The Geelong College
Location
Newtown
,
Victoria

Australia
Coordinates38°9′5″S 144°20′18″E / 38.15139°S 144.33833°E / -38.15139; 144.33833
Information
TypeIndependent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school
MottoLatin: Sic itur ad astra
(Thus one goes to the stars)
Denominationin association with the Uniting Church[1]
Established1861 (1861)[2]
FounderAlexander James Campbell
ChairmanRichard Page
PrincipalPeter Miller
ChaplainStephen Wright
GenderCo-educational
Enrolment1,200–1,300 (K–12)
Colour(s)     
AffiliationAssociated Public Schools of Victoria
Websitewww.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au

The Geelong College is an Australian independent and co-educational, Christian day and boarding school located in Newtown, an inner-western suburb of Geelong, Victoria.

Established in 1861 by Alexander James Campbell, a Presbyterian minister, the Geelong College was formerly a school of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and is now operated in association with the Uniting Church in Australia but is not governed or managed by the church.[3] The school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for over 1,200 students from kindergarten to Year 12, including around 100 boarding students from Years 7 to 12.[4] The boarding students are accommodated in two boarding houses at the senior school campus: Mackie House for boys, Mossgiel House for girls.

The college is affiliated with the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference,[5] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia,[6] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia,[7] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria,[2] the Australian Boarding Schools Association,[4] and has been a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria since 1908.

History

Early version of the college crest

Following the closure of the first Geelong Grammar, Campbell established a committee to found a new Presbyterian school. On 8 July 1861, Geelong College was officially established. The school year later started with an enrolment of 62. George Morrison was appointed the first principal and three years later became the owner of the school. The school moved to its present location in 1871. The architects Alexander Davidson and George Henderson designed its main building.

In 1908, the college returned to the ownership of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and became a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS). Land was acquired for a new in 1946 but the new preparatory campus did not open until 1960. This particular campus became co-educational in 1974, with co-education being extended to the senior campus in 1975. The college undertook an extensive redevelopment and refurbishment of the middle school, which is on the preparatory campus, in 2012. In 2015 Principal Andrew Barr resigned after he was photographed watching pornography in his office.[8]

Principals

The college building in 1906
Period Principal
1861–1898 G. Morrison
1898–1909 N. Morrison
1910–1914 W. R. Bayly
1915–1919 W. T. Price
1920–1945 F. W. Rolland
1946–1960 M. A. Buntine
1960–1975 P. N. Thwaites
1976–1985 S. P. Gebhardt
1986–1995 A. P. Sheahan
1996–2012 P. C. Turner
2013–2015 A. M. Barr
2016–present P. D. Miller

Campuses

Main oval at the senior school
  • Senior School – Years 9 to 12

Talbot Street, Newtown

  • Middle School – Years 4 to 8

Aberdeen Street, Newtown

  • Junior School – Kindergarten to Year 3

Minerva Road, Newtown

  • Cape Otway Campus – all years

Cape Otway (since 2015)[9]

House system

A house system operates at both the senior and middle schools. Each house is named after a significant person in the college's history. Sporting and music competitions are held between them each year.

House Colour Origin of name Year founded
Calvert Maroon Stanley B. Hamilton-Calvert, an Old Collegian, council member from 1908 to 1939 and council chairman (1922–29) 1921 Barwon; Renamed 1925
Coles Pale blue Sir Arthur Coles, co-founder of Coles Supermarkets, a major college benefactor, Old Collegian and council chairman (1939–69) 1975
Keith Green Bertram Robert Keith, Old Collegian, staff member (1927–71), co-author and editor of the 1961 Geelong College Centenary History 1981
McArthur Black A. Norman McArthur, Old Collegian, council member (1908–47) and interim acting council chairman (1939–1941) 1952
McLean Red Ewen Charles McLean, staff member 1940–78, first chaplain from 1954 and honorary archivist (1979–98) 1980
Morrison Brown George Morrison, founding principal from 1861 to 1898 and owner (1864–98) 1921
Shannon Dark blue Charles Shannon, council member (1908–21) and chairman of council (1908–21) 1921
Wettenhall Gold Roland R. Wettenhall, Old Collegian and council member (1927–58) 1975

At the middle school, there are four houses: Pegasus (white), Bellerophon (blue), Minerva (red) and Helicon (green), which meet for sporting events throughout each year. The house model is not used for pastoral care at this campus. The names of these houses originate from Roman mythology.

Curriculum

Geelong College offers its senior students the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

The Geelong College VCE results 2012-2020[10]
Year Rank Median study score Scores of 40+ (%) Cohort size
2012 46 34 18.1 276
2013 49 34 17.0 254
2014 58 34 15.1 234
2015 46 34 18.7 280
2016 53 34 17.8 263
2017 49 34 19.1 243
2018 65 33 15.2 230
2019 63 33 16.3 246
2020 85 32 13.0 254

Sport

Geelong College football team, 1878

Secondary students of the college participate in the summer, winter and spring seasons of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS)/Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV) sport competition. Choices offered for summer sports include badminton, cricket (boys only), softball (girls only), tennis and rowing. Winter sports include Australian rules football (boys only), netball (girls only), soccer and basketball. Students may also participate in a number of local competitions and the college is particularly known for its excellence and achievement in rowing competitions.

APS and AGSV/APS premierships

Geelong College has won the following APS and AGSV/APS premierships:

Boys:[11]

  • Cricket (7) – 1946, 1947, 1963, 1979, 1982, 1995, 2011
  • Football (6) – 1925, 1927, 1932, 1963, 1964, 2006
  • Rowing (13) – 1936, 1944, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1976, 1990, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2003

Girls:[12]

  • Athletics (5) – 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2005
  • Hockey (2) – 1995, 1996
  • Netball (4) – 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998
  • Rowing (10) – 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011
  • Tennis (6) – 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005

Geelong College Challenge

The Geelong College Challenge is a competition run by the college at the preparatory school campus in which government schools in the region can enter. The challenge started in 1993.[13] Participating schools send in an entry based on the set theme, and the teams with the 16 best entries are accepted. These schools then form a team of four Year 6 students (two boys and two girls). On the weekend of the challenge, the teams participate in various challenges, which include art, music, drama, technology, information technology, physical education and mathematics challenges.

Notable alumni

Alumni of the school are known as Old Geelong Collegians and may elect to join the alumni association, the Old Geelong Collegians' Association (OGCA).[14] Some notable Old Geelong Collegians include:

Academic

Business

Entertainment, media and the arts

Medicine and science

Politics, public service and the law

Religion

Sport

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Associated Schools" https://victas.uca.org.au/community-learning/uniting-church-schools/
  2. 1 2 "The Geelong College". Find a School. Association of Independent Schools of Victoria. 2007. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  3. ↑ "Associated Schools". Uniting Church in Australia. Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 "The Geelong College". Schools. Australian Boarding Schools Association. 2005. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  5. ↑ "International Members". HMC Schools. The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  6. ↑ "Victoria". School Directory. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  7. ↑ "JSHAA Victorian Directory of Members". Victoria Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  8. ↑ "Geelong College principal Andrew Barr resigns over porn scandal". 10 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Cape Otway Campus". The Geelong College. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Trend of CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL WHEELERS HILL by VCE results". bettereducation.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "Boys' Premierships – APS Sport". Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "Girls' Premierships – APS Sport". Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "The Geelong College - About - News, Events & Publications". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  14. ↑ "Old Geelong Collegians' Association (OGCA)". Community. The Geelong College. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  15. ↑ "Tributes paid to Professor Sir Robert Honeycombe (1921–2007)". 19 September 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  16. ↑ Dougan, Alan (1986). "Marden, John (1855 - 1924)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 10 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 407–408. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  17. ↑ "History of Kendell Airlines". Kendell. Ansett Australia Limited. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  18. ↑ "George Ernest Morrison". Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress. Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. 2004. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  19. ↑ Quinn, Karl (24 September 2005). "The Guy outside". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  20. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-aingimea-a25b5045
  21. ↑ "Doyle, Robert Keith Bennett". re-member. Parliament of Victoria. 2004. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  22. ↑ Wright, R. (2000). "McArthur, Sir Gordon Stewart (1896 - 1965)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  23. ↑ "Obituary: Mr James Ferguson Nimmo". The Canberra Times. 18 December 1984. p. 7.
  24. ↑ McVilly, David (1979). "Armstrong, Thomas Henry (1857 - 1930)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 95–96. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  25. ↑ Hazlehurst, Cameron (2000). "Mockridge, Edward Russell (1928 - 1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. p. 385. Retrieved 6 February 2008.

Further reading

  • Notman, G.C. & Keith, B.R. 1961. The Geelong College 1861–1961. The Geelong College Council, Geelong.
  • Deakin University. 1979. Portrait of The Geelong College: Continuity and Change in an Independent School. Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Vic. ISBN 0-86828-009-7.
  • Penrose, Helen. 2011. The Way to the Stars: 150 Years of The Geelong College. Australian Scholarly Publishing, North Melbourne. ISBN 978-1-921875-10-6.
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