Mother of Good Counsel is a parish based, urban school, situated in the North of Cairns. The school was founded in 1936 when Fr Phelan, an Augustinian priest, foresaw the need for the Catholic families in the local area to have some form of formal religious and educational instruction available. A two storey cement Church-School was erected. The school was located on the lower floor consisting of four classrooms. Under the care of the Sisters of Mercy, the school began on 16 April, 1936 with 19 children enrolled on the first day.
By 1969 many more classrooms had been built and the school had an enrolment of 250 students. In 1976 the convent was closed and the first lay principal was appointed. In 1986 the Marist Brothers took charge of the school and served the local community until 1990.
With the growth of the Cairns area, many formally older single dwellings have now become multi-unit sites occupied by young families. Following strong local demand, a second stream began with Prep in 2008, and has continued through to Year 6.
Mother of Good Counsel School strives to foster successful learning based on both the Gospel values and the tradition of the Mercy Sisters, and stands firm on its capacity for effective, life-giving relationships and collaboration involving all those within its school community.
