The land upon which St Ita's resides was originally under the custodian of the Jagera amd Turrbal people.
In 1916 Archbishop Duhig purchased Borva House, a home that stood on six acres and faced the Brisbane River at Dutton Park. At a cost of 3000 pounds it was intended that the site be developed with a church, a school and a convent. On December 16, 1917 the first mass was celebrated in a room of Borva House.
In 1918, Archbishop Duhig invited the Ursuline Sisters based in Armidale, to establish a convent in Brisbane. After discovering that the original Borva House site was too small, the Archbishop purchased another block of land overlooking Borva House. This house had belonged to Mr Edward Hughes, a local dentist and the Archbishop worked hard to ensure that the Ursuline Sisters were installed in their new convent and that they were ready to open their new school in Borva House at the start of the 1919 school year. The current hall was built in 1919 and was used as the Parish Church.
(A full account of the history of St Ita's can be found in "A Bridge and a resting place - the Ursulines at Dutton Park 1919 - 1980" available in the Library)
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St Ita's Church-School opened
in 1919. To the right are the extensions completed in 1977. |
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Borva House facing the Brisbane River, 1879. Purchased by Archbishop Duhig in 1916 it
became a Chapel, Presbytery and first school. |
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St Ita's School built in 1933 on the site of Borva. It was relocated to its present position to give way for the new St Ita's Church in 1972. |