Our Josphite and school history
Sisters of Saint Joseph – Grey Lynn Parish
Two Sisters of St Joseph arrived from Sydney aboard the Wairarapa on 19 March 1884. They were Sister Teresa Maginnes and Sister Ignatius Griffen. They were joined by Sister Casimir Meskill who came from the South Island.
They lived in a cottage on the site of the present St Benedict’s Convent. The first school "Butcher’s Shop School" was next to the Star Hotel which was on the corner of Newton Road. The Sisters walked the rough, muddy Newton Road each day to go to school.
| 1884 |
21 April Sisters began teaching – 40 pupils
May - 110 pupils
December - 200 pupils |
| 1885 |
June – Property bought at 2 Sussex St. Surrey Hills Church built at 3 Tennyson (now Turakina). St - still part of St Benedict’s parish. |
| 1886 |
Sisters moved to Sussex St. Sisters began teaching in Church / School 6 Feb 1886. |
| 1895 |
Mother Mary MacKillop stayed with the Sisters in Sussex St. |
| 1900 |
Parish of Grey Lynn was begun. |
| 1902 |
New 2 storey wooden convent was built in Sussex St. The Church continued to be used as a school during the week. |
| 1917 |
November – New brick school was blessed and opened on Great North Road site. The Convent was moved from Sussex St to a site beside the new school. |
| 1918 |
New school opened in February with 320 pupils. The church in Turakina St was then used as a church only. |
| 1918 |
Late in the year the great influenza epidemic struck the whole of N.Z. The School became a hospital and the Sisters nursed the sick and visited homes taking food and medicines, and consoled the bereaved. |
| 1920 |
The Church moved from Turakina St., to the Great North Road property. It was put on the site of the present church. |
| 1921 |
Holy Thursday night there was a fire which destroyed the Convent. 12 Sisters and 8 boarders escaped unharmed. |
| 1921/22 |
The Convent was rebuilt in brick and opened on November 12 1922. |
| 1930 |
Newspaper ran a competition “Popular Man” and Fr Holebrook’s name was entered. He won a considerable sum of money and used the prize to purchase a 2 storey hall which was put at the back of the new school. |
| 1960 |
The Secondary Department closed and the Boarding school closed. |
| 1972/73 |
P.T.A. paid for additions and alterations to the school so that more pupils could be accepted. |
| 1978 |
Convent was renovated inside and the outside painted. 2 rooms downstairs were turned into classrooms. |
| 1983 |
The School was integrated into the State system. |
| 1984 |
Sister Anne Holley became Principal. |
| 1990 |
The present new school was built behind the old school. Before the August holidays everything was packed into containers. The old school was knocked down during the holidays. Pupils had 2 weeks extra holiday while staff moved equipment into new school. |
| 1990 |
The playground and grounds of the new school were completed. This was a very stressful term for all as the noise of heavy machinery was intense and there was no-where for the children to play. |
| 1991 |
Sister Anne Holley Principal – resigned. |
| 1992 |
Mr. Shearer assumed the principalship in May. Sister Veronica was the only Sister of St Joseph on the staff. |
| 1992 |
Grey Lynn Convent was sold and the Sisters moved to other communities. |
| 2005 |
Jenny Bernard assumed the principalship in July. |
Since 1992 the Sisters of St Joseph have remained interested and involved in Grey Lynn School and Parish.
Sister Veronica has retired from St Joseph's and lives at Mission Bay Convent. Sister Veronica has has a stroke and received a triple by pass in September 2010.
Sister Marianne has been a Member of the Board of Trustees since it began. Sister also takes Communion to the Sick on the third Sunday of the month.
Sister Denise was one of the people involved in setting up the St Joseph’s playgroup.
Sister Edwina and Sister Catherine, who are retired and living at Mission Bay continue to be interested in St Joseph’s Grey Lynn.
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