Principal’s Message
Southern Cross Catholic College is a dynamic and vibrant learning community with a difference, providing students with a head start towards their futures, beyond school. Conveniently located in Burwood, Southern Cross caters to students from right across the Greater Sydney area, from Catholic, State, and independent schools, in either a full-time or part-time capacity.
Our flexible timetables, individually personalised and online learning programs, state-of-the-art facilities, rigorous real-life learning and work placement, cutting-edge technologies, and access to highly trained industry professionals and experts, deliver our students the ‘Southern Cross Advantage’.
Students choose Southern Cross as they desire more than a typical HSC experience and are keen to get a jump start on their chosen careers, explore their talents, and pursue their passions. Catering for all students, our extensive course offerings cover a diverse range of interests from Performing Arts, Trades, and Technologies. Our students aspire to achieve Nationally recognised certificates and qualifications, engage with real-world experiences and opportunities, study bespoke courses and pathways unique to our college, as well as have opportunities for school-based traineeships and apprenticeships.
At Southern Cross, we pride ourselves on offering our students a quality education, responding to change, keeping abreast of the latest technologies and curriculum advancements, and preparing our students to be lifelong learners in an ever-changing world. Our vocational pathways are at the forefront of industry and business development with students having access to leaders and specialists in the areas of Performing Arts and Trades. Our reputation and quality program delivery, capably supported by our Enterprise and Innovation Team of staff, have ensured that our strong partnerships with the community, business, and industry have immense benefits for our students.
Most importantly, as the name suggests, Southern Cross is a Catholic faith-filled College that celebrates and embraces diversity and creativity and promotes inclusivity and kindness and nurtures positive and respectful relationships between our students, staff, parents/carers, business and industry partners, community, and parish.
In living out our mission, we challenge every learner to achieve personal excellence within our safe and supportive environment, encouraging, acknowledging, and celebrating student success. We foster a strong sense of community spirit and opportunities for students to share their gifts, showcase their talents, and generously be men and women for others.
If you would like to know more about the ‘Southern Cross Advantage’ and you’re ready to take the first step towards achieving schooling success in an innovative and highly contemporary adult learning environment, so please do not hesitate to contact the College for more information.
Tammy Prestage
Principal
History
Although Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood (SCCC) is newly formed, it is situated on historically rich ground. In 1888, Michael Sheppard built and named his home, Kassala. Born in Limerick, Ireland, he was educated in Dublin and came to Australia in 1880. Kassala became a busy home for the growing family hosting many social events. In 1914, his daughter Elsie Sheppard married Lieutenant Sydney Cook, the eldest son of Joseph Cook, who had been the sixth Prime Minister of Australia in 1913.
To the west of Kassala were three acres of land on the corner of Comer Street and Britannia Avenue, owned by Dean McCarthy. Upon his death, he left the land to St Mary’s Concord Parish to build a school for boys. Opened in August 1909, the Christian Brothers took up the work of teaching in 1910.
St Mary’s Parish acquired Kassala in 1924, and it became the home for the Christian Brothers who taught at the school. Christian Brothers’ College Burwood continued until closing in 2010, its centenary year.
In 2008, the Sydney Catholic Schools were successful in receiving The Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) funding. With this funding, the first round of Trade Training Centres (TTC) in schools came about, starting with a vocationally focused senior secondary college at Burwood.
With the appointment of its inaugural principal, Mr Patrick O’Reilly (2010 – 2019) Southern Cross Catholic College was founded in 2010 for this purpose.
While the college is a beacon of all that is innovative and forward thinking, we appreciate the intrinsic heritage in the bricks and mortar of Kassala for what it represents: a strong and evocative link with Burwood’s and Christian Brothers’ college’s past.
Charism
Mary Help of Christians is the patron saint of SCCC. Catholics have always had a strong devotion to Mary. It is recorded that when there were no priests in colonial Australia, Catholics prayed to Mary to nurture their faith. One of the first priests, Father Therry, dedicated the Australian Church to Mary under the title “Help of Christians”. In his teachings, Pope Francis sums up Mary’s attitude to life with three words: listening, decision and action when recalling that Mary faced her life’s journey with great realism, humanity and practicality.
Our Mission
Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood (SCCC) exists to:
- Engage young people in developing skills for success in life, learning and work
- Inspire and challenge young people through personalised learning opportunities
- Enable the holistic development of young people within a Catholic community.
Our Vision
SCCC students and graduates are challenged and inspired to be:
- Ethical, empathic and reflective, committed to Gospel values and actions
- Resilient, optimistic and courageous leaders: in their lives and learning
- Adaptable, flexible and creative critical thinkers in high-quality challenging learning contexts
- Innovative and highly skilled in their training and workplaces
- Responsible, respectful young adults who contribute their gifts generously.
St Mary’s Parish Concord was founded in 1870 although a church was first established on the site in 1845. In 2020, the parish will celebrate its 150th Anniversary.
Parish Priest Rev Paul Crowley PP, presides over all college and precinct liturgical celebrations.
A: 56 Burton Street, Concord NSW 2137
P: (02) 9747 4210
E: parish@stmarysconcord.org.au
W: www.stmarysconcord.org.au
Mass Times
Saturday: 6.00pm
Sunday: 9.30am and 6.00pm
Monday-Friday: 8.30am