Alphacrucis - History

History

Alphacrucis began as "Commonwealth Bible College" in 1948 in Melbourne, after an abortive attempt by Henry Wiggins to set up the college in the 1930s. In 1949 the college moved to Brisbane, first to New Farm, and in 1961 to a purpose-built campus on the Brisbane River which was destroyed in the 1974 Brisbane flood.

After a year of temporary operation at Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Brisbane, a new campus was obtained and refurbished at Katoomba, New South Wales in the former Palais Royale guesthouse. The facilities of the Illawara Bible College were later added to the campus. The college remained at Katoomba until 1995. In 1993 the name was changed, first to "Southern Cross Bible College" and then to "Southern Cross College of the Assemblies of God in Australia Ltd" (not to be confused with Southern Cross University). From early 1996 to August 2011, the college was at Chester Hill, New South Wales. For a period during this time, the college was associated with the Sydney College of Divinity.

On 27 April 2009 at the Australian Christian Churches National Conference, Southern Cross College officially changed it name to Alphacrucis. The new name derives from the star that sits at the foot of the Southern Cross constellation named Alpha Crucis. The principal, Stephen Fogarty, says, “Alphacrucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross, and it’s at the foot of the cross. We want our students to shine brightly at the foot of the cross.”

In September 2011, Alphacrucis College relocated its main campus to 30 Cowper Street, Parramatta, Sydney (formally opening it in March 2012); and also re-opened its Brisbane campus at the site of Metro Church in Seventeen Miles Rocks, Brisbane.