The cache is located near St Joseph’s School Pinjarra.
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.
Pinjarra …. Sisters of St Joseph
The Sisters of Saint Joseph started a boarding and day school in Jarrahdale in 1925 but as the timber mill at Jarrahdale closed in 1929 the Sisters followed the camps of the railway workers and road makers to Pinjarra.
On the 24th April 1930, Father John Lunch transported Sister Anthony Little, Sister Gerarda Gallagher, Sister Florentine Byrne, Emma the cook and Fluff the dog, in his car to Pinjarra. Each of the sisters “nursed” a statue; Our Lady, the Sacred Heart and St Joseph.
On 28th April 1930, the Sisters opened a school in the building now used as the Anglican Hall in Canon Avenue. In 1932, the school was moved to the Sisters’ cottage in James Street.
In 1934 the school moved to its present day position after Mrs Perret (a friend of the Sisters) bought land in Camp Road and donated it to the Sisters.
In 1935 the Sisters held the first Bushie School in Pinjarra, which is where children from outlying areas were brought in and prepared for the Sacraments.
In 1954, a three-roomed brick and tile school was erected and officially opened by Archbishop Prendiville and Father Rupert Kelly, who was the parish priest at the time.
At the close of school in 1967 the Post Primary grades were discontinued but a day school for Years 1-7 was staffed solely by the Sisters until October of 1968 when Mrs Dalton became the first lay teacher (not belonging to a religious order, ie; sister, brother or priest) at the school.
1998 saw the last of the teaching Sisters of Saint Joseph, Sister Maree Ridler, leave our school and in 1999, Shaun O’Neill was the first Lay Principal. Today we have Sister Maureen O’Conner as our Parish Administrator.
Over the years, the school has continued to grow and now 227 students attend St Joseph’s School from Kindergarten to Year Seven.
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.
THANK YOU to baffle for the hide and maintenance.