St Ursula's College, Yeppoon
| St Ursula's College | |
|---|---|
![]() St Ursula's College, 2022 | |
| Location | |
| , Australia 23°07′45.4″S 150°44′38.3″E / 23.129278°S 150.743972°E | |
| Information | |
| Type | Secondary girls |
| Motto | Perfect My Steps |
| Established | 1918 |
| Founder | Presentation Sisters |
Principal | Deborah Ryan (since 2021)[1] |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Houses | Nagle, Shiel, Madden and Kennedy |
| Colours | Teal and navy |
| Affiliations | Independent Catholic |
| Website | www |
St Ursula's College, Yeppoon, is an independent Catholic Girls', secondary and Boarding School located in the town of Yeppoon, in Central Queensland, Australia.[2][3][4] It is administered by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission, with an enrolment of 553 students and a teaching staff of 50, as of 2023.[4] The school serves students from Year 7 to Year 12,[2][3][4] and is the only all-girls, Catholic day and boarding secondary school in Central Queensland.
History
The school's history began in 1915 when Bishop Joseph Shiel proposed a Branch House for the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary be established at Yeppoon.[5]
Mother Ursula Kennedy and Mother Patrick Madden, two Presentation Sisters, visited Yeppoon and selected a one-acre block in Queen Street for the construction of the branch house, which at the suggestion of Bishop Shiel became known as St Ursula's.[5]
The two-storey St Ursula's Convent, with St Joseph's Primary School on the ground floor, was officially opened by Bishop Joseph Shiel on 21 January 1917.[6][7] Twenty-five boarding students and thirty primary students began attending the school 29 January 1917.[5]
With a demand for specialised education for young woman becoming apparent,[5] St Ursula's College was officially opened at the site on 12 March 1918,[8] with an enrolment of 32 students.[5] The primary school was on the ground floor, with the secondary school on the first floor.
In 1922, a new building was erected which is now called Gabriel Hogan House.[5]
With a surge in the number of primary school students in the 1950s, it was decided to establish a separate school with the Sacred Heart Primary School opening in John Street in 1958.[5] Sacred Heart Primary School relocated again in 1991, to Lammermoor.[5]
In 1992, the Presentation Sisters formed St Ursula's College Limited, ensuring the school would continue to follow the Presentation tradition after religious leadership had stopped.[5]
The first lay principal of St Ursula's College was Margaret Ramsay, who was appointed in 1996.[5] However, the Presentation Sisters remained on the staff at St Ursula's College until 2011.[5]
The Queensland Presentation Congregation transferred governance of St Ursula's College to Mercy Partners in June 2014.[5]
A century of catholic education and presentation presence on the Capricorn Coast was celebrated in July 2017.[5]
In 2018, St Ursula's College celebrated the school's centenary with a three days of celebrations.[5]
School

The College campus is located in the Yeppoon central business district. The Boarding House is a three-storey Queenslander-style building that accommodates the changing needs of boarding students. Plans were submitted to Livingstone Shire Council in 2021 for a proposed expansion of the school.[9] The plans included the construction of a new two-storey education block with new amenities, courtyard and covered area which would replace an existing building which would be demolished.[9]

The college's "sister school" is St Agnes' Girls School in Kyoto.[10]
Notable staff
- Rosa MacGinley, a presentation sister and academic was the head of the school from 1954 to 1967.[11]
- Courtney Winfield-Hill, cricketer and rugby league player, was working as a physical education teacher in 2010.[12]
Notable Alumni
- Kara Cook, Federal Member for Bonner, elected at the 2025 Federal Election.
References
- ↑ Stokes, Aden (1 February 2021). "Meet the new principal of St Ursula's College". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- 1 2 "St Ursula's College (Yeppoon) | Department of Education". Schools Directory. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- 1 2 "St Ursula's College, Yeppoon QLD | Private Schools Guide". privateschoolsguide.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- 1 2 3 "ACARA Data Access Program - School Profile 2023". Australian Curriculum Assessment And Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Identity". St Ursula's College. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ↑ "New Yeppoon Convent opened by Bishop Shiel". The Morning Bulletin. 23 January 1917. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ↑ "St. Ursula's Convent, Yeppoon". The Catholic Press. 1 February 1917. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools". Queensland Department of Education. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- 1 2 Jarrett, Vanessa (27 November 2021). "Rockhampton and Yeppoon private and state school construction projects 2021". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ↑ "St Ursula's say 'sayonara' to sister school students". The Morning Bulletin. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ↑ "The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours list: Dr Mary (Rosa) MacGINLEY". Christian Today. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ↑ Williams, Guy (27 October 2010). "Courtney is a 'corker' on the pitch". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
External links
- Boarding schools in Queensland
- Catholic secondary schools in Queensland
- Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia
- Presentation Sisters schools
- Girls' schools in Queensland
- Educational institutions established in 1918
- Catholic boarding schools in Australia
- 1918 establishments in Australia
- Yeppoon
- Buildings and structures in Central Queensland
