After nearly 130 years, the historic Sion Campus of Catholic College Sale has closed its doors, with students set to take advantage of new facilities at the school’s St Patrick’s campus.

At 3.15pm on November 19, 2020, the bells at the Sion campus rang for the last time.

The main feature of the high-profile site on the corner of Raglan and York Streets, the beautiful former convent known as Our Lady of Sion, is one of the oldest buildings in Sale.

Catholic College Sale recently renovated its St Patrick’s campus to accommodate students from Year 7 to 12, with new, specialised learning spaces and state-of-the-art classrooms.

According to Principal, Chris Randell, discussions around combining the two campuses began around eight years ago.

“It will be an enormous change for not only the community, but certainly for our staff and students. Although we will no longer be using the Sion Campus, those traditions will continue on.

“Having everyone together at the St Patrick’s campus is a way of looking forward, to ensuring that Catholic education is available for generations to come in this area,” he said.

Director of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Sale, Ms Maria Kirkwood, said discussions are underway to determine the future of the Sion Campus.

“A number of options are being considered, but at this stage, no decisions have been made,” she said.