Iona College gets $5m for stage one

Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson (centre) with Nazareth School principal Dena Reddan (left), Catholic Education Commission of Victoria executive director Stephen Elder (right) and Nazareth grade 5 pupils Gurleen Jaswal, Evie Reed Tosh Lennon and Conor Duffy.

PROGRESS has been made on Geelong’s next Catholic secondary school, with Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson visiting the site in Armstrong Creek yesterday (Wednesday) to announce a $5 million grant towards the project.

Iona College Geelong will have a total cost of $60 million, and be built on a 9.6-hectare site at the corner of Horseshoe Bend and Boundary roads in Charlemont.

Year 7 classes will start at the college when it opens in 2020, and the school will have 1,800 students when fully operational.

Stage one of the co-educational college will be a $20 million three-storey building, designed to support contemporary teaching and learning, providing a wide array of teaching spaces.

Final planning approval from the City of Greater Geelong is expected soon, and the project is will go to tender shortly with construction expected to start in October.

The school’s name was officially revealed in late May during a site visit by Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart.

Catholic Education Commission of Victoria executive director Stephen Elder said Iona College Geelong would cater for the increased demand for Catholic education in the region, with all of Geelong’s Catholic secondary colleges at capacity.