Samaritan Catholic College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Samaritan Catholic College |
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| Established | January 2000 |
| Type | Independent all-male secondary |
| Headmaster | Mr. Mark Sheehan |
| Founder | Marist Brothers |
| Students | c.500 |
| Grades | Years 7 to 12 |
| Location | Preston, VIC Australia |
| Website | www.samaritan.vic.edu.au |
Samaritan Catholic College is a Roman Catholic all-boys high school, located in Preston, Melbourne, Australia. The College is a school founded and run in the tradition of the Marist Brothers and their founder, Saint Marcellin Champagnat.
Samaritan was established in the year 2000, as an amalgamation of two former Marist Colleges: St. Joseph’s in North Fitzroy, and Redden Catholic College, which was located on the current site.
The current headmaster is Mr. Mark Sheehan.
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[edit] History
St. Joseph's College, East Brunswick and North Fitzroy
The earliest founding school of Samaritan College, St. Joseph's Marist Brothers College in East Brunswick, was established by four Marist brothers in 1930, with a starting class of one hundred and fifty boys.[1] The school was forced to move in 1938 when the State Electricity Commission took over the site through compulsory acquisition for a terminal sub-station. The staff and students of St. Joseph's resumed their classes at a new site, at 100 Barkly Street in North Fitzroy.[2]
Immaculate Heart College / Redden Catholic College
In 1914, the first parish priest of Preston, Fr James O'Grady, bought 5.5 acres of land and about 8 houses in Clifton Grove. The Marist Brothers agreed to a request from the Archdiocese of Melbourne to build an Archdiocesan Junior Technical School on this site. However, the Second World War delayed planning for the new school, which did not eventuate until the mid-1950s.
The resulting school on the Preston site, Immaculate Heart College, opened its doors for the first time on February 5, 1957. The new College began with a staff of 5 Marist Brothers and 2 lay teachers. There were 466 boys in Years 5 to 8. Class sizes ranged from 59 to 74 students. Immaculate Heart College was blessed and officially opened by Archbishop Justin Simonds on March 17, 1957. In 1977, Mr. Greg Coffey was appointed the first lay principal of the College, which was renamed Redden College.[3]
Samaritan Catholic College
In August 1998, it was announced that Redden College and St. Joseph's North Fitzroy were to amalgamate and become one College, to be called 'Samaritan Catholic College'. Declining enrolments at both schools, influenced by the movement of families with school-age boys to the outer suburbs of Melbourne, was a major factor in this decision.[4]
The new College opened in January 2000 at the Preston site of Redden College. A campus for year 9 students was maintained at the old North Fitzroy site, but this program has since been discontinued. Since the amalgamation in January 2000 the college has spent $3.5 million on building and refurbishment, including the installation of a lift ($350,000) and the construction of a Multipurpose Centre ($500,000).[5]
Br. Tony Paterson FMS was appointed the first principal of the new College, and was succeeded by Mr. Mark Sheehan in 2005.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Paul Licuria
- Bert Newton (St. Joseph’s)
- Vince Colosimo
[edit] References
- ^ Val Noone, Going to St. Joe's: A Marist School in East Brunswick & North Fitzroy 1930-1999 Spectrum Publications: Melbourne, 1999), p. 13.
- ^ Val Noone, Going to St. Joe's: A Marist School in East Brunswick & North Fitzroy 1930-1999 Spectrum Publications: Melbourne, 1999), pp. 38-39.
- ^ http://www.maristmelb.org.au/province2005/champagnat/history.cfm
- ^ Val Noone, Going to St. Joe's: A Marist School in East Brunswick & North Fitzroy 1930-1999 Spectrum Publications: Melbourne, 1999), p. 143.
- ^ http://www.samaritan.vic.edu.au/about/history.html
