Head of corporate services Matthew Smith, head of special projects Malcolm Goodwin, director of Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes Paula Leadbitter and head of catholic identity and mission Chris Kupkee.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Moama residents gathered at St Aloysius Church earlier this week for information sessions about St Carlo’s Catholic School, a new primary school set to open in 2027.
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The sessions, hosted on Monday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 14, were led by representatives from Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes.
Director of CEWF Paula Leadbitter said the new school will compliment the regions existing catholic education providers.
“Our coming here to Moama is not about suddenly offering Catholic education, we are here to compliment the education that is happening in this region,” she said.
“There are wonderful Catholic schools in the Echuca Moama region, and we are here to compliment those schools.
“Having a primary Catholic school here in Moama does provide another choice but it's about complimenting and really building on that sense of community and relationship.”
The Diocese of Wilcannia Forbes covers about 414,000 square kilometers of western NSW including Moama, making it the largest Catholic diocese in New South Wales.
St Carlo’s will be the 19th school under the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes and will cater to students from kindergarten to Year 6.
While the project has been on the cards for many years, significant progress has been made following a rigorous review of development plans in 2023.
The new school will be built on Lignum Road, Moama on land adjacent to Perricoota Parklands, sitting within Moama’s new residential growth corridor.
Inspired by the river and surrounding landscape, the purpose-built greenfield project will feature natural materials and a colour palate that compliments it’s surrounds.
The contemporary facility will feature two learning hubs, each complete with a collaborative learning space that will connect to four individual classrooms.
It will also include an admin space, library, outdoor areas for outdoor learning and a playground.
Ms Leadbitter shared the CEWF vision for St Carlo's Catholic School.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Ms Leadbitter said the new school will be a unique opportunity for community members to be a part of something being built from the ground up.
“It's a purpose-built Greenfield School, which means there's an exciting opportunity,” she said.
“This school is very deliberately being designed and built as a brand new school... it's an exciting opportunity for the community to be a part of a school community from the ground up.
“The beautiful part about the block and the site is that we have plenty of room for expansion as the school develops and we can grow with the school over time.”
Following formal planning approvals, construction is expected to commence in early 2026 with the school to be operational in 2027.
CEWF are also currently accepting expressions of interest for enrollments, staff and local trade and services that would like be a part of the development.
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