Rostrevor College has a rich history of educating boys in the Edmund Rice tradition since its foundation over a century ago.
Established in 1923 by the Christian Brothers, under the direction of the first Headmaster Brother Purton, Rostrevor’s purpose was to cater for the overflow of boarding students from Christian Brothers College on Wakefield Street.
The College’s foundation students walked up Moules Road and through the front gates on Rostrevor’s first official day – 6 May 1923. The first boarders lived on the top floor of the iconic Rostrevor House, which was built decades before in 1858.
1923 was also the year of the first Rostrevor College vs Sacred Heart College Intercollegiate Football match. Now known as ‘Intercol’, the tradition continues to support a friendly rivalry between the two school communities and has grown to include a range of sports across the summer and winter competitions.
In the early years, there were 90-100 boarders attending classes alongside roughly 75 day students. During this time, Rostrevor was not its own school, but was considered a second campus for CBC. All ‘Leaving’ students were taught at Rostrevor, and players for sporting teams were selected from both campuses.
In 1939 the current College Chapel was built and the Murray Gates were erected, and in 1941 a new dormitory was built to cater for the influx of students seeking boarding during WWII. This building is now the Mary Fountain Music Centre.
In 1943 the campus officially split from CBC to form Rostrevor College – a name up to that time was unofficially used by most community members. The Murray Gates at the top of Moules Road cemented the change, with the words ‘ROSTREVOR COLLEGE’ permanently noting the new identity of the campus.
The early 1990s saw a state-of-the-art Boarding House built just beyond the Handball Courts which catered for around 70 boarders and live-in staff. However, the interior looks very different today after being completely refurbished in 2021.
While Junior boys were enrolled at the College from 1923 (then referred to as “the small boys”), the first Reception to Year 2 classes were established in 1998.
The College was led with Christian Brothers at the helm as Headmaster until 2003 when Jeff Croser became the first lay Headmaster. In 2022, Shana Bennett made history when she was appointed as the first female Principal of an all-boys school in South Australia.
In 2023, Rostrevor College celebrated its Centenary Year. The wider community was brought together through a series of celebratory events culminating in the Centenary Gala, which was attended by almost 700 people who shared a collective attachment to the red and black.
We are proud of our history and traditions. The legacy left by those who have come before us continues to shape the Rostrevor experience and culture, adding to the vibrant spirit of our College.
Rostrevor’s stories are told through photographs, artifacts and memorabilia displayed in the Heritage Room in Rostrevor House, which is opened on special occasions such as the annual Old Boys’ Lunch, the Year 7 Enculturation Day or by special appointment.
An in-depth history of Rostrevor College can be found in the Rostrevor College Centenary Book.
Houses
Audaces Fortuna Iuvat (Fortune Favours the Bold)
Brother Patrick Jerome Barron (1858-1949)
Brother Barron was the Australasian Provincial when Rostrevor College opened in 1923. He, therefore, was a key figure in the purchase and establishment of Rostrevor, giving great support to Brother Purton in his efforts to move the boarders from Wakefield Street. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1858. He joined the Christian Brothers and taught in Ireland for 17 years. He volunteered to go to Australia and after a short period in Ballarat, he was appointed Headmaster of CBC Wakefield Street from 1894 – 1896. He was then appointed a member of the Provincial Council in Sydney which was responsible for the Brothers and their schools in Australia and New Zealand. He was a member of this Council for 39 years and was the Provincial Superior for 23 years.
Fortitudo et Predentia (Fortitude and Prudence)
Brother William Paulinus Egan (1860-1936)
Brother Egan spent the last 13 years of his life at Rostrevor, bringing the first boarders from CBC Wakefield Street to the College in 1923. He was born in Ireland in 1860 and came to Australia as a young man. He was a quiet Irish gentleman and was placed in charge of three schools in across Australia, eventually settling in Adelaide. He made a lasting impact at the College, serving as the Bursar for most of his years at Rostrevor before he died in 1936 at the age of 76.
Fortitudo in Adversis (Strength in Adversity)
Brother Henry Stanislaus Gurr (1900-1965)
Henry Gurr was appointed to Rostrevor when he was 25 years old in the College’s third year (1925) and was still on the staff to celebrate the Silver Jubilee in 1948. During his 27 years at the College, he was in charge of the Junior School and its boarders. He was a remarkable football coach and though the team he coached was the Under 13s, it was said that the success of the senior teams was due to his exemplary coaching of students in their early years.
He was dedicated to the boarders and during his holidays would travel throughout SA and visit the homes of ‘old boys’ and potential boarders to enrol students. He loved Rostrevor and was the stable staff member as other Brothers came and went. It was with great reluctance that he left when in his 50s, he was transferred from Rostrevor in 1952.
Fortis et Hospitalis (Brave and Hospitable)
Brother Joseph Leo Murphy (1858-1931)
Brother Leo Murphy came out to Rostrevor from CBC Wakefield Street with the first Boarders in 1923. He had retired from teaching but was noted for his great interest in public speaking, and he promoted the Literary and Debating Societies which were such an important feature of College life in the earlier years. Both at CBC and Rostrevor, the Public Speaking Societies were known as the Brother Leo Murphy Societies, as they still are at CBC. Brother Murphy was a very popular figure and was especially honoured by the Old Collegians. The Golden Jubilee of his entrance into the Christian Brothers was a great occasion in Adelaide. He died at Rostrevor in 1931 at the age of 73.
Lamh Laidir an Nachtar (The Strong Hand From Above)
Brother Francis Thomas O’Brien (1848-1927)
Brother O’Brien was in charge of the first community of Christian Brothers to come to South Australia in 1878. He was one of five O’Brien brothers who joined the Christian Brothers in Ireland. After some years teaching in Ireland, Brother O’Brien came to Australia and was the founding Headmaster at CBC Wakefield Street, remaining in charge there for 12 years.
He travelled extensively on horseback to seek financial help for CBC from the Catholic miners near Burra and Wallaroo-Kadina as there were few Catholics in Adelaide at that time. Because of the generosity of country people, the Brothers agreed in 1881 to open a Boarding House at Wakefield Street – the first Christian Brothers’ school in the world to admit boarders. Brother O’Brien died in Brisbane at the age of 79.
Liberalis in Victoria (Generous in Victory)
Mr George Carlile Webb (1907-1951)
George Webb was born in 1907 in Adelaide and attended CBC Wakefield Street. In 1923 he would have been a member of the first group at Rostrevor, however he left CBC that year and travelled to Sydney to join the Christian Brothers. He was with the Christian Brothers for eight years, teaching mainly in Queensland. After he left the Brothers, he studied Accountancy and joined the staff at Rostrevor. He became the first full time lay teacher at the College and taught here for ten years, mainly teaching First Year (Year 8), but also Accountancy to senior students. Because of the Second World War, he left Rostrevor at the end of 1941 to enlist in the Army. He died of cancer in 1951 at the age of 44.