The first Catholic school on Thursday Island was built around 1900, on the present site of the Sacred Heart Hall. At this time, the Sacred Heart Fathers had established the first mission in 1884 and a few years later they were joined by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who started teaching on the verandah of the convent when they arrived.
The Sisters also ran an orphanage, which lasted until 1948. A second campus on Hammond was established around 1936.
In 1968 the Sisters of Mercy took over the running of the school and in 1973 the new school building was built around the old orphanage which was altered to a one level building that served as the library until 2012.
The first Lay Principal of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School was Miss Delia O’Donnell from Melbourne. The Patrician Brothers were at the school for over 11 years and from 2009 to the end of 2012 we welcomed the Marist Brothers to our school and parish community.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School today has two campuses, Prep to Year Six on Thursday Island and Pre-Prep to Year 3 on Hammond. Enrolments include students from Thursday Island, Hammond, Prince of Wales and students who have come from all over mainland Australia.
