Newington College

Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1863 at Silverwater, Newington is open to boys of all faiths and denominations. The college has two preparatory schools, 'Wyvern House', in Cambridge Street, Stanmore, and the Preparatory School at Lindfield, on Sydney's Upper North Shore. There is a rowing facility on the Parramatta River at Abbotsford. Newington currently caters for approximately 1580 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, including 48 boarders.

The school is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association, and a founding member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS).

Newington College is a full fee paying institution and fees range from AUD$10,716 (Kindergarten) to AUD$19,917 (Year 12) per year for day students, and in excess of AUD$37,000 for senior boarders. Overseas students are required to pay approximately an extra AUD$4,000 per year on top of this school fee.

The college prepares students from the School Certificate, the Higher School Certificate, and from 2008, the International Baccalaureate.

History

Founders' Wing, Newington College

At the Methodist Conference of 1862 the Rev John Manton proposed that a collegiate institute, "decidedly Wesleyan in character", be founded in Sydney. It was expected that the school would "be open to the sons of parents of all religious denominations" and on Thursday 16 July 1863 the Wesleyan Collegiate Institute opened with 16 boys and a small number of theological students. As no suitable buildings were available in Sydney at the time Newington House, the centrepiece of the 1200 acre Blaxland family estate at Silverwater, was leased.

Newington College, as the school soon became known, prospered during its time on the Parramatta River and in 1869 was the first Australian school to play rugby football (against the University of Sydney) and soon after was the first school in Australia to hold an athletics carnival. The Newington College Cadet Unit is the oldest corps in the Australian Army Cadets.

Expanding student numbers meant that more extensive premises closer to the city were required. A bequest, by John Jones, of land at Stanmore saw the College move to the newly fashionable inner-city suburbs in 1880. Seventy school and theological students migrated from Silverwater to Stanmore and took residence in the grand stone edifice, designed by Thomas Rowe, that is still the centrepiece of Newington. By resolution of the College Council, the name Newington College was perpetuated on the new site and Newington has remained at Stanmore ever since.

A gymnasium was built in 1890 and a swimming pool was opened in 1894. Newington ceased to be a Methodist theological training school in 1913 when Leigh College was founded at Enfield. In 1921 a stone War Memorial, designed by Old Newingtonian William Hardy Wilson, was opened in memory of those old boys who had paid the supreme sacrifice in World War I. A separate preparatory school was first opened in 1921 after a bequest by Sir Samuel McCaughey and it became known as "Wyvern House" when a new building was opened by Old Newingtonian Sir Percival Halse Rogers in 1938.

In 1925 a rowing facility was built at Abbotsford and in 1957 an additional preparatory school was founded on the North Shore - first at Killara but now at Lindfield. Since World War II, the College buildings and facilities have expanded significantly. A new Physical Education Centre, opened by Old Newingtonian Nick Farr-Jones AM, and a new boatshed at Abbotsford are two of the most recent additions. In 1998, Wyvern House moved to a separate campus in Cambridge Street, Stanmore.

Presidents and Headmasters

From its founding in 1863 until 1900, Newington had a system of dual control with a President (who was an ordained minister) and a Headmaster. As an ordained minister, Charles Prescott assumed both roles on his appointment in 1900 and on his retirement in 1931 the role of President was abolished.

President	Years	Bildung	Other positions held
Rev John Manton	1863-1864		Founding Principal Horton College
Rev Joseph Horner Fletcher	1865-1887	Kingswood School	Founding Principal Wesley College, Auckland
Rev Dr William Kelynack	1887-1891	Penzance	President Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church
Rev James Egan Moulton	1891-1900	Kingswood School	Founding Headmaster Tupou College
Rev Dr Charles Prescott	1900-1931	Kingswood School Worcester College, Oxford	Founding Headmaster Wesleyan Ladies College
Headmaster	Years	Bildung	Other positions held
Rev James Egan Moulton	1863	Kingswood School	Founding Headmaster Tupou College
Thomas Johnston	1864-1866		Founding Headmaster Druitt Town School
George Metcalfe	1867-1869
Dr Michael Howe	1869-1877	Trinity College, Dublin	Founding Headmaster Galt Grammar School Headmaster Jarvis Collegiate Institute Professor of Classics University of Toronto
Joseph Coates	1877-1883	Huddersfield College	Founding Headmaster Sydney Boys' High School
William Williams	1884-1892	Newark Grammar School Trinity College, Cambridge	Professor of Classics & English Literature University of Tasmania
Arthur Lucas	1893-1898	Kingswood School Balliol College, Oxford	Headmaster Sydney Grammar School Professor of Mathematics University of Tasmania
E.W Cornwell	1899	Keble College, Oxford
Rev Dr Charles Prescott	1900-1931	Kingswood School Worcester College, Oxford	Founding Headmaster Wesleyan Ladies College
Philip Le Couteur	1931-1948	Queen's College, University of Melbourne University College, Oxford University of Bonn, Germany	Headmaster Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne & Hale School, Perth
Mervyn Austin	1950-1951	Melbourne Grammar School University of Melbourne Christ Church, Oxford	Professor of Classics and Ancient History University of Western Australia
Laurence Pyke	1952-1960	Wesley College, Melbourne University of Melbourne University of Oxford	Dean of Graduate Studies University of Melbourne
Dr Ernest Duncan	1962	University of Otago Columbia University	Professor of Mathematics Rutgers University
Rev Douglas Trathen	1963-1970	Canterbury Boys' High School University of Sydney	Headmaster Wolaroi College, Orange
Tony Rae	1972-1993	The Scots College, Sydney University of Sydney	Headmaster Albury Grammar School
Michael Smee	1993-2003	The King's School, Sydney University of Sydney	Headmaster Pulteney Grammar School, Adelaide
David Scott	2003-	University of Western Australia Murdoch University Edith Cowan University	Headmaster Kingswood College & Anglican Church Grammar School

Campuses

Collectable Australian School Cigarette card featuring the Newington colours & crest, c. 1920s

Newington College is situated over three suburban campuses, located in Stanmore and Lindfield:

Secondary School, Stanmore years 7-12

The secondary campus is located in Stanmore, in Sydney's inner west. The student body consists of approximately 50 boarders and 1050 day students. Newington boarders come from country and city, interstate and overseas. Day students are drawn from all over the Sydney greater metropolitan area.

Wyvern House Preparatory School, Stanmore years K-6

Newington has educated primary school aged boys since 1863. In 1938 Wyvern House opened in a separate school building on the Stanmore campus and accepted its first students in 1939. Wyvern moved to new premises in Cambridge Street, Stanmore, a few minutes' walk from the secondary school, in 1998. It has approximately 370 students - all day students. There are two classes each in Years K-4 and three classes in Years 5-6.

Newington College Preparatory School, Lindfield years K-6

Newington College Preparatory School was established initially at Killara (1957) and later at Lindfield (1967) in response to requests from Old Newingtonians that a preparatory school be established on the North Shore of Sydney. Lindfield at is a single-stream school, with approximately 160 students. David Hine has been Head of Lindfield since Term 4, 2006. From 1998 until 2000 he was the Federal President of Junior School Heads Association of Australia.

Curriculum

The school teaches the core curriculum outlined by the NSW Board of Studies (BOS) between K-8. In addition to this curriculum, the students study one major language other than English. From years 9-12, students adhere to the Board of Studies curriculum standards that all NSW schools follow.

Newington became an IB World School in May 2007, and will offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) to Year 11 students from 2008, as an alternative to the Higher School Certificate.

Co-curriculum

Newington students may participate in the following co-curricular activities:

• Cadets - The Newington College Cadet Corps (now Unit) was founded in 1869 and pre-dates the Australian Army. Activities include abseiling, archery, bushcraft, canoeing, drill, first aid, lifesaving, mapping, orienteering and radio operation. There is also a service band and service orchestra.
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award - This scheme is offered either as a stand alone activity or as part of cadets.
• Music - Founders Concert is Newington's major music performance annually and joint choral concerts are held with MLC School. The Symphonic Winds group compete in public festivals and challenges and the Chapel Choir provide music year long at house services and evensong. All group participate in the GPS Music Festival.

Sport

Newington's eight-oar crew, 1932

Newington is one of the nine members of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (GPS) and participates in all GPS sporting competitions as well as several non-GPS or traditional sports.

Newington students may participate in a variety of sports including: Athletics, Basketball, Cricket, Cross Country, Fencing, Rowing, Rugby Union, Small Bore Rifle Shooting, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball and Water Polo.

2006 Industrial Relations dispute

During 2006, the press reported on an industrial relations dispute at Newington when 40 department heads and housemasters were forced to reapply for their positions in a restructure that would also reduce their holidays. The Headmaster, David Scott, said that: The action was taken after a comprehensive review of the school and had nothing to do with the federal government's Work Choices reforms.

Mr Scott advised that if senior teachers did not reapply for their current positions they could stay on as classroom teachers or be made redundant. 69 of 70 teachers voted at a union meeting not to apply for 40 senior positions Mr Scott had made available as part of a reorganisation of middle-management at the college. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Headmaster believed that the union was being mischievous "at best", or using an "outright and deliberate lie" in suggesting the restructure was linked to workplace legislation.

The dispute was politicised when Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon called on the New South Wales Government to withhold funding from the school because of the plans to force 40 teachers to re-apply for their own jobs. The headmaster said the move has been planned for nearly a year and has rejected suggestions that he is trying to exploit the Government's industrial relations laws. The Greens' Lee Rhiannon said she finds that hard to believe. "It's certainly very similar to what WorkChoices allow employers to do," she said.

Following a meeting between the Independent Education Union and Newington College, the Headmaster agreed not to declare senior staff positions vacant and the school continued to negotiate collective arrangements covering salary and working conditions for staff. This maintains the previous arrangement rather than the school's initial proposal to introduce up to four weeks compulsory attendance.

Despite the agreement between the Independent Education Union and Newington College, the Sydney Morning Herald quotes anonymous teachers that tensions remain and that the school body had been fractured by the dispute, and there is deep-seated mistrust of Mr Scott and of the College Council's plans.

The Sydney Morning Herald says that the College has threatened to sue a parent whose company conducted a survey of the level of morale in the school community. The survey results found that 43 per cent of the school's teachers were considering quitting, and just 13 per cent have faith in the headmaster and council. The results showed that found only 35 percent felt they were treated with respect and dignity. Just 6 percent reported high or very high morale, contrasting with 75 per cent who reported low or very low morale. One in three teachers believe they do not have a future at the school. The Headmaster released a statement in response to the Sydney Morning Herald article of the 9 August, 2006 wherein he states that: the legal issues between the parent nominated in the Herald article the College and the Headmaster are unrelated to the survey.

In October, a facilitator was appointed to assist the College through issues that were generating significant concern amongst the teaching staff. These issues have been addressed by a working group established by Council and coordinated by the facilitator in the first three months of 2007. The working group first met on 24 January 2007 and has been asked to report to the College Council by April 2007 whereupon Council will consider its recommendations.

Old Newingtonians' Union

File:ONULogo.gif

Old Newingtonians Union Logo

The Old Newingtonians' Union was founded in 1895 with the Newington College President, Rev Dr James Egan Moulton, as its inaugural President and Sir Thomas Bavin as Secretary.

The aims of the Union, as stated in its constitution, are to:

strengthen the bonds between Old Newingtonians and between Old Newingtonians and the College; foster and develop active participation in, and support of, the affairs of the College and of the Union; support and promote the Newington Foundation and the Old Newingtonians' Union Centennial Trust; organise and carry out social functions in pursuance of the objects of the Union; promote the interests and welfare of the College in all its aspects; commemorate those Old Newingtonians who have given their lives in the service of their country; and provide club facilities for members of the Union either solely or in conjunction with other clubs, unions or associations of ex-students of other schools.

A bi-annual publication, Newington Wyvern is sent to all old boys whose current addresses are known to the Union. The Union previously published directories of Old Newingtonians at five yearly intervals but that publication has been superseded by an on-line directory.

Affiliated organisations of the Union are: Wyvern Cricket Club, playing in the Sydney Suburban Competition; Lodge Wyvern, a Masonic Lodge; and The 70 Club, a luncheon club for senior Old boys. The Old Newingtonians' Union is a member of the GPS Old Boys Unions' Council.

Notable alumni

Alumnus of Newington College are commonly referred to as 'Old Boys' or 'Old Newingtonians', and may elect to join the schools alumni association, the Old Newingtonians' Union. For a list of notable Old Newingtonians', see List of Old Newingtonians.

See also

• List of Non-Government schools in New South Wales
• List of boarding schools

External links

• Newington College website
• ONU Website