Prince Alfred College (also referred to as PAC, Princes, or in sporting circles, The Reds)[3][4][5] is a private, independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town – near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. Prince Alfred College was established in 1869 by the Methodist Church of Australasia, which amalgamated with other Protestant churches in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia.

Prince Alfred College
The College crest incorporates a cross and four groups of scallop shells. A scallop shell, associated with the apostle James, is a mark of pilgrimage or crusade. The coronet and the horizontal label at the top of the shield, with its two anchors, are found in the coat of arms of Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria. The date ‘1869’ is the school’s foundation year.
Location
Map
,
Coordinates34°55′21″S 138°37′9″E / 34.92250°S 138.61917°E / -34.92250; 138.61917
Information
TypeIndependent, single-sex, day & boarding
MottoLatin: Fac Fortia Et Patere
(Do Brave Deeds and Endure)
Religious affiliation(s)Uniting Church
Established1869[1]
HeadmasterDavid Roberts
ChaplainReverend Mark Dickens
GradesK–12
GenderBoys
Enrolment~1420 (ELC–12)[2]
Area24.24 acres
Colour(s)Maroon & White
  
AffiliationSports Association for Adelaide Schools
Websitepac.edu.au
The Main Building at Prince Alfred College, 2022.
Returning to shore at Head of the River, 2022.
Year 6 production of William-Shakespeare's 'The-Tempest', 2022.

The school has enrolment of some 1,160 students from Reception to Year 12 (ages 2 to 18),[1] including some 151 boarders from years seven to twelve.[2] Prince Alfred College launched its own Early Learning Centre, Little Princes, in 1999, which was renamed Princes ELC in 2009, with a current enrolment of 260 students.[6]

History edit

Prince Alfred College was named after Prince Alfred during his visit to Adelaide in 1867. Alfred was one of the four sons of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The school has attracted many royal visitors since its foundation, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1954.

The founders of PAC were determined that the religious traditions of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, should be indoctrinated in the school. Young Methodist men of the colony and PAC were encouraged to live disciplined, hard working and predominantly Christian lives, even though they were mocked facing society's temptations.

The only female student to attend the school was Lilian Staple Mead, daughter of Baptist minister Silas Mead, in 1883–1884, in order to matriculate and enter University at a time when few schools were available for girls to do so.[7][8][9]

At one time, Princes was the only college in Adelaide to offer the IB Diploma at all three stages; the PYP and MYP are compulsory units of work for Preparatory and Middle school students, enabling its students to continue to complete the Diploma in year 11 and 12, or to be recognised nationally with the SACE.[10][11][12]

On Wednesday 18 April 2018, Elizabeth II's son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, visited Prince Alfred College, and participated in an unveiling a stone to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the College.[13] In 2019, Prince Alfred College celebrated its sesquicentenary 150th Anniversary.

List of headmasters edit

Campuses edit

The original school campus is in the Adelaide suburb of Kent Town. The school also owns two other campuses, one for outdoor education in Scott's Creek, and the other in Point Turton named 'Wambana'.[16]

Kent Town edit

The original and main campus is located in Kent Town, approximately 2 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The land, originally leased by Dr Benjamin Archer Kent from 1840 to 1859, then bought by Charles Robin,[17] was bought at auction from Charles Robin for £2750 on 18 September 1865.[citation needed] However, it was not until 22 June 1969 that the college celebrated its inauguration, two years after the laying of the foundation stone by H.R.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.[18][19]

The school campus is divided by the main building, with the preparatory school on the Flinders Street (south) side of the school, and the middle and Senior schools on the Capper Street (north) side.

Scotts Creek Campus edit

Scotts Creek campus is the college's Murray River retreat. The Scotts Creek Outdoor Centre is located near Morgan, approximately 165 km from Adelaide. It provides a mix of environmental education, adventure and personal development activities.[20]

Wambana Campus edit

Wambana Campus is an off school ground recreational camp. The primary purpose of Wambana is to foster growth by helping adolescent boys better manage the transition to adulthood through immersion in community, academic, spiritual and outdoor adventures.[16]

Wambana is a six-acre (approx. 2.5 hectares) property situated on the coast of southern Yorke Peninsula, bordering the township of Point Turton and rural farming land. Students and staff live in a small village in which residential accommodation and a classroom are clustered around a central meeting facility. The property consists of six accommodation buildings known as "Wardlis" (aboriginal word meaning "dwelling"). Wambana accommodates up to 32 students for five-week periods.[16]

Sport edit

Prince Alfred College is a member of the Sports Association for Adelaide Schools (SAAS).

Rowing edit

 
College rowing team, 1891

Rowing began at PAC in 1883 and has played an important part in the school's sporting culture since that time. The school has two boat houses, at West Lakes and by the Torrens Lake in the City of Adelaide's parklands. The school employs a full-time Director of Rowing, (currently Mr. Will Maling). Although competition in local and national regattas forms an integral part of the rowing programme, the main event for each year is the Head of the River. The school won the Head of the River in 2012, 2013 and 2014, captained by Jack Kelly (2012), Nicholas Parletta (2013) & William Burfield (2014). These years marked the first time the college has won three consecutive titles at the event.

Intercol edit

Each sports team at Princes has an annual fixture against traditional longtime rivals Saint Peter's College, known as the "Intercol" (Inter-collegiate). These are considered by the two colleges to be the most important games of the seasons, and the fiercely fought matches of the more popular sports draw big crowds of students and old scholars from both schools.[21] The Intercols have been played for over 100 years. At one time, the Australian rules football and the Cricket intercols were both played on Adelaide Oval. The Cricket Intercollegiate match has been competed since 1878. According to Richard Sproull[who?] this is "the oldest unbroken annual contest in the history of cricket" (Weekend Australian 5/6 December 1992).

Outdoor education edit

The Prince Alfred College Outdoor Education programme provides a variety of integrated activities designed to allow boys to face challenges beyond those possible in a suburban day school. Current activities are focused on the Scotts Creek Outdoor Centre at Morgan on the River Murray.

In 2008, the college opened its Wambana Campus at Point Turton on the Yorke Peninsula. Year 9 students spend 5 weeks at the new facility, learning field science and mathematics along with other subjects and life skills as well as community service.

Year 11 students undertake practical leadership training and are encouraged to nominate for trips to Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Kangaroo Island.

Notable alumni edit

See also People educated at Prince Alfred College

Rhodes scholars edit

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for study at Oxford University. As of 2023, PAC has educated 20 Rhodes Scholars throughout its 154 year history. Recipients who attended PAC include:

Rhodes Scholar Year
awarded
College at Oxford Ref
William Douglas Allen (1914–2008) 1937 New College
Henry Brose (1890–1965) 1913 Christ Church
Garry Leslie Brown 1964 Magdalen [22]
Theodor Siegfried Dorsch 1933 Christ Church [23]
David Wyke Evans 1957 New College
Henry Fry (1886–1959) 1909 Balliol
Sir Brian Hone (1907–1978) 1930 New College
Stanford Howard 1919 Christ Church
Norman Jolly (1882–1954) 1904 Balliol
Cecil Madigan (1889–1947) 1911 Magdalen
Ryan Paul Manuel 2006 Merton
Roger Gilbert Opie (1927–1998) 1951 Christ Church [24]
Renfrey Potts (1925–2005) 1948 Queen's
Howard Rayner (1896–1975) 1916 Balliol
David Alexander Robertson 1983 Magdalen
Peter Lindsay Rogers 1963 New College
Michael Ewers Smyth 1960 Exeter
Mahesh Umapathysivam 2014 St Peter's
Stephen Kidman Wilkinson 1982 New College
Max Kirkby 2023 Magdalen [25]

Academia and education edit

Business edit

Entertainment, media and the arts edit

Exploration edit

Military and defence edit

  • Major General Steve Gower AO (1940–), Director of the Australian War Memorial 1996–2011
  • Major-General Sir Newton Moore KCMG (1870–1936), eighth Premier of Western Australia, World War I general, member of the UK House of Commons
  • John Alexander Raws, journalist and WW1 diarist, killed in action 23 August 1916 at Pozieres – no known grave[32]
  • Lieutenant Leonard Taplin, DFC, World War fighter ace, pioneer aerial photographer and aerial cartographer
  • Captain Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell, VC (1884–1933), soldier, farmer[33]

Politics, public service and the law edit

Science and medicine edit

Sport edit

Cricket edit

Australian rules football edit

Association football edit

Rowing edit

  • Dr. Matthew Bolt (1986–), former Australian Under 23 Rower, stroke of the 2011 Bronze medal winning South Australian Kings Cup crew, member of 2012 Bronze medal winning Kings Cup crew, former Captain of Adelaide University Boat Club
  • Alexander Hill (1993–), Current Australian Rowing Team member, Olympic Silver Medallist (Rio 2016) M4–, World Cup Medallist, Australian Under 23 Rower, 2011/2012 Bronze medal winning Kings Cup crew member, former Under 19 World Champion[citation needed]
  • Brian Richardson (1948–), former Olympic Rower, Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980[citation needed]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Prince Alfred College". Chaplaincy. Uniting Church South Australia. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Prince Alfred College". Schools – South Australia. Australian Boarding Staff Association. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
  3. ^ Jenkinson, Gary (21 March 2007). "Princes set for – showdown". Messenger – Eastern Courier. Adelaide, South Australia. p. 54.
  4. ^ "Prince Alfred's knockout win". Messenger – Eastern Courier. Adelaide, South Australia. 9 April 2008. p. 46.
  5. ^ Blake, Martin (7 May 2009). "Sporting life". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 12.
  6. ^ "Prince Alfred College; First steps in a quality education; Advertising Feature; Kindergarten sets new standards". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. 7 August 1999. p. A24.
  7. ^ "PAC Chronicle 2019" (PDF). Prince Alfred College. 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  8. ^ Proceedings of the Parliament of South Australia. Parliament of South Australia. 1884. p. 6.
  9. ^ Walker, John (October 2009). "'A Holy Liberty in the Lord'? South Australian Baptists and Female Gender Roles, circa 1870 to 1940" (PDF). Pacific Journal of Baptist Research. 5 (2): 3962.
  10. ^ Vlach, Anna (5 January 2007). "Boys show they too can be perfect". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. p. 7.
  11. ^ Heggen, Belinda; Pengelley, Jill (14 January 2002). "Paul's almost perfect". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. p. 8.
  12. ^ Goodfellow, Nhada (17 February 2003). "Students with the world at their feet". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. p. 11.
  13. ^ "News". Prince Alfred College.
  14. ^ R. M. Gibbs (1990). "Ward, John Frederick (1883–1954)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. MUP.
  15. ^ "Stephen Codrington". Biography. Stephen Codrington – The Website. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Wambana Campus, Prince Alfred College
  17. ^ "Kent Town's history". Preserve Kent Town Association. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  18. ^ "History". Prince Alfred College. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012.
  19. ^ "Kent Town Historical Walks". City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters.
  20. ^ Scotts Creek Campus, Prince Alfred College
  21. ^ Adelaide College Football, Gary Jenkinson. Retrieved 8/1/07
  22. ^ Emeritus Professor Garry Brown, princeton.edu
    Honors Faculty Members, May 2011, princeton.edu
  23. ^ Hugh Trevor-Roper Theodor Siegfried Dorsch, "The Wartime Journals"
  24. ^ Former Rhodes Scholar dies in Oxford, Adelaidean, Vol 7 No 2 (2 March 1998) pg.7
  25. ^ "Rhodes Scholar, Max Kirkby". Prince Alfred College. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  26. ^ Tim Cooper Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, www.coopers.com.au
  27. ^ Glenn Cooper Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, www.coopers.com.au
  28. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). The encyclopedia of Australian Rock And Pop. Australia: Allen & Unwin. pp. 18, 242. ISBN 1-86448-768-2.
  29. ^ "David Basheer". Prince Alfred College. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  30. ^ Creator of our best-loved bear, Rex Heading obituary, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 October 2010
    Obituary, www.adelaidenow.com.au, 15 January 2011
  31. ^ Bye, John T.; Carvalho Junior, Oldemar (1996). "The first recorded successful cross Backstairs Passage swim: research note [Andrew Martin's swim is a unique entry in the annals of South Australian exploration.]". South Australian Geographical Journal. 95 (1996): 70–74.
  32. ^ "Hail and Farewell – Letters from Two Brothers Killed in France in 1916", Ed. Margaret Young and Bill Gammage, Kangaroo Press 1995 ISBN 0-86417-707-0. Also "Records of an Australian Lieutenant 1915–16", privately published.
  33. ^ Welborn, Suzanne (1990). "Throssell, Hugo Vivian Hope (1884–1933)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 12 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 223–224. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
  34. ^ australianfootball.com player profile [1] and Norwood Football Club player profile [2]
  35. ^ "AFL Tables - Peter Dalwood - Stats - Statistics".
  36. ^ a b Twins Ed and Nick Lower both attended St. Ignatius' College, Adelaide prior to completing their education at PAC.
  37. ^ "AFL Tables - ed Lower - Stats - Statistics".
  38. ^ "AFL Tables - Nick Lower - Stats - Statistics".
  39. ^ "AFL Tables - David Pittman - Stats - Statistics".
  40. ^ "AFL Tables - Kym Russell - Stats - Statistics".
  41. ^ "AFL Tables - Scott Russell - Stats - Statistics".
  42. ^ "AFL Tables - Luke Tapscott - Stats - Statistics".
  43. ^ Memories for Sturt Football Club as Amrozi is sentenced Archived 10 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Ian Henschke, Stateline South Australia, Broadcast 8 August 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2007
  44. ^ http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/adelaideunited/players/John-95Hall/4800[dead link]

External links edit