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St Joseph`s Tobruk Memorial SchoolPrint Page Print this page

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Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown

St Joseph`s Tobruk Memorial School was built to commemorate those who served at Tobruk during World War Two.

The Parish Priest (Father Owen Steele) had asked the Sisters of St Joseph, whose founder is Blessed Mary MacKillop, to establish the school.

It is from Father (later Monsignor) Steele that the school gained its title Tobruk Memorial. During the North African campaign, Father Steele became one of the famous "Rats of Tobruk". On his return to Australia in 1943, Archbishop Duhig appointed him as Parish Priest of Beaudesert. 

The Rats of Tobruk continue to associate with the school through the Beenleigh RSL at Mount Warren Park. Several surviving Rats of Tobruk were involved in an RSL sponsored fundraiser for the school after the fire that destroyed the original school building in October 2006.

Australia's No. 1 "Tobruk Rat," Lt-Gen. Sir Leslie Morshead, renewed acquaintances with 57 other "Rats" at  Beenleigh yesterday. Former GOC AIF in the Middle East, Sir Leslie was at Beenleigh to attend the dedication ceremony of the new £26,000 St. Joseph's Tobruk Memorial Convent School.

More than 1,000 people attended the ceremony, which was performed by the Coadjutor-Archbishop of Brisbane (Dr. O'Donnell). Sir Leslie unveiled a photograph of the first Tobruk memorial at Tobruk.
The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), 26 October 1953.

Location

Address:53 Kokoda Street , Beenleigh, 4207
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -27.712668
Long: 153.200321
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Structure
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW2

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 25th October, 1953
Source: MIV, MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au