St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace

St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace (colloquially known as Gregory Terrace, Terrace or GT) is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded on 5 July 1875 by three Irish Christian Brothers,[4] the college follows the Edmund Rice tradition, and caters for approximately 1,800 students from years 5 to 12.[3]

St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace
Address
Map
285 St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace

, ,
4000

Australia
Coordinates27°27′26″S 153°1′31″E / 27.45722°S 153.02528°E / -27.45722; 153.02528
Information
TypeIndependent primary and secondary, co-educational (boys’) day school
MottoLatin: Servire Deo Sapere
(To serve God is to be wise[1])
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
DenominationCongregation of Christian Brothers
Established1875; 149 years ago (1875)
TrustEdmund Rice Education Australia
PrincipalDr Michael Carroll[2]
Staff160
Years offered5–12
GenderBoys
Enrolment1665 (Years 5–12)[3]
Colour(s)Red and black   
NicknameTerrace, GT
Affiliations
AlumniGregory Terrace Old Boys
Websitewww.terrace.qld.edu.au

St Joseph's College is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[5] and is a founding member of the Great Public Schools' Association Inc (GPS).[6] An alumnus, Hugh Lunn, wrote books about his life at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace.

The school was formerly affiliated with the Combined Independent Colleges (CIC).[7]

History

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Terrace was founded in 1875 as both a day school and a boarding school. The original colours for the school were Navy Blue and White, adopted from the Congregational Crest of the Christian Brothers. In 1891 the boarding school was moved to Nudgee and in time became what is now Nudgee College, the boarding school adopted colours of Royal Blue and White. The original Gregory Terrace Navy and White rugby jersey was adopted by the Brothers Old Boys Rugby Club upon formation in 1905 and is still worn by them today.[8] The schools both competed in the famous "Butchers' Stripes" in different shades of blue until 1923 when it was suggested by the newly appointed Gregory Terrace Headmaster, Brother Reidy that, even though the Terrace Navy Blue was close to black, one of the schools change their White to Red for easier recognition on the rugby field. At the time the Christian Brothers were changing their Motto and Crest and Brother Reidy decided to change the Terrace colours to Black and Red at the same time the crest changed.[9]

 
Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane, 1954

2011 Brisbane floods

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During the January floods, St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace had their playing fields at Tennyson, inundated with toxic waste and water from the nearby Rocklea Fruit Market.[10] No sports were able to be played at Tennyson during the 2011 school year and a massive refurbishment and rebuild involved the canteen and Boatshed, the iconic Grandstand was destroyed. Soil and turf were removed and completely relaid due to foul nature of the debris. During 2011 Terrace played only one home game, at Brisbane Grammar Schools playing fields at Northgate, which was very kindly lent for the day, all other games were played at the opposing school's facilities.[citation needed]

Tennyson reopened in 2012 and they have completed the building of a new grandstand and player facilities.[11]

Extracurricular activities

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GPS premierships

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St Joseph's College's Queensland Great Public Schools (GPS) premierships include:

Activity Premiership years
Rugby 1927, 1929, 1932, 1956, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1996, 2004,
Rowing GPS Premiership (Old Boys Cup) 1997, 2007, 2008, 2009,

1st VIII (O'Connor Cup): 1982, 1994, 1996, 2008

Swimming 1918, 1919, 1921, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1970, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
Basketball 1997, 2000, 2004, 2019
Tennis 1955, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2015
Gymnastics 1919, 1941, 1942, 1995
Cross country 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013,[12] 2014
Football 2021
Athletics 1927, 1930, 1934, 1950, 1951
Cricket 1952, 2004, 2020
Volleyball 1996, 1997, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021
Debating GPS 1975, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2019, 2023

QDU 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2023

Chess N/A

Rugby

Gregory Terrace has produced more Wallabies than any other school in Queensland and second in Australia, with 32 players having represented Australia.[citation needed]

Music

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Percussion

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Gregory Terrace has seen major success with their percussion program over the years with one of the largest achievements, taking out the national title at the Australian Percussion Eistedfodd in 2021.[13] Their drumline also managed to secure 2nd place in the Australian Drumline Competition in the same year, and their drumline previously had placed 3rd in 2019.[14] They are the current reigning champions and seek to retain this position with a back-to-back win and 1st in both percussion and drumline, later this year.

QCMF

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Terrace has a rich history of receiving Gold awards across many ensembles and divisions at the Queensland Catholic Music Festival.[15]

SHEP AHEP

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Each year Terrace also produces multiple talented musicians who participate in many honours ensemble programs both across the state and on a national scale.[16]

House system

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There are nine houses at Terrace: Barrett, Buckley, Kearney, Magee, Mahoney, Reidy, Treacy, Windsor and Xavier. Originally six, three new houses were introduced at the beginning of the 2009 school year.[17]

The nine houses compete in the annual Inter-House competitions (Swimming, Cross Country, House Choir, Track & Field). Points are allocated to each house based on their position. At the end of the year, the house with the most points overall wins the house shield - Currently held by Reidy house.

Original houses

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Name Colour Name origin House dean
Barrett Dark blue
 
Named after James Barrett, the founding headmaster of the College, who arrived in Australia in 1871. Sam Brown
Kearney Gold
 
Named after James Kearney who came to Australia in 1911, teaching and serving as headmaster in many schools. He was also the author of the School Song. John Hinch
Mahoney Light blue
 
Named after the Mahoney Family, including several Rhodes Scholars. Steven Hohn
Reidy Green
 
Named after Mark Reidy, who spent 23 years at Terrace, for 16 of which he was headmaster. Michael Wooldridge
Treacy Orange
 
Named after Patrick Ambrose Treacy, who in charge of the three Brothers who restarted the mission of the Christian Brothers in Australia in Melbourne in 1868. Jane Williams
Windsor Grey
 
Named after the Windsor Family. Henry Windsor, he became an eminent benefactor of Terrace when he arrived in Australia and provided the funds to build the original college pool. Anthony Hayward

New houses

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Name Colour Name origin House dean
Buckley Dark green
 
Named after Barry Buckley, Headmaster at Terrace from 1973–1981 and a past student 1951–1952. Br Buckley is highly respected by the community for the significant contribution he made during his time as Headmaster. Br Buckley was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2008 Australia Day Honours List for his contribution to education and the church.[18] Ben Russell
Magee White
 
Named after Ted Magee, Headmaster at Terrace from 1990–1992. Although Magee was only Headmaster for three years, during that time he introduced the current House system that has become the hallmark of the community's pastoral care system which supports the students. Anthony O'Shea[19]
Xavier Purple
 
Named in acknowledgement of the long history of the St Francis Xavier Province. John Stanislaus Campbell (Headmaster 1959–1964) was the first provincial head of St Francis Xavier Province. Emma Hatchett

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A Message form the Principal". Administration. St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  2. ^ "Principal's Welcome". St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Annual Report 2006" (PDF). Administration. St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Our Proud Heritage". History. St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  5. ^ "AHISA Schools". Queensland. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  6. ^ "GPS Schools". Sport and Music. Brisbane State High School. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  7. ^ "The Terrace Sporting Program". Sport. St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  8. ^ "The History of Brothers Old Boys Rugby Club". Tradition. Brothers Old Boys' Rugby Club. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  9. ^ "The Adoption of New Colours and Crest". Tradition. Official Archive, St, Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  10. ^ Skjonnem, Ursula (10 February 2012). "Calls for more information on Oxley Creek contamination". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  11. ^ "St Joseph's College - Gregory Terrace". www.terrace.qld.edu.au. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "AUSTRALIAN PERCUSSION EISTEDDFOD 2022". www.optimumpercussion.com.au. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  14. ^ "St Joseph's College - Gregory Terrace". www.terrace.qld.edu.au. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Home". QCMF. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ^ "State Honours Ensemble Program". www.griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  17. ^ 'Gregory Terrace: House System' - Official Webpage Archived 2013-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Gov House - Australia day 2008 Honours list". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  19. ^ "College Personnel" (PDF). St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
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