Big crowd attends school blessing

HUNDREDS of people turned up to the out-of-doors ceremony to see His Grace the Archbishop, Most Reverend Sir Francis Little, give his blessing on the completion of St Paul Apostle North School in Mossgiel Park Drive, Endeavour Hills on 16 April 1989.
The parish choir entertained the crowd, and the children made a time capsule and encased it in brick at the front of the school to commemorate the official opening.
The school had been operating for four years, having opened in 1985 at another parish school, St Paul Apostle South, and then moving to the location in Mossgiel Park Drive in 1986.
The buildings took three years to complete. Speaking at the opening, principal Tom Lindeman praised parents, staff, and children for their patience on the long road to completion of the campus.
About 450 children attended the school in those early years. Today, the school has more than 350 enrolments, with a high proportion from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Special guests at the official opening included the director of Catholic Education Tom Doyle and representatives from the Diocesan Building Commission and the Ministry of Education.