Newington College - History

History

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 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) John Blaxland's 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. A grand stone edifice was designed by Thomas Rowe and it is described by architectural historian Morton Herman as "an almost perfect example of scholastic Gothic Revival architecture". Earth-moving work began on the site in 1876 and by May 1878 the building had reached first floor height. A public ceremony was held and six commemorative stones were laid. Amongst the six given the honour of laying the stones were Sir George Wigram Allen KCMG the philanthropist who was Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He had lent £12,000 for the new buildings at Stanmore and later endowed the Wigram Allen Scholarship for boys proceeding to matriculation. The formal opening of the new school building was by Sir George on 18 January 1881. By resolution of the College Council, the name Newington College was perpetuated on the new site. Seventy school and theological students migrated from Silverwater to Stanmore and Newington has remained there ever since.

A gymnasium was built in 1890, and a swimming pool was opened in 1894. Newington ceased its connection to theological training in 1914, when the Wesleyan Theological Institute moved to the newly founded Leigh College at Strathfield South. 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. It became known as "Wyvern House" in 1938, when a new building was opened by Old Newingtonian Sir Percival Halse Rogers.

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 the Second World War, the College buildings and facilities have expanded significantly.

During the Headmastership of Tony Rae, a new Physical Education Centre, opened by Old Newingtonian Nick Farr-Jones AM, and a new boatshed at Abbotsford were two of the most important property additions. In 1998, whilst Michael Smee was Headmaster, Wyvern House moved to a separate campus in Cambridge Street, Stanmore. The former Wyvern House building was then renovated and renamed the Le Couteur Wing in memory of former Headmaster Philip Le Couteur.

During 2006, the press reported on an industrial relations dispute at Newington where a plan by Then Headmaster David Scott was to force staff to re-apply for their jobs in a restructure that would also reduce their holidays. 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" The Sydney Morning Herald reported that David Scott 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. Following a meeting between the Independent Education Union and Newington College, David Scott agreed not to declare senior staff positions vacant and the school continued to negotiate collective arrangements covering salary and working conditions for staff.

In 2009 Dr David Mulford was appointed as Headmaster and the College is presently preparing to celebrate its Sesquicentenary and the opening of two new buildings honouring two former Headmasters - The Lawrence Pyke Science Centre and The Tony Rae Resources Centre Library.