ST JOSEPH’S Primary School, Crib Point, is holding a year of celebration to commemorate 90 years of catholic education in Crib Point.
St Joseph’s, in Martin St, was opened in 1927 by Archbishop Mannix to allow Father AJ Martin and the Josephite sisters to provide a catholic education for defence force families. At that time, many pupils also came from the migrant camp at Somers.
Funds for the original building came from parents, committees and through collections from Our Lady Star of the Sea chapel at HMAS Cerberus (formerly Flinders Naval Base). For many years the Naval chaplain supported the school as there was no local parish, religious education leader Suzanne Deefholts said.
“With the formation of Immaculate Conception Parish in Hastings in 1956, the job of maintaining the school passed over to the parish.
This year the school has 196 pupils from Crib Point, Bittern, Somers, Balnarring, Shoreham, Point Leo and HMAS Cerberus.
First published in the Western Port News – 28 March 2017
