In 2019 as part of our School Centenary the Calrossy Foundation established the Mary England (Melville 43) Alumni Scholarship.

But who was Mary England (Melville 43) ?

Mary was the eldest of five children, and hailed from Merridale near Come By Chance in Western NSW and began her early schooling via correspondence. After an inspection of what was then the Tamworth Church of England Girls’ School with her family. Mary was enrolled for the school year of 1941 and completed her intermediate certificate in 1943. Mary resided with 30 other girls as a boarder sleeping on the open verandas of Calrossy House, with two girls sharing a locker and shared hanging space for dresses. Mary also had cousins at the School, she never felt fully alone and quickly embraced all that School had to offer.

Mary made lifelong friends at school especially with students from the other years due to their shared travel experiences. To get to School from Merridale she would have to travel by car to the train station, catch the train to Werris Creek where they would have to wait for another train to take them to Tamworth before walking up the Brisbane Street hill with her luggage.

After leaving school Mary continued to put her heart and soul into the School she loved. Mary gave so many items to the Calrossy Archives and a lot of her work books and report cards are on display in the Drawing Room at Calrossy House, which is also named in her honour. 

Mary's contribution to the now Calrossy Anglican School Alumni was enormous and this is one reason the Calrossy Foundation named a Scholarship in Mary's honour. The work Mary did to keep people connected and abreast of the developments of their school and the way she promoted cross-generational links and was certainly ahead of her time. We are proud to continue the work of Mary and many others who have played significant roles across our Alumni community as we continue to encourage and engage with our alumni of all ages. The work of these people is greatly appreciated as they have continued to contribute to the life of our School beyond their own education, through maintaining a strong connection with their ‘alma mater’ and each other and this is truly a wonderful thing.

The Mary England (Melville 43) Scholarship is awarded to an applicant who is the child of Calrossy Anglican School alumni, who demonstrates the potential to make a significant positive contribution to the life of the School across a range of activities that may include academic studies, music, sport, agriculture, Christian involvement, public speaking and debating.

Calrossy Principal Mr. David Smith and other staff are returning to Sydney on Friday 27^th October where we will be hosting a Cocktail Evening at The Oaks Hotel. While Saturday 28^th October we are hosting a luncheon and screening of the Calrossy Our Light and Life documentary at The Epping Club. 

We warmly invite all of our Tamworth Church of England Girls' School, Calrossy Anglican School, Tamworth Anglican College and William Cowper Secondary Boys School Alumni to join us at these two wonderful locations for more information and to purchase tickets here.