MORE than one hundred and sixty years of Catholic education at St Brendan\u2019s Primary School at Dunnstown was celebrated last Saturday, with Damascus set to take over the site next year.<\/p>\n
Both current students and former pupils attended the event which was an opportunity to reminisce, reflect and come together as a community.<\/p>\n
Leo Murphy, one of the oldest surviving past pupils, attended the event and he said he still remembers his first day at the school in 1937.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you didn\u2019t know anyone of course and you just had to play along,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of the students lived around the area, so you got to know them very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technology used by Mr Murphy in the 1930s was vastly different to what is used by students today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the little room as we called it, there wasn\u2019t room for a blackboard,\u201d he said. \u201cI started writing on a slate, basically a stone you might say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Murphy said that while the closure is sad for the community, it had to happen with the lack of students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel disheartened that it\u2019s got to happen because it\u2019s been such a good school over the years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of my kids went to this school and all of their kids went to this school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers are just not here now and we\u2019re not allowed to develop in the area because we\u2019re in the water catchment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current grade 6 student Lucy said her favourite thing about going to St Brendan\u2019s was the friendships she formed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved being able to get to know everyone personally,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are all friends and we all play with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catholic education will continue on the site in a different form, with Damascus College set to use the facility starting next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, while its very sad and the end of the era for primary school here, we\u2019re very excited to announce that Damasus College will use the site,\u201d said Tom Sexton, executive director of Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not exactly sure what they are going to do here but they\u2019re working on some programs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MORE than one hundred and sixty years of Catholic education at St Brendan\u2019s Primary School at Dunnstown was celebrated last Saturday, with Damascus set to take over the site next year. Both current students and former pupils attended the event which was an opportunity to reminisce, reflect and come together as a community. Leo Murphy, […]<\/p>\n