A Condensed History of St Augustine’s
The presence of Catholic faith in the Wodonga region dates back to the early 1840s when travelling clergy ministered to small communities without permanent churches. In November 1843 Father Charles Lovat journeyed from Yass and celebrated Mass in the Huon family home, Belvoir, situated on the elevated site where Cambourne now stands.
As the Catholic community grew a church was established on land granted in 1854, the first of its kind in the township. By 1860 St Francis Chapel had been erected on the site of the present day St Augustine’s Church. During his visit on 4 October 1860 Bishop Goold consecrated the chapel noting in his diary “the Catholic population here is small. School building good. Weatherboard situation”.
Formal education at St Augustine’s began in 1876 with the construction of a one room wooden school staffed by two lay teachers Miss Fagan and Miss O’Leary. Their dedication sustained the school until the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in 1892. Father James Ryan the first Parish Priest of St Augustine’s further strengthened the school’s foundation by overseeing the construction of the first brick building in 1898.
The school officially opened as St Augustine’s in 1899 having previously been known as St Joseph’s the name of the convent. That same year the Parish of Wodonga separated from Chiltern with Father Ryan appointed as its first Parish Priest. The present St Augustine’s Church was later blessed and opened on 27 April 1902 during his tenure.
In its early years the Sisters of Mercy travelled across the Murray River to teach at the school often recounting their journeys by cab with belongings in tow. Their commitment to education and faith shaped the strong Catholic identity that continues today.
Leadership of the parish passed through several devoted priests, including Father David Tobin and Father Francis Flynn who served for twenty nine years. During this time significant developments were made to the church including the extension of the building, the installation of a marble altar between 1918 and 1919 and the addition of beautiful stained glass windows.
Twenty years after the school’s opening Sister Justina Upton arrived from Ireland at just eighteen years of age. She devoted most of her life to teaching at St Augustine’s becoming a much loved and respected member of the community even coaching the school’s football team.
St Augustine’s continued to grow throughout the 20th century. Major refurbishments were completed in 1927 and the school provided education through to Intermediate Certificate level. Under the leadership of Father Awburn (1937–1959) enrolments increased significantly reaching 528 students in 1958. Additional buildings including Osburn Lodge were constructed to meet demand.
Following Father Awburn, Monsignor Bowman played a significant role in further enhancing the parish contributing improvements such as marble altar rails and new Stations of the Cross. In 1974 administrative leadership transitioned to Father Leslie Ring who became Parish Priest in 1976 while Monsignor Bowman continued to support pastoral life.
The school evolved alongside the changing needs of the community. In 1971 it operated as a co-educational primary school and a girls only secondary school before returning to a fully co-educational model by 1977. With the establishment of Catholic College Wodonga St Augustine’s formally became a primary school in 1976.
Ongoing development has remained a hallmark of St Augustine’s commitment to providing quality learning environments. Major refurbishments were undertaken in 1989 followed by the addition of a Multi Purpose Room in 1993 and an Arts area in 1995.
In 2001 the former convent was partially refurbished to create new administration offices and a covered entrance was added at the beginning of the 2003 school year. During this time portable classrooms were relocated to the southern boundary of the school.
Significant investment continued in 2009 through the Australian Government’s Building the Education Revolution initiative. This funding enabled the construction of a Performing Arts Centre and the refurbishment of several areas within the main building. Completed in 2010 the centre includes an art room, multipurpose/music space and catering facilities and was officially opened by Father Denis Crameri.
Further enhancements were made in 2012 with the redevelopment of the upstairs areas into a contemporary Senior Learning Centre designed to support modern teaching practices and one to one laptop learning.
In 2015 the Foundation Learning Centre was completed providing flexible and purpose built learning spaces aligned with contemporary educational approaches and St Augustine’s whole school philosophy. The facility was officially opened by Mr Paul Desmond, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Education Sandhurst.
Continuing its commitment to growth and improvement the school secured additional funding through Catholic Education Sandhurst to construct four new classrooms within the Year 1/2 Learning Centre. This development enabled the removal of five demountable classrooms and led to the transformation of the junior playground areas completed in January 2020.
In 2024 we proudly completed our Year 3–6 Learning Centre a contemporary and purpose-built facility that has become a significant asset to our school. This state of the art learning environment has been thoughtfully designed to enhance both teaching and learning, supporting the academic growth, collaboration and wellbeing of our students. The Centre was officially opened and blessed by the Most Reverend Shane Mackinlay marking an important milestone in the ongoing development of St Augustine’s Primary School.
