Diagonally across from the Railway line, on Forest Road, you will see St Francis Xavier School, Arncliffe
Keep watch of geokids as it is not a wide footpath and cover completely when replacing the cache.
Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. When she was in Penola she met Julian Tenison Woods and together they opened the first St Joseph's School in 1866.
Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods founded the Sisters of St Joseph to continue this work. Over the many following years, the number of Sisters grew as did their schools. Schools were opened as the needs arose: in country towns, mining towns, cities. The Sisters also became involved in other areas of need including setting up a refuge for women in need and orphanages for children, visiting prisons and working with the sick.
St Francis Xavier School…
The school began in 1911 with twelve students. Classes were conducted in the convent of the Sisters of St Joseph. The Church school building opened in 1912 with an enrolment of 72 pupils. The second storey was added in 1937. This block was refurbished in 1988 and a new class block was completed in 1992. The Sisters of St Joseph conducted the school up until 1983, when another major change occurred when the Sisters of St Joseph, after 72 years, handed over the administration of the school to the CEO.
Since then, a variety of lay principals have led the school community.
Mary MacKillop…
Mary MacKilop's famous saying was "Never see a need without doing something about it"
Well..... there was a need, a geochache in her honour, and something has been done about it!
This is one of many caches placed in significant locations of her story.
Mary died on August 8th, 1909.
She was declared Australia’s first Saint in 2012.