COLLEGE HISTORY

St Paul’s College is a Catholic co-educational school, serving the needs of students in the Macleay and Nambucca valleys and surrounding communities.

Established in 1965 by the Catholic community of the Macleay valley, it was initially staffed by the Christian Brothers and educated boys from Year 5 to 4th Form.

November 1973 marked the opening of the girls’ school on the eastern side of the boys’ school.  It was managed by the Sisters of Mercy.  St Paul’s and St Pius X High School (the girls’ school) were administered separately but shared the library and science facilities.  (Pictured right are the 1966 College Prefects).

The College reached its final structure in 1980, when the two Catholic high schools amalgamated to form Macleay Regional Catholic High School. However, in 1985, the school reverted to its original name of St Paul’s College and adopted the motto, ‘Let Your Light Shine‘.

During the early years the College operated as a Year 7 to 10 school, with students leaving at the end of Year 10 to continue their education or to seek employment. However, in 1991, the first Year 11 students were enrolled, and two years later, became our first HSC candidates.

In 2001 and 2002, we went through a complete refurbishment of the key learning areas. Two new visual arts rooms, science labs, a metal workshop, timber delivery access and store, and new food technology facilities were added. A government grant saw a covered outdoor sporting facility erected in 2007.

In 2011, a Federal Government ‘Building the Education Revolution’ grant saw the McAuley Centre opened. This gave the College a new information technology room, dedicated agriculture room, food technology kitchen, and a VET hospitality facility.

In 2014, a further stage of our building/refurbishing project was completed.  This stage included new entrance, a new hall and drama theatre which acts as an impressive introduction to the College to students and visitors.

November 2015 saw the official opening of the Trade Skills Centre in two separate state-of-the-art facilities.  The Ignatius Construction Centre and the Francis Farm provide high level training for students in construction and agriculture targeting specific employment opportunities within the Macleay and Nambucca valleys.

The College continues to expand and improve both its facilities and technology in order to offer students the best start to life.