Following the liturgy of blessing Senator Arthur Sinodinos officially opening the buildings. Also attending were Ms Jill Hall, Federal Member for Swansea, Ms Yasmin Catley, State Member for Shortland and Councillor Doug Eaton, Mayor of Wyong Council and Peter Hamill, Director of Schools.
The special guests were also invited to take part in an Oak Tree Planting. The significance of the oak tree being a symbol attributed to St Brigid and the Abbey of Kildare (Cill Dara), it was from the sacred oak that ‘Cill Dara’ got its name meaning Church of the Oak.
“The Blessing and Opening signified an exciting stage in the life of St Brigid’s,” Principal Julie Terry said. “The facilities have been designed to complement contemporary teaching and learning in an IT-rich environment.” The Principal added: “We want our graduates to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to leave us prepared for the changing landscape of life after school.”
Building firm Paynter Dixon designed and built the new buildings, with construction commencing in September 2014 and finishing earlier this month. Design Architect, Matthew Greene commented “the classroom block is characterised by an open style of learning, supported by large outdoor areas designed as additional learning spaces. The close connection between indoor and outdoor environments was a key objective of the project brief, maximising the wonderful bushland outlook for the College.”
The buildings include Open Learning areas, as well as an administration area and staff facilities. There is also a junior hospitality ‘master chef’ style learning area and state of the art Technical and Applied Studies (TAS) facilities consisting of metalwork and woodwork equipment, supported by an adjacent design studio.