During the 1920’s and 1930’s numbers continued to grow,
placing more pressure on classroom accommodation. The 1940’s and 1950’s saw
the growth and consolidation of the secondary school, and a fine record of scholastic
and sporting success. Despite the new erection of a new wing in 1956, the
school in the early 1960’s was at breaking point. Enrolment was over 1000,
with classes having to be taught in the Parish Hall, which had been
sub-divided, on veranda’s, at St Vincent Boy’s Home, and even under an oak
tree in the school grounds. The decision was taken to move the secondary
classes to Westmead and leave only the primary classes at the Parramatta site.
In 1966 the first stage of the buildings on the new Westmead
campus was opened, and most classes transferred. Further buildings were
completed: the Monastery in 1968, the Swimming Pool in 1968, the Library in
1971, the Senior Block in 1973, and Arts and Techniques Centre in 1982, the
Administration Block in 1984. Meanwhile the fields and grounds were
developed. In 1993 the Morley Centre was opened as a new multi-purpose
facility. In 2001 the new Science
Building was opened.
In 2003 the library was refurbished and named the Br Ludovic
Learning Centre, a new healthy Canteen was built in 2004, in 2006 an
eLearning Centre was created on the lower floor of the Harroway building
and in 2007 the Science laboratories, TAS and Creative Arts areas were
updated and a 172 seat theatrette was built on the site of the old canteen.
In 2008 the school introduced Project Based Learning into Year
9. Classrooms were redesigned to
cater for this technology rich environment.
This ensured that each student in year 9 had access to one-one
computers.
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Parramatta Marist began as a school established by Fr. John
Therry in Hunter Street
Parramatta in 1820, under the
direction of Mr George Morley. The school was transferred to the site of
the present Cathedral in 1837 and entrusted to the care of the Marist
Brothers in 1875. This makes Parramatta Marist the oldest Catholic school
in Australia.
A list of Headmasters from the time of Mr Morley to the present is situated
in the reception foyer at the school.
The first three Brothers in 1875 took over a small School of
32 pupils, a number that would grow to over 100 within 12 months. Parramatta was still in many ways a small rural town,
and the Brothers were accommodated on a 23-acre farm at North
Parramatta, the income from which helped to finance the
school. Conditions at the school were less than adequate, and the early
Brothers worked hard to develop the scholastic, sporting and cultural
achievements of their students, often with very few resources.
The 1880’s were important years for Marist. In 1888, a new
monastery was built next to the school and in 1889 a new headmaster, a
Frenchman by the name of Brother Claudius, took over the school. During
this time enrolments increased to over 250, the first senior classes were
presented for public examinations with notable success, facilities were
expanded, extra classes were organised at night and on weekends, and
competitive sports were promoted vigorously with next-door neighbours The
King’s School being the chief opponents in cricket, rugby and athletics.
The school began to flourish.
Developments continued in the new century. In 1918, the
original stone building was demolished and replaced with the building that
housed the junior school until 1994.
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