Mother Gonzaga Barry honoured with Trailblazer Award

At a ceremony held at Arts Centre Melbourne on 2 September 2025, The Hon. Natalie Hutchins MP, Minister for Women, formally inducted Mother Gonzaga Barry and 23 other remarkable women. On behalf of Mother Gonzaga, the award was received by Felicity Knobel, Director of Mission, Loreto College Ballarat, and Michelle McCarty, Director of Mission and Leadership, Loreto Toorak, with the role of Mother Gonzaga symbolically represented by Eva Cummins, a Year 9 student from Loreto College Ballarat.

A visionary educator and trailblazer
One of four inductees in the Trailblazer category, Mother Gonzaga Barry was truly ahead of her time. She led the first group of Loreto Sisters - members of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) - who arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1875. From Ballarat, her work expanded through Victoria with schools in Portland and Melbourne, ultimately inspiring the establishment of Loreto schools across Australia.
In Victoria, Loreto College Ballarat and Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, together with Loreto Kirribilli and Loreto Normanhurst in New South Wales, Loreto College Marryatville in South Australia, and Loreto College Coorparoo in Queensland, stand as enduring testimony to her vision for the education of girls. Several current parish primary schools in Ballarat also trace their foundations to her initiative.
As she herself once wrote: “There is no subject of greater, perhaps as great, importance to a nation as that of its women’s education.”
Her achievements included:

• Founding Loreto College Ballarat and expanding Loreto education to Portland and Melbourne.
• Founding Loreto Kirribilli in Sydney, after a long search for a home, with the help of benefactress Mrs Sarah Heaton.
• Navigating church politics, property acquisition, curriculum reform, and social justice advocacy with intelligence and resolve.
• Establishing early childhood education in Victoria and pioneering the kindergarten movement.
• Establishing Teacher Training Colleges in Ballarat and South Melbourne, preparing women for roles as professional educators.
• Founding St Mary’s College at the University of Melbourne — the first residential college for women in Australia.
• Championing equal access to education for girls, ensuring the same academic quality as their brothers.
• Promoting a holistic education, nurturing both heart and mind through arts, science, and humanities.

“Mother Gonzaga Barry’s courage and leadership transformed the educational landscape for women in this country,” said Wendy Hildebrand, Province Leader, Loreto Australia and South East Asia. “Her induction into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women is not only a tribute to her life, but also to the thousands of women and men who continue her vision today in schools, ministries, and communities across Australia and beyond.”
The Victorian Honour Roll of Women honours women whose leadership, service, and innovation have made a lasting contribution to the state. This year’s inductees represent diverse fields of endeavour, and the Loreto Sisters are deeply proud to see one of their founders recognised among them.
As Loreto marks 150 years in Australia, celebrations and initiatives are being held across the country to honour the legacy of Mother Gonzaga Barry and the founding companions. Their courage, vision, and commitment to the Gospel continue to inspire future generations to 'do much' in the service of justice, freedom, and truth.