MJSP Oval Names

St Vincent’s College is a predecessor school of Catherine McAuley College, located at Junortoun on the site of what is now the Coolock Campus. The school opened to boarders in 1955, with an original intake of 43 boys. The school reached its peak in 1967 with 191 boarders enrolled with students attending from the Mallee, Riverina, Northeast Victoria, Melbourne and Gippsland. In 1977 it was decided that the Vincentians would withdraw from St Vincent’s College and the campus would become the Marist Brother’s College Junior Campus, thus allowing Catholic education to continue on the site.

In 1983 the site became part of Catholic College Bendigo when Marist Brothers’ College and St Mary’s College combined. In 2018, the College became Catherine McAuley College and the former site of St Vincent’s College became known as Coolock.

In 1977, prior to the Vincentians leaving Bendigo, the executive of the St Vincent’s College Past Students’ Association decided to honour the work of the Vincentians by officially naming the front oval, the Michael Howard Oval and the eastern oval, the Thomas Finn Oval for the first and last Presidents of the College. Monuments commemorating them were unveiled on Sunday 23 October 1977 by Tony McEniry, the President of the Association at the time.

A significant part of the Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct (MJSP) development was the construction and upgrade of five ovals at the precinct. To honour the legacy of the Vincentian fathers, who were the teachers and sporting coaches at St Vincent’s College between 1955 and 1977 – all five ovals were named after Vincentians. This announcement coincided with the official opening and blessing of the precinct in July 2023.

Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct Ovals

Fr Michael Howard CM

Fr Howard was the Foundation President of St Vincent’s College, having been President at the brother school, St Stanislaus’ College in Bathurst NSW since 1948. He remained at St Vincent’s College for the first six years. After travelling and studying he returned to the position of President in 1964 and remained until his untimely death in 1967. He was remembered by Bishop Stewart as having “instilled a fine spirit into the students”.

Fr John O’Keefe CM

Fr O’Keefe taught at St Vincent’s College from 1958 until 1970. He was President of the College from 1967 until 1970, during which time the College reached its peak. He also oversaw a major project to establish new sporting ovals and an athletics oval, modelled on Melbourne’s Olympic Park.

Fr O’Keefe was well-known for his enthusiastic interest in the boys’ studies, their sport and all their activities. He was Sports Master for several years and, although new to the Victoria code of football, eventually coached the Under 17s and the First XVIII teams. He coached the Unders 17s in the Golden City Football League to multiple premierships. He was also the President of the Junior League in 1964 and was later made a life member. Fr O’Keefe was also successful in coaching athletics, basketball and cricket teams at St Vincent’s.

Fr Walter Quinn CM

Fr Quinn was a foundation staff member at the College, originally appointed as Bursar. At the end of 1957, he went back to Bathurst but returned to St Vincent’s in 1961 to take up the post of President for two years. In 1971, he once again returned to the College and remained on the teaching staff until the College closed in 1977.

Fr Kevin Canty CM

Fr Canty joined the teaching staff at St Vincent’s in 1964 and remained until 1969. He returned for a second term from 1971 until 1974. He coached the Under 18 football team, including the Golden City Football League premiers in 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974. Fr Canty also coached the First XI during the early 1970s and was a spin bowler who played in the College’s senior team in the Emu Valley Association competition on the weekends.

Catherine McAuley College Oval

Fr Thomas Finn CM

Fr Finn was a highly educated teacher, having a double major in chemistry and physics from the University of London. He spent a few months at St Vincent’s College in 1967 before returning to Bathurst. When he came back to Bendigo in 1974 to be President of the College, he became the final President and presided over the committee to wind up the school in 1977. As well as his involvement in the scholastic aspects of College life, Fr Finn took an active interest in school sport, particularly in athletics and swimming.