Fury as church pulls pin on school oval land deal

A suburban primary school is locked in a David and Goliath battle with the Catholic church for open space after it reneged on a land deal.

Paul Caon, Ryan, Mila, Deb Howe, Sadie, Sophie, Sharon Terkelsen and Andrew are upset the Catholic church pulled the pin on the deal. Picture: Tony Gough

A suburban Catholic community is being torn apart by a 40-year-old agreement to turn two Bentleigh East blocks into outdoor play space for parish schoolchildren

Plucky parents from St Peter’s Primary are taking on the mighty Catholic Church in a bid to ensure the properties are handed over to the school according to a long-standing arrangement.

They say children are forced to play on the asphalt car park as a result of the lack of green space and have timed breaks when the car park is in use by the church.

The Centre Rd properties were purchased in 1980 and 2008 by the parish, with profits from St Peter’s Annual Fete from 2008 onwards helping to pay off the loan.

However, in 2018 a new priest, Father Jacob, took over and in November 2022 advised the school the blocks would be sold rather than used as green play space.

A church bulletin says the Holy Trinity Parish “has no record of such a loan or the purported promise of the blocks” to the school.

Parents from St Peter’s Primary School are taking on the Catholic church after it reneged on a decades-old land deal.

This claim is denied by parents.

The buletin also accuses the school’s Parents and Friends Association and principal of running a public campaign designed to pressure them based on inaccurate and misleading information.

The bulletin states that embezzlement of parish money, lower church attendances and declining funds mean they now need to sell the blocks to raise money.

They parish has also accused the school of not pursuing enough parents over unpaid school fees.

The parish has offered to compensate the school for past payments – a deal rejected by the school although some fete profits paid to the parish have been refunded.

Four years of negotiations have not resolved the issue, which has escalated to the level of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools and Archbishop Peter Comensoli.

A spokeswoman for the parents, Debra Howe, said the “St Peter’s parishioners and school community deserve the fulfilment of the vision that so many have worked towards for more than 40 years”.

More than 1800 people have signed a petition supporting the school, with signatories condemning the “appalling behaviour” of the parish and the “disrespectful and disappointing” treatment of the parents.

One parent, Karina Clement, wrote: “As parents, we have all contributed time, energy and money into raising funds over the years with the expectation that they would be put towards this space for our children. The deception around this and the reneging by Father Jacob has sadly driven a huge wedge between the school and Church.”

A spokesman for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, which runs the school, said it was “working with the school and parish to seek an appropriate resolution to this matter”.