A Historical Reflection - 110 Years of Lauries

April 11 and 12 1915: The College was opened by Archbishop Duhig and first day of school with 270 boys and four Brothers and one lay teacher.

1919: The College was closed due to the Spanish Flu Pandemic and the St Laurence’s Hospital was run by the Sisters of Mercy from May to July

1933: A work program to build Gair Oval commenced during the Great Depression.

1936: School colours changed from Green and White to Black and Gold.

1942: School was moved to Greenslopes for several years while the army took up residence in the school and contrary to rumours, there are no tunnels under the College that lead to either Somerville or the river. Pictured is the house the College moved to at Greenslopes.

1953: Striped Jacket introduced for Prefects

1961: The College, under the guise of Br Bernie Crawford (College Principal) purchased the Runcorn playing fields to extend its sporting facilities.

1970s: Leadership of areas of the College moved from the Brothers to lay teachers with Head of Primary being the first role to be awarded. The community of 13 brothers remained unchanged however the number of teachers went from 17 to 35.

1977: Camp Laurence on Moogerah Dam was completed in 1977 as an outdoor recreational and educational extension to our South Brisbane campus.

1988: The Old Boy Foundation was established to assist boys from disadvantaged backgrounds. The committee raised $500,000 to buy a house at 33 Stephens Road, named the W L Davy Centre, to house four – six boys as they attended the College

2008: Negotiations commenced with Mater and Somerville to build the car park, Gair Field and ERPAC. Laurie the Lion was also introduced to students as the College Mascot.

2015: The College celebrated its 100th anniversary with a number of events

2019: The vertical House system was introduced to the College by Mr Chris Leadbetter

2025: The College commissioned current Principal, Mr Ben Lowrie, and celebrated its110 year anniversary.