Announcements & Events

Announcements and events are released directly from the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL).

24 October 2023

St Joseph's Primary Catholic Primary School to return to Woodburn

We are pleased to report that the Board of Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited has re-considered its decision to immediately enact the recommendation of the Flood Review Commission not to return the school to Woodburn.

Whilst the decision to ultimately relocate the school still remains, the Board of Directors have decided to return the school to its Woodburn site as the existing site in Evans Head continues to present challenges and limitations and further investment in infrastructure and facilities on the Evans Head site is problematic. We also acknowledge that many in the St Joseph’s School and Parish communities have been passionate in their desire to return the school to Woodburn.

We are deeply aware of the impact that the floods have had on many families and staff, and on the Woodburn community as a whole, and acknowledge the need for certainty and stability as they continue to work through their own recovery.

The Catholic Schools Office are currently scoping the refurbishment needs of the school site at Woodburn and investigating possible resilience strategies to mitigate risk and impact and we will have a clearer understanding of timeframes once this work is completed.

By its nature, the Northern Rivers region is prone to flooding. As much as we hope this will not occur, we also understand the school will likely be impacted again in the future. With this in mind, we must be prepared to accept that a flood in the future could mean the school would need to be moved again. On that basis our long-term strategy is still to relocate the school to a flood free site in the future.

We take this opportunity to thank Ms Jeanette Wilkins and Mrs Sophie Taylor for their leadership through such challenging times. I also thank Ms Wilkins and Mrs Taylor and all the staff of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School for their unwavering support and dedication to the school, students and community.

For further media information contact:
Leesa Kwok – Media and Communications Manager
Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited
leesa.kwok@lism.catholic.edu.au or media@lism.catholic.edu.au
+61 429 575 722