Our Community & Culture

Kyogle is situated on the Summerland Way, forty-five kilometres northwest of Lismore and sixty kilometres south of the NSW/Queensland border. The town has a population of 4,000 people while the council area has a population of 9000.

The Kyogle Shire is mainly dependent on the Primary Industries of dairying, beef and timber for its economic stability. The rainforest areas of the Border Ranges are proving to be a major tourist attraction.

Kyogle is known in aborigine parlance as 'the place of the native companion' – nestled in its picturesque setting close to Fairy Mount.

Rumour has it that Kyogle began as a Methodist settlement; it was never Crown land and in those early days there were but two Catholic families.

School Patron & Houses

Our School Patron

Our school is named after St Brigid of Kildare in Ireland. Born in Dundalk in 450 AD St Brigid was the founder of the first monastery in County Kildare, Ireland. Her father was a pagan chieftain of Leinster, and her mother was a Christian. St Patrick inspired her to deepen her father and spread the word of God.

When she was young, St Brigid wanted to join a convent; however, her father took a firm stand and insisted that she marry the wealthy man he had promised her to. The story goes that she asked for God’s help to take away her beauty so that the man wouldn’t want to marry her. Her wish was granted, her father caved, and she joined the convent. Not only did her beauty return, but apparently she was even more beautiful than ever. She called on God’s help again to convince her father to give her land in Kildare to set up a convent. Her father said that he would only give her as much land as her cloak could cover. Silly man. With God’s help, the cloak grew to cover acres of land. This area of land known as The Curragh is still a vast area of land just out of Kildare used by many for recreational activities.

St Brigid died at the age of 75 in AD 525 and was buried in the church she created. Her remains were exhumed years later and brought to Downpatrick to be buried alongside Saints Patrick and Columcille.

The Cross of St Brigid: St Brigid was by the sick bed of a dying pagan chieftain, possibly her father, soothing him with stories about her faith and her unwavering trust in God. She began telling the story of Christ on the Cross, picking up rushes from the ground to make a cross. Before his death, the chieftain asked to be baptised. Initially, legend has it; that people used to make similar crosses to hang over the door of their homes to ward off evil, fire and hunger. Over time, word spread about St Brigid, her kindness, faith, and the making of the Cross became synonymous with her, and the tradition now bears her name.

Our School Houses

Students belong to 3 House Teams that promote connections to our Catholic story and a deeper sense of belonging. Houses are used for sporting events, assemblies and gatherings.

Doyle: is named after Bishop Jeremiah Joseph Doyle first Bishop of the Diocese of Lismore. Bishop Doyle opened and blessed the first Catholic Church in Kyogle in 1906. The colour of Doyle House is Blue.

Sutton: is named after Sr Mary Stanislaus Sutton a Sister of Mercy and the first principal of St Brigid’s Primary School in 1914. The colour of Sutton House is Red.

Colahan: is named after Fr John Colahan the first Parish Priest of Kyogle in 1917. The colour of Colahan House is Gold.