School

History of School

“On January 21, 1924, four Sisters of Mercy became the foundation members of St Brigid’s Convent of Mercy, Mungindi. The school began to function on January 28, when the first pupils were enrolled. The opening and blessing of the convent and school took place on March 30, 1924 and was performed by Bishop Rt Rev Dr O’Connor.

School was taught in the church and in a shed between the church and the convent. This was later moved to the present site of the hall and extensions were added. The school was built in the 1930’s, and perhaps it was at this time that it stopped being called St Brigid’s and became St Joseph’s.

It was with great sorrow the parishioners learnt at a meeting in the school hall in 1975, that the Sisters of Mercy would no longer be able to supply Sisters to teach at the school. A school board was formed then to help keep the school running. The Mercy nuns ran the boarding facilities until the end of 1980, when they had to leave. Fr Bill Dowd and Mrs Anne Smith (current secretary) were instrumental in encouraging the Little Company of Mary Sisters to come and run the boarding school and work in the parish. They worked until the end of 1983. This was the end of an era. St Joseph’s was no longer a boarding school and there were no nuns in the parish.”

(Excerpt History of Mungindi to 1988. pp 198-199

Building extensions were carried out and later blessed by Bishop Kennedy on 1^st April, 1984. These extensions were the first of a series of renovations and development carried out over the next 10 years. These include a renovation of the original school building and the school hall, replacing the roof of the school library/hall, building a new toilet block, extending shade shelters and the establishment of a whole school beautification program.

With the departure of the religious Sisters in 1977, the school has had lay Principal’s ever since.