St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon

St. Brendan's College (sometimes shortened to SBC) is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia. The school was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1940 and opened with a total of 59 students. The school describes itself as "Australia's Largest Country Boys Boarding School", and has educated several leading National Rugby League players.

St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon
St Brendan's College administration, 2022
Address
Map
139 Adelaide Park Road

, ,
4703

Australia
Coordinates23°07′09″S 150°43′38″E / 23.11917°S 150.72722°E / -23.11917; 150.72722
Information
TypeIndependent secondary day and boarding
MottoLatin: Ne Dubita Dabitur
(Do Not Doubt, It Will Be Given)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
DenominationCongregation of Christian Brothers
Patron saint(s)Brendan, the Navigator
Established1939 (1939)
FounderChristian Brothers
OversightDiocese of Rockhampton
TrustEdmund Rice Education Australia
PrincipalRobert Corboy
Grades7–12
GenderBoys
Houses
  •    Duhig
  •    Gettons
  •    Hayes
  •    Tynan
Colour(s)Green and gold   
Websitewww.stbrendans.qld.edu.au

History

edit

Groundbreaking for the school started on 8 October 1939 and presided by Romuald Denis Hayes, Bishop of Rockhampton. The school officially opened in February 1940 with 42 boarders and 17 day students. The first headmaster of St Brendan's was Brother Basil Gettons.

The school's spiritual and academic policies are rooted in the traditions of Edmund Ignatius Rice and the school is a member of Edmund Rice Education Australia. The school is named after Saint Brendan the Navigator.

St Ursula's College, Yeppoon, a separate Catholic all-girls day and boarding school located further into the centre of Yeppoon, has shared a close relationship with St Brendan's. Both schools share a relationship with a Catholic primary school in Yeppoon, Sacred Heart.

The college song, Bordered by blue waters splendid, details the rural surrounds of the school near Mary's Mount, as well as confirming strength in faith-based learning.

In September 2022, the Christian Brothers Oceania Province announced it would withdraw from St Brendan's College at Yeppoon at the end of the 2023 academic year, ending 84 years of Christian Brothers affiliation. A farewell mass took place August 28, 2023.

House system

edit

St. Brendan's College has four houses:[1]

House Name origin
Colour Name
  Duhig Most Rev. Sir James Duhig KCMG, DD was the third Archbishop of Brisbane (1917–65) & the third Bishop of Rockhampton (1905–12)
  Gettons Rev. Bro. J. Basil Gettons c.f.c. was the founding headmaster of St. Brendan's College (1940–45)
  Hayes Right Rev. Romuald Hayes SSC, DD was the fifth Bishop of Rockhampton (1932–45)
  Tynan Right Rev. Andrew Gerard Tynan DD was the sixth Bishop of Rockhampton (1946–60)

Headmasters

edit
 
Chapel at St Brendan's, 2022

The Rector of St. Brendan's College has been a Christian Brother from the foundation of the college until the appointment of Simon Dash, the first lay principal, in 2003.

Ordinal Officeholder Term start term end Time in office Notes
1 Bro. J. B. (Basil) Gettons c.f.c. 1940 1945 4–5 years
2 Bro. H. I. Jackson c.f.c. 1946 1951 4–5 years
3 Bro. J. B. Duffy c.f.c. 1952 1957 4–5 years
4 Bro. N. B. Gallagher c.f.c. 1958 1960 1–2 years
5 Bro. P. T. McSweeney c.f.c. 1961 1963 1–2 years
6 Bro. M. F. Ziesing c.f.c. 1964 1969 4–5 years
7 Bro. C. S. Wright c.f.c. 1970 1975 4–5 years
8 Bro. D. F. Murphy c.f.c. 1976 1981 4–5 years
9 Bro. R. J. White c.f.c. 1982 1988 5–6 years
10 Bro. N. C. Langan c.f.c. 1989 1991 1–2 years
11 Bro. D. J. McMahon c.f.c. 1992 1997 4–5 years
12 Bro. R. S. Grundy c.f.c. 1998 2002 3–4 years
13 Simon Dash 2003 2009 5–6 years
14 G. McManus 2010 2011 0–1 years Appointment concluded in Term 3, 2011
15 Nick Scully 2011 2017 5–6 years Appointment commenced in Term 4, 2011[2]
16 Robert Corboy 2018 incumbent 5–6 years [3]

Student demographics and facilities

edit
 
Entrance to college and sporting facilities at St Brendan's College, 2022

The school accepts students of all faiths and backgrounds.

The school hosts the largest rodeo of the CRCA circuit. The rodeo is held annually over the Father's Day weekend (the first in September in Australia). The school also holds a cattle club and stud program. The school allows students to bring their own cattle to prepare for shows.[4]

Associations

edit

As one of the 27 Christian Brothers Colleges founded throughout Queensland, St. Brendan's College Old Boys continue to provide Officials, Coaches and Players to this uniquely Queensland Association of Brothers Old Boys Clubs.

  • Confraternity of Brothers Clubs (Rugby League)[5]
  • Brothers Rugby Fraternity (Rugby Union)[6]

Notable alumni

edit
Politics, public service and the law
Entertainment, media and the arts
Sport

References

edit
  1. ^ "School Houses". St. Brendan's College. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Well-known CQ school principal resigns". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Leading CQ boarding school announces new principal". Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. 3 December 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. ^ Tuite, Kerry (2000). "St Brendan's College, Yeppoon" (PDF). Submission for the Federal Government Inquiry into the Education of Boys. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  5. ^ "Affiliated Clubs". Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Fraternity - brothersrugby.com". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Parliamentary Handbook". handbook.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Hon. Bryan Jared Kramer, MP". Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  9. ^ Brij V. Lal; Kate Fortune, eds. (2000). "John Momis". The Pacific Islands: an encyclopedia. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-824-82265-1. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Major change at St Brendan's after 80 years".
  11. ^ Austlit. "John Kasaipwalova | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  12. ^ Molloy, Shannon. "Shannon Molloy". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Young St Brendan's players get taste of NRL life". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Casey Conway bares all: being a gay Aboriginal man in professional sport". NITV. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b c McKay, Pam (31 May 2017). "Star duo keen to maintain St Brendan's proud tradition". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022. St Brendan's library is a testament to the college's "Queenslander" heritage with a half-St Brendan's, half-Maroons jersey taking pride of place alongside school photos of its rugby league super stars, including Oates, Matt Scott, Paul Bowman, Julian O'Neill, PJ Marsh, Ben Hunt, Jake Granville and Dave Taylor
  16. ^ Proszenko, Adrian (3 October 2015). "NRL Grand Final 2015: Something in the water as St Brendan's quartet of Matt Scott, Ben Hunt, Corey Oates and Jake Granville line up in decider". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Townsville Bulletin". townsvillebulletin. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d Thompson, Michael (6 August 2019). "The top 10 NRL talents from Kirwan High and St Brendan's". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 18 July 2022. ...Kirwan State High School and St Brendan's College Yeppoon have produced a remarkable array of NRL talent... PJ Marsh (St Brendan's)... Corey Oates (St Brendan's)... Paul Bowman (St Brendan's)... Ben Hunt (St Brendan's)... Matt Scott (St Brendan's)...
  19. ^ "Travelling Mann's career comes full circle". National Rugby League. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  20. ^ "'The sacrifice she made was big': Pearson's tribute to mum". National Rugby League. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Former Rabbitohs Jamie Simpson signs on with CQ Capras". 20 June 2013.
edit