In 1932, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan Order, with the assistance and foresight of Father Clancy, established St Rita’s Catholic School at South Johnstone.
The cramped school conditions in the original school building, together with the need for a parish church forced the local community to raise funds to build on the vacant allotments between Green and Driscoll Streets.
Bishop Heavey laid the foundation stone for the new church and school on November 27, 1932. After the blessing and opening ceremony on April 2, 1933, the school students moved across the road leaving the convent free for the Sisters.
Since then, the school has continued to grow, undergoing many structural changes and withstanding several major cyclones. The original school building, with extensions, still sits proudly on the Green Street site today.
