Marist Regional College

Marist Regional College is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, secondary school, located in Parklands, a suburb of Burnie, Tasmania, Australia. The school is part of the Marist Schools Australia MSA network of catholic high schools across Australia, and is one of several within Australia and around the world that share the same name of "Marist" College. The college currently caters for around 800 students from Years 7 to 12. Marist Regional College was established in 1972 through the amalgamation of Stella Maris Regional College, run by the Sisters of Mercy, and Marist College run by the Marist Fathers.

The Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) opened the College in 1959 as a boys’ secondary boarding school, initially known as St James' Marist College, and attracted an Initial enrolment of 90. From 1966 onwards the School had some co-ed classes with Stella Maris Regional Girls' College. Over the years the school has been involved in matters and allegations involving numerous child sexual-abuse offenders. They include the following:

  • Stephen Grant Randell - former international cricket umpire and sports coach who was found guilty in 1999 on 15 charges of indecent assault against nine girls when teaching at the College between 1981 and 1982;

  • Paul Ronald Goldsmith – athletics coach who was jailed for six and a half years in 2005 after being convicted of 42 sex offences against 20 boys aged 13 to 16. He died in Tanzania in 2016, where he moved to after completing his parole in 2012.

  • Philip Green (deceased) – former Catholic Monsignor who pleaded guilty in 2004 to indecently assaulting a former altar boy;

  • Father Gregory Laurence Ferguson – employee of  the college in the 70s. He received a cumulative sentence of at least five years in 2007 after two separate convictions but astonishingly enough, the judge did not place him on the sex offenders’ register as it was deemed that he would unlikely re-offend;

  • Father Roger Michael Bellemore - sentenced to four years’ jail in 2008, with a non-parole period of two years, after being convicted of assaulting three school boarders between 1966 and 1971;

  • Father Thomas Fulcher -  sentenced to four years’ jail for indecently assaulting two boys between 1964 and 1967; and

  • Father Brian Conaghan -  who allegedly sexually abused five girls between 1968-1971 at Stella Maris Regional Girls' College.

Moody Law has represented and is still representing clients who were victims of child sexual abuse by members of the Marist Fathers and by lay teachers working at institutions such as Stella Maris/Marist Regional College.

We invite former victims to contact us to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.