St Joseph's College, Melbourne

North

Throughout its life the school provided students, from a wide variety of cultural and economic backgrounds, with an opportunity to enter a range of careers. Many of its pupils went on to become respected members in their chosen fields which included the financial and business sectors, the medical profession, law and politics, industry, sporting and religious communities.

While the two campuses lacked the open playing fields of its wealthier cousins, students had access to a range of local facilities. The North Melbourne campus for example, close to the Melbourne City Centre, was within walking distance of world class universities, museums, libraries, historical and athletic venues. Likewise the Pascoe Vale campus was able to make use of several nearby ovals and both were close to excellent public transport links.

Sport

Sport was an important ingredient in the education of boys attending North. The school had its own football squad as early as 1906 when it played its first match against Christian Brothers College, St Kilda at Albert Park where it scored 2 points. As enrollments grew then so did the involvement in other sports, often in competition with other schools. Inter school athletics, handball and tennis competitions, such as those conducted by the Associated Catholic Secondary Schools organization, were held as early as 1914 when the College won the Athletics Championship for that year. Membership to organizations such as that and also the Combined Secondary Schools group, around 1920, was one of key features of the schools early history.

From 1948 the school began its close involvement with the Associated Catholic Colleges, or ACC, where it won competitions in various sports over the years. Their famous 70 meter long banners, North is Speed, Power, and a cheer squad, led by the Committee organizing War cries, or COW, where notable features of the annual competitions at the Olympic Park Stadium.

St Joseph's College students also became members of one of the schools sporting houses or teams. These built on the existing pastoral class groupings to generate team spirit during sporting carnivals with students wearing their team colors. These houses, later named after four early headmasters of the college, were:

Hogan      McSweeney      Geoghegan      Kelly     

College crest

At the time of amalgamation in 2000 a new logo was developed to represent the College. This logo was composed of pre-existing elements which were representative of the school's history and philosophy. Set on a traditional heraldic background, in the form of a shield, it features a rampant Gryphon protecting a smaller inner shield bearing a large shining star, a symbol used by the Christian Brothers, supported by smaller stars in the shape of the southern cross. The entire design sits above a ribbon which includes the words, "Luceat Lux Vestra". The symbol appeared on the newly designed College uniform, which included a blazer after a lapse of a number of years, and various College medallions. The logo was used extensively on College publications and documents including Cynosura, the annual school magazine.

Associated schools

Over its long 107-year history the college was associated with a number of schools at one time or another. These included primary, or feeder schools, and higher secondary colleges. Although not exhaustive this list includes most of those known.

1903-1930

St. Joseph's owes its early beginnings, in part, to the establishment of St Mary's Primary School, West Melbourne some 50 years earlier. With high numbers of Catholic children in the area needing education, members of the Christian Brothers were asked to take control of existing schools at West Melbourne and at Carlton. At the same time they were to establish a Brothers community and a secondary school in Queensberry Street, North Melbourne and this was completed by the end of 1902. This 'community house' was the residence of Brothers teaching at St. Mary's, St. George's (Carlton), St. Joseph's, and for a time, St. Augustine's College, Yarraville. The total cost of the building and furnishings was a little over £4516, £3000 of which was provided by local parish priests. The combined enrolment of St. Mary's, St, Joseph's and St. George's was 550 boys in 1903.

In January 1903, Christian Brothers' High School, as it was then known, opened with an enrolment of 44 students. Staffed by three Christian Brothers, that number had grown to 112 by the beginning of 1904. Students were divided into eight classes; Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth, a Commercial Class, Sub-Matriculation and Matriculation Class.

The first Principal was Br. William J Hogan, followed by Br. Francis A Kelly in 1904 and Br. Matthew A Geoghegan in 1908. The first football team, featuring a large white star on its guernsey, was formed around 1906 and began a long tradition of involvement in a variety of sports. A year earlier a brick and concrete handball court had been built at the school and over the next five decades hosted State and Interstate handball championships at various times.

Early school Annuals indicate a variety of titles to identify the school and it was not until 1912 that the name "St. Joseph's" was formally added. Even though its naming varied slightly over the years, the school was more simply known to its students as "North".

In 1913 the North Old Boys Association was formed to assist the school in serving its expanding school population (200 pupils in 1909) and the increasing need for finances as the period after the First World War was an economically difficult one. In the early years both Primary and Secondary school classes were conducted on the Queensberry Street site. The school was able to achieve impressive educational results from its pupils in Junior and Senior University and Public Service Examinations as results published in early Annuals show.

Between 1918 and 1941, students wishing to study for their Leaving Certificate had to do so at St. Kevin's College. By 1921 the enrollment stood at 174 and handball had become the leading sport and both public and school tournaments were frequently held on the handball court.

1940-1960

By 1940 the Christian Brothers' felt that the school had expanded to the point where it was able to take over the provision of night classes in a Catholic Accountancy school for young men in the Melbourne area. The classes started with 40 or 50 students but expanded, post war, to around 200 and provided study allowing its pupils to attain membership to the Australian Society Of Accountants. Hundreds of young men attended there until 1969 when the night school closed.

1951 saw the first Matriculation class of 23 students graduate from the College which meant that it had attained full secondary school status. During the Golden Jubilee year of 1953, 122 boys were members of the College Cadet unit and provided a martial spectacle as they paraded before visiting dignitaries. Arthur Calwell, a prominent politician and old boy, was a guest speaker on one occasion as was Archbishop Daniel Mannix.

During the 1950s the growing school population, due partly to the post War migration boom, forced the college to purchase land and eventually build a second school in the suburb of Pascoe Vale. In 1956 the Preparatory College, as it was then known, opened under the guidance of Br. Ernest S Crowle as principal, who was himself an old boy of the College. In its early years it provided tuition in Grades 4, 5, 6 and Form 1 and had an initial enrolment of 274. By 1970 the school had become entirely secondary with classes comprising Form 1 to 4. Traditionally students completed their "junior" studies (Grades 7 to 10) at Pascoe Vale and then transferred to the "senior" campus in North Melbourne.

From its early beginnings the College was heavily involved in a range of sports and Australian Rules Football in particular. North's football teams were often considered tough opponents both within the local school competition and the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) as the North Old Boys Amateur Football Club, or NOB's, which it rejoined in 1964 after a lapse in membership. In 2005 the North club amalgamated with St Patrick's College, Ballarat to become North Old Boys St. Parick's College Amateur Football Club.

1980-2010

During the later 1970s, 80s and into the 1990s, the Preparatory School in Pascoe Vale South, also known as St. Joseph's Junior College, with enrolments averaging around 490, took on a more independent identity to eventually be known as St. Joseph's College, Pascoe Vale. It had a separate administration, principal, School Board, registration number, logo and annual magazine, known as Scythia, to set it apart from its parent school, North.

Beginning in 1997 preliminary discussions regarding the future of the two schools took place with a view to ensuring their continuing viability. The major issues included enrolments, student welfare, administrative structures, curriculum, staffing and finances. In 1998 the outcome of talks and independent reviews was that the schools should amalgamate within two years in order to remain a relevant and viable educational entity.

The year 2000 saw the two sites formally amalgamated under a new name and banner to become the one College. It retained the traditional College colours of purple and white and College motto. A common uniform, which included a navy blue blazer with monogramed logo, became mandatory. In 2003 the total student population was approximately 750 cared for by a single Principal, two Campus Directors and 92 staff.

By 2008 the decision was made by Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and the Christian Brothers to begin a phased closure of the College. The reasons behind the closure included falling enrolments (570 students), amenities and plant which had become outdated and partly rundown and issues related to student management and involvement. At the end of 2009 the Pascoe Vale campus closed and was stripped of any saleable assets; much was simply dumped leaving only the buildings. Those students who had stayed on were offered places, with some concessions, at other Catholic schools for the continuation of their studies. Likewise, staff, if they wished, were seconded to other schools prior to being declared redundant at the end of 2010. A number of past students were saddened by the closure of the school, they, and many parents, felt more could have been done by the Christian Brothers and EREA to allow it to remain open.

During an address given in 2002 the leader of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Br Philip Pinto, alluded to another reason for the changes needed to the existing College structure. In that address he urged his fellow Brothers to return to Edmund Rice's vision; a renewed commitment to young people on the margins of society. It is best summed up in the following, "to look at life from the standpoint of the minority, the victim, the outcast, and the stranger. In doing so we will be giving hope to those who presently have little hope."

Dark days

In 2004 a former principal of St Joseph's Preparatory College, Pascoe Vale, Br Keith Weston, pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, a number of assault cases. These cases related to students who attended Christian Brothers led organizations and schools. Weston died in 2014 before he could be interviewed by Victoria Police concerning other cases of assault which had been brought to their attention. His actions and those of others were acknowledged during a closure event at the Pascoe Vale campus in 2009.

Br Julian McDonald, in a newsletter published by the Christian Brothers, writes, "For us Christian Brothers, accepting the truth will mean acknowledging that a significant number of us have abused children in our care sexually, emotionally and physically. Abuse is, indeed, part of our sinful history." Br Weston was not alone as a minority of the members of the Congregation at a few schools also caused much hurt; as McDonald says in way of explaining this, "... far too many [were] ill-equipped and ill-formed..."

Post 2010

In 2010 extensive refurbishment work was carried out on the Pascoe Vale site by its new owners and later reopened as Saint Joseph Campus of Antonine College. At the end of the 2010 academic year the North Melbourne campus closed with a final Commemorative Mass and a range of ceremonies attended by current and past students and staff. In 2011 the site was temporarily closed as plans for a new learning center were formulated.

At the beginning of 2012 St. Joseph's Flexible Learning Centre opened at the old St. Joseph's site in North Melbourne. It is part of the Youth Plus Network managed by Edmund Rice Education Australia and is just one of many such centers around Australia. Its aim is to, provide young people with an opportunity to re-engage in education in a supported learning environment. At the end of the 2014 academic year 292 students were officially enrolled full-time at the Centre to work with the 50 staff, made up of teachers, social workers and support staff.

Australian rules football

'North' produced more than 50 Victorian Football League players, some of whom are listed below. A number of others also played with the Victorian Football Association, served as coaches or administrators.

Clergy

More than 100 boys were to become ordained priests representing ten different religious Orders. Of this number, four went on to become Bishops.

General

More than 75 past pupils served in the army during World War One. Of those 16 died while on active service. During World War Two over 780 past pupils served in the military forces; 28 died on active service and ten became prisoners of war.

Politics and public service

Sport