Enright - Burke - Doulin - Gilmour
John Paul College has a long-standing tradition of competitiveness and loyalty to the inter-house competition. Whether you bleed blue for Gilmour, turn green for Doulin, get energetic with Enright or be the best in Burke, our student’s loyalty and commitment to their colour spans way past graduation and into the next generation of JPC students.
While the flags of Enright, Burke, Doulin and Gilmour are displayed around the campus, did you know these names were not the original house names?
In its foundation year, John Paul College along with its 144 students and 9 staff, established its first inter-house competition. Named after cities from ancient Israel, Cana (Gold House), Bethel (Red House), Galilee (Green House) and Nazareth (Blue House) were the very first house groups in the College’s history.
It was not until 1987 the College made the decision to rename the Houses in honour of the Founding Fathers who pioneered the movement to establish a Christian Ecumenical Secondary School in Daisy Hill. Father Rolo Enright of the Rochedale Parish, Father Leo Burke of the St Edwards Parish, Father Patrick Doulin of the Anglican Church and Reverend Bryan Gilmour of the Uniting Church were all members of John Paul College’s foundation committee.
When the original founding committee learned the Catholic Education Office could not support the proposal for a Catholic Secondary School in Daisy Hill, Father Rolo Enright floated the very radical idea to establish Queensland’s first Independent Ecumenical College. When this motion was unanimously decided upon, Father Rolo Enright and Father Leo Burke invited Father Patrick Doulin and Reverend Bryan Gilmour to join the foundation committee to form the concept of John Paul College - a Christian Ecumenical Secondary School in Daisy Hill.
So, while we celebrate the many achievements of our inter-school houses, we also celebrate the origins of our houses and how they were established. Whenever you see the White, Red, Green or Blue flag soaring high remember, it is in honour of the four great men who turned the dream of an Ecumenical College in Daisy Hill, into a reality.
