Pulteney Grammar School

Pulteney Grammar School
O Prosper Thou Our Handiwork
Location
Adelaide, SA, Australia
Coordinates	34°56′5″S 138°36′9″E / 34.93472°S 138.60250°E / -34.93472; 138.60250Coordinates: 34°56′5″S 138°36′9″E / 34.93472°S 138.60250°E / -34.93472; 138.60250
Information
Type	Independent, Co-educational, Day school
Denomination	Anglican[1]
Established	1847[2]
Chairman	Tim Goodes
Principal	Mrs Anne Dunstan
Employees	~150 (Full-time)[3]
Enrolment	~948 (K-12) [3]
Houses	Cawthorne Nicholls     , Moore Sunter      , Bleby Howard      , Kennion Miller
Colour(s)	Navy Blue, White & Gold
Slogan	Learning for Life
Website	www.pulteney.sa.edu.au

Pulteney Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, private day school, located on South Terrace in Adelaide, South Australia. Consistent outstanding SACE grades and school fees exceeding tens of thousands of dollars have made Pulteney one of South Australia's most prestigious schools.^[4][5]

History

In May 1847, a group of founding trustees met in Adelaide in order to discuss the establishment of a new school for the children of Adelaide. Twelve months later, on May 29, 1848, the new institution 'Pulteney Street School' was opened. The school was established in the Anglican tradition, which continues to this day, though it admitted students of all denominations and children from non-Christian faiths. The school had 50 attendees by the end of its first week of operation, and classes were taken at a newly constructed building on the corner of Pulteney and Flinders Streets.

Since 1848, seventeen headmasters have governed the school. The success and expansion of the school during its over-160-year-old history has depended upon the contemporary economic situation, and the efficacy of successive administrative boards. These headmasters, of whom some held office for more than 20 years at one time (W. S. Moore, 24 years in office, W. P. Nicholls, 41 years in office, and W. R. Ray, 26 years in office), led Pulteney to become an esteemed educational institution, with its traditional competitors including Scotch College, Prince Alfred College, and Saint Peter's College (which was instituted only shortly after Pulteney).

In 1919, Pulteney Grammar School was required to move to its current premises on South Terrace, where a new building, the Nicholls Building, was opened by Lord Forster, then Governor-General, in July 1921. The school's move heralded the change in its name to its current form, and also brought financial uncertainty to the board of governors, who elected Reverend W. R. Ray in 1946 to attempt to bring the school back onto its feet. By 1953, Pulteney Grammar School offered a full education for boys, beginning in what is now called 'reception', until 'Leaving Honours' (Year 12).^[6]

The school changed its structure from an all-boys day-school to admit students of both genders in 1998. The school today is highly respected for its students' academic rigour, which is underlined by the results achieved each year by its Year 12 graduates.

An active Old Scholars' network maintains a connection between the institution and its alumni. Like other schools of a similar standing, Pulteney's alumni identify themselves with an old boys' tie, which when worn by its graduates, reveals the strong legacy of the all-rounded education that Pulteney offers.

School demographics

The school's footbridge over South Terrace

As of 2012, the School has 1000 students enrolled and over 150 teaching and non-teaching staff. Pulteney is composed of four sub-schools located on the same campus. The 'Kurrajong' and the ELC (Early Learning Centre) for students up to year 2, Prep School for years 3-6, Middle School for years 7-9 and "one ninety" (Senior School) for the final years 10-12. Each sub-school is overseen by a Head of School responding to the Principal.

Notable alumni

Rhodes Scholars

• Charles Ashwin, 1952. Rhodes Scholar for South Australia.^[7]
• Peter Gibbard, 1991. Rhodes Scholar for South Australia.^[7]
• Mark Mussared, 1976. Rhodes Scholar for South Australia.^[7]
• John Pritchard, 1935. Rhodes Scholar for South Australia.^[7]
• Simon Best, 1973. Rhodes Scholar for South Australia.^[7]

Military

• Arthur Seaforth Blackburn VC, soldier and lawyer; Winner of the Victoria Cross^[8]
• David Kenney, flight lieutenant, awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross,^[9]

Sports

• Bruce Abernethy, former AFL player and sports news reader.
• Josh Francou, player for North Adelaide Roosters(SANFL) and Port Adelaide Football Club(AFL) Australian rules football clubs.
• Jordan McMahon, current player in the AFL for the Richmond Tigers.
• Andrew Leipus, sports physiotherapist
• Maurice P. Hutton, died 1940, cricketer and footballer ^[10]

Arts

• Peter Dawson, internationally acclaimed bass-baritone and songwriter
• Harold Thomas, first Aboriginal student of Pulteney, and designer of the Australian Aboriginal Flag ^[11]
• Sean Williams, science fiction author
• Lewis Fitz-Gerald, actor.
• Don Kountouris/Christopher, actor, Packed to the Rafters, and Steven Spielberg's Terra Nova
• Jeffrey Smart, expatriate Australian artist of the Precisionist movement
• Lesley Kirkman Meller, died 1962, South Australian writer ^[12]

Business

• Colin Blore Bednall, journalist and media manager, Editor and Director of Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.^[13]
• Oscar Lionel Isaachsen, banker ^[14]
• Alan Scott Martin, died 1958, former Assistant Chief Valuer of the Land Tax Department, and former member of the Australian Land Board ^[15]

Other

• Ernest Robert Beech, emeritus consultant physician of the Royal Perth Hospital ^[16]
• Sam Clark, current affairs reporter, Channel 10's The Project
• Jed Richards, author of 'One Long Day'^[17]
• Les Murray, SBS broadcaster and Member of the Order of Australia
• The Hon. John Sulan, Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia ^[18]
• Joseph Albert Riley, died 1940, prominent South Australian businessman and former Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce ^[19]
• Wyatt Roderic 'Rory' Hume, pharmacologist, former vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales, and Provost of the United Arab Emirates University ^[20]
• Ted Mullighan, died 2011, QC and former Supreme Court Judge ^[21]
• Sir Leonard Ross Mallen, died 1980, Federal councillor of the Australian Medical Association,^[22][23]

See also

• List of schools in South Australia
• List of Victoria Crosses by School

References

External links

• Pulteney Grammar School website