This year we celebrate the 85 years of education at Marist College Eastwood and we continue to reflect on our growth over the years with over 900 students enrolled at the College today.
From the desolate farmland surrounding Eastwood House in the 19th century, Marist College Eastwood has grown rapidly since its inception. With the local Parish purchasing Eastwood House in 1929, the foundations of the College were laid with the first building, now known as B-Block, being completed in 1936. Shortly after, the late Jim Maloney became the first enrolled boy of the College and was followed by just under 100 other pupils on February 2, 1937.
In the following years, A-Block was completed in 1957, with E-Block commissioned in the late 1960s. The Parish later donated Eastwood House to the school in 1964, now the College’s main administration office. The library and canteen followed shortly after, having been built in 1971, with C-block completed in the mid-1970s.
Most recently, the Montagne Centre was completed in 2015 following a decade’s worth of budgeting and planning to account for our rapid rise in enrolments. This building is now a proudly indelible part of the local area, encapsulating and epitomising our ‘Shaping Model’ to nurture students, staff and the wider community in the image of Marcellin and his wish to develop “good Christians and good citizens”.
While it seems pointless to commemorate anniversaries and events for the convenience of displaying a number ending in 5 or 50, it truly reminds us of the enduring and timeless nature of an institution and the purpose it intends to serve. That is no different with our school or the legacy it follows with Marcellin Champagnat. As we mark the sesquicentennial year of Marist education in Australia, and the 205th anniversary of the Marist Brothers, the strong foundations laid 85 years ago here at Marist College Eastwood have borne witness to a range of old boys developed in Marcellin’s image and good works. Former English Premier League goalkeeper John Filan, youth ambassador, social worker and 2020 Australian of the Year finalist Bernie Shakeshaft, and ABC business journalist and recent Order of Australia medal recipient Peter Ryan all once wore Eastwood colours. Another alumni member and now ordained priest, Fr Tim Norton, has been appointed of late by Pope Francis as the Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane. These individuals have made a mark both nationally and globally, embracing the Marist spirit in their love of work through their sense of simplicity in the way of Mary.
In the College’s Golden Jubilee year in 1987, the end of year newsletter remarked that“the loyal and committed spirit that now pervades Marist Eastwood is one that embodies the achievements of the past and present clergy, staff, students and parents. We are thus assured of a golden future”. Some 35 years later, this statement holds a lasting value to our school community, strongly resonating with this year’s key Pillar of Family Spirit. As we continue to navigate the challenges insinuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the restrictions of recent years call for strong, simple and meaningful actions to bring back to the forefront our strong culture of Eastwood. Hence, it is our responsibility to continue believing in and contributing to a ‘golden future’ for the College during and beyond our time here. As we celebrate this 85th year of Marist College Eastwood, it is important to reflect on who we are and what we intend to become, with our actions in uniform leaving footprints behind in our own legacy for the school. As the College is set to celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2027, its 95th anniversary in 2032 and its centenary in 2037, the 85th anniversary at present is a significant milestone we are part of, worth remembering in the coming years as we look to the future.