By Bridget Spinks
THE $2 million, two storey building for the new hall and library at St Lawrence’s Primary School in Balcatta was blessed by parish priest Fr Irek Czech SDS on 13 April at a whole school assembly with parents and invited guests.
The new hall and library are part of an upgrade to the school grounds which includes the conversion of the former library into a computer lab and music room, refurbishment of existing buildings and the installation of shade cloth over the playground area.
Dignitaries at the occasion included Deputy Mayor of Stirling and St Lawrence and Mary Immaculate parishioner, Cr Giovanni Italiano; the Director of the Catholic Education Office in WA, Ron Dullard; and representatives from Santelli Architects, Ken Paterson Architects and PINDAN Building Company.
The liturgical choir from the 258-pupil, pre-kindy to Year 6 primary school sang Praise to the Lord, a Fr Irek-penned praise and worship song, for the opening hymn, taking the priest by surprise. A Cross of San Damiano will be hung in the hall, in memory of the Capuchins who were entrusted with the parish in its early days and who built its church. The Cross of San Damiano is also linked to the Salvatorian community who now run the parish because the soon to be beatified founder of the Salvatorians, Fr Francis Jordan, was close to the Franciscan spirituality, Fr Irek said.
The Federal Government provided $2,117,279 in funding as part of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) scheme and the school community kicked in an additional $240,000 to make these improvements to the school grounds over the last two years.
According to Ron Dullard, who opened the building with Fr Irek, $230 million of Government funding has been spent on Catholic schools throughout Western Australian in the last two years for which he is very appreciative.
“It’s been a Godsend for Catholic schools,” he said, referring to the BER funding. St Lawrence’s Balcatta is one of 158 schools in WA to receive the Government funding.