The Evolution of the Santa Maria Sports Uniform
- August 4, 2020
Sport has always been a part of the curriculum at the College. Various sports have been played by Santa Maria students, with the College participating in interhouse and interschool competitions since the late 1930s.
At that time, a green cotton tunic, shorter than the school uniform was worn over a red blouse for interschool sports and by some students during their physical education lessons. The girls also wore tennis shoes and dark coloured socks. When playing tennis at school the girls often played in their school uniforms.
We’ve been told that in the early days, the girls knitted swimming costumes, but they didn’t last for long. It appears from the images in the College archive collection that there was not a College swimming costume until the 1970s.
1940s
In the late 1940s, it appears a sports uniform was not always worn. The College collection has numerous photographs of interhouse meets from the post-war period where the sports uniform appears to be absent and the girls are wearing their school uniform to participate. Sports uniform was worn only at interschool meets.
1950s
In the 1950s the green cotton tunic became lighter in colour and the blouse also appears to be in a range of colours. There was then a radical move to a short cotton tunic (button through at the front, sleeveless, full skirt, fitted bodice) in a light green colour worn with a short sleeve blouse and tennis shoes. The blouse could either be a light colour or white. The house colour was denoted by a long ribbon pinned to the left or right shoulder.
1960s
In the early 1960s the socks, the coloured short sleeve blouse and a belt (like a curtain cord with a tassel on either end) denoted your House. The short, box pleated cotton tunic in the same colour as the pinafore, was again worn for sport, the button through tunic apparently disappearing.
1970s
By the early 1970s the sports uniform had become a top and skirt. The top was green with no sleeves, a square yoke and split sides. There was a placket of red in the back. The skirt was also green, had open box pleats with red inserts to allow for movement.
By this time the girls were wearing white on the tennis courts. In the mid-1970s there were different uniforms for different sports:
- Athletics: a sleeveless green blouse with a collar and zip front worn with a short wrap-around skirt over green shorts
- Swimming: green and white one-piece racing bathers
- Basketball: a polo top with a wrap-around skirt or shorts
- Netball: square yoke sleeveless top with Santa Maria crest, skirt from former uniform
By the late 1970s the sports uniform had changed from the light green sleeveless top to a green sleeveless top with a zip front and a wrap-around skirt.
1980s
In the early 1980s the sports uniform changed again to a sleeveless green top with a red collar and piped edges, a pleated wrap-around skirt, and a white windcheater with the College crest.
In the Golden Jubilee years of 1987 and 1988 the sports uniform changed again. A white polo shirt with the College crest replaced the green top of the early 1980s uniform. The crest was white on a dark background. This uniform was continued into the 1990s with additions for specialised sports such as:
- Basketball: a white sleeveless top, v-neck with SMC and the player number OR a round neck no sleeve top with vertical stripe
- Swimming: plain green one-piece racing bathers with cross-over straps at the back
- ‘Aussie sports’ leaders wore a striped rugby shirt
1990s
In the early 1990s a change in the College crest and a line of colour was added to the collar of the white polo shirt and by 1997 red shorts with SMC had been introduced, although skirts were still worn for some sports.
2000s
By the early 2000s the sports uniform consisted of the red shorts with SMC on the side or a red pleated skirt worn with a white polo shirt. There was also a track suit with green pants and white top with crest (colours around neck and wrists) and the optional green rugby shirt with red and white strip.
TODAY
Today the College sports uniform consists of the College tracksuit, red shorts and a white polo shirt with College crest or, for interhouse sports, a coloured House shirt with House crest. There has been a return of the white sports windcheater, similar to one worn in previous years.
With the introduction of many water sports, the College has a black one-piece bathing suit with red school branding. There is also a black rashie with the College crest that girls can wear for swimming and a pink rashie for Outdoor Education sports such as surfing and sailing.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.