Jill Blee. From the Murray to the Sea: The History of Catholic Education in the Ballarat Diocese.

JILL BLEE. From the Murray to the Sea: The History of Catholic Education in the Ballarat Diocese. Catholic Education Office, Ballarat and Indra Publishing, Ballarat, 2004; ISBN 1 920787 09 7; 181 pages.

The telling of the Christian story has always been at the heart of the Christian community. In his introduction to this impressive new history of Catholic education in the Ballarat Diocese, Bishop Connors reminds readers that, early in the life of the Church, the writers of the Gospels saw a need for a written account of the ministry of the first Christian teacher, Jesus Christ. Recent years have seen a growing and impressive collection of books published, telling the story of the Australia Church, many written by well-qualified historians. Jill Blee's book is a very worthwhile contribution to the field.

Dr Blee is an historian with a particular interest in Irish and Irish-Australian history. She also writes well, and a particular strength of the book is her ability to weave the Ballarat story around the relevant and significant national and international events which shaped and influenced it. This is a very well-researched and readable book.

The generous and heroic contribution of the religious orders to Catholic education in Ballarat is well-documented in this publication. The various congregations of religious nuns, brothers and priests, are introduced with brief, but comprehensive information about their particular history and charism. The strong and enduring contribution they made to the dynamic, contemporary Australian Catholic school system can never be underestimated, and is well-documented in this book.

A particularly pleasing feature of the story is the inclusion of at least some recognition of the role lay people have played in the Catholic schools system. Since the beginning, lay teachers have been an important part of Catholic education, but they often receive scant attention in the story. At least some of these generous souls are named and recognised in this publication, such as Margaret Bowman, who taught for over fifty years in Koroit. Unfortunately, and in common with many histories of schooling, the students do not find a significant place here; to recreate the world of the classroom of the past, and give voice to the students, is an ongoing challenge for historians of education.

The many illustrations are a strong feature of the publication. In particular, the pictures of many fine buildings, scattered across country Victoria, are delightful. From humble school houses to very impressive convents and colleges, built by a Catholic community who were mostly poor by the standards of the time, they provide a great witness to the faith and trust of the Catholic people, and the vision of their leaders. This book is a valuable record of that great story.

Mark Askew