IN 1952 THE AUGUSTINIAN PROVINCE STARTED NEGOTIATIONS WITH CARDINAL GILROY REGARDING THE ENTRY OF THE ORDER INTO SYDNEY. THE CARDINAL OFFERED THE NEW PARISH OF MANLY VALE BUT IT CAME WITH A CONDITION ATTACHED AS THE CARDINAL WANTED THE ORDER TO OPEN A BOY'S SCHOOL IN THE AREA WITHIN ONE YEAR OF TAKING OVER THE PARISH. DESPITE RESERVATIONS THE ORDER ACCEPTED THE OFFER AND THUS IN FEBRUARY 1956 ST AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE OPENED ITS DOORS. THE STAFF WERE ACCOMODATED IN A SMALL COTTAGE LOCATED ON GULLIVER STREET UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO ORGANISE A LARGER PRIORY IN NEARBY FEDERAL PARADE. SHORTLY AFTER THE PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION WAS MOVED TO BROOKVALE WHICH THEN BECAME THE ORDER'S HEADQUARTERS IN AUSTRALIA. IN 1977 THE AUSTRALIAN PROVINCIAL NOVITIATE WAS ALSO RELOCATED TO BROOKVALE. ALTHOUGH WITH DECLINING NUMBERS THE ORDER HAS HAD TO ACCEPT THE INCREASING LAICISATION OF THE COLLEGE BROOKVALE REMAINS THE HEART OF THE AUGUSTINIAN APOSTOLATE IN AUSTRALIA.

THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY AT BROOKVALE WAS A SMALL FIBRO HOUSE, NOW BRICKED IN, IN GULLIVER STREET (BELOW LEFT). HOWEVER THE INCREASING NUMBERS OF COLLEGE STAFF LED TO THE PURCHASE OF TWO OTHER HOUSES IN FEDERAL PARADE IN 1958 AND 1960. IN 1963 A TWO-STORY ADDITION WAS MADE TO NO 37 AND THE PRIORY WAS OFFICIALLY LOCATED THERE (BELOW RIGHT). IN 1977 A FORMATION HOUSE WAS BUILT AT 60 FEDERAL PARADE AND BECAME THE NEW PRIORY IN 1997 (LEFT). THE OLD PRIORY AND ITS ASSOCIATED HOUSES WERE DEMOLISHED IN 2002 TO MAKE WAY FOR MAJOR EXTENSIONS TO THE CAMPUS FACILITIES OF A GROWING ST AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE.

THE ORIGINAL PRIORY WAS THIS SMALL HOUSE IN GULLIVER STREET (BELOW). IT SOON BECAME INADEQUATE FOR THE NUMBER OF STAFF BUT CONTINUED IN USE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THE NEW PRIORY OPENED. THE HOUSE WAS LATER INCORPORATED INTO THE COLLEGE.

IN 1958 A HOUSE WAS BOUGHT AT 37 FEDERAL PARADE AND IN 1963 A SECOND STORY WAS ADDED AND IT DULY BECAME THE NEW PRIORY (BELOW). ADDITIONAL HOUSES AT 35 AND 39 FEDERAL PARADE WERE BOUGHT AND USED AS RESIDENCES. ALL WERE DEMOLISHED IN 2002.

THE NUMBER OF AUGUSTINIANS IN COMMUNITY PEAKED IN THE EARLY 70's. AMBITIOUS PLANS WERE THEREFORE MADE FOR A LARGE PRIORY TO ACCOMMODATE TWENTY MEMBERS BUT IT DID NOT EVENTUATE. INSTEAD A HOUSE OF FORMATION (NOVITIATE) WAS ERECTED AT 60 FEDERAL PARADE IN 1977 ACROSS FROM TODAY'S BRIMSON CENTRE (RIGHT). WITH THE DECLINE IN BOTH THE NUMBER OF VOCATIONS AND PROFESSED MEMBERS OF THE ORDER IT WAS DECIDED TO COMBINE THE NOVITIATE WITH THE PRIORY INTO THIS SINGLE BUILDING IN 1997 SINCE WHEN IT HAS BEEN USED AS THE NEW ST AUGUSTINE'S PRIORY.

ST AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE COMMENCED ON FEBRUARY 7 1956 WHEN TWO CLASSES FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 65 BOYS ASSEMBLED IN THE NEW ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH/SCHOOL.

THE ORIGINAL SITE FOR THE COLLEGE WAS A MOST UNPROMISING PORTION OF WASTE LAND COVERED BY LOW SCRUB, SANDY SOIL AND EVEN OLD TRAM LINES FROM A DISUSED SIDING AND SO EXTENSIVE WORKS WERE REQUIRED TO RENDER THE SITE USEABLE. FOR THE SCHOOL'S FIRST YEAR ST AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH HALL (RIGHT AND BELOW LEFT) SERVED FIRST AS CLASSROOMS TILL THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE NEW AUGUSTINE BLOCK WAS COMPLETED IN LATE 1956. THE LATTER WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED IN MARCH OF 1957. THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE SAME BLOCK WAS FINISHED IN 1960 (BELOW LEFT) AND THE COLLEGE'S FIRST SCIENCE LABORATORIES WERE CONSTRUCTED IN 1961. IN 1963-64 TWO SINGLE STORY CLASSROOM BLOCKS WERE ERECTED. ALTHOUGH MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY THEY SERVED AS THE PRIMARY SCHOOL UNTIL A NEW GOOD COUNSEL BLOCK WAS BUILT TO BE USED FOR THE NEW PREPATORY SCHOOL IN 1995.

FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE AUGUSTINE BLOCK (LEFT) IN 1960 MUCH OF THE COLLEGE AS IT LOOKS TODAY HAD TAKEN SHAPE. IN 1971 NEW COLLEGE SCIENCE LABORATORIES (THE MENDEL WING) WERE COMPLETED (BELOW LEFT AT THE BACK). THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE LIBRARY IN 1972 WHICH WHEN EXTENDED TO THREE STORIES IN 1978 WAS NAMED THE TOLENTINE WING (BELOW LEFT). IN 1987 THE GOOLD WING, CALLED AFTER THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN IN AUSTRALIA, WAS COMPLETED AND IN 1995 THE NEW PRIMARY SCHOOL, THE GOOD COUNSEL BLOCK, REPLACED THE OLD 'TEMPORARY' CLASSROOMS. IN 2003 THE BRIMSON CENTRE WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED FOLLOWED BY THE LECCETO ARTS CENTRE (BELOW RIGHT) IN 2005. RECENTLY THE FORMER AND NOW DISUSED CHURCH HALL WAS CONVERTED INTO A SENIORS COMMON ROOM (ABOVE RIGHT) AND THE SCHOOL CHAPEL.

IN 2003 THE MAGNIFICENT BRIMSON CENTRE, NAMED FOR THE FIRST RECTOR OF THE COLLEGE, FR DAVID BRIMSON OSA, WAS OPENED. THE CENTRE, A MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITY HOUSING A NEW LIBRARY (THE AUGUSTINIAN RESOURCE CENTRE), A HALL, A GYMNASIUM AND A STATE OF THE ART WEIGHTS ROOM FOR SENIOR STUDENTS IS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE WORK OF THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN STAFF.THE CENTRE ALSO CONTAINS THE COMPANIONS ROOM FOR STAFF, STUDENTS AND PARENTS TO MEET AND BECOME INVOLVED IN SCHOOL PLANNING.

DURING THE GREATEST PART OF ITS EXISTENCE ST AUGUSTINE'S HAS BEEN WITHOUT A DISTINCT CHAPEL BUILDING. INSTEAD A SMALL INTERNAL ROOM OF THE AUGUSTINE WING SERVED AS THE SPIRITUAL CENTRE OF THE COLLEGE AND THE SETTING FOR THE MASS. SCHOOL LITURGIES WERE ARRANGED ON AN AD HOC BASIS MAKING USE OF VARIOUS OUTSIDE VENUES.

IN 2004 WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE OLD CHURCH HALL A SECTION OF THAT BUILDING CONTAINING WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL CHURCH SANCTUARY WAS RENOVATED AS A SCHOOL CHAPEL AND WAS THEN DEDICATED TO ST MONICA, THE MOTHER OF ST AUGUSTINE. A PLAIN SPACE MUCH IN KEEPING WITH TODAY'S CONCEPT OF LITURGICAL DESIGN IT IS FURNISHED WITH AN ALTAR, AN AMBO, A CELEBRANT'S CHAIR, A STATUE OF THE SACRED HEART AND A COPY OF THE FAMOUS ICON OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL WHO IS ALSO THE OFFICIAL PATRONESS OF THE AUGUSTINIAN ORDER.

IN 1952 IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE AUGUSTINIANS AND CARDINAL GILROY THE ORDER TOOK OVER THE NEW PARISH OF MANLY VALE. A ONE-STORY PRESBYTERY WAS OBTAINED IN KING STREET AND IN 1954 IT BECAME A CANONICAL FOUNDATION OF THE AUGUSTINIAN ORDER WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF FR ORMONDE AS THE FIRST PRIOR. FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS THE AUGUSTINIANS HAVE CONTINUED TO SERVE THE PARISH AS PASTORS IMBUING IT WITH THE SPIRITUALITY OF THEIR GREAT PATRON ST AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO.

THE FIRST PRIORY WAS A ONE-STORIED HOUSE ON KING STREET (BELOW). IN 1964 IT WAS EXTENDED BY ADDING FOUR EXTRA ROOMS. IN 1980 A NEW LARGER PRIORY WAS BUILT (LEFT) AND THE OLD PRIORY WAS THEN GIVEN TO THE SCHOOL AS AN ADMINISTRATION BLOCK. IT WAS THEN DEMOLISHED IN 2004 TO PERMIT FURTHER REDEVELOPMENT OF ST KIERAN'S SCHOOL.

<<< THE AUGUSTINIAN LOGO ETCHED INTO THE GLASS FRONT DOOR AND ^^^ THE PRIORY.

TOP	CONGREGATIONAL INFORMATION

INFORMATION AND SOME HISTORICAL PHOTOS FOR THIS PAGE ARE TAKEN FROM THE BOOK OUT WHERE DEAD MEN LIE BY STAN ARNEIL. THE MONOGRAPH THE AUGUSTINIANS IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND BY MICHAEL ENDICOTT OSA PROVIDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS FOR THE CAIRNS FOUNDATIONS. BOTH ARE HERE ACKNOWEDGED WITH GRATITUDE. ANYONE WISHING TO OBTAIN FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE AUGUSTINIAN ORDER IN AUSTRALIA ARE REFERRED TO THESE PUBLICATIONS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE ARCHIVIST OF ST AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE FOR THE HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF THE COLLEGE. I AM ALSO INDEBTED TO THE ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL ARCHIVIST, MARGARET BURKE, WHOSE KIND SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN UNSTINTING.