Bowraville’s St Mary’s Primary School celebrates Catholic Education week Nambucca Valley Nambucca Valley - popup ad Nambucca Valley News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - April 14, 2024 Gumbaynggirr Elder Uncle Martin Ballangarry performed a smoking ceremony to open the school’s yarning circle. HISTORIC St Mary’s Primary School in the heart of Bowraville held an open day last Wednesday and welcomed around 50 families of present and future students. “Next week is Catholic Education Week so we were having an early celebration,” Principal Nadine Slingsby told News of The Area. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Catholic Education Week is an annual event celebrating the faith-based learning, centred on core values such as kindness, compassion, community and service, enabled by Catholic schools. “It was an opportunity to open our doors and show our families into our new facilities, too,” she said. St Mary’s has recently installed a new playground, revamped its kitchen gardens and created a small animal farm. The school also held a blessing and smoking ceremony performed by Gumbaynggirr Elder Martin Ballangarry to officially open its new yarning circle. Visitors were treated to cuddles with rabbits, chickens and a pat of the paddy cow, a young bullock on loan from a local farm. The Catholic primary school has been running at its present location since 1932 when it was opened by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. Currently the school has 52 students, mostly living in the Bowraville area. By Ned COWIE St Mary’s student Sonny cuddles one of the school’s pet rabbits. The school’s poddy calf gets some attention from (front) Matthew Winwood-Smith and William Lindsay and (back) Zayn Jarrett and Adrian Jarrett
