2019 marked 100 years of education at St Ita's Regional Primary School.
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 16 December 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. On the 27 January 1919, 78 students walked through the gates to attend the first classes at St Ita's, which also housed the church and the priest's home.
Since then, many students have passed through the school and we see education today vastly different. Thanks to the many devoted principals and staff, over the years, who have contributed to the school's growth, both physically and educationally. The site, at the top of the hill, now boasts modern learning spaces and the Jubilee Playground, a well-equipped, tree-lined play space, on the bank of the Brisbane River.