The Southport School

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The Southport School
The Southport School clock tower.jpg
Location
The Southport School
2 Winchester Street, Southport, Queensland

Australia
Coordinates 27°59′8″S153°24′52″E / 27.98556°S 153.41444°E / -27.98556; 153.41444
Information
Type Independent early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school
Motto Latin: Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat
(Let him who deserves the palm of victory bear it.)
Denomination Anglican
Established1901;124 years ago (1901)
Founder Horace Henry Dixon
ChairmanAdam Twemlow
HeadmasterAndrew Hawkins
Years Early learning to Year 12
Gender Boys only
Enrolmentc.1,551 [1]
Colour(s)Navy, white & maroon    
TuitionVaries by grade [2]
Affiliation
Alumni Old Southportonians
Website www.tss.qld.edu.au

The Southport School (TSS) is an independent Anglican early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.

Contents

Established in 1901 by the Revd Horace Henry Dixon, TSS is the oldest Anglican boys' boarding school in Queensland and the only all-boys boarding school on the Gold Coast. [3] The school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1305 students from early learning to Year 12, including 276 boarders from Years 7 to 12. [4]

The school is affiliated with the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), [4] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), [5] the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA), [6] Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), [7] and has been a member of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland (GPS) since 1920. [8]

History

The Southport School 1934 Queensland State Archives 195 The Southport School Winchester Street Southport c 1934.png
The Southport School 1934

The Southport School was established in 1901 by the Revd (later Rt Revd) Horace Dixon. The land was originally owned by Benjamin and Ann Spendelove. [9]

The first boarding houses (Delpratt, McKinley and Thorold) were established in 1908. [10]

The Southport School has the third oldest school boat club in Queensland, having first started rowing in 1905. [11] This followed Brisbane Grammar School and Ipswich Grammar School first having a rowing contest in 1890. [12]

Headmasters

Horace H. Dixon and son StateLibQld 2 201527 Reverend H. H. Dixon and his son Cecil at The Southport School on the Gold Coast, Queensland, 1907.jpg
Horace H. Dixon and son

The following is a list of the headmasters of the school.[ citation needed ]

PeriodDetailsNotes
1901–1929The Revd (later Rt Revd) Horace Henry Dixon CBE
1930–1935Bertram George Lawrance
1936–1940Verney Lovett Johnstone
1941–1950John Norman Radcliffe
1950–1971Cecil Garton Pearce OBE
1972–1987John Henry Day AM
1988–2003Bruce Alexander Cook OAM
2004–2020Greg Wain
2021–Andrew Hawkins

House system

The Southport School utilises a house system. The Senior School is divided vertically into the twelve houses: eight day boy houses and four boarding houses. The Preparatory School is divided into four houses. The Senior Houses are: [13]

NameDay/boardingColours
AtkinsonDay  
BiddleBoarding   
DelprattBoarding  
KaiserDay  
MaughanDay  
McKinleyBoarding  
MelbourneDay  
RadcliffeDay  
Surman Day  
ThoroldBoarding  
TurnockDay  
WalkerDay  
RogersBoarding year 7 only
MusgravePrep-day 
ShepherdPrep-day 
DixonPrep-day 
MitrePrep-day 

The three original houses – Delpratt, McKinley and Thorold – were founded in 1909, 1909 and 1908, respectively.[ citation needed ][ inconsistent ]

Sport

School cricket team ca. 1912 StateLibQld 1 270493 Members of of the Southport School cricket team, Gold Coast, ca. 1912.jpg
School cricket team ca. 1912

TSS has a strong sporting tradition and over the years has produced many Australian and international athletes of note. The school currently offers the following activities to its students: basketball, chess, cricket, cross country, debating, soccer, gymnastics, rowing, rugby, swimming, sailing, tennis, and track and field. TSS has been a member of the Great Public Schools' Association Inc (GPS) since 1920. [8] TSS fields soccer teams within the development divisions of Football Queensland South Coast. The school has achieved many sporting premierships during its membership.[ citation needed ]

GPS Premierships (official GPS records):[ citation needed ]

Associated Schools Championships:[ citation needed ]

State Championships[ citation needed ]

Basketball Team Achievements

Championship Men (Open)

Gold medal icon.svg Champions: 2023

Academics

The Southport School employs a team of gifted and talented staff, constituting the school's 'Academic Talent Development' (ATD) program. The program is composed of enrolled students who have displayed exceptional results in their respective ACER tests, and encourages them to pursue their academic prowess by championing initiatives and competition such as Future Problem Solving (FPS), [14] Tournament of the Minds (TOMs), [15] DaVinci Decathlon, [16] F1 in schools, [17] Maths Olympiads, and various model united nations conferences, including a TSS-run competition including other schools from around South-East Queensland known as TSSMUN, and Bond University's High School Model United Nations competition, BUHMUN. [18]

Notable alumni

The Old Southportonians Association (OSA) is the alumni organisation for Old Boys of the school. All Old Boys of the school become a member of the OSA, which boasts a proud list of members such as Nathan Sharpe, Michael Neser, and more. The OSA is run by Old Boys and other volunteers [19] The OSA celebrated its 100 years as a recognised body in 2007.

Historic figures also include past choirmaster Henry John King.[ citation needed ]

Student exchange program

Main entrance, 2015 The Southport School entrance.jpg
Main entrance, 2015

The Southport School is a member of Round Square and as such has an extensive network of partner schools with which it performs many student exchanges. TSS is involved in a student exchange program with the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States; and with Collingwood School in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[ citation needed ]

Pacific Cable Station

The two surviving buildings of the Pacific Cable Station were relocated to the school in 1982 for use as the school's music department. Largely untouched from their original form, they are listed on the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register. [20]

See also

References

  1. 2016 TSS Handbook
  2. "The Southport School Domestic Fee Schedule 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. "TSS Prospectus" (PDF). Enrolment Information. The Southport School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  4. 1 2 "The Southport School". Schools. Australian Boarding Schools' Association. Archived from the original on 17 November 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. "JSHAA Queensland Directory of Members". Queensland Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  7. "Brisbane Grammar School". School Search. Independent Schools Queensland. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  8. 1 2 "GPS Schools". Sport and Music. Brisbane State High School. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  9. "About Spendelove Bistro & Bar: Southport Restaurant". Spendelove. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. "Senior Boarding Handbook 2004" (PDF). The Southport School. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  11. "The Southportonian", 1912 Vol. II No. 4 May
  12. "Pre GPS schoolboy racing in Queensland". Australian Rowing History. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  13. The Southport School Admissions Book Archived 10 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:2007-05-18)
  14. Australia, Future Problem Solving Program. "Future Problem Solving - Extra Curricular Educational Extension Program to Challenge your Students". fpsp.org.au. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  15. "TOM - QLD Home". tom.edu.au. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  16. "What is the Da Vinci Decathlon? - Davinci". www.davincidecathlon.com. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  17. "STEM Racing | REA Foundation". rea.org.au. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  18. "Bond University High School Model United Nations (BUHMUN) conference". Bond University. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  19. "Old Southportonians' Association". Potentiality Online Communities. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  20. "Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - N to Z" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council . pp. 91–92. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.