St Clare’s College Waverley has officially opened The Lumos Centre, a contemporary learning hub housed within the beautifully restored heritage-listed former Waverley Post Office in Sydney’s east.
On Wednesday, 20 August, the space was blessed by Most Rev Terence John Gerard Brady and officially opened by Principal Ann Freeman.
The ceremony was attended by staff, students and local dignitaries, including Sister Louise Hume (a former student and Principal of St Clare’s), Member for Coogee Dr Marjorie O’Neill MP, and Waverley Council Deputy Mayor Keri Spooner. It also included the unveiling of a plaque by Bishop Brady and Dr O’Neill.
“We are deeply grateful to all who contributed to the creation of this space, dedicated staff, architects, builders and the wider school community,” Ms Freeman said.
“This building stands as a testament to vision, commitment and faith.”
Bishop Brady shared the same sentiments. “This is not just a building. It is a sacred space where young minds will be formed, where faith will be nurtured, and where the values of compassion, justice and truth will be lived out.”
Ms Freeman said the careful transformation honoured the building’s history while adapting it to serve as a vibrant and future-focused educational environment.
“The Lumos Centre is a purposeful, welcoming space that will ignite curiosity and confidence,” she said. “It will support a differentiated curriculum designed to inspire innovation and experimentation, giving our young women the chance to think critically, create boldly and learn collaboratively.”
The Lumos Centre will serve as an additional learning space for St Clare’s students and staff, as well as a venue for school holiday activities, fostering connections that extend its educational and cultural impact.
Shaped through consultation with students, staff and the wider community, the centre can accommodate up to 100 students at a time. It features collaborative zones, quiet study areas, specialised instruction spaces, a kitchenette and modern staff and student amenities.
The Lumos Centre sits on land traditionally occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal people in Charing Cross, an area established as a prominent intersection in the 19th century. Originally known as Madden’s Corner, the building became the official Waverley Post Office in 1940 after decades of earlier postal services.
Designed by architect Edwin Hubert Henderson in the 1920s, the post office exemplifies inter-war free classical architecture, with its wedge-shaped layout, moulded cornices, Tuscan columns and parapet detailing. It remained a vital community hub until the late 1990s before undergoing several commercial uses.
Today, its restoration and transformation into the Lumos Centre honours this history while adapting the building for contemporary learning. Smart digital systems, secure access and connected classrooms ensure it functions seamlessly alongside the rest of the St Clare’s campus.
The project reflects Sydney Catholic Schools’ commitment to future-focused education within a high-density urban setting and demonstrates the reimagining of heritage sites as multifunctional educational spaces that support both academic excellence and community development.
