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200 Years of Catholic education in Australia featuring St Thomas More's Catholic School
As part of our 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia celebrations we will be sharing some special memories from our 38 Catholic Education Tasmania schools throughout the year. This week we celebrate over 80 years of Catholic education at St Thomas More’s Catholic School.
Recognising the population growth that would occur around Launceston in the early 20th century, the then Archbishop of Hobart, Archbishop Justin Simmonds, set about establishing a Catholic school to serve families in this region.
In 1938 the Sisters of St Joseph first opened the doors to St Thomas More’s Catholic School in Abbott Street, Newstead to fifteen students; albeit briefly!
At that time communities across the world were still facing an infantile paralysis—polio—epidemic. Mr Richard Fryett, a first student of St Thomas More’s, shares his memories of the early days of the School.
“I came to St Thomas More’s School on the day it opened January 1938,” says Mr Fryett. “It closed that same day so that infantile paralysis would not spread.”
Opening again a week later, Mr Fryett recalls the School had humble beginnings, “…the playground was ploughed paddock. There was no playground equipment…”, says Mr Fryett. “There was no canteen but there was a shop on the corner of Campbell and Abbott Streets…”
Today St Thomas More’s serves over 350 students. Although the School has embraced 2020's technology and learning pedagogies, the Josephite tradition of treasuring every single child continues to be very much valued and practised at St Thomas More’s Catholic School today.
See how the students of today feel about St Thomas More’s!