Marist Brothers College Rosalie - Grounds and Campus

Grounds and Campus

There is a monastery (now the “Brothers House”) located at 56 Fernberg Road which was built in 1929 (architect: George Frederick Addison). The building is rectangular in plan with a continuous veranda integrated into unconventional orders supporting the veranda roof over two-storeys. Capitalising on the sloping terrain of the site, this large masonry structure is elevated from street level so as to emphasise grandeur. A low, retaining wall edges the property to the street.

The main college is located at 58 Fernberg Road and was built in 1949 (architect: Frank L. Cullen). The college building is a three storey brick construction, containing 9 classrooms and an attached under croft recreational area. The classrooms are accessed by an internal wooden staircase and long hallways.

Additional college buildings surrounding the main structure include science laboratories, a library, workshops and swimming pool. The college grounds are terraced from the Fernberg Road level down to Beck Street; this area includes playgrounds, cricket nets and tennis courts.

Another wing of the college is located across the road at 61 Fernberg Road having been built in 1971. This is a long two level building with eight classrooms and facilities including an art room, a playground and covered area.

The schools sports fields, called “Lavalla”, are located at Fig Tree Pocket some 10 miles (16 km) west from the school. The fields cover 22 acres (89,000 m2) and have 4 playing fields and other facilities.

The current school site (and the Brothers’ Monastery) are owned, in principle, by the Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane (beneficially for the local parish) and zoned by the Brisbane City Council for community and education purposes. The school is presently administered by Brisbane Catholic Education and supported by the Marist Brothers (who currently supply a principal and two members of staff). The playing fields at Fig Tree Pocket are owned in trust by the Marist Brothers for the Rosalie college.

The Catholic Church often created ownership of land and buildings on trust for the local parish in part in recognition of the fact that the parish and the community supplied money, time and labour to create the facilities. At Marist Rosalie College the Marist Brothers administered and taught at the school until 1970 when Catholic Education Brisbane took over the administration. Despite the fact that Catholic Education Brisbane and the Marist Brothers do not own the school or land they are influential in the direction the school takes, as is, traditionally, the Parish priest, who acts as a voice for the local Catholic community.

Adjacent to the school are a number of Catholic buildings still owned by the Parish. At 369 Given Terrace stands the large red brick "Sacred Heart Church", built in 1917. Immediately across the road at 333 Given Terrace is the "Sacred Heart Primary School" (consisting of 5 small buildings) for grades 1 – 7, now closed but used by other Catholic groups. Behind that is a brick community hall constructed in 1978. There is also a parish priest residence on Given Terrace and a smaller building on the corner of Fernberg Road and Given Terrace that stands where the parish’s original wooden church stood. The original wooden church was constructed and formally blessed by Archbishop Robert Dunne on 10 March 1907 and was used until the large brick church was built in 1917, and thereafter it was used for primary school schooling until it burnt down in the 1970s. Finally at 327 Given Terrace there is the Sacred Heart Convent built in 1918 which was owned and used by the Sisters of Mercy order of nuns (who had commenced teaching in the parish in 1905) until sold by them in 2005. All of these premises have been utilised by the Marist Brothers High School when the need arises.