The cache is located near St Mary MacKillop School, Walaroo
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 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.
History of Wallaroo….
Although evidence show that attempts were made to establish Catholic schooling in Wallaroo prior to 1869, the arrival of the Sisters of St. Joseph heralded the beginning of a school that boasted the longest continuous involvement of Josephites in Australia.
The first resident parish priest, Father William Kennedy, had arrived in 1867 and it was both his and the people's wish that Catholic schools in the area be run by the Sisters. So it was that in March 1869, schools were opened in Wallaroo and Kadina with a combined enrolment of about 200 children.
They were named St. Mary's School and Sacred Heart School. The following year a school was opened at Moonta, but this was closed just ten years later. At this time, the Sisters at Wallaroo lived in a convent in Young Street and used the church to house their students. During the early years Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods visited the schools.
The Wallaroo and Kadina schools continued to operate until 1975, when it they amalgamated. St. Mary's at Wallaroo was upgraded to accommodate children from both schools. A new name, 'Kalori School' was chosen. Kalori is an aboriginal name meaning 'message stick'.
In 1990, the old convent was demolished and the new school was built bringing all classrooms, library and administration onto one site facing Young Street. The building was opened by Her Excellency, the Governor, Dame Roma Mitchell on 19th March, 1991.
In recognition of our belonging to the Catholic Education system, in 1999, the school name was amended to 'Kalori Catholic School'.
In recognition of the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, in 2010 the school was renamed ‘St Mary MacKillop School’
Mary MacKillop became Australia's first Saint on October 17th 2010. To acknowledge this school’s special connection with Mary MacKillop herself and the Josephite Sisters, this connection unbroken since establishment in 1869, the school’s name was changed to St Mary MacKillop School on the date of her canonisation.
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 2010.
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