History

School History

St Philip’s Primary School situated at 60 Junction Road, is an integral part of the Parish Community in Blackburn North. Since its inception in 1965, St Philip’s has grown into a contemporary, well-equipped Parish school, renowned for its high standard of education, the dedication of its teachers and the commitment of its parents.

Brief  History

1954 – Father Paul Ryan, Parish Priest of St Thomas the Apostle, as well as the parishes of North and South Blackburn, purchased five acres of land in Junction Road, North Blackburn.

In the 1950s, Junction Road was still rugged and pot-holed; a country lane, which formed the northern boundary of civilized Blackburn. Near the Gunyah Road corner, no more than a murky swamp, was a popular venue for “yabby fishing”.

1964– Construction of a church hall and three classrooms commenced. Parishioners worked very hard at working bees, at weekends and evenings. A large dam was filled in on the property to become the present site of the school oval. A line of 80-foot tall pine trees remained until the 1980s as a reminder of the early orchard days. Father Ryan was an avowed “greenie” and parishioners such as John Langmaid had to use their chainsaws when Father was otherwise occupied! Eventually the property was sufficiently cleared.

1965 – Monday 8 February: School commenced under the auspices of the Loreto Sisters with Mother Austin [Sr. Helen Salter IBVM] as Principal. Three teachers, Mrs J. Templeton, Miss Claudia Dixon and Miss Eva Orlanski, assisted with an initial enrolment of 183 from Prep to Year 4.

In May of that year the blessing of buildings and the first Mass were celebrated.

1966 – 1 April: St. Philip’s Blackburn North Parish established, with the parish name chosen by the parishioners themselves.

In February 2011, Fr. Nicholas Dillon was appointed by Archbishop Hart to continue to minister to the Parish and School communities.

Mr David Gulavin was appointed Principal for the 2015 school year.

Over the years, the enrolments have fluctuated in line with the rise and fall of families moving in and out of the area.

At present there are approximately 89 students enrolled from Prep to Year 6 in multi-age structured classes.