From the Principal MR DOMENIC BURGIO PRINCIPAL CBC Fremantle has its origins in the Oblate St Patrick’s school for boys built in 1882 and has had many iterations, over time waxing and waning in numbers and reputation. The late 1990s saw an existential moment where there was some doubt about the ongoing future of the College. Thankfully at that time a number of planets aligned, and the success of CBC Fremantle today is built on the shoulders of all the staff, parents and students who have given their best since the College’s inception. One of the most prescient decisions at that time was the building of the gymnasium. It is my
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touchstone Vol 9 No 1 Winter 2021
understanding that the sale of the CBC Tuckfield Street Primary School campus was used to fund the gym. It was a gamble at the time, and could have resulted in a white elephant. The Tuckfield Street site had been purchased from the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in order to establish a primary school that would feed the secondary site. This dream did not end up providing the student numbers that were anticipated and it was the view of the decision-makers at the time that, if CBC Fremantle was to have any chance of survival as a boys’ school, it needed a firstclass gym. Whether this version is apocryphal or totally accurate I will leave to those of you
