St. Brendan's College (sometimes shortened to SBC) is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia. The school was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1940 and opened with a total of 59 students. The school describes itself as "Australia's Largest Country Boys Boarding School", and has educated several leading National Rugby League players.
| St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St Brendan's College administration, 2022 | |
| Address | |
 | |
139 Adelaide Park Road , , 4703 Australia | |
| Coordinates | 23°07′09″S 150°43′38″E / 23.11917°S 150.72722°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent secondary day and boarding |
| Motto | Latin: Ne Dubita Dabitur (Do Not Doubt, It Will Be Given) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Denomination | Congregation of Christian Brothers |
| Patron saint(s) | Brendan, the Navigator |
| Established | 1939 |
| Founder | Christian Brothers |
| Oversight | Diocese of Rockhampton |
| Trust | Edmund Rice Education Australia |
| Principal | Robert Corboy |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Houses |
|
| Colour(s) | Green and gold |
| Website | www |
History
editGroundbreaking for the school started on 8 October 1939 and presided by Romuald Denis Hayes, Bishop of Rockhampton. The school officially opened in February 1940 with 42 boarders and 17 day students. The first headmaster of St Brendan's was Brother Basil Gettons.
The school's spiritual and academic policies are rooted in the traditions of Edmund Ignatius Rice and the school is a member of Edmund Rice Education Australia. The school is named after Saint Brendan the Navigator.
St Ursula's College, Yeppoon, a separate Catholic all-girls day and boarding school located further into the centre of Yeppoon, has shared a close relationship with St Brendan's. Both schools share a relationship with a Catholic primary school in Yeppoon, Sacred Heart.
The college song, Bordered by blue waters splendid, details the rural surrounds of the school near Mary's Mount, as well as confirming strength in faith-based learning.
In September 2022, the Christian Brothers Oceania Province announced it would withdraw from St Brendan's College at Yeppoon at the end of the 2023 academic year, ending 84 years of Christian Brothers affiliation. A farewell mass took place August 28, 2023.
House system
editSt. Brendan's College has four houses:[1]
| House | Name origin | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Name | |
| Duhig | Most Rev. Sir James Duhig KCMG, DD was the third Archbishop of Brisbane (1917–65) & the third Bishop of Rockhampton (1905–12) | |
| Gettons | Rev. Bro. J. Basil Gettons c.f.c. was the founding headmaster of St. Brendan's College (1940–45) | |
| Hayes | Right Rev. Romuald Hayes SSC, DD was the fifth Bishop of Rockhampton (1932–45) | |
| Tynan | Right Rev. Andrew Gerard Tynan DD was the sixth Bishop of Rockhampton (1946–60) | |
Headmasters
edit
The Rector of St. Brendan's College has been a Christian Brother from the foundation of the college until the appointment of Simon Dash, the first lay principal, in 2003.
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bro. J. B. (Basil) Gettons c.f.c. | 1940 | 1945 | 4–5 years | |
| 2 | Bro. H. I. Jackson c.f.c. | 1946 | 1951 | 4–5 years | |
| 3 | Bro. J. B. Duffy c.f.c. | 1952 | 1957 | 4–5 years | |
| 4 | Bro. N. B. Gallagher c.f.c. | 1958 | 1960 | 1–2 years | |
| 5 | Bro. P. T. McSweeney c.f.c. | 1961 | 1963 | 1–2 years | |
| 6 | Bro. M. F. Ziesing c.f.c. | 1964 | 1969 | 4–5 years | |
| 7 | Bro. C. S. Wright c.f.c. | 1970 | 1975 | 4–5 years | |
| 8 | Bro. D. F. Murphy c.f.c. | 1976 | 1981 | 4–5 years | |
| 9 | Bro. R. J. White c.f.c. | 1982 | 1988 | 5–6 years | |
| 10 | Bro. N. C. Langan c.f.c. | 1989 | 1991 | 1–2 years | |
| 11 | Bro. D. J. McMahon c.f.c. | 1992 | 1997 | 4–5 years | |
| 12 | Bro. R. S. Grundy c.f.c. | 1998 | 2002 | 3–4 years | |
| 13 | Simon Dash | 2003 | 2009 | 5–6 years | |
| 14 | G. McManus | 2010 | 2011 | 0–1 years | Appointment concluded in Term 3, 2011 |
| 15 | Nick Scully | 2011 | 2017 | 5–6 years | Appointment commenced in Term 4, 2011[2] |
| 16 | Robert Corboy | 2018 | incumbent | 5–6 years | [3] |
Student demographics and facilities
edit
The school accepts students of all faiths and backgrounds.
The school hosts the largest rodeo of the CRCA circuit. The rodeo is held annually over the Father's Day weekend (the first in September in Australia). The school also holds a cattle club and stud program. The school allows students to bring their own cattle to prepare for shows.[4]
Associations
editAs one of the 27 Christian Brothers Colleges founded throughout Queensland, St. Brendan's College Old Boys continue to provide Officials, Coaches and Players to this uniquely Queensland Association of Brothers Old Boys Clubs.
Notable alumni
edit- Politics, public service and the law
- Scott Buchholz – politician[7]
- Bryan Jared Kramer – Member of Parliament, Papua New Guinea, since 2017[8]
- John Momis – President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, 2010–present[9]
- Henry ToRobert – banker and Papua New Guinean civil servant
- Entertainment, media and the arts
- Gerry Connolly – comedian[10]
- John Kasaipwalova – writer, activist[11]
- Shannon Molloy – author and journalist[12]
- Sport
- Paul Bowman – rugby league footballer[13]
- Casey Conway – rugby league footballer and male model[14]
- Harry Grant – rugby league footballer[15]
- Jake Granville – rugby league footballer[16]
- Tom Humble – rugby league footballer[17]
- Ben Hunt – rugby league footballer[18]
- Kurt Mann – rugby league footballer[19]
- PJ Marsh – rugby league footballer[18]
- Corey Oates – rugby league footballer[18]
- Julian O'Neill – rugby league footballer[15]
- Jonus Pearson – rugby league footballer[20]
- Jamie Simpson – rugby league footballer[21]
- Matthew Scott – rugby league footballer[18]
- Dave Taylor – rugby league footballer[15]
References
edit- ^ "School Houses". St. Brendan's College. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ^ "Well-known CQ school principal resigns". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Leading CQ boarding school announces new principal". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. 3 December 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ Tuite, Kerry (2000). "St Brendan's College, Yeppoon" (PDF). Submission for the Federal Government Inquiry into the Education of Boys. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- ^ "Affiliated Clubs". Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Fraternity - brothersrugby.com". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ "Parliamentary Handbook". handbook.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Hon. Bryan Jared Kramer, MP". Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- ^ Brij V. Lal; Kate Fortune, eds. (2000). "John Momis". The Pacific Islands: an encyclopedia. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-824-82265-1. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ "Major change at St Brendan's after 80 years".
- ^ Austlit. "John Kasaipwalova | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Molloy, Shannon. "Shannon Molloy". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Young St Brendan's players get taste of NRL life". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Casey Conway bares all: being a gay Aboriginal man in professional sport". NITV. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ a b c McKay, Pam (31 May 2017). "Star duo keen to maintain St Brendan's proud tradition". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
St Brendan's library is a testament to the college's "Queenslander" heritage with a half-St Brendan's, half-Maroons jersey taking pride of place alongside school photos of its rugby league super stars, including Oates, Matt Scott, Paul Bowman, Julian O'Neill, PJ Marsh, Ben Hunt, Jake Granville and Dave Taylor
- ^ Proszenko, Adrian (3 October 2015). "NRL Grand Final 2015: Something in the water as St Brendan's quartet of Matt Scott, Ben Hunt, Corey Oates and Jake Granville line up in decider". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Townsville Bulletin". townsvillebulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Michael (6 August 2019). "The top 10 NRL talents from Kirwan High and St Brendan's". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
...Kirwan State High School and St Brendan's College Yeppoon have produced a remarkable array of NRL talent... PJ Marsh (St Brendan's)... Corey Oates (St Brendan's)... Paul Bowman (St Brendan's)... Ben Hunt (St Brendan's)... Matt Scott (St Brendan's)...
- ^ "Travelling Mann's career comes full circle". National Rugby League. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "'The sacrifice she made was big': Pearson's tribute to mum". National Rugby League. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Former Rabbitohs Jamie Simpson signs on with CQ Capras". 20 June 2013.