The cache is located near Sacred Heart School, Geeveson.
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.
The first founding in Tasmania was 24th May 1887 at Westbury.
History of Sacred Heart School
A half a century after the foundation of the Sisters of St Joseph in Tasmania, they opened a school and convent in Geeveston. There were already schools in Cygnet and Franklin. The current Parish Priest, Fr. P Sherry believed that the time had come for a school in the southern end of the Parish and set about making this happen. Fr. Julian Tension-Woods, co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph, had often frequented the area carrying out Missions and the Catholic Faith was steadily spreading throughout the Huon Valley and the population of the area was also steadily increasing.
The first community of Sisters, Sisters M. Eustelle, M. Marcellus and M. Angus, came to take up residence in February 1938. Unfortunately the Geeveston buildings were not complete so the Sisters stayed at Franklin Convent, 9 miles North, and traveled to and from the school each day. They traveled in a trap chauffeured by Mr. F.B. Hill and drawn by his faithful twenty-three year old horse Clusky. Lessons were held in the Church with the Sisters teaching down one end and music teacher taking lessons down the other end. During the first few months the school had to close twice due to outbreaks of polio in the area but eventually got underway on 20 April with forty-seven students on the register though anecdotal evidence puts the number at fifty. In June, the new buildings were completed and the Sisters moved their convent and students into their classrooms. The official opening and blessing took place on August 11 with Archbishop Simonds presiding with the school being named St. Theresa’s Convent School.
The school celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1963 with a school ball, a debutante ball and a Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving.
In 1962 it was decided to close the secondary classes at Franklin and have the children transported to Geeveston each day. In the same year it was arranged to have Dover children transported as well. Both moves proved successful and these developments were made possible by the conveyance allowances paid by the Education Department. Over the years there were a number of religious vocations from the school with five girls entering the convent and one boy entering the priesthood.
By 1971, dwindling numbers led to the closure of the secondary school annex. Further rationalization occurred in 1973 when the policy of transporting students from other areas was cemented with the closure of St Mary’s at Franklin.
In 1979 a new administration complex was built then in 2007 this was replaced with a new facility to accommodate the needs of the increased number of staff members and office staff.
In 1981 the Sisters handed over the running of the school to lay administration and in 1983 they moved their living accommodation back to their original but newly renovated Convent at Franklin in order to leave their Geeveston house for development by the school. The Sisters withdrew from involvement with the school in 1984. The last Sister of St Joseph working in the school was Sr. Maria Goretti.
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.
Thank you to red tag who will look after the cache