Cabra Dominican College is a private, independentCatholichigh school located at Cumberland Park, an inner-southern suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It was established by an order of Dominican sisters from Cabra, Dublin in February 1886 with nine sisters, and caring for 37 boarders and 4-day girls.[1] Originally offering a co-educational primary education and a high school education for girls, it began accepting boys into the high school in 1978.[1]
The school caters for about 1,200 students and serves educational year grades from middle school to senior school (grade 7 to 13).[2]
History
In 1868, seven Dominican sisters were invited by the Bishop of Adelaide to visit the South Australian city. The sisters opened a day and boarding school in Franklin Street in inner-Adelaide. The school was moved to the current location in the suburb of Cumberland Park in 1886. At the time, the southern suburbs where Cumberland Park is located, was largely uninhabited farmland.[3] The school was named after Cabra, Dublin, the mother house of the Dominican sisters in Ireland.
The foundation for the original Cabra building was first laid in March 1885. By the end of the year, the northern and western wings of the main building were established. The school officially opened in February 1886, with a total of nine sisters caring for 37 boarders and 3-day girls. There were an additional 71 girls in the intermediate school and most of these lived in South Australia. The school grew to over 93 boarders and 232-day pupils in the early 1950s. In 1978, the college itself began accepting boys.[4] In 1999, the boarding school closed after over 110 years.[5]
The three-storey Convent of Cabra Dominican College which houses college administration, music department, and Kavanagh House
List of principals
Year
Name
1994–2002
Jeff Croser
2003–2011
John Neate
2011–2017
Brian Schumacher
2018–present
Helen Riekie
Veritas Magazine
Since the establishment of the College, the Veritas Magazine has been printed annually and distributed to staff, families, and old scholars at the end of every year. Veritas captures a snapshot of the College for that year incorporating contributions from staff and students.
House System
In 2017, the school's house system underwent a significant transformation. The four houses, which were previously utilized exclusively for Sports Day, were replaced with a new structure where each house functions more independently. Unlike the pre-2017 arrangement, where students were grouped by year level, the current system designates specific areas of the school to each house. For example, the northernmost building on campus, formerly allocated to senior students for home classrooms and lockers, is now designated as the home of Moore House. This building is named "Aquinas" in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Each house is overseen by two key staff members known as 'House Leaders' who provide guidance and support to students throughout their time at the college.[6] Additionally, each house has a student leadership team, which includes two peer-elected senior House Captains from Year 12. They are supported by Year Level House Captains, representing students from Years 7 to 11.
The four houses are named after Dominican nuns who originally traveled from Ireland to Australia to establish the school. They are as follows:[7]
Boylan
Named after Mother Mary Columba Boylan, O.P., who was sent to South Australia in 1875 to assist the sisters following the passing of Teresa Moore. She played a crucial role in managing the boarding school and later oversaw the completion of a full college in 1886. The house colors for Boylan are dark blue and light blue, known as "double blues."
Kavanagh
Named after Mother Mary Catherine Kavanagh, O.P., who assumed leadership of the college following the passing of Columba Boylan. She identified strongly with the Dominican tradition, as did many of the other sisters, which contributed to her reputation as a strong leader. The house colors for Kavanagh are green and gold.
Moore
Named after Mother Mary Teresa Moore, O.P., who led the founding group of Dominican sisters in establishing the college in 1868. As the first Prioress of St. Mary's Franklin Street, she oversaw the construction of a small girls' boarding school. The house colors for Moore are red and white.
Murphy
Named after Mother Mary Catherine Murphy, O.P., who served as an assistant to Teresa Moore. She played a vital role in helping the sisters overcome the challenges they faced, particularly following the excommunication of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop in 1871. The house colors for Murphy are purple and orange.
Sports Day
Since 2006, the school has hosted an annual Sports Day, which was restructured in 2017 alongside the introduction of the modern house system. Students have the opportunity to participate in a range of sports, with both victories and participation contributing to their house’s overall score. Some larger-scale or time-intensive events are held in advance of the main day.
On Sports Day, students are encouraged to forgo the standard school uniform in favor of attire that reflects their house colors. This is one of the few occasions when students are permitted to attend school in non-uniform clothing.
Two major awards are presented during the event. The Main Cup, the most prestigious prize, is awarded to the house that accumulates the highest total points. The Spirit Cup is presented to the house that demonstrates the greatest sportsmanship and enthusiasm, including outstanding chants.
The largest building on the college grounds is the original convent that was built in 1885. A large proportion of the ground level houses the college admin staff, including the college principal. The home economics kitchen and classroom are also located within the ground level as is the college boardroom.
Opened in 2017, the newly developed St. Catherine's Wing saw the old music rooms become 4 multipurpose classrooms split across the upper two levels of the convent. The St. Catherine's Wing is home to Kavanagh house.
The eastern side of convent houses the St. Bridget's wing which includes a multitude of various music rooms and facilities. It is the namesake of St. Brigid's Square on the west of the wing, a common gathering area which is used for student-held handball matches during the morning and breaks. It is notoriously difficult to play on due to its size. The Aquinas building is a two-story building located at the front of the college. The ground floor of the building has various science laboratories including specialised facilities for chemistry, physics, and biology. On the second level of the Aquinas building, some 15 multipurpose classrooms are located. Aquinas is home to Moore House.
Originally a science laboratory, Aquinas Theatre is now one of three dedicated dance and drama spaces that the college offers. At times it is often used to hold year level or house assemblies.
The Notre Dame cluster of buildings comprises the staff room, various staff offices, and the General Science Lab which is mainly used for students in Grade 7.
Redeveloped in 2017 to accommodate a new library at the college, O'Mara is made up of 10 classrooms, one of which is a general science lab. O'Mara is home to Boylan House.
The permanent location of the Monica Farrelly Library, the Atrium contains the IT desk and a Library housing over 10,000 books, audiobooks and DVDs.
An offshoot of O'Mara, this wing includes the St. Mary's Unit and the Learning Centre. At the western edge of the building is Student Services and the Maitron.
The St. Dominics Classrooms hold claim to multiple general use classrooms and a "Media Centre".
Opened in 2003, the Fra Angelico Arts Centre's 5 classrooms are used for art, woodworking and metalwork. It acts as a general creative area, often used for construction of decorations around the college. The maintenance shed is technically a part of the building, although being only a small shed, garage, kitchen, and single classroom. It was announced in mid-2021 that the building would be renovated extensively, including the addition of a second floor.
Caleruega Hall is the newest of Cabra's campus. Up until 2018, a small, corrugated-iron gym was located at the site, but was demolished as part of a series of renovations in the school. Its first use was for Cabra Celebrates 2019, but officially began use in the first term of the 2020 school year. The Hall is predominately used as a gym, but also includes a "Sports Office" and "Sports Shed". New improvements to the building include air conditioning and retractable, permanent bleachers.
St Dominic's Hall acts as a multipurpose auditorium, used primarily for drama lessons. SDH has welcomed performers to the school since 2017, some of which also perform at the Adelaide Fringe.
The Coat of Arms of Cabra Dominican College has changed once or twice since the school's foundation in 1886. The design of the Escutcheon (shield) in the logo is based on the arms of the Dominican Order. The shield is divided evenly into eight gyrons, alternating sable and argent. These colours, more commonly called black and white, are the armourial colours of the Guzmán family, Guzmán being the family name of Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order. The black and white Cross in the centre of the shield was worn by the knights of the Order of Calatrava, a family of which St Dominic's mother was of. At each end of the cross is a stylised fleur-de-lis, called a 'Flowering of the Cross', which represents purity. The symbol above the shield (the crest) is a Five-pointed star, which is placed in memory of the star seen on St Dominic's forehead during his baptism. The motto below the shield is Latin text reading Veritas, which literally translates to 'Truth'. This is in reference to the role of a Dominican, which is to preach the Truth of God.[16]
↑ "History | Cabra Dominican College". Cabra Dominican College | Stories of the past, dreams of the future. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
↑ Black, Elisa; Pepper, Chris (11 October 2009). "Success is best revenge for Jacko guitar virtuoso Orianthi - School bullies helped me be a star". Sunday Mail. Adelaide, Australia: News Limited.
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