Plaque Commemorates Local Historian

Mrs Paatsch’s deep connection to the College spanned 48 years in her roles as teacher, librarian, archives manager and parent.

After many years of teaching and managing the library, Mrs Paatsch worked as a volunteer in the school’s archives for 24 years, maintaining and cataloguing documents that date back to the early days of St Joseph’s College that was established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1888. Her subsequent publication, ‘Looking Back – 50 Years of Trinity College Colac’  documented the history of the school as part of its Jubilee celebrations in 2017 and is a valuable resource for the community.

Located in the foyer of Trinity’s St Joseph’s Resource Centre, which was known as the Paatsch Library prior to its refurbishment and restructure, the new plaque also acknowledges Mrs Paatsch’s late husband, Frank, who was a renowned builder in Colac and volunteered his time and skills in the early days to assist the Christian Brothers in building the school.

Mrs Paatsch’s contributions to the Colac community has been extensive and she was awarded an OAM for services to the Colac community in 2013. Amongst many other things, Mrs Paatsch has been heavily involved in St Mary’s parish, including being a member of the Finance Committee, and was president of the Friends of the Gardens group, publishing a book on the history of the Colac Botanic Gardens.

Mrs Paatsch was accompanied to the special ceremony at Trinity by her son, Tony, who is principal of St Joseph’s College in Geelong, and long-time friend and work colleague, Dr Dawn Peel, who is also a well-respected local historian.

Father Michael joined the celebrations after Mass while the 2025 College Captains and Vice Captains made sure the visitors were looked after, offering refreshments and chatting about their plans for the future.

Mrs Paatsch asked the newly commissioned leaders many questions, showing her love of education and the development of young people has not waned in the intervening years.