St Monica’s College, Cairns – 1890
In the early days of Cairns as a frontier town, St Monica’s school opened in 1890 as a co-educational primary school. The first teachers were lay women, with Miss Kate Birmingham being the foundation teacher. The difficulties of the depression years led to the Sisters of Mercy being invited by Bishop Hutchinson to run the school. The first classes run by the Sisters commenced in October 1892, and the Mercy Sisters operated the school for the next one hundred years, adding a girls’ secondary section from 1933. In 1927, a devastating cyclone destroyed all buildings in the Cathedral precinct except for the convent, which had been built in 1913 – the official opening was March 1914. In 1974, primary classes were phased out and St Monica’s became an all girls’ secondary college, which it continues to be to the present day. In 1999, this convent building was beautifully restored, and now serves as the administration area for St Monica’s College. Also opened in 1991 was the multipurpose hall, Catherine McAuley Centre. Since 2003, St Monica’s girls also have the opportunity to board at nearby St Augustine’s College on a full time or weekly basis. A major building masterplan in more recent years has given the College a four level specialist classroom building which opened in 2013. An additional four storey building providing 10 more classrooms was completed in 2014.
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St Monica’s College is a school up to year 12.