From the Archives When the 2015 school year begins, 80 years will have passed since St Joseph’s College opened its doors. What many of you may not know is that 125 years ago there was another St Joseph’s College on Newtown Hill. St Joseph’s Catholic boys’ College existed for three short years. The story of how the links between St Augustine’s Orphanage, and St Joseph’s College were formed, broken and reformed is fascinating. On 15 March 1857, Bishop Goold laid the foundation stone for St Augustine’s Orphanage. On 28 August1857, St Augustine’s opened its doors to the Catholic orphans of Geelong. November 1878 saw the arrival of the Christian Brothers, who took over the running of the orphanage. Brother Canice Butler was the first Superior, he was a man of great insight, and by the time of his death at the age of 45, he had established St Augustine’s position within the Geelong community. By 1880 a small number of boarders were living with the orphans and being educated by the Brothers. Many parents wished their sons to have the benefit of the excellent education the Brothers were providing. In 1889 Brother Canice Butler was under increasing pressure to increase the number of places available for boarders and it was decided to establish St Joseph’s College as a boarding school for Catholic boys. The beautiful red brick building facing Aphrasia Street was erected to house the boarders,(the land had been purchased by Brother Butler in 1884). February 1890 saw the first St Joseph’s College opening its doors. Although Brother Butler managed both St Augustine’s and St Joseph’s, the boarders lived separate lives from the orphans. In January 1891 there were 57 boarders enrolled, and 37
‘Townboys’ travelled on Horseback from Lara and Little River. While the boys were enjoying the benefits of a Christian Brother education their horses grazed on the orphanage paddocks. At this time St Augustine’s was home to 150 orphans. St Joseph’s College did not have the support of Bishop Goold and the Provincial Council and when St Patrick’s Ballarat opened, the parents of the boarders were offered financial incentive to move their sons to St Patrick’s.When the boarders went home at the end of the 1893 school year, the first St Joseph’s College shut its doors. By 1933 there had not been a Catholic boys high school in Geelong for many years. Some senior boys attended classes at St Mary’s Catholic primary school, however as space was limited and the classes were small, there was an obvious need to provide a good Catholic education for senior boys. At this time St Augustine’s was home to more than 250 orphan boys. It was decided to build a new orphanage in Highton, with the plan being that the Newtown site would be made available for the re-establishment of St Joseph’s Catholic boarding school. In January 1935, after a hiatus of 42 years, St Joseph’s College reopened and boarders were again being educated on Newtown Hill. Between 1935 and 1939 Newtown Hill was home to both St Augustine’s orphans and St Joseph’s boarders. In 1939 St Augustine’s moved to its new home in Highton.
THANKS
Thank you to the Heritage Centre volunteers, Lisa Brown-Benson, Sharon Bolger, Elizabeth McCarthy, Terry Phillips, Nikki Morrison and Kathleen Rawson. An amazing amount of work has been accomplished over the past year, your support is very much appreciated. Susan Belluzzo - College Archivist
Br Canice Butler
SJC Frontage Circa 1930’s Drawing of St Augustine’s Circa 1850’s
VCE building before extension
1935 Enrolment group
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