Charlton Christian College, in Fassifern, has celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a celebration paying tribute to its founders.
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Visitors to the school today can’t help but be impressed.
There’s the landscaped grounds, modern classrooms, exceptional facilities such as the Life Centre, and resources such as musical instruments.
But it wasn’t always like that. Principal Mark Ash said the 20-year milestone was about pausing to give thanks to the driven individuals who helped establish the school.
Chief among them were Bruce and Judy Foley. In 1997, Mr Foley acquired the 11 hectares of land for the school from the Fassifern Colliery for just $250,000 – after the agreed price had earlier been $260,000.
“If that’s not God [at work], I don’t know what is,” Mr Foley told the assembly. “I praise God for where we are today.”
It would take time to develop the Fassifern site, so the school started at a temporary location in Toronto, in 1998. Classes started at Fassifern on February 1, 1999.
The school was originally named Lake Macquarie Christian College, but the abbreviation LMCC led people to confuse the school with Lake Macquarie City Council. The school would often receive phone calls from ratepayers wanting to discuss council matters, so the name was changed in 2005.
