother (Rose?) and killed her - the priest arrived on motor bike to administer the last rites! And the following winter the next Rev Mother fell in the fishpond while breaking the ice but was rescued.

I never expected to make any contact with anyone from that period of my life as until now I have successfully blotted it out! Although you seem to have been happy, the only happiness I can remember was the day my parents finally took me away. Oh - and the day I left all forms of Catholic education and never had to enter a Catholic church ever again ....

I wish the very best to both of you and to anyone else who was incarcerated in this place; I'd be interested to hear from any of you.

Hi Wendy, this is Barbara, (O'Hagan ) I remember a Wendy so that is probably you, if you have any pics I am sure I would recognize you... I remember Linda Nesting also she was a bit older that me, they had the older girls bathe before us younger ones, all from back then is very vivid still in my memories... my good memories are mostly of the other kids there with me and field trips we took, I have a lot of bad memories also, you may have seen me get beaten a few times in the dining room lined up along the cupboards, my beatings with the long bamboo cane were mostly done by sister Assumpta, the beatings were so not necessary, left welts on our legs and hands, think this is where the saying "putting the fear of God in you!" Originated!
They did a very good job of that, I tell people what it was like and they can't believe they did that, but they did... it is great reconnecting with you and Alexandra, wonder where everyone else got to, do you live in England still? When I left school there in 1964 we moved to Massachusetts in the U.S.A. Then I lived in Nebraska, and now near Tampa, Florida...
If you have any pics I would love to see them, I am on Facebook under Barbara Treblic Mason if you wish to friend me, I have pics of myself on there from England when I was younger.
Happy holidays hope to hear again from you..
Barbara :)

My name is Victor Lipko. I went to the convent from 1957 to 1961. My memories are not the best. The nuns were vicious, particularly sister phelomena. The food was terrible. The only good thing were the friends I made, but have lost touch with. I was a border with my brother George. If anyone remembers, let me know.

Victor, I am not sure I remember you, I believe I started at the convent when I was
6, probably around 1960...
Do you have any photos from school you could share?
Hope life for you, since our days in Boarding
School, has been good...
Barbara O' Hagan

Hi, My name is Charles Blascsok and I was a boarder at the convent from 1961-1964.
I really can't remember the names of fellow boarders, let alone the nuns but I have a few memories that I can share.
Of course the old nun who, while taking a walk during a storm had a big oak tree fall on her has to be the one that stands out amongst most of us.
The canings for the most trivial offences has to be the worst memory. Standing with your hands out in front of everybody in the dining room, hearing the 'whop' sound that the old bamboo cane made, and having it strike your palms - or more often your fingers as their aim wasn't the best - unfortunately these memories can't be erased and I was on the receiving end of that cane quite a few times!
Also remember playing cricket and standing behind the boy at bat, he swung at the ball, missed, and hit me in the head with the bat. Lots of blood and 3 stitches just above the eye.
The bath nights were also quite medieval, first in line got a bath so hot you were scalded as you sat down in it, the last in line got tepid water that was as brown as a river.
Going to bed early when the sun was still shining was also tough, but it stood me in good stead later when I moved to Northern Canada with 24 hour daylight in the summer!
Learning the old shillings and pence a farthings and such was hard as I recall, and Latin was particularly difficult.
Saturday mornings eating your parent supplied cereal were fun, as the radio was always on and more often than not Cliff Richard was singing his early hits. I suppose even the nuns enjoyed his voice! I did learn to hate porridge though.
I think my favourite food there was when, after playing outside on cold mornings, we were called inside to eat hot buttered toast made in the oven. Unlike most I don't remember what the dinners were like anymore.
The Saturday sweet ration paid with your pocket money was usually gone within an hour, and that was it for another week. However, at 64 and with a full set of teeth it probably did wonders for their longevity
I remember some of the outings, the trips to the barber shop in the village, catching tadpoles during the walks outside the wall.
One big outing was on a big boat going up a river somewhere.
We probably saw each other there, as I recall we had dance classes held together with the girls. Maybe we even trod on each others feet!
I am on Facebook if anyone wants to get in touch, and have a couple of old photos, one of which is Holy Communion 1963.

Hi Charles,
I don't recognize your name but I am sure we crossed paths since we were at the convent at the same time, I lived there from 1960 - 1964.
It was the best and worst of times there,
Just wish the nuns didn't humiliate and hurt us with those huge cane beatings, it sure did confuse the heck out of me then as far as the message the Catholic faith was giving us there and then to turn around and abuse us like that, I'm sure it lead to trust issues in many of our lives....
I remember lots of fun times also, maybe that boat trip you mentioned was on the Thames River, I went on that outing which included Canterbury Cathedral and other sites...
I remember when the Sister was killed by a falling tree during her walk also, so sad...
If you read previous comments I made on here, this site, I mentioned other memories and names of some Nuns and classmates, I am sure some will be familiar to you...
A couple fond memories swinging on the swings singing " Over the garden wall", we use to try to go high enough to see over the wall and see the Nuns tending to their vegetables in the garden...
The Chickens/Hens coop was right next to the swings, I always enjoyed chatting with them, haha...
I would love to see any pictures you have of our life back then, our classmate Alexandra Welch shared a few pictures with me, one a communion picture, which I had never seen and I happened to be in, I was so happy to receive it since I only had one picture from school back then and it is all blurry..
I love the pictures of the Convent this site provides...
Take care,
Barbara O' Hagan
P.S. I still love Porridge to this day 😝

Hi Barbara,
Send me an email address and I'll scan the photos and send them to you
All the best
Charles

Thank you, Charles 😊
I will look you up on FB
and send it to you...

Charles i looked on fb and only 1 with your name and says Yukon college and no other information...
Barbara

That's me
Send a friend request and we're away