St Aloysius Primary School

St Aloysius Primary School, Redan is a Catholic school associated with the Parish Church (St Aloysius Catholic Church) of the same name.

History
The original school was established in Darling Street in 1876. It was run by Michael Campion Carey, and had an enrolment of 462 in 1879.

On 24 May 1882, Dean Moore blessed a new girls school consisting of three classrooms at Redan. The school was run by the Loreto Sisters. A newly erected wooden school could accommodate two hundred students, but it was destroyed by fire four years later. It was replaced by a brick building on the corner of Ripon and Warwick streets. Many children attended Redan Primary School while the school was being built. It was opened on 09 September 1886.

OPENING OF ST. ALOYSIUS R.C. SCHOOL, REDAN. A large number of the Catholics of Redan and Sebastopol assembled yesterday in the new school which has been recently erected at Redan, to celebrate the opening. A description ot the building was given a short time since, so that it will be sufficient to state that it consists of three schoolrooms together with a room for the nuns, which are lofty and well ventilated, and are in every way adapted for the purpose for which they are intended. The building has been carried put in a workmanlike manner, and reflects great credit on the architects and contractors. Amongst those present we noticed Dr Moore, Sir John O'Shanassy, Mr D. Brophy, M.L.A.; Mr D, Fitzpatrick, J.P.; and the Revs. Father Meade, Doyle, John Meade, Rogers, and Carroll. We must not omit to mention that there were also pre sent the Bev. Mother Superioress of the Loretto Convent, Mother Aloysius, Sister Hilda, and several other of the nuns, some of whom will have charge of thes school. The ceremony of blessing each of the rooms having been performed by Dr Moore, assisted by Father M. Meade, a public meeting took place in the front school room, where a dais had been raised, over which was displayed a beautiful green banner with the Harp of Erin elegantly worked thereon. Dr Moore, who was voted to the chair on the motion of Sir John O'Shanassy, spoke as follows:— It affords me great pleasure to take the chair at this meeting. I regret that our good bishop who, you all know, takes a lively interest in the question of education, is not here to be your chairman. I am sure when he returns from Europe he will be very much pleased to see such respectable schools erected here by your zeal and generosity, and where they were so much needed. I was very much pleased at the spirit and unanimity that have been shown in the erection of these schools. A meeting has been held here once a week for the last three months, at which not fewer than 80 or 90 heads of families attended regularly, thus showing their anxiety to procure Catholic schools for their children. If some of our politicians were present at those meetings they would not make the reckless assertions that the laity of the Catholic Church were not opposed to the present Education Act. Those assertions were a gross calumny upon the Catholic laity of this country, for in most cases of this kind they have like ourselves contributed to the Catholic schools more liberally than their means would allow. You have here erected schools, which, together with their fittings and the fencing in of the grounds, will have cost nearly a thousand pounds. If further proof was needed of the opposition of the Catholics of Ballarat to the present act, I could give the gross sum expended by them for the last six years upon Catholic education alone I find from the books of the mission that after adding the cost of the new buildings this amounts to the large sum of £43,623 which does not include a sum of £10,000 ex pended upon the erection of the Palace. This, I think, you will all agree, is a large amount besides contributing their share to the heavy taxes imposed for the supported State schools. I shall not detain you longer as I know you are anxious to hear some of our friends Sir John O'Shanassy, Mr Brophy and other gentlemen Sir John O'Shanassy then delivered a lengthy and an able speech to the effect that seeing the great efforts the Catholics of Ballarat and throughout Victoria had been making in the erection and support of schools, it proved very clearly that the Catholics of the colony were acting from conscientious motives in declining to avail themselves of the instruction afforded in, State schools, and supporting schools of their own. Sir John read a number of extracts from -speeches and letters of His Holiness Pius IX, Cardinal Cullen, Dr Doyle, Bishop of Dupanloup, Napoleon I, Washington, Milton, Mill, Burke, and others—divines, philosophers, and states men as to the danger to morality and the State that is caused by the divorcing of religions from secular education in schools. In the course of his remarks he stated that he had been furnished with a statement which showed that there were 3300 Catholic children in Ballarat proper and district, receiving a sound education from 36 nuns, and 56 other teachers, making a total of 92 instructors. Sir John referred to the injustice Catholics, who were by no means the richest people in the community, were suffering in having to support the State schools, which wealthy parents were largely availing them selves of. He stated that there was no person in the colony who could combat their arguments, for they acted upon principle, and he hoped that they would continue to co operate with their clergy in the good work they had begun. In conclusion, he hoped that justice would soon be done to them, but whether soon or late, there was no power on earth that could turn them from those vital principles to which he had referred. He, for one, would never consent to have the name of Christ banished from the schools. Before sitting down, Sir John, referred to Dr Moore’s elevation, His Holiness having been pleased to confer upon him the title of Monsignor. Mr D. Brophy, M.L.A., spoke at some length, in the course of which he stated that he had no doubt that Parliament, seeing that Catholics were in earnest in securing for their children a religious as well as secular education, as shown by the great efforts they were making would ultimately recognise the justice of their claims, and give them a share of the educational grant. Mr D. Fitzpatrick, J.P.; in proposing a vote of thanks to Sir John O'Shanassy, passed a high encomium upon him for his efforts in the cause of Catholic education. Dr Moore having vacated the chair, and Mr D. Brophy, M.B.A., been moved thereto, a hearty vote of thanks was, on the motion of Sir John O’Shanassy, accorded Dr Moore, who in returning thanks said that a great deal of the credit given to him for the erection of the new schools was due to Father Meade, whose efforts had been so nobly seconded by the Catholics of the locality.

In 1901 the school was handed over to the Sisters of Mercy but in 1907 the Bishop, Dr. Higgins, asked the Loreto Sisters to take it over again promising, transport for the nuns and the payment of lay teachers. The staff consisted of two sisters and three lay teachers.

The present school was built in 1924 with additions and refurbishments being made in 1951, 1974, 1979, 1994 and 2008-2010.

Sister Mercia Richards was the last Loreto Sister principal finishing in 1998. Greg Lane Was Principal from 1999, and Michael Kennedy commenced as Principal in 2006.