# Our Lady of Mercy College, Burraneer

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College Burraneer (also OLM or OLMCCB) is an all-girls 7–12 school situated on Burraneer Bay, in Sydney's southern suburbs, Australia. Our Lady of Mercy College, Burraneer is a Newman Selective Roman Catholic School. It was founded by in 1932 by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1960, the college moved to its current location in Burraneer Bay. The current enrolment is ~550.
The college is affiliated with the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA), Shire Combined Catholic Colleges (SCCC), Southern Sydney Combined Catholic Colleges (SSCCC) and NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC).

## History

The college was established in 1935 by the Sisters of Mercy (Parramatta) in a cottage at 6 Coast Avenue, Cronulla. The earliest known enrolment was sixteen girls. OLMC operated as a small boarding school until 1939 when it was closed during World War II. It was reopened in 1945 as a small day school, and boarding was discontinued in 1951.
In 1959, the Sisters of Mercy purchased the college's current property at Burraneer Bay, which was officially opened and blessed in 1960. In 1972, the college acquired the property on the northern side of Dominic Street. In the early 1980s, the Sisters of Mercy moved out of the Convent, allowing the school to extend into this part of the building.
In 1989, the College introduced a new uniform, replacing yellow and brown with the current uniform and school colours of blue, red and white.
Extensive building work on the northern side of the grounds was completed in 2003 with the opening of a new multi-purpose centre, The Mercy Centre, along with new music and practice rooms and four general classrooms. Major building work in 2014 and 2015 transformed the Marcy Centre into a performing arts centre with a new stage and two recording studios. The Catherine McAuley building was completed in 2016 and officially opened in 2017, with three science laboratories, four design and technology rooms, five flexible general classrooms and an open learning space.
In 2024 the school will welcome their first Year 11 cohort.

## Principals

| Period | Details |
| 1945–1946 | M Casimir Callachor |
| 1947–1952 | Jude Cashman |
| 1953–1962 | M. Alphonsus Stanley |
| 1963 | Agatha Dunne |
| 1964 | Anne Ryan |
| 1966 | Paulinus Hartigan |
| 1967–1971 | M. Immaculata Hegarty |
| 1972–1976 | Pauline Smith |
| 1977–1980 | Margaret Doyle |
| 1981–2000 | Loreto McLeod |
| 2001–2006 | Deslee Browne |
| 2007–2010 | Christina Trimble |
| 2011–2017 | Gilda Pussich |
| 2018–2020 | Ann Freeman |
| 2021–2023 | Leonie Pearce |
| 2024–Present | Christine Harding |

## Houses

There are four houses at Our Lady of Mercy College, Burraneer: Carita, Coolock, McAuley and Mercedes. Each house is named in reference to the Mercy Tradition.
* Carita – (Red)
Motto: Actions speak louder than words
Carita is named after the word 'Caritas' meaning charity. The emblem of two hands holding a heart is a symbol of charity and almsgiving.
* Coolock – (Green)
Motto: Friendship, love and loyalty
Coolock is named after ‘Coolock House’, situated in Dublin, Ireland and inherited by Catherine McAuley. It provided a site for McAuley to protect and educate poor women and children.
* McAuley – (Yellow)
Motto: Strength through compassion
McAuley is named after Catherine McAuley who was the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. The emblem for McAuley is the lotus flower, which symbolises compassion, courage, mindfulness, peace, and wisdom.
* Mercedes – (Blue)
Motto: Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly
Mercedes ('mercy' in Spanish) house was named after the congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, which was established by Catherine McAuley in 1831 for the visitation of the sick, poor and the charitable instruction of women. The emblem is the Irish trinity knot.