This article first appeared in Community History 3.4 december 1993, and is republished here with the permission of History SA.
There are two corrections to the MacKillop Banner entry:
1. The banner was made by Sister Teresa MacDonald in 1868, not by Mary MacKillop. Sister Teresa was one of the first two novices recruited to teach at the school house.
2. The banner therefore did not appear before the school house was built, as claimed in para 2. The school was built in 1867.
The corrections undercut the significance of the banner somewhat, but it is still highly significant as a founding Josephite object. It is still associated with Mary MacKillop, who was very much aware of its existence – Sister Agnes Smith, the other novice from 1868, wrote a note to her in November 1868 saying ‘Sister Teresa is busy working at the banner. It looks so nice – two lilies in raised work’.