Trinity College – Celebrating 60 Years at East Perth
Trinity College Chapel 1962 Library 1963
On 25 March 1962, an estimated crowd of 2,500 parents, Old Boys and friends of the College were at the official opening of the new Trinity College. A guard of honour, made up of 150 senior students, escorted the official party to the dais for the speeches and unveiling of the Foundation Stone. In his speech of welcome, the College Headmaster, Br J A Kelly, said that the day was one of triumph and regret. The triumph related to the new College, of which they would be justly proud, and the regret, in the farewell to the old Christian Brothers’ College (CBC), Perth, with its long and proud history. It was in early 1960 that a memorable turn of events would alter the course of history for CBC Perth and the beginnings of a
(image courtesy of The State Library of Western Australia)
new College in East Perth take place. CBC, though a magnificent looking building, needed repair and its inner-city site was becoming too small for ever-increasing enrolments. It was at this time that the Perth City Council were proposing that a ceremonial drive and luxury hotel be built in the city, in readiness for the 1962 Commonwealth Games. The obstacle to the council’s plans was the location of CBC, Perth and they quickly began negotiations with the Christian Brothers to secure the College and its playing field and to find a suitable site for a new CBC, Perth. The Brothers, though cautious, were ready to consider the Council’s proposal as it would alleviate their growing concerns with the old College. After the offer of many sites, which the Brothers deemed unsuitable, a large block of 18 acres
Trinity College students 1975
of reclaimed land on the foreshore of the Swan River at East Perth was offered. With great foresight, Br Kelly and the Christian Brothers agreed to this site, and with the Perth City Council being responsible for the expensive piling of the land and construction of the new school buildings, the agreement for the land and buildings was signed in June 1960. Within a space of eighteen months a new College was designed and built, in readiness for the 1962 school year and was renamed Trinity College. Today, 60 years later, Trinity is a leading primary and secondary college which provides an extensive and successful educational programme for boys at the magnificent site on the banks of the Swan River at East Perth.
TRINITY NEWS – WINTER 2022
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