The Federation had planned to host a celebration dinner in 2021, however, due to Covid, these plans were delayed.

Chair of the Federation of P & F Associations in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, Cheryl Murphy said “the Federation is proud of its work supporting the provision of capacity building opportunities for parents and carers such as hosting well-known parent educators Michael Carr-Gregg, Andrew Fuller and Paul Dillon to speak on issues including anxiety, building resilience and vaping – all at no cost to families. We continue to support all 58 of our schools to have robust parent bodies that provide a forum for collaboration that is vibrant and reflective of Federations approach to positive partnerships with schools”.

The evening also presented itself as the perfect opportunity to launch a new book Snapshots in Time. The book, has been a labour of love for Frances Dunn, Marie Hughes rsj and Liz Latham. The pages regale with photos and are complemented by a comprehensive timeline that encompasses the opening dates of the 135 Catholic schools that have operated in the Diocese of Maitland- Newcastle.

History lovers will delight as they read the book and are taken on a journey through time, spanning from the opening of our very first school, St John the Baptist Primary School which opened its doors in ‘West Maitland’ in 1833 all the way through to the commencement of Catherine McAuley Catholic College in 2021.

The book is dedicated to our late bishop, Bishop Bill Wright, who was an avid historian and as Ms Latham points out, “enjoyed glimpses into the stories of those early pioneers” and as such, was part of a conversation that planted the seed for the publication.

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