McAuley Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational day school located just outside Grafton in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on Gumbaynggirr land.
The College is affiliated with the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA) and is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lismore.
The school was founded in 1990 as, as an amalgamation of St Mary's College, St Aloysius' College and Holy Spirit College. It was named after Catherine McAuley founder of the Sisters of Mercy.
Principals # Name Term start Term end Time in office Notes 1 John Mullins 1990 1995 years 2 James McDougall 1996 2001 years 3 Gerald Crooks 2002 2008 years 4 Leon Walsh 2009 2015 years "Mission accomplished for college principal" by Thoward, The Daily Examiner, 18 December 2015 5 Mark O'Farrell 2016 2018 3 years 6 Aaron Beach 2019 2019 1 years Meet the Principal, McAuley Catholic College 7 Kate Thomson 2020 Incumbent
Controversy In 2016, the school received media coverage when during an assembly, principal Mark O'Farrell shared an image of a man holding a sign reading "peace on earth" while standing behind his daughters and wife, who were gagged and tied up. Parents and students complained about the image to the school and an apology was later given.
Notable alumni
Troy Cassar-Daley, country and western singer Jed Holloway, rugby union player"Shining star: Local lad sets sights on Super Rugby" by Matthew McInerney, Sunshine Coast Daily, 15 February 2013 Verity Simmons, netball player and Australian Rules footballer Ursula Stephens, former politician
See also
List of Catholic schools in New South Wales Catholic education in Australia
References
External links