St Patrick's Old Boys Association

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An organisation bringing together many generations of men who have attended St Patrick's College in Wellington and Silverstream.

We will feature some information about the Association as soon as it has been drafted. In the interim, here is a brief history of the two colleges.

Francis Redwood left New Zealand at the age of 14, and went to France to be educated. He returned as the second Bishop of Wellington, and one of his major interests for the rest of his long life was the development of Catholic education. One of his earliest and most significant achievements was the opening, in 1885, of the first Catholic secondary school for boys in New Zealand, dedicated to St Patrick. This was, at least in part, due to the fact that the first Rector, Dr Watters, and the founding staff were recruited from the Marist seminary of St Mary, Dundalk, in Ireland where the Bishop himself had once taught. Before it could be established, however, there was an extensive and arduous fund-raising campaign through most of New Zealand, highlighted by some remarkable stories of generosity and sacrifice.

The College, to begin with, placed a good deal of emphasis on the boarding side of the establishment. It was a College for most, if not all, of New Zealand. Indeed, it even attracted early boarders from Australia. Certainly, students from as far away as Otago, West Coast, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and Canterbury were numerous in the early lists of pupils. When the College opened there were more boarders than day boys, and the balance remained in their favour for many years. In fact, for its first forty years, the College had the field virtually to itself.

Contact:
St Patrick's Old Boys Association
Phone: 04 236 8255
Fax: 04 236 8250
Website: http://www.spcob.org.nz/