St JOSEPH'S CONVENT CHAMPION REEF, KGF

 St Joseph’s Convent Champion Reefs, was established more than 165 years ago. I'm sharing below a writeup about the origins of St Joseph's Convent Champion Reefs from the Official website of the St Joseph of Tarbes Bangalore about the Origins and history of the Convent and School. As mentioned, in the official website, 2 schools (ie one English Medium and one Tamil Medium School) were started in the premises of the St Mary's Church in Champion Reef which was damaged in the Rock Burst of 23rd Jan 1952 which completely destroyed the Church and the Convent and  School. The Church was later rebuilt and renamed Our Lady of Victories Church, while the school was shifted to the Bungalow of Mr Arthur Taylor . This is the Link to the Official Website 

http://www.sjtbangalore.in/k-g-f-champion-reefs.html   

The impact of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Bangalore and Coonoor was felt far and wide like the fragrance of the rose. Calls came from everywhere. In the year 1904, there were Frs. J. Fraysse, J. F. Pesscin, and G. Lazaro taking care of the vast Catholic population in the entire K. G. F. area. Fr. Fraysse, the parish priest, invited our Sisters to Kolar to open a school for the children of the Mining Officers who were almost all Europeans and Eurasians. There were several local people who migrated from Dharmapuri and other places to work in the mines. Their children also needed a school.

Mother Marie Flavie, the Regional Superior of Bangalore at that time, responded to this call with the consent of the Superior General. Four European Sisters and one Indian Sister were selected to take up the mission. They were : Mother Marie Beatrix, Srs. Marie Dorothee, Marie Angeline and Teresa of Jesus – all three Europeans and Sr. Marie Anselmina ( Indian ). The community was blessed and inaugurated on the 9th of January 1904. Two separate schools were started – the European school for children of the Officers with 22 children and an Indian school for children of the mining workers with 6 – 7 children, in St. Mary’s Church compound, on January 15th 1904. 

Many Sisters, young and old, have worked in this Institution with great zeal.

In the year 2004 the Champion Reefs community and school celebrated the centenary of its foundation. Stepping into another century, the Sisters have envisioned not only to enlighten 4,500 students in the campus but also to empower women and to redress the pangs of the fangs left on miners. The toil of the Sisters has taken shape not only in education, but also in a boarding house for about 70 poor girls, medical care of the aged, the midday meal programme, house visiting and pastoral activities.

Old Photographs of KGF

A collage of old photographs of KGF showing the Oorgaum Hall, St Michael and All Angels Church, the KGF Mining Company Hospital and the bungalow that was allotted to the Doctors of the Mining Hospital in at Champion Reef, KGF.

Collection of photographs of KGF School Oorgaum later renamed as Parkinson Memorial School

St Joseph's Convent Champion Reef KGF

 

 

ST JOSEPH'S CONVENT, CHAMPION REEFS, K G F

St. Joseph’s Convent, Champion Reefs, K G F was established more than 105 years ago. The school celebrated its centenary year in 2004-.

Let me give you a short history of the origins of the St Joseph's Convent School. Fr. Fraysse, the first Parish Priest of St Mary’s Church, Champion Reefs, invited the Sisters of St Joseph of Tarbes who had established convents and schools in Bangalore and Conoor in the Nilgiris, to open an English school and a Tamil Vernacular School in KGF, to meet the urgent need for education of girls. The Regional Superior of The Order of St Joseph of Tarbes at Bangalore after obtaining the necessary permission and consent of the Superior General in the Mother House in France, deputed four European Nuns and one Indian Nun to take up this mission in Kolar Gold Fields. The Convent community was blessed and inaugurated on the 9th of January 1904.

On January 15^th 1904, two separate schools were started by the Sisters of St Joseph of Tarbes. An English School with 22 children and a Tamil School with 7 children, in premises of St Mary’s Church compound in Champion Reefs. Sister Teresa of Jesus was the headmistress of both the schools. The school building was a simple structure with a tin roof. The Bishop of Mysore, sanctioned an amount of Rs. 50.00 each per month as salary to the five Nuns, so long as they were not subsidized by the Company or the Mysore Government!!!

These schools functioned in the premises of St Mary’s Church (which was later to ne renamed as Our Lady of Victories Church )right up to January 1952. However, early in the morning of the 23rd of January 1952, there was a massive Air Blast or Rock Burst which is quite common in the mines. It was such a severe Rock Burst, that St Mary’s Church, the Presbytery, the Convent and the School Buildings all collapsed to the ground. Luckily, no one was injured or no lives were lost. But the buildings were completely destroyed.

Mr. Morgan, The Chief Medical Officer of the Company Hospital, which was near St Mary’s Church, took the Sisters to the Hospital premises and vacated one of the wards to accommodate them for the day. That evening he arranged for their indefinite stay at the Bungalow of the General Manager of the Mines, Mr. Arthur Taylor in Champion Reefs, who was away in England on a holiday as half of his house was vacant.

Even though this bungalow was huge and quite spacious it was insufficient to accommodate the Convent and the school with so many students. So while half of the main house, the garage and servants quarters were made use of for the Convent, the classes were held under the trees and in temporary sheds.

                                                                                                                   

Mr. Arthur Taylor on his return to KGF from the UK shifted to another Bungalow, (near the First grade College and which is now the Mining Office) and later sold this Bungalow to the nuns. It thus became the nun’s living quarters. In course of time, two more floors were added to it, which is still in use today. The school slowly expanded and huge class rooms were built around the nun’s house on the land given to the school by the Company.

Today, the huge buildings and class rooms bear witness to the development of the school through the ages. St Joseph’s Convent also had a Tamil Section School as well as the English medium School. There was also a Private School for the more privileged students. The convent also had an orphanage for abandoned children as well as a home for destitute and abandoned women. These women were employed in various capacities in the school and convent and were looked after well by the nuns.

I was privileged to have studied in St Joseph’s Convent school at Champion Reefs. St.  Joseph’s Convent which established more than 105 years ago. The school celebrated its   centenary year in 2004-05. The Convent school had well equipped Science laboratories. There were separate physics labs, chemistry labs, Botany and Zoology labs. The libraries had a vast collection of reference books, Story books, Novels as well as rare and old manuscripts.

Our schooling years were great thanks to our wonderful teachers. The teachers were all highly qualified and were kind as well as strict. They instilled the basic human values in us that still hold good today. They taught us the importance of hard work, dignity, honesty, integrity and to strive for excellence in whatever we did. They motivated us to rise above the mediocre and strive for bigger things. Many of the old students of St Joseph’s Convent also hold high positions in various parts of the world. They are teachers, doctors, engineers, computer professionals, etc around the world.

Read more about St Joseph's Convent in my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE

St Joseph's Convent , Champion Reefs, KGF -- Rock Burst of 23rd Jan 1592 - The School Building was razed to the ground

I'm reproducing below an account from the official website of St Joseph of Tarbes Bangalore about the THE HISTORY OF ST JOSEPH'S CONVENT IN CHAMPION REEFS KGF, regarding the Rock Burst of 23rd Jan 1952 which completely destroyed the Church and the Convent and  School. These are the Links 

http://www.sjtbangalore.in/k-g-f-champion-reefs.html 

 http://sjtbangalore.org/champion-reefs.html 

AN UNEXPECTED CALAMITY

In the early 1950s, Fr Alexander D'Sa was the Parish Priest of St Mary's Church in Champion Reefs; Fr Gracian was the assistant and Fr Joseph Rajappa was the Head Master of St Mary's (Parish) Boys' High School. Early in the morning on the 23rd of January 1952, Fr Rajappa (late Bishop Rajappa of Kurnool), had just completed Holy Mass in the Church and all the people had gone out. The Sisters were still in the Chapel praying the Divine Office, when there was a loud sound. The buildings came crumbling down. A Rock Burst! All the Sisters were trapped under the debris.Fortunately, the Sisters' cook, a young girl, with ready presence of mind, kicked opens the door from the outside. The Sisters crawled out. Sr Vincentia being very tall, had to be literally dragged out. In the process her right wrist was dislocated. Sr. Teresa of the Trinity looked up and a tile fell on her nose and cut it. Sr Eugene Marie had a cut on her head. The Church, the presbytery, the Convent and the Schools -all collapsed to the ground. One can imagine the plight of the poor missionaries- Sisters and Fathers! Mother Anne, the Superior, was away in France. On her return journey, she heard this shocking news in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka). She could not rush faster than she did, due to the mode of travel in those days! Our Sisters were dazed; but strong in their faith, they stood firm before the ruined buildings. They knew our 'Heavenly Father, who feeds the birds of the air and the lilies of the field' would also carry them through.

Mr. Morgan, The Chief Medical Officer of the Government Hospital, took the Sisters to the Hospital premises, vacated one of the wards to accommodate them for the day. He provided them with food the whole day. That evening he arranged for their stay at the bungalow of the General Manager of the Mines, Mr. Arthur Taylor, who was away in England on a holiday and half of his house was vacant. It was spacious enough for a family but too small for a convent and a school, with 1,700 children. The garage, workers' quarters were all used. Some of the Sisters were accommodated there. Our Sisters of Robertsonpet, Coromandel and Marikuppam came to their rescue in accommodating the rest of them. Parishioners and well- wishers flocked to the Church premises to offer comfort and help in this distressing situation. Classes were held under the trees too. Good Fr Stan Aranjo, the Parish Priest of Robertsonpet and our Sisters of Robertsonpet, accommodated the children in their school. They put themselves out to help, by organising the shift system for this purpose. There was this heroic sacrifice on the part of everyone who was involved in this hour of need. Considering the need of the Sisters, Mr. Arthur Taylor agreed to sell the bungalow to the Sisters for Rs 1,00,000/-. The Church and the Sisters could not afford this amount. So our Superiors in Cantaous, approached our Sisters in South America, Peru and Venezuela who provided the money required. The house was purchased.The Sisters sat on the steps of their own beautiful house and had their first supper,
grateful to their benefactresses and recalling the experience of our first Holy Foundresses. Looking around at the beautiful garden and the lawns, they experienced a joy as if they were in a dream! But it was not a dream; it was true! This was their house! "All things work out well for those who believe." They could walk around freely and have place enough to accommodate all the people who would come in and whom they would serve, thanks to all their generous benefactors! Mother Beatrix and some of her co-Foundresses must have been the main instruments from heaven above, interceding for this happy turn of events! The Mines were still under the British even after five years of Independence! The mining people were still using the premises. Fr. A. D'Sa, parish priest came to the rescue of the Sisters whenever there was a problem. The Sisters accommodated the European children on the verandah of the house. The Indian School classes were held under the trees and in the domestic workers' quarters, till they were able to put up classrooms gradually. Those for whom place was not sufficient, the Parish school of Robertsonpet continued to accommodate. Communion in action!

Tha Original Bungalow still continues to be the Nun's Living Quarters till today!!!