St Edmund's College, Canberra

St Edmund's College, Canberra
Location
Canberra , Australian Capital Territory Australia
Coordinates	35°19′22″S149°08′43″E / 35.3228°S 149.1454°E / -35.3228; 149.1454
Information
Type	Independent primary and secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Christus Lux Mea (Christ is My Light)
Religious affiliation(s)	Catholicism
Denomination	Congregation of Christian Brothers
Patron saint(s)	Edmund Ignatius Rice
Established	1954;71 years ago (1954) (as St Edmund's War Memorial College)
Founder	Congregation of Christian Brothers
Trust	Edmund Rice Education Australia
Principal	Tim Cleary
Years offered	4–12
Gender	Boys
Campus	Griffith
Colour(s)	Blue, white and gold
Affiliation	Associated Southern Colleges
Website	sec.act.edu.au

St Edmund's College, Canberra is an independent Catholic primary and secondary school for boys, located in Griffith, a suburb of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia.

The college was established in 1954 by the Christian Brothers as St Edmund's War Memorial College. It was opened to meet the demand for a Catholic education school in the region and was the first Catholic secondary boys' college established in the ACT. St Edmund's College practises in the tradition of Edmund Ignatius Rice. The current principal of the college is Tim Cleary.

Students are placed into houses for sporting and other events. The current houses and colours are: Clancy (yellow), Treacy (dark blue), O'Brien (white), Haydon (red), Mulrooney (sky blue) and Rice (green).

History

St Edmund's War Memorial College opened in 1954 as a Christian Brothers school in response to the needs of Catholic parents of the region. St Edmund's was the first Catholic secondary boys' college established in Canberra.

Headmasters / principals

The following individuals have served as headmasters or principals of the college:

Ordinal	Officeholder	Term start	term end	Time in office	Notes
1	P. L. McCarthy cfc	1954	1956	3 years
2	E. C. Fields cfc	1957	1959	3 years
3	N. T. Landener cfc	1960	1965	6 years	[1]
4	J. B. Darmody cfc	1966	1969	4 years
5	G. D. Kerr cfc	1970	1978	9 years
6	R. J. Wallace cfc	1979	1988	10 years
7	J. P. O’Shea cfc	1989	1994	6 years
8	C. J. Dwyer	1995	2004	10 years
9	C. X. Hayes	2005	2008	4 years
10	P. J. Fullagar	2009	2014	6 years
11	D. Lawler	2015	2017	3 years
12	Joe Zavone	2018	2024	7 years
13	Tim Cleary	2025

Rugby union

The college has won the Waratah Shield more than any other school (14 times) and was the defending champion in 2005, when schools from the ACT were no longer invited/permitted to participate by the organisers, the New South Wales Rugby Union. ^[2] The college has over 480 registered boys playing rugby union. St Edmund's College has a reputation for being one of the premier rugby schools in Australia, with Saia Fainga'a being the latest alumnus to represent Australia. The college also have always had a brilliant record in the local competition (ACTJRU) with many grand finals to their name across the different age groups.^{[ citation needed ]}

Ancillary bodies

In reflecting the spirit of charity of Edmund Rice, St Edmund's College established the St Edmund's College Foundation with the aim of giving financial assistance to disadvantaged families to support children's education. ^[3]

The St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association was established in 2015. ^[4]

Notable alumni

Arts

• Matthew Le Nevez – television actor
• Tommy Murphy – award-winning playwright ^[5]
• Flip Simmons – theatre actor and singer ^[6]

Business

• John A. Bryant – President & CEO of the Kellogg's and Director of Macy's, Inc

Military and police

• Lieutenant General David Morrison AO – former Chief of Army and 2016 Australian of the Year

Politics, public service, and law

• John Barilaro MP – Member for Monaro and Deputy Premier of New South Wales
• Terence Higgins AO – former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (2003–2013)
• Warren Snowdon MP – former Member for Lingiari (2001–2022) and Member for Northern Territory (1987–1996; 1998–2001)

Religion

• Most Rev. Patrick Power – Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Canberra and Goulburn

Sport

• Finlay Bealham – Irish rugby union player for Ireland national rugby union team and Connacht Rugby
• Robbie Coleman – rugby union footballer for the Brumbies
• Anthony Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
• Colby Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Melbourne Rebels
• Saia Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
• Vili Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Tonga national rugby union team and former rugby league footballer for the Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm
• David Furner – former rugby league footballer and coach for the Canberra Raiders and NSW State of Origin team
• Matt Giteau – former rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
• Troy Gray – AFL Footballer
• George Gregan – former rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and Brumbies; the most-capped rugby union international of all time
• Matt Henjak – former rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Western Force
• Alex Jesaulenko – Australian rules football player ^[7]
• Nate Osborne – head coach of Major League Rugby's New Orleans Gold
• Matt Pini – former rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and Italy
• Luke Priddis – rugby league footballer for the Kangaroos, Penrith Panthers and St George Illawarra Dragons
• Stephen Simmonds – Paralympic swimming medallist and disabled water ski world champion
• Tyrone Smith – former rugby union footballer for the Brumbies and Tonga
• Ricky Stuart – former dual-code rugby player, coach of the Cronulla Sharks, NSW State of Origin team, Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders ^[8]

See also

• Schools portal
• Australia portal
• Catholicism portal

• List of schools in the Australian Capital Territory
• Associated Southern Colleges
• Catholic education in Australia

References

1. "Obituary: Brother Landener". Canberra Times. 21 September 1982. p. 6. Retrieved 12 June 2020– via Trove.
2. Sheehan, Paul (23 May 2005). "Boys' lesson in defeat, if not class". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
3. "Foundation". St Edmunds College Canberra. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
4. "About St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association". St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
5. Queanbeyan's own Tommy Murphy sees his drama series Significant Others start this weekend on ABC TV Retrieved 17 October 2022.
6. http://stedmunds.realviewtechnologies.com/?iid=26347&startpage=page0000007 "Retrieved: June 2009"
7. Vortex Newsletter 14 May 2008 (retrieved 7 August 2008)
8. "Ricky Stuart - Dally M Coach of the Year". 29 September 2016.

External links

• St Edmund's College website
• St Edmund's College Rugby website