1970 – 1979 Schools Timeline Categories: Schools Timelines: Historical Timeline

1971 The Sisters of Mercy (West Perth) opened Majella Catholic Primary School, Balga 

1971 Prendiville College, Kalgoorlie was opened by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and the Sisters of Mercy, making Catholic education history. This was the first time in Western Australia that two religious orders of women shared the administration of an educational institution. Prendiville College became John Paul College in 1984 with the amalgamation of Prendiville College (girls) and Christian Brothers’ College, Kalgoorlie (boys). 

1971 The Christian Brothers’ College, Broome, opened, known as Nulungu College. 

1972 Sacred Heart, Beagle Bay, opened. 

1972 The Sisters of St Joseph and the Christian Brothers took over La Salle College (formerly known as De La Salle College), Middle Swan from the De La Salle Brothers, who returned to the eastern states. 

1972 Mercy College, Koondoola, opened. St Brigid’s School, West Perth transferred directly to Mercy College. In 2002 Mercy Primary amalgamated with Mercy College to become a K-12 school. 

1972 The Christian Brothers’ Technical School for Aboriginals was opened in Broome. 

1972 The convent that housed the Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School established at Peron House by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions became too small. Star of the Sea School, Swinstone Street, Rockingham was established. 

1973 Girls in years 8 to 10 from St Brigid’s Convent, Midland moved to the La Salle site. The College was initially co-instructional (no mixed classes) before becoming co-educational in 1974. 

1973 St Patrick’s School, Katanning, opened. 

1973 Bunbury Catholic College was created by the amalgamation of the Marist Brothers’ St Francis Xavier College, Bunbury and the Sisters of Mercy’s St Joseph’s Girls’ School. 

1973 Mel Maria Catholic Primary School was established. St Joseph Pignatelli, Attadale, Corpus Christi, Myaree, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Willagee and Santa Maria Primary, Attadale were combined under one principal and under one name, Mel Maria Catholic Primary School. 

1973 The Jesuits’ St Louis School, Claremont was reconstituted under a lay council and handed over to the Archdiocese. 

1974 Our Lady of Fatima School, Palmyra, opened. 

1974 Nulungu Girls’ College was opened in Broome. The school was staffed by the Our Lady of the Mission Sisters and the Sisters of St John of God. 

1974 Liwara Catholic Primary School, Greenwood, opened. 

1974 St Gertrude’s College, New Norcia amalgamated with St Benedict’s College and was renamed Salvado College. 

1975 The Good Shepherd Convent School, Kelmscott, opened, staffed by the Loreto Sisters. 

1975 The Sisters of Mercy (West Perth) opened Girrawheen Catholic Primary School. It was later renamed Our Lady of Mercy Primary School. 

1975 In a move which reflected the growing lay role in Catholic education, five lay principals were appointed to St Munchin’s, Gosnells, Mary’s Mount, Gooseberry Hill, Infant Jesus, Morley, Christ the King, Beaconsfield, and St Jerome’s, Spearwood. 

1976 The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart took charge of St Michael’s Primary School from the Sisters of Mercy. They amalgamated St Michaels’ with St Mary’s, Kalgoorlie to create Kalgoorlie Catholic Primary School. The school operated from both campuses until 1981 when the two were amalgamated. In 1999 the name of the school was changed back to St Mary’s. 

1976 The Dominican Sisters and Marist Brothers agreed to an arrangement for a gradual transfer of the upper secondary school girls from Siena Girls’ High School to the Marist College, Churchlands, and for the two schools to operate separately under the umbrella name Newman College. 

1976 The Sisters of Mercy (West Perth) opened Aranmore Primary School, Mt Hawthorn. 

1977 Loreto College, Claremont and St Louis’ Jesuit School, Claremont amalgamated to become John XXIII College. 

1977 St Brigid’s School, Collie (secondary) and St Edmund’s College, Collie (secondary) amalgamated to become a co-educational junior high school, St Edmund’s College. St Brigid’s became the primary school. 

1978 The Sisters of Mercy (West Perth) opened Whitford Catholic Primary School, Craigie. 

1978 St Paul’s Primary School, Karratha, opened. 

1978 St Thomas’ and St Mary’s in South Bunbury were amalgamated to cater for all junior primary students with St Joseph’s being the site for middle and upper primary students. 

1978 St Francis Xavier Primary School, Geraldton was opened after the amalgamation of St Patrick’s and Stella Maris Primary Schools. 

1978 St Joseph’s College, Albany was created as a co-educational college through the amalgamation of Ave Maria College (the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition), Pius X College (the Christian Brothers) and St Joseph’s Parish School. 

1979 The Sisters of Mercy opened a junior school at Lake Gregory/Mulan Aboriginal Community at the request of the local people. The school is now known as John Pujajangka-Piyirn School. 

1979 The Sisters of Mercy opened a junior school at Billiluna Aboriginal Community at the request of the local people. The school started in a tin shed and is now known as Kururrungku Catholic Education Centre. 

1979 St Jude’s, Langford, opened. 

1979 Two Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart took up residence in a caravan and commenced Ngalangangpum School under a bough shed to serve the Kiji Aboriginal children and people of the Warmun community. 

Source Continuity in Change, Phillip Pendal