Site ready for new Catholic school
The first sods have been turned at the site of Warragul’s first new school in 20 years.
The Saint Angela of the Cross Catholic primary school will be at the corner of Copelands and Mills Rd on the north-east edge of Warragul.
The first students will start there in term one of 2021.
The Catholic Bishop of Sale Patrick O’Regan, local parish priest Father Peter Slater, the director of Catholic education for the Diocese of Sale Maria Kirkwood and Baw Baw shire mayor Mikaela Power took to shovels for a joint “turn the sod” ceremony last Wednesday.
Work on the school on the 3.2-hectare site with views to Mount Worth in the south is due to start in July.
The naming of the school Saint Angela of the Cross was suggested by Father Slater to honour a Spanish woman who lived from 1846 to 1932 and dedicated her life to prayer and service to others.
She is a wonderful role model for future students and their families, he said.
Ms Kirkwood said the Federal government was contributing $1.5 million towards the cost of the new school that recognised the need to cater for high quality and affordable education in a growing area.
Cr Power congratulated the diocese on its foresight to build another school in Warragul.
There is a need for quality education and a diversity of schools in the area and St Angela’s would relieve pressure on existing schools, she said.
Diocese of Sale Catholic Education directs and serves 37 primary schools and seven secondary schools across Gippsland.