Milestones are those significant occasions marking a special time in the life of an individual, an organisation or a community. Taking its name from the markers that once measured the distance from one place to another, milestones honour the journey taken and point towards a future direction.
When I arrived in Warrnambool almost four years ago to become the Principal of Emmanuel College, I discovered some of the early milestones along the Princes Highway remain in their original positions. In their day they would have been a critical guide to travellers from Melbourne and other locations, alerting them to both the distance travelled and the next destination.
This year has been a significant milestone for this College as it celebrates 25 years since the amalgamation of St. Ann’s (established in 1872) and Christian Brother’s College (established in 1902) to form what we know today as Emmanuel College. The key event to celebrate this significant anniversary was the official opening and blessing of the Emmanuel Centre, an event you can read more about in this edition of the Emmanuel College Connection. A after five years of planning, the opening of the Emmanuel Centre symbolises the confidence of the College Board of Management, the College staff and the local community in the role the College plays in providing local education. The Emmanuel Centre is the new heart of the College; an environment in which to showcase and celebrate achievement and success.
It’s easy today to take schools like Emmanuel College for granted. In the 1860s following the population explosion caused by the Victorian gold rushes, Bishop James Alipius Goold, then Bishop of Victoria, recognised the need for education in what were at the time extremely remote locations. During his tenure Bishop Goold journeyed to Ireland more than once to implore the orders of brothers and nuns known for operating schools in poor and remote communities to embark on a journey, most likely without return, to bring Catholic education to children in the Australian colonies. The Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers both answered Bishop Goold’s call setting up schools in the Victorian colony. Over time their ministry expanded to include hospitals and orphanages.
Today we stand firmly on the shoulders of the men and women who laid the foundations for Catholic education in Victoria and for this College. However, by 1990 the Australian educational landscape was dramatically different to that of the 1870s. Across Australia single sex schools began to open their doors to both genders, or combined to operate as a single coeducational facility. The same conversations occurred in Warrnambool and in 1991 Emmanuel College was born. With strong foundations established by the Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers, the two orders joined the local parishes in providing stable and supportive governance to the new College that continues today. Like all schools, Emmanuel College has experienced highs and lows in the 25 years since its formation. Amalgamation, however, has ensured on-going and viable Catholic secondary education within the local area.
As this 25th anniversary year draws to a close, we stand at the precipice of an exciting new era for the College. Emmanuel College is presently a school of 1200 students with a clear and detailed master plan to develop the College and its facilities to become a school spread over three campuses with an enrolment capacity of 1500. The naming of the three campuses recognise the origins of the College over more than 140 years. McAuley Campus pays tribute to the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Venerable Catherine McAuley, who charged eight women with the mission to travel from her Centre of Mercy in Dublin to establish St. Ann’s College in Warrnambool. Rice Campus is named after Blessed Edmund Rice, the founder of the Christian Brothers, the Order to which Brother Egan belonged when he travelled from Ballarat in 1902 with instructions to establish a Catholic school for boys. The newest Campus, Goold Campus, is named after the indefatigable Bishop Goold who did more than anyone in the 1800s to provide Catholic children with access to education.
Emmanuel College continues to expand and aims to be an educational leader in the local and regional communities. Despite more than 144 years of history our gaze is firmly focused on the future. The foundations are in place for the College to continue to grow, to offer new and expanded curriculum and co- curricula programs, to strengthen links with the community and with alumni and to build a culture of aspiration for and among students. As Principal, I am proud of the work we are doing and the achievements of our staff and students.
It would be impossible to identify everyone who has helped shape the past and given Emmanuel College its present day form. But I thank every one whose dedication, effort and energy has brought us to this 25th anniversary milestone. We will continue our work in the knowledge we are loved by a God whose love knows no limits, and we will continue to share the message of faith, hope and love with all those who belong to the Emmanuel family.
Peter Morgan | Principal
