Former principal Peter Vanstan, acting principal Justin Colley, McEwen MP Rob Mitchell, Bishop Les Tomlinson and parish priest Friar Eugene Ashkar offically opened the SPA centre at St Joseph’s Primary School.Students sang the national anthem for the bishop.
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
STUDENTS at St Joseph’s Primary School had a special visit from Bishop Les Tomlinson last month.
Bishop Tomlinson, the vicar general for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, was invited to bless the school’s new building at the official opening on Tuesday 28 June.
St Joseph’s $2.125 million Sports and Performing Arts (SPA) centre has already been well utilised by the school and the wider community since it was completed earlier in the year.
Students have been honing their sports and arts skills, while local netball and karate clubs have been using the space along with social gatherings such as the school’s annual disco.
The students said the facility gave them the opportunity to know what it was like to perform.
“And when it’s raining we can come and play sport and not have it cancelled,” student Peter Soong said.
Bishop Tomlinson said it was evident how much the facility was appreciated.
“From the earliest times we wish to gather children and grow and support them so their faith will flourish,” he said.
Former principal Peter Vanstan said the building was once just a vision for an empty piece of land.
“The government had the foresight to use the stimulus package to help schools and local communities, and we used every single dollar effectively,” he said.
“Thank you to the Catholic Education Office for letting us do what we wanted to with our building.”
The building was part of the Federal Government’s Building the Education Revolution economic stimulus package, which McEwen MP Rob Mitchell said was about putting buildings together that give the opportunity for schools to grow.
“It’s about getting the economy to grow, bring together school communities and get a wider use,” he said.
“For parents it’s about giving your children every possibility – the most important thing is their education.”
