WE ARE PROUD OF OUR HISTORY

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Primary school has a rich tradition and a strong commitment to social justice, based on the wonderful contribution of the Sisters of Mercy over so many years.

The school, dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, was blessed and dedicated by Most Rev. J.P. O'Collins, Bishop of Ballarat, on Sunday, October 15th, 1961. Its establishment could be viewed as the response of the Ballarat Cathedral Parish to problems of overcrowding within the existing Parish schools and to provide Catholic Education within the local community.

Our Lady Help of Christians School opened with four Sisters of Mercy and 176 children. The school was originally built with six classrooms and two cloakrooms. Facilities and equipment were of the bare minimum. There was no Parish church. In July 1964, the first Parish Priest was appointed, Father Coley McKenzie and in June 1966 a renovated Air Force hut became the first Parish church on the site. In 1969 a convent was built to house the Sisters of Mercy in the Parish.

Through the hard work of the school and Parish communities a hall was built and later a meeting room and other facilities added. A modern Church was built has been added to this complex creating a Parish Community facility that is well used by the school and Parish .

Since the early beginning the school has undergone two major refurbishments and extensions. Today the school is a modern and attractive building. The school buildings are part of the wider Parish Community Centre established on the Gillies Street site. The landscaped entrance gives some insight to the facilities that lie beyond the gates. Visitors to the school understand why Our Lady Help of Christians has become known to many as "Ballarat's hidden treasure".