Our History

Marist Brothers Linmeyer was founded in 1966, with 258 boy students. Fifty-nine years later, our school consists of 317 boys and 316 girls aged from 4 to 12 years in the Pre-School and Primary School. In the High School we have 249 boys and 294 girls aged 13 to 18. That’s 1,176 students!

1817

St. Marcellin Champagnat, a 26-year-old newly ordained priest, begins his life's work and establishes the Marist Brothers to bring about spiritual renewal through education.

By 1840, at the time of his passing, Father Champagnat had successfully built a network of 40 schools.

1867

The first five Marist Brothers arrive in South Africa, establishing the first two Marist schools outside of Europe on Hatfield Street, Cape Town.

1889

The Marist Brothers open Johannesburg's very first boys' high school in the mining town area of Koch Street.

1966

The school opens in the peri-urban area of Linmeyer as a primary school to replace the closing Koch Street school. A total of 258 boys transfer over. Historical items like the original foundation stone, altar, and altar stone are brought from Koch Street.

1981

The school opens its doors to all races and creeds, enrolling its first multicultural group of students.

1983

The first group of multicultural students were enrolled at Marist Brothers Linmeyer. We became a school open to all races and creeds.

1984

The school officially opens a new library and classroom block. It also becomes only the second school in South Africa to pilot the Toam Mobile Computer System for Mathematics diagnostics.

1988

Three Johannesburg Marist schools gather at the Standard Bank Arena to celebrate 100 years of Marist education in the city.

1989

Three Johannesburg Marist schools gather at the Standard Bank Arena to celebrate 100 years of Marist education in the city

1998

The school expands its campus footprint with the official opening of the High School building

1999

Construction wraps up and the school's outdoor swimming pool officially opens.

2007

The Pre-School opens alongside the dynamic Marian Resource Centre (MRC) school library.

2014a

To celebrate 125 years of Marist Education in Johannesburg, a special mass is held at Sacred Heart College. The Wall of Remembrance is constructed on campus

2014b

The Wall of Remembrance was built to create a memorial to the past students and staff of Marist Brothers Linmeyer, who have lost their lives.

2015

The Marcellin Block is built, housing a heated indoor learn-to-swim pool, cactic gym, and music centre. The school officially rebrands from Marian College to Marist Brothers Linmeyer.

2016

The school celebrates 50 years of academic excellence in Linmeyer.

2020

The school builds the L’Hermitage Hall. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the school launches its first successful synchronous and asynchronous distance-learning program via Google Classroom

2026

Marist Brothers Linmeyer celebrates 60 years of belonging and academic, spiritual, cultural, and sporting excellence

Leadership Timeline (Principals & Executive Heads)

A chronological overview of the leaders who have guided the school across six decades.

Years Active	Name	Role / Key Milestone
1966 – 1976	Brother Christopher	First Principal of the Linmeyer campus (Served 10 years).
1977	Brother Justin	Principal (Served 1 year).
1978 – 1982	Mr B.A. Swanson	Principal; oversaw the introduction of female students in 1981.
1983 – 1988	Mr Silcock	Principal; oversaw integration into an Open School and structural upgrades.
1988 – 1991	Mr Honeywill	Principal; led during the 100-year Johannesburg centenary celebrations.
1992 – 1997	Mr R.B. Botts	Principal (Served 1 year).
1998 – 2016	Mrs Pritchard	Appointed as the very first Primary School Principal.
1998 – 2021	Mr Gary Norton	Served as High School Principal for 24 years.
2008 – 2022	Mr Burton Saunders	Principal Operations.
2017 – 2022	Mr Tony Williams	Appointed Primary School Principal.
2022	Mr Regan Nicholas	High School Principal (Served 1 year).
2023 – Present	Mr Tony Williams	Promoted to school-wide Executive Head.
2023 – Present	Mrs Lara-Ann Koch	Promoted from High School Deputy to High School Principal.