Our History

St John’s Primary School Centenary, Mullumbimby…

Centenary celebrations for St John’s Primary School, Mullumbimby, took place on June 12th & 13th, 2010.Over the weekend, ex-pupils and parishioners were treated to a display of memorabilia with photos dating back to 1907. Other items on display included class programs written by teachers, student work samples, uniforms, school bags, posters and school photos from each decade dating back to 1911.

A Centenary Booklet entitled “A Walk Back Through Time” was produced for the special event. It contains over two hundred photographs along with a comprehensive history of the school and personal stories from ex-students, Sisters of St Joseph, ex-principals, parents and priests.

A Centenary Cookbook, containing many favourite recipes from Parish families was popular with locals and visitors alike.
The Centenary Dinner, held in the Parish Hall on the Saturday night, catered for two hundred & fifty people. School Principal, Mr Tim Bleakley was the Master of Ceremonies on the night with special guests including Mr Don Page, State Member for Ballina, Sr Mary Quinlan, Provincial of NSW Sisters of St Joseph, and Parish Priest Father Anthony Lemon. Cr Ross Tucker spoke on behalf of Byron Shire Council and Mark Russell, Centenary Committee Chairman thanked all members of the committee for the time and effort they gave in staging the event. Sr Anne Mills & Sr Michelle Condon, who are both ex-pupils of St John’s School also attended the dinner.

A beautiful Mass, officiated by Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett was held on the Sunday morning. It was followed by morning tea and entertainment from St John’s students, consisting of choir items and the performance of bush dances.