Sydney schools across the generations

Sydney
3 February 2002

'Violence never again' - Pope

Catholics honoured in Australia Day awards

'Field day' for sisters: six on list

Back-to-school gift aids needy

Archbishop Carroll to preach at city service

Retirement, but work remains on the menu

Wollongong Mass for women's league

Welfare groups call for release of detainees

Caritas sets appeal sights at $6m plus

Pledge to aid volcano victimsa

Salesian superior general dies

opinion: Let's be consistent in our own backyard

editorial: Message from Assisi

letters: A question of tradition

Conversation: In tune with life and the music of youth

Reflections: Religion - a force for peace, justice

Si! What happens if no Juan takes any notice!

A place to call home - it's Project Compassion 2002

Diocese honours King in blood

Sydney schools across the generations

inspirations: Camp for kids deserves a prize, too

Sydney schools across the generations

At the opening of the new buildings in 1996: Cardinal Edward Clancy, Mr Tony Davison (principal) and pupils of St Raphael's

In its early days, St Raphael's in South Hurstville was a school during the week and a church at weekends. It is featured this week with Fr John Therry School, Balmain, in our occasional series from the pages of St Mary's to St Catherine's, a celebration of Catholic schooling in Sydney 1836-2000.

St Raphael's
School
South Hurstville
82 George Street, South Hurstville
'Virtue and knowledge'

St Raphael's School provides a good example of the importance that the Catholics of the Hurstville district placed on Catholic schooling. It began as a church-school in 1929, four years before the parish was separated from Hurstville parish, where Fr G Herlihy was parish priest. During the week the building was a school and on the weekends it was used as a church.

In charge of the new school were the Sisters of Charity, who had their long established convent and college of St Mary's at Hurstville. The first principal was Sr M Claver Madden. Classes were for girls from kindergarten to sixth class and for boys from kindergarten to fourth class. Local demand was strong, as shown by the enrolment of 179 pupils by 1930.

Numbers grew to about 200 in 1940 and have remained in that range ever since, making St Raphael's a very stable school. An increase to 260 in 1960 was shortlived and class sizes still averaged about 40, which was moderate for Catholic schools in that decade. There was never any attempt to add secondary classes, as a number of similar schools did in the 1940s and 1950s. The only major change occurred in the mid 1980s, when boys' education was extended to year 6.

Since the late 1960s St Raphael's has been part of the school system supervised by CEO, Sydney. The Sisters of Charity provided the principal and most of the staffing until 1974, when the CEO appointed the first lay principal, Mrs Barbara Petfield.

Government funding and local contributions since 1970 have enabled the building of a number of new classrooms, as well as administration and staff facilities. This included the provision of three new classrooms, and an administration section in 1996, along with refurbishing and landscaping. The $1.1 million cost was met by a Commonwealth grant and parish fund raising.

In 2000 St Raphael's had 219 boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 6, under the care of 16 teachers

PRINCIPALS
Sr M Claver Madden rsc
1929-31
Sr M Hubert Flynn
1932-34
Sr M Leonard O'Neill
1935-37, 1946-50
Sr M Xaveria Sullivan
1938-41
Sr M Mildred Carroll
1942-43
Sr M Marcellina Breen
1944-45
Sr M Roberta Brady
1951-Sept 1953
Sr M Regina Munce
1953-56
Sr M Phillipa McGrath
1957-62, 1967
Sr M Phillip Maher
1963-66
Sr M Aloysia Weston
1965-66
Sr M St Gregory Maguire
1968-74
Mrs Barbara Petfield
1975-81
Mrs Dorothy Conway
1982-88
Mr Tony Davison
1989-2000