St. Joseph's High School

June 1955, back in time for most of us. But anyone connected even remotely with St. Joseph’s knows that this year marked the beginning of what was to become a dream of a lifetime coming to fruition 54 years later in the magnificent seven storey structure. In 1955, late Miss Bertha Pereira [5th July 1931 to 21st June 2008] ventured into the field of Primary education, encouraged by her father, the late Mr. Dominic Edward Pereira and her sister the late Mrs. Blanche Pereira. Miss Bertha Pereira waited with trepidation and anxiety for the first hopefuls that sought admission here. But their numbers steadily swelled. And then there was no turning back. As the years rolled by St. Joseph’s school with Ms. Bertha Pereira at the helm, grew from strength to strength and today with 4000 students it is no doubt one of the leading schools in the western suburbs. 1955 : A tiny shed housing just 45 students in a Nursery called Tiny Tots. She was aided by her sister Mrs. Blanche Pereira and the little ones were taught the 3 R’s with kindness and love. Constant requests from parents resulted in the Primary Section in 1958, with one division added each year right up to Std. V in 1962. However, Std. V was discontinued after a year. Miss. Bertha’s resourcefulness is evident during this period. She introduced the dot system to help the Tiny Tots trace the alphabets correctly. She was a teacher, clerk, typist, music teacher all in one. When accommodation was a problem, she had classes in every available niche – in the old garage in Sunshine Villa, in the old house across Marve Road, in the adjoining building La Belle and in Glendon Apartments in JBC. The school began to attract students from all walks of life.