A suitcase on a veranda at St Ita’s Presbytery in Dutton Park has become part of Brisbane Catholic Education’s history, marking the modest beginnings of a Catholic school system that now reaches 146 communities across South East Queensland.
A suitcase on a veranda at St Ita’s Presbytery in Dutton Park has become part of Brisbane Catholic Education’s history, marking the modest beginnings of a Catholic school system that now reaches 146 communities across South East Queensland.
The story begins in the 1950s with Fr Bernard O’Shea, who worked from the presbytery veranda while imagining a more connected future for Catholic schools. From that setting, with paperwork and a suitcase, the early shape of Brisbane Catholic Education began to form.
More than 70 years later, that image remains central to BCE’s history. What began from a modest place in Dutton Park has grown into a system supporting more than 80,000 students and 14,000 staff across South East Queensland.
A Dutton Park Veranda At The Centre Of BCE’s Story
The veranda at St Ita’s has become more than a small detail in BCE’s past. It is now part of the story of how a local beginning developed into a wider Catholic education system.
Fr O’Shea later became Director of Brisbane Catholic Education and guided its growth for more than three decades. His work is remembered through the Fr Bernard O’Shea In-Service Centre, one of BCE’s seven offices.
The original Dutton Park house still stands at the front of St Ita’s Catholic Primary School. It is expected to be reimagined as an administration building, keeping the site connected to the school’s everyday life.
BCE’s wider story reaches even further back. The first Catholic school opened in the Brisbane CBD in 1845 with 56 students, beginning a history that has since extended across generations of Catholic school communities.
Catholic Education Week Brings History Back Into View
Catholic Education Week will run from 26 July to 1 August 2026, with BCE using the occasion to revisit the moments and school communities that have shaped its history.
An exhibition will mark historic points across BCE schools, including communities celebrating major anniversaries in 2026.
St Mary’s School, Beaudesert, is marking 125 years, while St Augustine’s Parish Primary School, Currumbin Waters, and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Childers, are each marking 100 years.
Other milestone schools include Sacred Heart Parish School, Booval, at 95 years, St Ambrose’s Primary School, Newmarket, at 90 years, and a series of schools marking anniversaries from 15 to 85 years.
Three schools founded in 1916 also carry a prominent place in the anniversary year. St James Catholic Primary School, Coorparoo, St Joseph’s School, Nundah, and Sts Peter and Paul’s School, Bulimba, each opened that year and remain part of BCE’s school communities.
Memories Still Linked To St Ita’s
The renewed attention on Fr O’Shea’s story has also drawn memories from people connected to Catholic education in Brisbane and Queensland.
Some recalled school visits to St Ita’s at Dutton Park, while others remembered attending Catholic schools across Queensland. Several comments also reflected on Fr O’Shea’s role in parish life, education and family milestones.
The memories place the Dutton Park story not only in BCE’s official history, but also in the recollections of former students, families and people who encountered Fr O’Shea through school or parish life.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Newer Schools Continue The Timeline
BCE’s current story also includes newer school communities across South East Queensland.
In 2026, Sophia College, Plainland, and San Damiano College, Yarrabilba, are each marking five years since opening. St Bonaventure’s College, Flagstone, welcomed its first students this year, while Notre Dame College, Bells Creek, is entering its third year of operation.
BCE is also planning the proposed Windsor Inner North Secondary School, which is expected to open in 2029.
From the suitcase at St Ita’s Presbytery to schools now spread across South East Queensland, BCE’s Catholic Education Week celebrations place Dutton Park at the beginning of a much longer school story.
Published 25-June-2026
