School

Parish’s Name 

  • St Brigid’s, Quirindi

School established 

Principals and enrolled number of students 

Year Principal Feb Enrolment Aug Enrolment Oct Enrolment
1987- 2004  Miss Leonie Bashall (first lay principal)    Aug 2003 – 75  
2005  Carmel McCosker

Feb 2007 – 62

Feb 2008 – 57

Feb 2009 – 55

Aug 2005 – 60  

 

Catholic Education began in Quirindi with two women, Mrs Killow, and Mrs Wallow, who taught Catholic children in the slab church on the corner of Thomas and Hill St. A school was established in January 1885 with the arrival from Lochinvar of three black habit of the St Joseph’s Sisters. Quirindi was then in the Gunnedah Parish in the Diocese of Maitland.

In 1887 following the re-organisation of Diocesan boundaries, Quirindi was incorporated into the Armidale Diocese and the Sisters from Lockinvar were withdrawn and returned to Maitland.

In 1888, following a request to Mother Mary MacKillop from Bishop Torreggiani, a community of four sisters of the brown habit of St Joseph, was established in Quirindi, to run a school with an enrolment of 67 children. These nuns came from Mount Street, North Sydney.

The convent was then on land where the present church stands. In 1895 the present convent was built. Mother Mary was present at the blessing and opening on the89th December 1895. A new school was opened in 1899, built on convent property.

By 1905 the school enrolment had increased to 141 pupils and the Community had extended to six sisters. At this time Quirindi was the Provincial House and remained so until 1917.

Domestic Science units were added to the school in 1952, and in 1957 new Secondary additions were blessed and opened by the Most Rev E Doody.

The Secondary School was closed in December 1970. This initiated the establishment of the Motor Mission in 1971.

By 1982, the Community was down to two sisters, only one of whom was teaching. Lay teachers held all other positions in the School. In 1983 the first lay Principal was appointed to the school.

At the beginning of 1985 there were 154 students enrolled at St Josephs with a teaching staff of seven, including one religious, and a part-time secretary/librarian.

In 1986 an area of existing verandah was converted into an office for the principal and in 1987 the area known as a shelter shed became the new library.

A combined centenary of Catholic Education was celebrated in 1988. A time capsule was sealed in the playground.

In 1992 the school was classified as Disadvantaged and through grants was able to convert the outside fixed equipment area into an environmental learning centre. The children were responsible for tilling and planting also, under adult supervision, constructed a pond for water studies. The students remain the caretakers for this area.

In 1994 an area of the playground was re-turfed.

In 1995 the enrolments increased (154) and an extra teacher was appointed in Term 2 for the remainder of the year. The Resource Room was once again converted to a classroom.

The area at the back of the school was terraced and under the seating in the playground it was cemented.

A gas heater was installed in the Year 6 classroom.

At the conclusion of the 1994 school year, the sisters were farewelled from the school for the last lime, ending 107 years of teaching.

In 1997 the outside of the school was painted and the Office area was expanded through the relocation of the Staffroom to the western end of the building. There is now a separate Principal’s Office.

1998 started with a decline in enrolments forcing staff numbers to also be reduced to five. There is a spare classroom and this has been converted to a multicultural room, assembly area and used extensively by the Reading Tutor Program. Through the work of the P and F with the local volunteer fire brigade the flagpole was repositioned to Dom Bowen’s garden thus enhancing the entrance to the school.


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