St. Mary's Convent

The beautiful garden at the front of the new St. Mary's Convent Primary School.

4 years after re-opening the St. Mary's Boys School in August 15, 1887, Fr. Byron foresaw the need for a Girls' school. He traveled to Hong Kong to collect funds for the new school he was planning for the girls. He also tried to recruit schoolmaster and school mistress. He was able to open a new convent school on November 5, 1891, and not only that, he also obtained 4 Franciscan Sisters to run the school. The new school cost $4,600.00 and so began St. Mary's Convent. Education in Sandakan was thus consolidated and assured for some time to come.

The school was originally housed in a simple attap-roof building. The first floor was the living quarters of the nuns. Another part of the first floor was occupied by the boarders, orphans and babies. The ground floor was used as classrooms. It was estimated that there were about 100 occupants comprising of boys and girls who stayed in the convent as full-time or daily boarders.

The Japanese Occupation from January 21, 1942 created havoc to the school. The European priests and the Blue Systems namely Mother Immaculate, Mother Aloysius, Mother Francis and Sr. Consolate were taken prisoners at Berhala Island. The 4 pioneering local Blue nuns were left on their own to take care of the boarders on their own.

Two days before Christmas in 1942, the Japanese Military issued a three day notice to evacuate the whole mission school in Sandakan. The convent thus became the living quarters for the Japanese soldiers. There is still a tunnel behind the present convent which serves as a reminder of the Japanese occupation.

The European nuns were sent to the main prisoners camp in Kuching, Sarawak in January 1943 and remained there until the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945.   When the white nuns returned to Sandakan, they found the town completely devastated. The convent that they had built was completely destroyed. Sr. Edwarda, Sr. Cletus and Sr. Thaddeus had to start from scratch to rebuild the convent. One can visualise that the period after the war was a state of confusion both social and economical. However, with unshaken faith on God and determination, and with help from the local people, they managed to put up a building and started a new chapter in the education of young Sandakanites.

In 1954, Sr. Henreitta and Sr. St. John came to help with the administration and erection of the new school building which is the present St. Mary's Convent. Since then, the school has gone on track and achieved excellent  academic results in the Government examinations.

Today the school has sixteen classes split into morning and afternoon sessions with an enrolment of  684 students and a staff of 36. 

The old St. Mary's Convent

As a result of the increase in enrolement both in the kindergarten and primary schools, the nuns' living quarters which was part of the school building was moved to a newly built convent nearby in 1980. Likewise, the kindergarten has also moved to a new three storyed building in December 1990. With limited room for expansion, plans are made to relocate the school to Mile 2 behind the present St. Mary's Secondary School in 1993 .

The construction of the new school building was completed in early 1998 and by May 1998, the students of St. Mary's Convent will be moving into one of the most modern and spacious school in Sandakan,  thus entering into a new era in the education of young Malaysians  undertaken by the Catholic Mission.

The Franciscan Missionaries Sisters of St. Joseph have left us a school of good reputation which has always maintained a high level of excellence both academically and disciplinary.  It is with deep appreciation that we pay tribute to the Founders of St. Mary's convent for their invaluable dedication and service.

The headmistress,  Mrs. Rose Solibun, a Catholic  together with her staff pledge to undertake to continue the same spirit in upholding the heritage of   St. Mary's Convent which had been always the desired of the founding Blue Sisters.

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