Mid North Coast Pioneers - Newcastle to Lismore and beyond

Dear Cathryn,

Yes, your memory was correct. Archbishop Duhig bought the original "Pink
House" or "Kemendine" (spelling seems to vary) from the Deshon family in
1927 and Loreto bought the property from him and established Loreto Convent
Coorparoo.

The house was built in 1885 by Edward Deshon C.M.G., a British Officer of
the 68yh Light Infantry. During service in India, his father, Colonel
Deshon of the 17th Regiment, often visited Kemendine which was a place in
the Indian Hills where army officers went while on leave, to escape the
excessive heat of the plains. After service in the Crimean War, Edward
Deshon was also stationed in India and he also spent much of his leave at
Kimendine. His memories of Kemendine must have been happy as he gave this
name to the home he built at Coorparoo. The Deshons lived here for nearly
40 years before selling to Archbishop Duhig. Then the Deshon Estate was
subdivided by Belgaum Avenue, which cut off the present area of Loreto from
the rest of the Estate. This house was demolished in 1977 as it had become
beyond repair.

I have attached a couple of pictures of the old pink house which I guess you
will know well.