St Kevin's College, Oamaru: Difference between revisions
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St Kevin's College was typical of Christian Brother boarding institutions in Australia and New Zealand. They were designed to provide a Catholic education for rural Catholic families. For the Christian Brothers they were places of particularly hard work. Individual Brothers taught throughout the day, coached sports teams after school, supervised meals and study, and were reponsible for the dormitories at night. The Brothers generally had to be young men with energy.<ref>Robertson, p. 40.</ref> |
St Kevin's College was typical of Christian Brother boarding institutions in Australia and New Zealand. They were designed to provide a Catholic education for rural Catholic families. For the Christian Brothers they were places of particularly hard work. Individual Brothers taught throughout the day, coached sports teams after school, supervised meals and study, and were reponsible for the dormitories at night. The Brothers generally had to be young men with energy.<ref>Robertson, p. 40.</ref> |
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==The College today== |
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===Girls and integration=== |
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In February 1983 St Kevin’s became co-educational at the same time as the integration of the college into the state education system. Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, a secondary school located about 12 km south of Oamaru. St Kevin's College currently has boarding capacity for over 100 girls.<ref name="Donaldson"/> |
In February 1983 St Kevin’s became co-educational at the same time as the integration of the college into the state education system. Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, a secondary school located about 12 km south of Oamaru. St Kevin's College currently has boarding capacity for over 100 girls.<ref name="Donaldson"/> |
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==Sport== |
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The College has produced seven All Blacks and one Silver Fern. Students participate in many sports including: hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, netball, swimming, rowing, cricket, tennis, squash, badminton, skiing, snowboarding, multi sport, athletics, tramping and kayaking. Swimming, athletic and cross-country sports are particularly emphasised and all students participate. St Kevins strongly participates in Rugby competitions. There is an annual game with Waitaki Boys High School for the Leo O’Malley Memorial Trophy ("the peanut"). The annual game attracts up to 5000 spectators in anticapation of a tight match. Over the years Waitaki has been a more frequent winner hoisting the trophy on 53 occasions to St Kevins 21 wins with 5 draws. This rivalry is often referred to the blooder by the students, this originated from St Kevins students calling Waitaki Boys blood nuts because of the colour of their blazers. |
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<ref>[http://blog.skysport.co.nz/collegerugby/waitaki-boys-high-school-vs-st-kevins-college/ Rugby results table] (Retrieved 1 September 2014)</ref> |
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==Rectors== |
==Rectors== |
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Revision as of 10:02, 1 September 2014
| St Kevin's College, Oamaru | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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57 Taward Street | |
| Coordinates | 45°04′03″S 170°59′00″E / 45.0674°S 170.9832°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Integrated co-educational secondary |
| Motto | Latin: Facere et Docere ('To Do and To Teach Through Service to Others') |
| Established | 6 February 1927 |
| Founder | Bishop James Whyte |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 369 |
| Principal | Paul R. Olsen BSc, DipTch |
| Chaplain | Fr Wayne Healey |
| Grades | Years 9-13 |
| Enrolment | 381[1] (February 2024) |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic, Christian Brothers, Dominican Sisters |
| Website | www.stkevins.school.nz/ |
St Kevin's College (also called Redcastle) in Oamaru, New Zealand is a Catholic, coeducational, integrated, boarding and day, secondary school. It was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1927 for boys and became a co-educational school in 1983 when the Dominican Sisters closed down their school at Teschemakers. Although they no longer are on the staff of the college, the Christian Brothers remain its proprietors and so appoint their own representative to the school's Board of Trustees under the New Zealand Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975.[2][3]
The college
St Kevin's College has a roll of approximately 400 students students comprising 110 boarding students and 300 day students. Its gender composition in 2013 was female 59% and Male 41%. Its ethnic composition was NZ European/Pākehā 80%, Asian 10%, Pacific 6% and Māori 3%. It has a strong Catholic focus.[4][5]
History
Proposal
The establishment of a Catholic boarding school for boys in Otago was first proposed 1890. However it was not until 1925 that the preparations for the establishment began. The Bishop of Dunedin, James Whyte, asked the Christian Brothers to set up the school. They had, from 1876, conducted the Christian Brothers School in Dunedin.[6] This school had for a time taken boarders in a hostel which operated from 1919 until 1924.[7] Various sites were inspected by the Bishop and the Provincial of the Christian Brothers, P. I. Hickey, and the property called "Redcastle" in Oamaru was chosen as the most suitable site.[6]
Redcastle
The site of the college was originally developed by the McLean and Buckley families. John McLean was born on the island of Mull, Scotland, in 1818. He was a farmer in the Waitaki Valley and participated in local and Otago provincial politics. He had purchased the Oamaru land in 1857 as part of much larger block for about 10/- an acre. He died in 1902. The land passed into the the possession of a nephew, John McLean Buckley. The original homestead was one-storied with a thatched roof. When the old house burned down, Buckley built the red brick residence with Oamaru stone facing, now known as the "Castle" and since he was very fond of horse-racing, "The Stables". John Buckley died in 1915 and his son, also named John Buckley, sold the property to a syndicate of local people.[8][9] Redcastle was known for its beauty and its sporting associations. The homestead (the "castle") was significant country house. The property comprising 40 acres (160,000 m2) was purchased by the Christian Brothers at a cost of £8000 in 1925 and a further 10 acres (40,000 m2) were added, at a cost of £1000, in 1928. The present campus thus has an area of 27 hectares.[10] In May 1926, Brother Moore, who had experience in fund-raising, came to Dunedin to organise a bazaar and lottery to fund the purchase of the land and the establishment of the college. His confrere, Brother Dowd, toured the country districts to collect donations. These initiatives resulted in a fund of £7000. In 1926 the construction of the buildings began under the supervision of Brother Prunster.[6]
Opening of the college
The college was named after the Irish saint, Kevin (498-618), the founder of the monastery and school of Glendalough. The blessing and opening of the college took place on Sunday, 6 February 1927. There were several Bishops present: Archbishop Redwood and Bishops O'Shea, Whyte, Cleary, Brodie and Liston. There were many priests and more than 2,500 friends and well-wishers present coming from Dunedin and nearby parts of both Otago and Canterbury.[6] Classes commenced on Tuesday, 8 February 1927. There were 60 boarders and 31 day students. The Christian Brothers on the first staff were Brother Magee (the Rector), Brother Bowler, Brennan, Le Breton, Dowd, Ryan, Mills and Maye.[11] The relationship with the other Boys' school in Oamaru, Waitaki Boys High School, located opposite Redcastle, is important in the history of the college. The Rector of that School, Frank Milner, was present at the opening. When Frank Milner ("a firm friend of St Kevin's") died in 1944, the St Kevin's Boys formed a guard of honour for his remains as they left the church after the funeral service. [12]
Ethos
St Kevin's College was typical of Christian Brother boarding institutions in Australia and New Zealand. They were designed to provide a Catholic education for rural Catholic families. For the Christian Brothers they were places of particularly hard work. Individual Brothers taught throughout the day, coached sports teams after school, supervised meals and study, and were reponsible for the dormitories at night. The Brothers generally had to be young men with energy.[13]
The College today
In February 1983 St Kevin’s became co-educational at the same time as the integration of the college into the state education system. Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, a secondary school located about 12 km south of Oamaru. St Kevin's College currently has boarding capacity for over 100 girls.[3]
Sport
The College has produced seven All Blacks and one Silver Fern. Students participate in many sports including: hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, netball, swimming, rowing, cricket, tennis, squash, badminton, skiing, snowboarding, multi sport, athletics, tramping and kayaking. Swimming, athletic and cross-country sports are particularly emphasised and all students participate. St Kevins strongly participates in Rugby competitions. There is an annual game with Waitaki Boys High School for the Leo O’Malley Memorial Trophy ("the peanut"). The annual game attracts up to 5000 spectators in anticapation of a tight match. Over the years Waitaki has been a more frequent winner hoisting the trophy on 53 occasions to St Kevins 21 wins with 5 draws. This rivalry is often referred to the blooder by the students, this originated from St Kevins students calling Waitaki Boys blood nuts because of the colour of their blazers. [14]
Rectors
- 1927-1933: Brother B. F. Magee
- 1933-936: Brother M. M. O'Connor
- 1936-1938: Brother J. B. Gettons
- 1939-1945: Brother M. D. McCarthy
- 1945-1951: Brother P. C. Ryan
- 1951-1952: Brother J. A. Morris
- 1953-1957: Brother J. I. Carroll
- 1958-1961: Brother J. B. Duffy
- 1961-1967: Brother P. A. McManus
- 1968-1971: Brother J. M. Hessian
- 1972-1974: Brother P. A. Boyd
- 1975-1979: Brother M. B. Scanlan
- 1980-1996: Brother B. J. Lauren
- 1996-2001: Mr J. G. Boyle
- 2002–2010: Mr C. B. Russell
- 2010–present: Mr P. R. Olsen[6][3]
Notable alumni
The College has produced 19 Christian Brothers and 7 Brothers belonging to other Religious Orders, 101 Priests[citation needed], 1 Bishop, 1 Archbishop (who was also a cardinal). In sport, 1 Silver Fern and 7 All Blacks (including 3 captains) have been students at St Kevin's.
Notable former students include:
- Maree Bowden - New Zealand representative netballer; member of Silver Ferns
- Leonard Anthony Boyle - Emeritus Catholic Bishop of Dunedin. He was Fifth Bishop of that see (1983–2005)
- Donald John Cameron (born Dunedin 20 February 1933), journalist and sportswriter.[15]
- Thomas Desmond Coughlan - All Blacks flanker, 1958
- Peter Gresham - Member of Parliament for Waitotara (1990–1993) and Whanganui (1993–1996), list MP (1996–1999); Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Senior Citizens (1996–1999)
- Gavan Herlihy - Member of Parliament for Otago (1996–2002)
- James Charles Kearney - All Black first five-eighth, 1947-1949
- Kevin Francis Laidlaw - All Blacks centre three-quarter, 1960
- Francis Steven McAtamney - All Blacks prop, 1956
- William Alexander McCaw - All Blacks Captain 1954, Number 8 and flanker, 1951-1954
- Denzil Meuli (Pierre Denzil) (born 1926) - priest of the Diocese of Auckland, writer, former editor of the Zealandia and a leading New Zealand traditionalist Catholic
- Alec Neill - Member of Parliament for Waitaki (1990–1996), List MP (1999, 2001 and 2002)
- Kevin Lawrence Skinner - All Blacks captain 1952; prop, 1949-1956
- Robert Charles Stuart - All Blacks captain, Loose forward 1949-1954; rugby coach, and WW2 naval commander
- Thomas Stafford Williams - Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington.
See also
Notes
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "History of St Kevin's College" (Retrieved 30 August 2014)
- ^ a b c Graeme Donaldson, pp. 8 and 10.
- ^ "St Kevins College (Oamaru) 13/09/2013", Education Review Office, School report (Retrieved 30 August 2014)
- ^ "St Kevin's College, Profile (Retrieved 30 August 2014)
- ^ a b c d e Redcastle Recollections, A Golden Jubilee Volume, p. 2.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 78.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 79 and 81.
- ^ "St Kevin's College: A Brief History" (Retrieved 1 September 2014)
- ^ "About St Kevin's College" (Retrieved 30 August 2014)
- ^ O'Neill, p. 84.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 83 and 90.
- ^ Robertson, p. 40.
- ^ Rugby results table (Retrieved 1 September 2014)
- ^ New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001, p. 198.
Main sources
- J.C. O'Neill, The History of the Work of the Christian Brothers in New Zealand, unpublished Dip. Ed. thesis, University of Auckland, 1968.
- Redcastle Recollections, A Golden Jubilee Volume, St Kevin's College, Oamaru, 1977.
- Paul Malcolm Robertson, Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces, an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1996.
- Graeme Donaldson, To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876-2001, Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001.