Debutantes of Villa Maria

History of the 'Deb Ball' 

The first Debutante Ball took place on 29th April 1954 a combined effort of the Villa Old Girls Association (now Past Pupils' Association) and the P.T.A. The event was held at Christchurch's Winter Gardens and attended by eighteen senior girls who had left Villa Maria the year before. In 1968 the Sisters of Mercy were permitted to attend the ball for the first time, for years it had been the custom for of the girls attending the "Deb Ball" to come out to Villa before the event to show off their ball gowns to the sisters. By 1992 the event name was changed to ‘Leavers Ball.’ The event remained unchanged and still included being presented to the Bishop as the official mark of a young woman making her debut on the adult social scene. The Leavers’ Ball continued for another five years, running alongside the new Graduation event until 1998. That year was the Past Pupils’ Association 50th Jubilee. Having reached this notable milestone, the Association was prepared to lay its signature event to rest and look at new ways to involve itself with College life. A Leavers’ Dinner was instituted instead.

Christchurch photography studio Standish and Preece was founded in 1885 and operated until 2011, closing down after the Canterbury earthquakes.

Standish and Preece photographers captured a multitude of faces and the social history of Christchurch for more than 126 years, including Villa Maria's Debutante Ball!

Standish and Preece donated their photographic negatives dating up to the 1960s (around 36,000 photos) to Canterbury Museum in 1992. Another 39,000 photographs dating from 1960 until the studio’s closure in 2011 were donated to Canterbury Museum in 2017.

Below is a selection of photographs taken by Standish and Preece photographers of Villa Maria students and their families at Deb Balls through the 1980s and 1990s.