page_title: St Joseph's College, Melbourne
section_title: 1980–2010
hierarchical_section_title: St Joseph's College, Melbourne / College history / 1980–2010
caption_attribution_description: English: Quadrangle St Joseph's Pascoe Vale campus
context_page_description: St Joseph's College, Melbourne was a Roman Catholic secondary college which opened early in 1903 and closed at the end of 2010. It was part of the Association of Edmund Rice schools, founded and run in the tradition of the Christian Brothers. Between the years 2000 and 2009 it formally operated two campuses, a senior campus located in Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, Victoria and a junior campus, in Brearley Parade, Pascoe Vale, Victoria. These two campuses were previously known as St. Joseph's College, North Melbourne and St. Joseph's College, Pascoe Vale respectively.
context_section_description: During the later 1970s, 80s and into the 1990s, the Preparatory School in Pascoe Vale South, also known as St. Joseph's Junior College, with enrolments averaging around 490, took on a more independent identity to eventually be known as St. Joseph's College, Pascoe Vale. It had a separate administration, principal, School Board, registration number, logo and annual magazine, known as Scythia, to set it apart from its parent school, North.
  Beginning in 1997 preliminary discussions regarding the future of the two schools took place with a view to ensuring their continuing viability. The major issues included enrolments, student welfare, administrative structures, curriculum, staffing and finances. In 1998 the outcome of talks and independent reviews was that the schools should amalgamate within two years in order to remain a relevant and viable educational entity.
  The year 2000 saw the two sites formally amalgamated under a new name and banner to become the one College. It retained the traditional College colours of purple and white and College motto. A common uniform, which included a navy blue blazer with monogrammed logo, became mandatory. In 2003 the total student population was approximately 750 cared for by a single Principal, two Campus Directors and 92 staff.
  By 2008 the decision was made by Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and the Christian Brothers to begin a phased closure of the College. The reasons behind the closure included falling enrolments (570 students), amenities and plant which had become outdated and partly rundown and issues related to student management and involvement. At the end of 2009 the Pascoe Vale campus closed and was stripped of any saleable assets; much was simply dumped leaving only the buildings. Those students who had stayed on were offered places, with some concessions, at other Catholic schools for the continuation of their studies. Likewise, staff, if they wished, were seconded to other schools prior to being declared redundant at the end of 2010. A number of past students were saddened by the closure of the school, they, and many parents, felt more could have been done by the Christian Brothers and EREA to allow it to remain open.
  During an address given in 2002 the leader of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Philip Pinto, alluded to another reason for the changes needed to the existing College structure. In that address he urged his fellow Brothers to return to Edmund Rice's vision; a renewed commitment to young people on the margins of society. It is best summed up in the following, "to look at life from the standpoint of the minority, the victim, the outcast, and the stranger. In doing so we will be giving hope to those who presently have little hope."
caption: Quadrangle St Joseph's Pascoe Vale campus
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