We are all aware of the immense value St Dominic's has contributed to the New Zealand Deaf education sector. St Dominic’s School for the Deaf opened in 1944 to provide a Catholic based education to deaf children, and ran for 45 years before closing in May 1989. SignDNA is thrilled that the St Dominic's Catholic Deaf Centre in Palmerston North has donated their full collection of St Dominic's video footage to SignDNA, along with hundreds of documents and photos. Thanks to the Catholic Deaf leadership and David Loving-Molloy for their support.

  • Deaf Education
1969
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: 1969 (Vol. 6, No. 3)

1965
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: Autumn 1965 (Vol. 2, No. 3)

1944
article – Taonga source: NZ Tablet

Catholic Education For Deaf-Mute Children

The story of Catholic Deaf-Mute education, what has been done for deaf students by Dominican Nuns, and the new St. Dominic’s School for Deaf Children in Wellington.
2017
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Deaf Southern Star: 2017 (Vol. 39, No. 3)

St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1970
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Teaching the Deaf: St Dominic’s School for the Deaf in Feilding

What was school life was like for pupils who attended St Dominic’s School for the Deaf in Feilding? Footage includes hearing tests, classroom teaching, and celebrating a pupil’s 5th birthday with his classmates, before Mass with the Sisters.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1965
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

St Dominic’s gives a Catholic education to Deaf boys and girls

Several clips of teaching and classroom scenes at St Dominic’s School for the Deaf, with one-on-one speech therapy, oral communication methods, a physical education class, the Rotarians Picnic Drive, playing with jet aeroplanes, folk dancing and their annual Christmas party.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1968
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: Winter 1968 (Vol. 5, No. 4)

1990
article – Taonga source: Unknown

Trying to keep St Dominics

An attempt is being made to keep the St Dominics complex - the house, hostel wind and teaching facilities - as a Feilding-owned business or trust.
1960s
video – Taonga source: Manawatu Deaf Society

St Dominics Gala

St Dominics School for the Deaf hold their annual Gala Day – year unknown.
Manawatu Deaf Society
1989-90
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

St Dominic’s 45th Jubilee

There are many speeches from past pupils and staff recalling their time at St Dominic’s. The casually filmed footage covers part of the four-day 45th reunion at St Dominic’s School for the Deaf, with many speeches from past pupils and staff recalling their time at St Dominic’s.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1968
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

A Deaf Child in the Family

“A Deaf Child in the Family” is an award-winning film which shows authentic scenes from Deaf education centres at Kelston, St Dominics and Sumner, produced as a resource for families of deaf children.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1994
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Celebrations at the St Dominic’s Golden Jubilee

Footage from the 50th Jubilee of St Dominic’s School for the Deaf, with over 200 people attending a weekend of festivities at the Fielding Racecourse during the Anzac Weekend of April 1995.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
2002
video – Taonga source: Dorothy Jones

Memories of Marlene Rush

Marlene Rush was the 20th Deaf student to enrol at St Dominics School for the Deaf in 1946. Marlene looks back on her life and involvement with the Deaf community.
Dorothy Jones
1994
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

1944 – 1994: St Dominic’s celebrates its Golden Jubilee!

Around 250 people attended the 50th Jubilee, commemorating 50 years of St Dominic’s School for the Deaf. Footage shows many old photo albums, reunion photos being taken, a Jubilee Mass and a visit to the old Dover Street school grounds.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1994
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Pilgrimage to the original St Dominic’s Wellington school

A group of past pupils visit the original Dover Street location in Island Bay, Wellington, as part of the Golden Jubilee of the founding of St Dominic’s School for the Deaf.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1994
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Ex-pupils visit the old St Dominic’s school in Feilding

A tour of the old St Dominic’s school grounds in Feilding as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in April 1994. Ex-pupils explore the old school grounds and reminisce about their time here.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1955-65
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

A montage of St Dominic’s Christmas Picnics between 1955 and 1965

Footage from 1955 – 1965 during the annual Christmas Picnics held by St Dominic’s School for the Deaf in Island Bay. In New Zealand fashion, Santa arrives on horseback, bringing presents to the pupils who all take turns riding the horse!
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1989
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Last Reunion on St Dominic’s Feilding Grounds

The four-day festivities at St Dominic’s School for the Deaf during New Year’s 1989/1990 were a weekend full of activities! It was the last such event on the St Dominic’s Feilding grounds with a deaf unit set-up at St Joseph’s School in Feilding in May 1989.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
2018
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Deaf Southern Star: 2018 (Vol. 40, No. 1)

St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1989-90
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Four days of festivities at St Dominic’s 45th Jubilee

Footage of the St Dominic’s four-day 45th reunion depicts the cutting of the cake, friends, classmates and family catching up over a picnic on the lawn of the school grounds.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1987
video – Taonga source: Television New Zealand Archive

Parents speak of their fears for the future of St Dominic’s School for Deaf Children

Following the potential closure of St Dominic's, parents express their concerns at a community meeting for their deaf children’s future if they were to be mainstreamed into a local school.
Television New Zealand Archive
2010
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Deaf Southern Star: 2010 (Vol. 32, No. 3)

St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1965
video – Taonga source: Mary Johnson

St Dominic School for the Deaf, Fielding: First Reunion, 1965

St Dominics School for the Deaf in Fielding celebrates their first school reunion in 1965. The reunion was one year after the school had relocated to Fielding from Wellington.
Mary Johnson
1971
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: 1971 (Vol. 8, No. 2)

1965
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Twenty-One Years: St Dominic’s at Feilding

A look at St Dominic’s School for the Deaf twenty-one years after its opening at Dover Street, to its relocation to Feilding. ‘Twenty-One Years’ features speech therapy, classroom activities and ballet, swimming and sewing lessons, as well as its infamous Gala Day and a Mass in its Chapel.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1989
article – Taonga source: Unknown

Fielding school for deaf closes

New Government policy on educating disabled children has ended more than three decades of teaching deaf children at St Dominic's in Feilding.
1965
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: Winter 1965 (Vol. 2, No. 4)

2004
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

St Dominic’s 60th Jubilee

Ex-pupils talk about their memories and tell stories about St Dominic’s at the 60th reunion in Feilding, during Waitangi Weekend in 2004.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
2011
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Deaf Southern Star: 2011 (Vol. 33, No. 2)

St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
2000
video – Taonga source: Dorothy Jones

Manawatu Deaf community farewells Terry O’Brien

The Manawatu Deaf community thanks Terry O’Brien for his service as a Teacher of the Deaf. Terry taught for over 30 years at Freyberg High School in Palmerston North which had a Deaf Unit that St Dominic’s pupils often went on to attend.
Dorothy Jones
1984
video – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

St Dominic’s School for the Deaf 40th Anniversary Reunion

Footage from the 40th Anniversary of St Dominic’s school for the Deaf in Feilding held in June of 1984. This video shows a tour of the school grounds, welcoming speeches to attendees and the celebrations that follow over the weekend.
St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre
1973
publication – Taonga source: New Zealand Deaf News

NZ Deaf News: 1973 (Vol. 10, No. 4)

2011
publication – Taonga source: St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre

Deaf Southern Star: 2011 (Vol. 33, No. 4)

St Dominic’s Catholic Deaf Centre