Moreton Bay College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Moreton Bay College
Fortitudine Et Spe (Latin:"With Courage and Hope")[1]
Established	1901[2]
School Type	Independent, Single-sex, Day school
Denomination	Uniting Church[3]
Key People	Ms Jennifer Haynes (Principal) Mrs Elizabeth Stannard (Chairman) Mrs Jenny Busch (Chaplain)
School Fees	AU$5,160–9,584 p.a[4]
Location	Manly West, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27°28′16″S 153°9′9″E / -27.47111, 153.1525Coordinates: 27°28′16″S 153°9′9″E / -27.47111, 153.1525
Enrolment	~1,137 (P–12)[5]
Employees	~97[5]
Colours	Maroon and Gold
Homepage	www.mbc.qld.edu.au

Moreton Bay College is an independent Uniting Church, day school for girls, located in Manly West, an outer suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Established in 1901 as the Moreton Bay Girls' High School, by Alice J. Alison Greene and her sister Anne,^[2] the College currently caters for approximately 1,137 students from Preschool to Year 12.^[5]

Moreton Bay College is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),^[6] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),^[7] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),^[8] and first became a member of the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) in 1941.^[9] Its brother school is Moreton Bay Boys' College.

[edit] History

Moreton Bay College was established in 1901 as the Moreton Bay Girls' High School, with six boarders and twenty day scholars, by Alice J. Alison Greene (1863–1966) and her sister Anne. The school was located in Wynnum town, on Bay Terrace, in a building designed and built by John Iley Greene, the father of the two sisters.^[2] In addition to classrooms and other rooms, it was intended to provide boarding facilities for up to thirty boarders, providing education for the daughters of country families and missionaries, and accepting a few day-girls.^[10] The College remained soley a secondary school for many years, but later, due to local pleas and requests from parents from rural areas, a primary section was added including a Kindergarten.^[2] Soon after the school's foundation, Anne Greene designed the school badge featuring a German motto, Ohne Hast, Ohne Rast, which may be translated as "Without Haste, Without Rest".^[1]

Senior Basketball Team, circa 1900

In 1910, a new wing was built, including a library, and following Anne's departure from the school in 1911, three other sisters joined the staff.^[10] With the outbreak of World War I, the school motto was changed to the Latin, Fortitudine et Spe, which translates to "With Courage and Hope".^[1] In a 1945 radio interview, Alice Greene stated that she believed that the College featured "the first, if not the only music school established in Queensland."^[1] Housed in a separate building, it was directed by Hilda, a piano teacher who held a licentiate from the Royal Academy of Music, London, and was an associate-member of the Royal College of Music. Elsie Greene taught French and mathematics, and when Alice retired in December 1943, Elsie was appointed acting Principal. Helah Greene managed the domestic affairs of the the school, and taught violin and cello.^[10]

The Greene family handed control of the school over to the Methodist Church in 1944, with Miss Elsie in the role of Acting Headmistress until 1946. The Methodist Church then gave the school to the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association (P.M.S.A.), who appointed Ellen Christensen to the Headship in 1946. Christensen remained Headmistress until 1949, when an illness in her family led to her absence, during which time Miss Popple was Acting Principal. Mrs Millicent Drewe was eventually appointed in 1950, and remained Headmistress until 1964.^[2]

By 1956, the school had 150 students enrolled, with 27 candidates for Junior Public Examination. Girls first sat for the Senior Public Examination in 1959 when there were 167 pupils in all. In 1957, the school's name was changed to Moreton Bay College in order to avoid confusion with the State High School system, and to be more in keeping with the names of the other P.M.S.A. schools. Also at this time, the post Junior section was moved into the newly acquired Moreton House, located a mile away at Wynnum North.^[2]

Students in class, circa 1950

In the early 1960s, due to the school's limited facilities at the time, the schools enrollment hovered at around 180 and no more students could be accommodated. The site was just 1.25 acres (1 ha) in size, and this period was one that saw significant expansion in student numbers in the other Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) girls' schools. The College remained a small school, therefore finding it harder to meet the increasing commitments in an expanding QGSSSA competition. Eventually, in the early 1970s, Moreton Bay College withdrew from QGSSSA sport with the understanding that it could return when numbers were sufficiently large.^[2]

In 1965, after a time as Acting Head, Viola Owen-Winchester was appointed Principal. On occasion there was talk of relocating the school to a property at the southern end of Manly Road, but nothing was to come of it. The rural recession had a significant impact on the school, as it was essentially a boarding school with a small day component. Subsequently, in 1975, with the roll down to 125, the PMSA decided to close the College. Although this decision was overturned soon after, it had caused the College great damage. Parents began to withdraw their daughters, teachers resigned, and in 1976 there were just 65 girls attending the school. Mrs Winchester, with the aid of the Parents and Friends, battled to keep the College open. Eventually, the Uniting Church assumed responsibility for Moreton Bay College, setting up a new Board under the Chairmanship of John Mason. Under Letters Patent, issued in August 1979, Moreton Bay College was reconstituted. In that year the roll stood at 116.^[2]

Following the retirement of Owen-Winchester at the beginning of 1980, Mr Ken Waller was appointed Headmaster, the first male Principal in the College's history. At the end of 1980, with numbers down to just fifteen, the struggling boarding house was closed by the Board with regret.^[2]

At the end of 1981, the College acquired 14 acres (6 ha) of land in Wondall Road, and the Board began planning the move of the College to it. It was decided to do this in two stages, with the primaries to go first. During 1983, the primary buildings were erected and were occupied on the first day of school, 1984. Towards the end of 1985, the Secondary School was built, with pupils beginning the 1986 school year on the new site. At the close of 1998, Waller retired after 19 years as Principal of the College. His time at the College is known as one of significant growth and expansion, particularly during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Paul Teys, formerly the Head of Secondary School at A. B. Paterson College, and Head of Curriculum at Fairholme College, was appointed Principal from the start of the school year in 1999. Teys left the College in March 2005 and Mr Geoff McLay assumed the position of Acting Principal.^[2]

Moreton Bay Boys' College was established in 2003 with Preschool and Year 1 classes, so beginning a new phase of growth in the educational service provided by the College. The boys school has sought to establish its primary school before offering secondary education. Jennifer Haynes was appointed Principal of Moreton Bay College in January 2006. Haynes came from Mentone Girls' Grammar School in Melbourne, where she was Acting Principal.^[2]

[edit] Curriculum

The school's curriculum for Years 1 to 10, is based around eight main Learning Areas: English, Mathematics, Science, SOSE, Languages, Technology, Personal Development, and the Arts. In the Senior Years, students are offered more choice, with 25 Authority subjects, four Authority-Registered subjects and Externally-based Vocational courses, and a Personal Development program.^[11]

[edit] Notable alumnae

• Quentin Bryce AC – Governor of Queensland and Governor-General-designate of Australia^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of schools in Queensland

[edit] External links

• Moreton Bay College Website