Sr Joan was herself a boarder at Mt. Carmel College and entered the convent on completion of fifth year (now Year 12) at 17 years of age.

As a teacher in Yass, she taught science, history, maths and English. She is fondly remembered as a netball coach. Netball was just starting in Yass and Sr Joan, as our sports teacher, was invited to enter teams in the Saturday afternoon competition. She encouraged all girls to "have a go", gave them confidence in themselves and before long she had teams in all grades, day pupils and boarders alike and over the years won five premierships. Most of us played on for many years even after leaving school.

Sr Joan was a pretty sharp tennis player and loved to play with or against the boarders. She even recruited local footballers from the Magpies to coach her Mt Carmel boys and at practice took her turn passing the football, giving as good as she got. Among "her" boys were Neville and Owen Hall, Peter and Paul Vitler and Kerry Horton who all went on to play senior league. She was delighted (as we all were) when the senior Magpies won their first premiership in 1959 and again in 2006 when she tuned into the radio and listened to the game, not knowing many of the players.

Sr Joan will be remembered as a kind, humble and patient soul and very much a "good scout". Her gift of singing was amazing. She sang at Sr Brenda's funeral only three weeks before her untimely passing. She loved catching up with old friends at our school re-unions and her contact with us kept her in touch with many of them.

As well as many ex-students, several families from Yass attended her funeral service at the Holy Family Church at Gowrie, last Thursday.

She is now at home in heaven where, as she always signed off - shades are falling, night is near.

God Bless

Contributed by Helen Hall and Chesne Harrison