Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I met with Mrs Carmel O'Shaughnessy, the Principal of St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School in Hocking. I would like to take this opportunity to speak about this new school which is being constructed in the electorate of Cowan. St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School is the third Catholic primary school within the parish of St Anthony of Padua; the others are Banksia Grove and St Anthony's schools. The school building was designed by Peter Quinn and will be completed in early July 2014, allowing the school to be ready for a second semester start this year.

As I have often said in this place, the City of Wanneroo, which Hocking falls into, is a region that is experiencing rapid growth and is expected to double its population to approximately 300,000 by 2031. Demonstrating this, the adjacent Hocking Primary School has over their double-stream quota. At the same time, both St Anthony's in Wanneroo and St Luke's in Woodvale had waiting lists for kindergarten up into the high twenties. It was for this reason that the Catholic Education Office agreed it was time to cater for the Catholic families in the area.

Currently, the school is operating from St Luke's Primary School in Woodvale and has a small kindergarten class. Carmel O'Shaughnessy expects the numbers to rise dramatically when they are on site, with many expressions of interest forms completed. As well as Carmel, the school staff currently consists of a secretary and finance officer, Melissa Dimond; a teacher assistant, Joan Martino; and a teacher, Kim Manov. I wish them all the best for the future.

When I met with Carmel, she told me that at the time of her interview for the position of Foundation Principal, she was asked what would be distinctive about St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School. Her commitment was not about the school being known for any one particular strength; rather, it would be a school that is distinctive as a community designed school with Christ as the centre involving parish, school and the wider community. She said, 'Christ as our centre requires us to grow in understanding of our faith, to nourish our faith and to have courage to be positive role models of our Catholic beliefs.' Carmel said that she recalled as a child learning the importance of faith, hope and charity—with charity as the very essence of love. She believes that charity is love of God above all else and that, in so doing, we love those who are created in the image and likeness of God.

At her initial meeting with the interim board members of Hocking Catholic Primary School, she expressed her own thoughts on the saint's name for Hocking: someone the children could relate to in terms of both a deep love of Christ and the practical actions of charity. Following a great deal of research and discussion they chose St Elizabeth for their school's name. I wish Carmel and everyone involved at St Elizabeth's Catholic School in Hocking all the best for a bright future.