College Houses

CLANCY

House Colour : Green

Clancy House is named after Fr. Michael Clancy, an Augustinian Priest from Ireland, who was the longest serving Parish Priest in Innisfail from 1895 to his death in 1931. Fr Clancy played an important role in the development of the Innisfail township as well as local Catholic Churches. Under Fr Clancy direction Catholic School Education commenced in Innisfail in 1903. Fr Clancy is buried inside the Mother of Good Counsel church in Innisfail which he led to be built.

Followers of Clancy house would have a toughness about them, they would be community builders, they would make sure that everyone felt they belonged to our community, they would care for their environment.

Indigenous Totem:  Bunmara – Green Tree Snake

Father Clancy played an important part in the development of Innisfail, as well as the Catholic Church, this totem is one of the most commonly seen snakes in the local area it catches the eye whenever you see it just as the Catholic Church does in the scenery of Innisfail.

MACKILLOP

House Colour : Purple

MacKillop House is named after Saint Mary MacKillop who is the first Australian to be declared a Saint by the Catholic Church. Saint Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph, an order of religious women in Sydney who then built hospitals and schools. The purpose of the Sisters of Saint Joseph was to care for disadvantaged women, and to help educate the poor and disadvantaged people in Australia.

Followers of MacKillop house would stick to the task, be prepared to enjoy the simple things in life, show particular care for the younger members of the college and stand up for gender equality.

Indigenous Totem:  Gumbugan – Cassowary

Mary MacKillop was an ordinary person who lived an extraordinary life, which saw her triumph over adversities and obstacles placed in her way; similarly, cassowaries are extraordinary birds who have survived even though most of their habitat has been cleared.

MARCELLIN

House Colour : Red

Marcellin House is named after Saint Marcellin Champagnat who founded the Marist Brothers in 1840. The Marist Brothers are a group of Catholic men who dedicate themselves to teaching a Christian education to young people from poor, rural and isolated areas in France, and the work of the Marist Brothers has spread widely to every corner of the world. A small group of Marist Brothers came to Innisfail in 1938 to start the Mother of Good Counsel School for boys.

Followers of Marcellin house would be hard workers, show determination to overcome difficulty, help others to learn and when they saw a job to be done, do it.

Indigenous Totem:  Gidila – Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo

In 2015, Good Counsel College re-adopted the Marcellin way of life just as the red-tailed black cockatoo returned to the local areas in flocks.

POLDING

House Colour : Blue

Polding House is named after Bishop Bede Polding, the first Catholic Bishop of Australia who arrived in Sydney in 1885. Bishop organized the care of poor women in the colony and he sponsored a group of young Catholic women who became the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. It was nuns from the order of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan who started the first Catholic School in Innisfail, The Sacred Heart School in 1903.

Followers of Polding house would have a sense of Justice, be prepared to care for those less fortunate, be concerned for the outcasts and display authority and leadership.

Indigenous Totem:  Yugur – Barramundi

Bishop Polding founded the Good Samaritan Sisters who were responsible for starting girls’ Catholic education in Innisfail; the barramundi starts life as male and changes into a female to breed, this reflects the strength that education has given women.