Marymount College, Gold Coast
Encyclopedia
Marymount College is a Catholic
secondary school located at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast
in Queensland
, Australia
. It traces its origins back to 1959 when Fr Frank Shine was appointed Parish Priest of Burleigh Heads.
We embrace the person and the vision of Jesus Christ by ensuring gospel values are reflected in all aspects of College life.
In 1971, Sr Carmel Beirne, osf became the new principal, assisted by Sr Marguerite, osf.
In that same year, extensions costing $94,000 were made to the college.
1972 marked another milestone: Marymount College became co-educational to provide for boys on the central and southern sections of the Gold Coast. The first boy enrolled was Justin Lane. Marymount College became the first Catholic co-educational college in Queensland - with an enrolment of 120 students.
In 1974, a Manual Arts Centre was established at a cost of $34,000. This was also the year of the first senior class at Marymount College.
1975 saw the appointment of Mr Michael Lloyd as the first lay Principal and Fr Martin Doyle assumed responsibility for providing the guidance and facilities necessary for a sound Catholic education.
In 1981, Dr Brendan McManus assumed leadership of the College and a new swimming pool was a welcome addition to the sporting facilities. 1982 saw a new library built and an enrolment of 620 students.
Mr Pat Wall was appointed College Principal in 1984. The foresight of Mr Wall in 1987, saw the construction of the Year 8 classroom building. The construction of the Doyle Centre in 1991 was a major building project and provides exceptional facilities for physical education, theatre and music.
Buildings constructed from 1977 - 1991 were designed and supervised by Michael Ryan and built at a cost of $4.8 million dollars.
In 1993, Fr Ken Howell was appointed Administrator of the Burleigh Heads Parish when Fr Martin Doyle, due to ill health, took a long needed rest. Late in 1993, Mr Pat Wall resigned as Principal and Brisbane Catholic Education appointed Mr Bob Cullen as Acting Principal for the 1994 school year. During this year, Fr Pat Molony was appointed Parish Priest.
Ms Vicki Ward assumed the role of College Principal for the 1995 school year.
In 1996, Mr Bob Peacock was appointed College Principal. By 1999, Marymount College had an enrolment of 905 students. Mr Peacock commenced an extensive rebuilding programme with a new Home Economics and Hospitality wing opened in 1998 and a new $900,000 Manual Arts Complex opened in February 1999.
Major expenditure has also been undertaken in the Information Technology area with the College now operating a network well in excess of 275 computers. In September 2001, work commenced on a new Administration building which includes a new staff room with computer access for each teacher. A bookshop is part of this building, completed in April 2002.
2010 saw the opening of the Mary Mackillop Building which hosts state-of-the-art science laboratories and library resource centre.
(English and Mathematic subjects are offered in single-gender and mixed-gender classes)
(Students must pick one Religion subject and one English subject. Those marked with # are
Authority Registered Subjects)
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
secondary school located at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It traces its origins back to 1959 when Fr Frank Shine was appointed Parish Priest of Burleigh Heads.
Mission statement
Marymount is a Catholic educational community committed to promoting lifelong and life-giving learning for students within a supportive school environment.We embrace the person and the vision of Jesus Christ by ensuring gospel values are reflected in all aspects of College life.
History
Marymount College is situated on Burleigh Connection Road, Burleigh Waters. Marymount traces its origins back to 1959 when Fr Frank Shine was appointed Parish Priest of Burleigh Heads. The Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception as a parish secondary school opened Marymount College in 1968, with sixteen students and two staff. The principal was Sr Mary Patricia, osf. The complex cost $146,000 and consisted of classrooms, a convent and chapel. Responsibility for the College development was to rely heavily on the Burleigh Parish.In 1971, Sr Carmel Beirne, osf became the new principal, assisted by Sr Marguerite, osf.
In that same year, extensions costing $94,000 were made to the college.
1972 marked another milestone: Marymount College became co-educational to provide for boys on the central and southern sections of the Gold Coast. The first boy enrolled was Justin Lane. Marymount College became the first Catholic co-educational college in Queensland - with an enrolment of 120 students.
In 1974, a Manual Arts Centre was established at a cost of $34,000. This was also the year of the first senior class at Marymount College.
1975 saw the appointment of Mr Michael Lloyd as the first lay Principal and Fr Martin Doyle assumed responsibility for providing the guidance and facilities necessary for a sound Catholic education.
In 1981, Dr Brendan McManus assumed leadership of the College and a new swimming pool was a welcome addition to the sporting facilities. 1982 saw a new library built and an enrolment of 620 students.
Mr Pat Wall was appointed College Principal in 1984. The foresight of Mr Wall in 1987, saw the construction of the Year 8 classroom building. The construction of the Doyle Centre in 1991 was a major building project and provides exceptional facilities for physical education, theatre and music.
Buildings constructed from 1977 - 1991 were designed and supervised by Michael Ryan and built at a cost of $4.8 million dollars.
In 1993, Fr Ken Howell was appointed Administrator of the Burleigh Heads Parish when Fr Martin Doyle, due to ill health, took a long needed rest. Late in 1993, Mr Pat Wall resigned as Principal and Brisbane Catholic Education appointed Mr Bob Cullen as Acting Principal for the 1994 school year. During this year, Fr Pat Molony was appointed Parish Priest.
Ms Vicki Ward assumed the role of College Principal for the 1995 school year.
In 1996, Mr Bob Peacock was appointed College Principal. By 1999, Marymount College had an enrolment of 905 students. Mr Peacock commenced an extensive rebuilding programme with a new Home Economics and Hospitality wing opened in 1998 and a new $900,000 Manual Arts Complex opened in February 1999.
Major expenditure has also been undertaken in the Information Technology area with the College now operating a network well in excess of 275 computers. In September 2001, work commenced on a new Administration building which includes a new staff room with computer access for each teacher. A bookshop is part of this building, completed in April 2002.
2010 saw the opening of the Mary Mackillop Building which hosts state-of-the-art science laboratories and library resource centre.
Facilities
- Chapel
- Library (new-state-of-the-art building completed in 2010, includes exclusive computer research rooms for senior students)
- Doyle Centre (includes 1 full-size indoor timber basketball court with multi-use capabilities; 150+ seat theatre; gym facilities; purpose built music and drama classrooms)
- Science Block (new in 2010, state-of-the-art, fully air-conditioned)
- Manual Arts Block (fully air-conditioned - includes wood and metal work areas, construction and manufacturing facilities and purpose-built graphics rooms)
- Home Economics and Hospitality Building (fully air-conditioned - includes a restaurant, cooking areas, commercial cooking facilities, textile facilities)
- Film and Media Room (includes green screen etc.)
- Dance Studio (timber flooring, mirrored walls and ballet bars)
- 25 m pool
- Grass athletic field (with competition facilities for both track and field events)
- Tartan long jump, triple jump and high jump facilities
- 2 outdoor basketball courts
- 2 outdoor astro-turf sand tennis courts (competition size)
- 2 soccer fields
- 2 rugby fields
- Multiple dedicated computer rooms (current ratio is 1 computer per 3 students - not including the introduction of laptops)
- WiFi for student use (from 2010, the One Laptop Per Child Program with students being issued a MacBook Laptop)
Core subjects
- Religious Education
- Accelerated Mathematics #
- Core Mathematics
- English
- English Extension #
- Science
- Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE)
(English and Mathematic subjects are offered in single-gender and mixed-gender classes)
Elective subjects
- Advanced Sports Program (by application only)
- Business Environments & Ventures
- Business and Information Management
- Dance
- Drama
- French
- Geography
- Graphics
- Health & Physical Education
- History
- Information, Communication & Technology
- Japanese
- Living Technology (Textile & Food Studies)
- Living Technology (Food Studies)
- Media
- Metal Technology
- Music
- Music Extension (only offered to students also studying music outside of school)
- Visual Arts
- Wood Technology
Core subjects
- Study of Religion
- Religion and Ethics #
- English
- English Communication #
(Students must pick one Religion subject and one English subject. Those marked with # are
Authority Registered Subjects)
Authority subjects
- Accounting
- Ancient History
- Business Communication & Technology
- Biological Science
- Chemistry
- Dance
- Drama
- Economics
- English
- English Extension (Literature)
- Film/Television Studies
- French
- Geography
- Graphics
- Home Economics
- Hospitality Studies
- Information Processing and Technology
- Information Technology Systems
- Japanese
- Legal Studies
- Marine Studies
- Mathematics A
- Mathematics B
- Mathematics C
- Modern History
- Music
- Physical Education
- Philosophy and Reason
- Physics
- Study of Religion
- Technology Studies
- Visual Art
Authority registered subjects
- Aquatic Practices
- Creative Arts - Visual
- Early Childhood Practices
- English Communication
- Manufacturing
- Prevocational Mathematics
- Recreation Activities
- Recreation Surfing
- Religion and Ethics
Certificate courses
- Certificate II Business
- Certificate II Multimedia
- Certificate I Hospitality (Kitchen Operations)
- Certificate II Tourism
- Certificate II Work Practices
Past principals
| Years | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1959–1970 | Fr. Frank Shine |
| 1971–1974 | Sr Carmel Beirne |
| 1975–1980 | Mr Michael Lloyd |
| 1981–1983 | Dr Brendan McManus |
| 1984–1993 | Mr Pat Wall |
| 1994 | Mr Bob Cullen |
| 1995 | Ms Vicki Ward |
| 1996–2009 | Mr Bob Peacock |
| 2010–present | Mr Christopher Noonan |
Notable alumni
- Daniel KowalskiDaniel KowalskiDaniel Steven Kowalski is a former Australian middle- and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events. He competed in the Olympic Games in 200 m, 400 m and 1,500 m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200 m freestyle relay...
Olympian (Gold, Silver and 2 x Bronze Swimming Medallist) - Ken WallaceKen WallaceKen Wallace, born 26 July 1983 in Gosford, New South Wales, is an Australian sprint canoer who has competed since the mid 2000s.Wallace originally competed in Ironman events and only switched to sprint racing at the age of sixteen...
Olympian (Gold and Bronze Kayaking Medallist) - Jacob ClearJacob ClearJacob Clear is an Australian sprint canoer who competed in the late 2000s. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he was eliminated in the semifinals of the K-2 500 m event.-References:*...
Olympian - Ryan Napolean Swimmer (2010 Commonwealth Games Gold and Silver Medallist - Swimming)
- Bernadette Wallace Kayaking (4th at 2010 World Championships)
- Andrew RainesAndrew RainesAndrew Raines is an Australian rules footballer, with the Brisbane Lions Football Club. He is the son of Geoff Raines, a premiership centreman who played for Richmond, Collingwood, Essendon and Brisbane....
AFL Football Player - David HaleDavid Hale (footballer)David Hale is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...
AFL Football Player - Candice AdamsQueensland FirebirdsThe Queensland Firebirds are an Australian netball team based in Brisbane that currently compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The Firebirds were formed as one of the foundation teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy , previously the premier netball league in Australia, which was contested...
Netball Player - Queensland Firebirds - Paul O'BrienPaul O'BrienPaul O'Brien is a South-African-born Australian actor.-Biography:Paul O'Brien was born on 14 April in South Africa, and grew up in Australia. He spent several years on the Gold Coast, with his family...
Actor - Holly BrisleyHolly BrisleyHolly Brisley is an Australian actress and television presenter. She began her career at the age of 15 on Agro's Cartoon Connection and more recently portrayed Amanda Vale-Baker on Home And Away...
Actor - Carl BarronCarl BarronCarl Barron is an Australian comedian. His style is based on observational humour. He was born in Longreach, Queensland, the son of a sheep shearer, and formerly worked as an apprentice roof tiler. Barron has released three DVDs, entitled Carl Barron LIVE!, Carl Barron: Whatever Comes Next and...
Comedian - Jessica Hardy (Australia)Jessica Hardy (Australia)Jessica Hardy was a contestant on Big Brother Australia 2002.Jessica Hardy became well known during her time in the house for her relationship with Marty, a relationship which led to their marriage outside of the house after the season ended. Their marriage was televised in the series Marty and...
Reality TV Star - Simon Baggott 90.9 Sea FM90.9 Sea FM90.9 Sea FM is a radio station on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Southern Cross Media Hit Music Network, and is also the network hub for the Hit Music Stream, broadcasting shows from 4pm - 12am across the Sea, Star and Hot FM Networks across Australia.The Sea FM brand...
Radio Host