Dr Maree Ganley celebrated the launch of her book, The Long Road to School: Sea Pictures of a Convent Boarding School: St Ursula’s College, in Yeppoon on Tuesday 24 November.

Guests present at the launch, held at St Ursula’s College, included members of the College Board, past students, and Capricorn Coast Parish Priest, Fr Matthew Moloney.

Head of Religious and Cultural Studies at St Ursula’s, Ms Kathy Strelow, formally introduced Dr Ganley to the audience.

In her address, Ms Strelow noted one of the themes which emerged in the text was the powerful legacy left by the Presentation Sisters.

“The stories are poignant, as the reader realises how hard the Sisters worked,” Ms Strelow said.

“Findings and years of research are now accessible to the wider community,” said Ms Strelow.

Dr Ganley presented two fully restored works of art by Doris Whitwell - a student of the College in the 1920s – to St Ursula’s Principal, Mrs Catherine Dunbar, so that they could be enjoyed by future generations of students.

“We are truly delighted to receive these artworks, Ships on the Fitzroy (1922) and Twin Dogs (1923) which were drawn by Doris when she was a teenager at the College, and sourced by Dr Ganley during her extensive research,” Mrs Dunbar said.