Schoolmates reunited after 70 Years at Kildare Court

December 18, 2023

Pictured left to right: Sister Faye Kenny, Jo Mercer, and Sister Maureen Keady 

It’s a relationship that’s been more than seven decades in the making and one with Southern Cross Care at its heart. 

Jo Mercer, Sister Faye Kenny, and Sister Maureen Keady, graduated with Randwick’s Brigidine College Class of 1951, and while they have spent the past 70 years living around the world, incredibly have ended up back together.

The trio are all now residents at Maroubra’s Kildare Court, once the convent of the Brigidine Sisters who taught them, and which was taken over by Southern Cross Care in 2000.

The life-long friends have kept in touch over the years, with newest residents Jo, 89, and her husband David, 94, purchasing their apartment and moving interstate on the recommendation of their two school friends. 

Despite a gruelling 27-hour journey from Adelaide after their train broke down, the couple are so pleased they made the move and said, “it already feels like home”.

“It’s just so wonderful to be here, it’s only been a week and we both truly feel like we are where we are meant to be,” Jo said.

“Living in Adelaide without any family was getting quite difficult so we knew we needed to do it and hearing how happy Faye and Maureen were at Kildare Court, we decided to join them.

“We sold our house relatively quickly and bought our new apartment just by looking at pictures on the internet.

“I guess we took a leap of faith and it certainly paid off.

“Packing up and moving interstate is hard at any age and we did find it a challenge, but it’s also something we are so glad to have done.

“We love the apartment, it’s beautiful and has everything we need, and having my two friends here is the icing on the cake.

“If you had asked me 72-years ago when we left school if I thought we’d all end up living together I’d have just laughed, but here we are and couldn’t be happier.”

Both Sister Faye and Sister Maureen agree it’s a real blessing reuniting with their school friend after so many years.

“We have always kept in touch, either over the phone or via letters and more recently email but all living in the same place is so lovely,” Sister Maureen said.

“It just shows God really does have a hand in everything.

“We are so happy living here and couldn’t recommend Kildare Court more highly, we just love it.”