Our Josphite and School History

History

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.

1984	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.