IT WILL be the end of an era for Damascus College on December 3 when the doors of its Victoria Street campus close for the last time.The former Ballarat Orphanage at the corner of Stawell Street has been the home of education for more than 20 years and has been the junior campus of Damascus College since 1995.But the Damascus's junior school community has outgrown the campus and it will no longer be needed after the school year finishes next month for the extended Christmas break.From the beginning of the 2011 school year, Damascus College will merge into one campus on its Mount Clear site. Redevelopment and extensions at the Geelong Road campus this year means the 1135 staff and students can be accommodated on the one site.The Victoria Street campus is now on the market, awaiting a buyer to possibly turn it into a 90-block high-density housing estate, which may also feature some commercial space in a corner of the Ballarat East site. Expressions of interest in the site close on December 10.The former Victoria Street orphanage, which was opened in October 1866, became a school after students and staff from St Paul's Technical School "swapped" buildings with staff from Child and Family Services in 1987. St Paul's moved from Ludbrook House, at the corner of Lydiard Street North and Market Street, to the Victoria Street campus.To commemorate the move in June 1987, St Paul's Technical School students took part in a chairathon to symbolise the change in the school's premises from Lydiard Street to Victoria Street. More than 300 students took part in the four kilometre walk that required them to carry a chair in return for a sponsorship fee to raise money for facilities at the Victoria Street campus.In 1995, the all-boys school of St Paul's merged with Sacred Heart College and the all-girls school of St Martin's in the Pines to form the one school, Damascus College, Ballarat's largest co-education Catholic secondary school. The junior campus, with students from year 7 to year 9, remained at the Victoria Street campus, while the senior school was situated at the former St Martin's in the Pines campus in Geelong Road, Mount Clear. Two years ago the year 9 students also moved to the senior campus.Extensive redevelopment at the Mount Clear campus this year includes a new staff building, extension to the woodwork and metalwork area, new arts building, two new science rooms and a refurbishment to the drama area.Stage three of the development, which is expected to start early next year, will include the construction of general purpose classrooms.Head of the Damascus College senior campus, Karen Simpkin, said while it would be sad to see the end of an with the closing of the Victoria Street campus, the future of the school was exciting."It is time to move on for the future growth at the school, which can now happen on the one campus," Ms Simpkin said. "These new facilities are very exciting."Students currently at the Victoria Street campus will undergo a transition period to help them with the move to the larger Mount Clear school. "We want to make the move as easy as possible for the junior students," Ms Simpkin said.To mark the end of school days for the junior campus, a series of special ceremonies will be held on December 3, the last day before the Christmas holidays.Held at the Victoria Street site, activities include tours of the campus, morning tea and a ceremonial work by years 7 and 8 students, who will carry books from the school to Eureka Park. From the park, the students will be transported to the Mount Clear campus where the entire school community will share lunch. Share your memories of the school and orphanage. Log on to our website and click on the story link.