Desenzano

Desenzano Boarding House was named for a village on the shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy. Desenzano was the birthplace, in about 1474, of Angela Merici. 

Desenzano Boarding House consisted of two houses - Clio from 30 Taylor Street and Nuzella from 18 Rome Street.

The College began planning for a new Boarding House to be called Desenzano in the 1950s. 

1955: The Ursuline nuns purchased Clio at 30 Taylor Street which was initially owned by Robert and Sybil Hogarth, who also owned Kerrielaw (having bought Kerrielaw from Robert's mother in 1922). The Hogarths built Clio in 1922 to replace another home on the allotment, also called Clio, that had been destroyed by fire. In 1923 Clio was sold to well-known Toowoomba dentist, Thomas Andrew Margetts. Thomas Margetts died in 1953 and the property passed to Margetts' dental nurse, Miss Hilda Maude Washbourne, before it was purchased by the Ursuline Nuns.

1957: 16 Rome Street was received as a gift from relatives of one of the nuns and sold for removal. Clio was moved to 16 Rome Street and renamed Desenzano.

1973: The nuns realised that Desenzano needed expansion. 18 Rome Street was purchased and a Common Room was built to join it to Desenzano at 16 Rome Street. Consequently, 16 Rome Street was then affectionately known as Deso and 18 Rome Street as Zano. A tree was planted on the front lawns of Zano in memory of Boarding Captain, Debbie Real, who had died in a car accident.

1980: The House System for boarding was introduced with three houses named after significant places in St Angela's life, Brescia, Desenzano and Garda. Each house was made up of vertical groups with girls from Years 8 through 12 in each.

1994: Both houses were moved down Rome Street to 10 and 12 Rome Street to make way for Brudazzo Block. Debbie Real's tree was transplanted into Brudazzo courtyard and Deso was elevated to allow for a common room underneath.

2002: To make way for the Salo Centre project, Desenzano Boarding House was sold for removal. Deso went to Mt Mee and Zano to 31 Reis Road, Highfields.

2016:

2018:

To find out more about Desenzano Boarding House make an appointment with the Resource Centre staff to visit the College Archives.

Disclaimer - While every effort is made to ensure that information or data provided on this site is accurate and current, it is only intended as Archival reference.