Patrick Ambrose Treacy

Patrick Ambrose Treacy CFC (31 August 1834 – 2 October 1912) was a Roman Catholic educationist who established the first permanent Christian Brothers community in Australia in 1868.

Early life Treacy was born on 31 August 1834 in Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. Educated at an academy and the local Christian Brothers' school at Thurles, he excelled in mathematics. In February 1852 he joined the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Waterford. After a rigorous course he was posted to various local schools for experience and also continued his studies, including part-time courses under the aegis of the Science Museum, South Kensington. After eight years of teaching at Wexford schools he became headmaster of the Christian Brothers' schools in Carlow. Showing administrative skill he achieved high teaching efficiency and improved school buildings and equipment. and took over the running of St Patrick's College, Ballarat in 1893. By 1900, when Treacy retired after thirty years as a provincial superior, he had established 27 schools in the principal cities of Australia, and one in New Zealand.

Teacher training At first they were trained in the schools, but in 1897 Treacy used a recent foundation in Lewisham, New South Wales, as a training centre under a qualified master of method. He also arranged for several trained Irish Brothers to migrate each year. The Treacy Centre at Trinity College, Perth is named after him.