St Joseph's Nudgee College

September 13, 2010

Members of the St Joseph’s Nudgee College community came together to officially open the refurbished Tierney Auditorium and Purton Science Centre last week.

State Member for Nudgee the Hon Neil Roberts MP and Councillor for Deagon Ward Ms Victoria Newton attended the opening ceremony along with students, College staff and current and past families.

The ceremony included performances by the Year 6 choir, blessings of both buildings, an address by Mr Roberts and a smoking ceremony by local Indigenous elder Uncle Joe Kirk.

The ceremony was followed by an afternoon tea for guests who were served by some of Nudgee College’s Hospitality students. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Member for Lilley the Hon Wayne Swan MP was originally going to officiate at the ceremony however was unable to attend due to commitments in Canberra. Mr Roberts filled in for Mr Swan and shared with the crowd a little known fact about Mr Swan’s early political career.

“Wayne actually kicked off what would become his political career right in this very hall,” he said. “This is where he held his official launch the first time he ran for office.”

Mr Roberts went on to thank Nudgee College for opening up its facilities to members of the public.

“I am a regular attendee at the College attending community activities. The facilities are one of the benefits of Nudgee College and I thank you for opening up the facilities to the public,” he said.

“A Nudgee College education is about going beyond a purely academic focus which strengthens the boys’ character and enriches the community of North Brisbane.

“Tierney Auditorium will enrich the facilities of both Nudgee College and the broader community. I can see the stage I am on being the location of several productions. I congratulate the school on this magnificent achievement.”

Both Tierney Auditorium and the Purton Science Centre underwent significant refurbishments earlier this year. The refurbishments were funded by the College, the Nudgee College Foundation and, in the case of Tierney Auditorium, via two grants from the Australian Government.

Refurbishment of Tierney Hall into a 400 seat auditorium was completed in June 2010. The revitalised auditorium is capable of being split into two 200 seat auditoriums to facilitate smaller groups and meetings as well as lectures by visiting speakers. Dedicated Drama rooms and training facilities for Hospitality students complete the makeover.

The refurbished Purton Science Centre was also opened in June 2010 and represents a new era in the way staff teach and students learn Science at Nudgee College. The centre consists of 12 new Science laboratories including dedicated labs for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture, and Marine Studies as well as seven group learning areas for Year 8 students.

“The refurbishments of Tierney and Purton not only provide students with state-of-the-art facilities, they also reinforce Nudgee College’s commitment to the academic and cultural areas of College life,” said Principal Mr Daryl Hanly.

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