St. Kevin's College, Oamaru
Encyclopedia
St Kevin's College in Oamaru
, New Zealand
was founded in 1927. It is a Catholic
school run by the Christian Brothers
and Dominican Sisters
for boaders and day students. St Kevin's became a co-educational school in 1983.
In May 1926 Rev. Br Moore came to Dunedin to organise a bazaar and art reunion to defray the expenses of the new foundation; and Rev. Br Dowd toured the country districts soliciting donations. These joint operations resulted in a nett return of 7000 pounds.
That same year building operations began under the supervision of Rev. Br Prunster.
and O'Shea
, Bishops Whyte
, Cleary
, Brodie
and Liston
, the Reverend Fathers Lynch, C.Ss.R., Goodman, M.S.C., Dr. Geaney, O'Reilly P.P., Collins, Fenelon, McGettigan, Monaghan, Scanlan and Findlay. Among the some 2,500 laity present were contingents from Dunedin and adjoining parts of both provinces.
Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, about 12 km south of Oamaru. When Teschemakers closed the St Thomas’s Hostel Trust was formed and it bought flats in Balmoral St. These were used for girls boarding until 1984 when the hostel moved onto the former junior college site. Today, under the direction of the St Kevin’s College Foundation, it can accommodate over 100 girl boarders.
More buildings, new library, administration block, technical block, gymnasium, art and music suites and refurbished hall, bring us to the present day.
In 1996 the College appointed its first lay Principal as Mr Justin Boyle succeeded Brother Joe Lauren who had been the thirteenth and longest serving Rector. In 2002 the second lay Principal, Mr Brent Russell was appointed. The Christian Brothers handed the school to lay management ending a 75 year presence at Redcastle.
The Christian Brothers remain the school’s proprietors, and look forward to a future of promise and challenge for the college, under the leadership of Mr Colin Brent Russell.
New Zealand European/Pākehā 89%; Māori 8%; Pacific 1%; Asian 1%; Other1%. Forty-two percent of students are accommodated in St Kevin’s College Hostel, the largest co-educational boarding facility in the South Island.
For senior years the school offers the National Certificate of Educational Achievement
assessment system (NCEA). In 2007 the school was the third-highest achieving school in Otago, outperforming both other Oamaru High Schools.
The last Christian Brother to teach was Brother Tony Sisson, who left at the end of 2001.
In 2002 the Brothers handed the school over to lay management.
The last Christian Brother to be Rector was Brother B J Lauren, B.A., T.T.C., Dip.Cat., Dip.R.E., Dip.Ed., 1980 - 1996. He was the 13th and longest serving Rector.
He relinquished the Rectorship half way through 1996 to become Leader of The Christian Brothers Province in New Zealand.
The last Christian Brother to be on the Senior Management/Administration team at the College, holding the positions of Senior Administrator and Dean of Year 13, was Brother Frank W. Perkins, B.Sc., A.T.C.L., T.T.C.
He left in 1999 to become Principal of Nukutere College
in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
The three sisters to come to the College were Sr Joan T.Dip.T., T.Dip.P.S., Dip.R.E., Sr Catherine-Laboure Dip.R.E., T.T.C. and Sr Madeliene, B.A., Dip.Cat., Dip.Tch.
Sister M. Therese and Sr Bennett were on the Board of Truetees in the late 1980s and early 1990s although they never taught at the College.
Sr Catherine-Laboure, who was Head Mistresss of St Thomas', took up the positions of Senior Mistress and Director of Religious Studies and Christian Living. Sr Madeliene took up the post of Dean of Form 3 (Year 9).
The Dominican Sisters have now left the College and until the end of 2008 there were Sisters on the Board of Trustees
In 2002 Brent Russell was appointed as the 15th Principal and second lay Principal.
The first Lay Deputy Principal was Mr K. C. Walker, BA, DipArts, DipRE, DipTch appointed in 1985 as he succeeded Br. I. T. Mahon MA (Hons), BSc, DipSocSci, TTC.
The First Senior Mistress (Assistant Principal) was Mrs J. I. Palmer, BBS, DipComT, TTC, DipTch appointed to the position in 1987.
The last Brother to hold the position of Senior Master was Bro. D. M. Murray, TTC., who held the position from 1975 until 1994.
He was also Boarding Master up until 1992 when he relinquished that position.
Lay staff and these days lay management and principals have become necessary in Christian Brothers schools because of the ageing congregation, lack of recruits and the requirements of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975.
The first lay person to be the Director of Religious Studies and Head of Special Character was Mr James Barns BA, MA (Theology), TTC, as he succeeded Bro Michael McMenamin MA (Hons). Mr J. Barnes was appointed in 1988. He held the position for nearly ten years, when he returned to his native America during 1997. Karen Austin, the year 9 Dean at the time.
The Director's of Religious Studies for 2008 were:
Mrs M. J. Burton MREd, BEd, TTC, DipTch, DipEvn, DipHSc (1st Half of the year)
Mr A. J. Mullally BTheol, DipThSt, DipTch, NZCD (Arch) (2nd Half of the year)
The role was shared as Karen Austin was appointed to the Position of Assistant Principal of the college and a permanent replacement had not yet been found.
Major cultural events on the SKC calendar include:
). In sport, 1 Silver Fern
and 7 All Blacks (including 3 captains) have been students at St Kevin's.
Notable former students include:
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was founded in 1927. It is a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school run by the Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers in New Zealand
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a Catholic religious order which has been established in New Zealand since 1876. The order's particular charism is the education of boys and in New Zealand the order has been responsible for eight schools and has launched other educational...
and Dominican Sisters
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
for boaders and day students. St Kevin's became a co-educational school in 1983.
Establishment and history
Although the establishment of a Catholic boarding school for boys in Otago had been mooted as early as 1890, it was not till 1925 that the project was seriously taken in hand. The Bishop of Dunedin, His Lordship Most Rev. James White, called for the co-operation of the Christian Brothers, who for many years had conducted a school in Dunedin, to which for some years a hostel was attached. Various sites were inspected by the Bishop and the Provincial of the Christian Brothers, Rev. Br P. I. Hickey. Finally "Redcastle" was settled on as being most suitable.Property acquired
In 1925 the Church authorities purchased the homestead and property on which the college now stands, including 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land for 8000 pounds securing an option over ten additional acres, which were purchased for 1000 pounds in 1928.In May 1926 Rev. Br Moore came to Dunedin to organise a bazaar and art reunion to defray the expenses of the new foundation; and Rev. Br Dowd toured the country districts soliciting donations. These joint operations resulted in a nett return of 7000 pounds.
That same year building operations began under the supervision of Rev. Br Prunster.
Opening of the college
The solemn blessing and opening of the new college, named St. Kevin's after the great founder of the monastery and school of Glendalough, took place on Sunday, 6 February 1927. Present were Archbishops RedwoodFrancis Redwood
Francis William Mary Redwood SM , was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, Metropolitan of New Zealand.Redwood was born on 8 April 1839 on the Tixall estate, Staffordshire, England. In 1842 he sailed to New Zealand with his parents on the George Fyfe...
and O'Shea
Thomas O'Shea (Archbishop)
Thomas O'Shea, SM was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, Metropolitan of New Zealand.He was born at San Francisco, California on 13 March 1870, the son of Edmond O'Shea, a miner, and his wife, Johanna Sullivan, both Irish-born, who had emigrated from Charleston, New Zealand. The family...
, Bishops Whyte
James Whyte (bishop)
James Whyte was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin .-Early life:Whyte was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1868. He spent six years in ecclesiastical training for the priesthood at St Kieran's College, Kilkenny...
, Cleary
Henry William Cleary
Henry William Cleary, OBE was the sixth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Auckland, New Zealand .-Early life:Henry William Cleary was born on 15 January 1859 at Oulart, County Wexford, Ireland...
, Brodie
Matthew Brodie
Matthew Joseph Brodie was the second Catholic bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XV on 27 November 1915 and died in office on 11 October 1943. He was the first New Zealander by birth to be made a Catholic bishop...
and Liston
James Michael Liston
James Michael Liston, CMG was the Seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Early life:James Michael Liston was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family of five children of James Liston, a hotel-keeper, and his wife, Mary . His parents were both born in Ireland. He was educated at Kavanagh...
, the Reverend Fathers Lynch, C.Ss.R., Goodman, M.S.C., Dr. Geaney, O'Reilly P.P., Collins, Fenelon, McGettigan, Monaghan, Scanlan and Findlay. Among the some 2,500 laity present were contingents from Dunedin and adjoining parts of both provinces.
Integration
In February 1983 St Kevin’s became co-educational with the introduction of boarding and day female students. This step came at the same time as Integration into the state education system.Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, about 12 km south of Oamaru. When Teschemakers closed the St Thomas’s Hostel Trust was formed and it bought flats in Balmoral St. These were used for girls boarding until 1984 when the hostel moved onto the former junior college site. Today, under the direction of the St Kevin’s College Foundation, it can accommodate over 100 girl boarders.
More buildings, new library, administration block, technical block, gymnasium, art and music suites and refurbished hall, bring us to the present day.
In 1996 the College appointed its first lay Principal as Mr Justin Boyle succeeded Brother Joe Lauren who had been the thirteenth and longest serving Rector. In 2002 the second lay Principal, Mr Brent Russell was appointed. The Christian Brothers handed the school to lay management ending a 75 year presence at Redcastle.
The Christian Brothers remain the school’s proprietors, and look forward to a future of promise and challenge for the college, under the leadership of Mr Colin Brent Russell.
Roll
In 2007 the school had a roll of 437 students (Girls 53%; Boys 47%). Its ethnic composition wasNew Zealand European/Pākehā 89%; Māori 8%; Pacific 1%; Asian 1%; Other1%. Forty-two percent of students are accommodated in St Kevin’s College Hostel, the largest co-educational boarding facility in the South Island.
For senior years the school offers the National Certificate of Educational Achievement
National Certificate of Educational Achievement
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement is, since 2004, the official secondary school qualification in New Zealand.It has three levels, corresponding to the levels within the National Qualifications Framework, and these are generally studied in each of the three final years of...
assessment system (NCEA). In 2007 the school was the third-highest achieving school in Otago, outperforming both other Oamaru High Schools.
Past rectors and principals of the college
Further information and some biographical details see: Congregation of Christian Brothers in New ZealandCongregation of Christian Brothers in New Zealand
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a Catholic religious order which has been established in New Zealand since 1876. The order's particular charism is the education of boys and in New Zealand the order has been responsible for eight schools and has launched other educational...
- 1927 - 1933 Rev. Brother B. F. Magee
- 1933 - 1936 Rev. Brother M. M. O'Connor
- 1936 - 1938 Rev. Brother J. B. Gettons
- 1939 - 1945 Rev. Brother M. D. McCarthy, B.A.
- 1945 - 1951 Rev. Brother P. C. Ryan, B.A.
- 1951 - 1952 Rev. Brother J. A. Morris
- 1953 - 1957 Rev. Brother J. I. Carroll, B.A., Mus.B.
- 1958 - 1961 Rev. Brother J. B. Duffy, B.Ed., B.Ed. (Hons.)
- 1961 - 1967 Rev. Brother P. A. McManus, B.A., Dip.Ed.
- 1968 - 1971 Rev. Brother J. M. Hessian B.Sc., M.A.C.E.
- 1972 - 1974 Rev. Brother P. A. Boyd
- 1975 - 1979 Rev. Brother M. B. Scanlan B.Sc., Dip.Ed.
- 1980 - 1996 Rev. Brother B. J. Lauren, B.A., T.T.C., Dip.Ed., Dip.Cat., Dip.R.E.
- 1996 - 2001 Mr. J. G. Boyle, B.A., Dip.Tch.
- 2002–2010 Mr. C. B. Russell, B.A., Dip.Ed., Dip.Tch.
- 2010–present Mr P. Olsen
The Christian Brothers
In 2001 The Christian Brothers left their Oamaru base at Recastle, which is on the site of the College.The last Christian Brother to teach was Brother Tony Sisson, who left at the end of 2001.
In 2002 the Brothers handed the school over to lay management.
The last Christian Brother to be Rector was Brother B J Lauren, B.A., T.T.C., Dip.Cat., Dip.R.E., Dip.Ed., 1980 - 1996. He was the 13th and longest serving Rector.
He relinquished the Rectorship half way through 1996 to become Leader of The Christian Brothers Province in New Zealand.
The last Christian Brother to be on the Senior Management/Administration team at the College, holding the positions of Senior Administrator and Dean of Year 13, was Brother Frank W. Perkins, B.Sc., A.T.C.L., T.T.C.
He left in 1999 to become Principal of Nukutere College
Nukutere College
Nukutere College is a Catholic secondary school located in Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the country’s only Catholic secondary school and has an important educational role across the archipelago of islands...
in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
The Dominican Sisters
In 1983 the Dominican Sisters came to the College when it amalgamated with St Thomas' and Dominican College, Teschmakers, girls' schools.The three sisters to come to the College were Sr Joan T.Dip.T., T.Dip.P.S., Dip.R.E., Sr Catherine-Laboure Dip.R.E., T.T.C. and Sr Madeliene, B.A., Dip.Cat., Dip.Tch.
Sister M. Therese and Sr Bennett were on the Board of Truetees in the late 1980s and early 1990s although they never taught at the College.
Sr Catherine-Laboure, who was Head Mistresss of St Thomas', took up the positions of Senior Mistress and Director of Religious Studies and Christian Living. Sr Madeliene took up the post of Dean of Form 3 (Year 9).
The Dominican Sisters have now left the College and until the end of 2008 there were Sisters on the Board of Trustees
Lay principals
In 1996 the College appointed its first lay Principal, Justin Boyle, B.A., Dip.T.In 2002 Brent Russell was appointed as the 15th Principal and second lay Principal.
The first Lay Deputy Principal was Mr K. C. Walker, BA, DipArts, DipRE, DipTch appointed in 1985 as he succeeded Br. I. T. Mahon MA (Hons), BSc, DipSocSci, TTC.
The First Senior Mistress (Assistant Principal) was Mrs J. I. Palmer, BBS, DipComT, TTC, DipTch appointed to the position in 1987.
The last Brother to hold the position of Senior Master was Bro. D. M. Murray, TTC., who held the position from 1975 until 1994.
He was also Boarding Master up until 1992 when he relinquished that position.
Lay staff and these days lay management and principals have become necessary in Christian Brothers schools because of the ageing congregation, lack of recruits and the requirements of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975.
The first lay person to be the Director of Religious Studies and Head of Special Character was Mr James Barns BA, MA (Theology), TTC, as he succeeded Bro Michael McMenamin MA (Hons). Mr J. Barnes was appointed in 1988. He held the position for nearly ten years, when he returned to his native America during 1997. Karen Austin, the year 9 Dean at the time.
The Director's of Religious Studies for 2008 were:
Mrs M. J. Burton MREd, BEd, TTC, DipTch, DipEvn, DipHSc (1st Half of the year)
Mr A. J. Mullally BTheol, DipThSt, DipTch, NZCD (Arch) (2nd Half of the year)
The role was shared as Karen Austin was appointed to the Position of Assistant Principal of the college and a permanent replacement had not yet been found.
Culture at St Kevin's College
Culture is a large part in the life of a St Kevin's College student.Major cultural events on the SKC calendar include:
- House Drama
- Bishop's Shield - Debating, Scripture Reading, Public Speaking, Drama
- Choral Festival
- Major Production - in 2008 Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
- Stage Challenge
- Inter-House Debating
- Scripture Reading Competitions
- Public Speaking Competitions
- Writing Competitions
Notable alumni
The College has produced 19 Christian Brothers and 7 Brothers belonging to other Religious Orders, 101 Priests, 1 Bishop, 1 Archbishop (who was also a cardinalCardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
). In sport, 1 Silver Fern
Silver Ferns
The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative...
and 7 All Blacks (including 3 captains) have been students at St Kevin's.
Notable former students include:
- Maree BowdenMaree BowdenMaree Bowden is a New Zealand international netball player. Bowden played with the Canterbury Flames in the National Bank Cup from 1999–2007. She continued with the Canterbury franchise, which became the Canterbury Tactix, when the ANZ Championship began in 2008...
- New Zealand representative netballer; member of Silver FernsSilver FernsThe New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern , which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams. The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative... - Leonard Anthony BoyleLeonard Anthony BoyleLeonard Anthony Boyle is Emeritus Catholic Bishop of Dunedin. He was Fifth Bishop of that see . He was born at Nightcaps, Southland, New Zealand on 30 November 1930 and was educated at Sister of Mercy convent schools in Nightcaps and Winton.He received his secondary education at St...
- Emeritus Catholic Bishop of DunedinRoman Catholic Diocese of DunedinThe Latin Rite Catholic Diocese of Dunedin is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. It was formed on 26 November 1869 from a portion of the territory in the Diocese of Wellington, before it was elevated to an archdiocese....
. He was Fifth Bishop of that seeEpiscopal SeeAn episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
(1983–2005) - Thomas Desmond CoughlanThomas Desmond CoughlanThomas Desmond Coughlan who was born on 30 April 1934 in Mosgiel, New Zealand is a former international rugby player. He was a member of the All Blacks in 1958 playng in the flanker position.-Early life:...
- All Blacks flanker, 1958 - Hon Peter GreshamPeter GreshamPeter John Gresham ONZM, JP is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 1999, representing the National Party.-Early life:...
- Member of Parliament for WaitotaraWaitotara (New Zealand electorate)Waitotara is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in South Taranaki.-Population Centres:The electorate is rural, in South Taranaki. It is based on the town of Waitotara, and is north of the city of Wanganui.-History:...
(1990–1993) and WhanganuiWhanganui (New Zealand electorate)Whanganui is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first established in 1855 for the 2nd Parliament and has existed continuously since then.It is currently held by Chester Borrows MP.-Population centres:...
(1993–1996), list MP (1996–1999); Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Senior Citizens (1996–1999) - Gavan HerlihyGavan HerlihyGavan Herlihy is a former New Zealand politician. He was educated at St. Kevin's College and Canterbury University. He was a member of Parliament for the National Party from 1996 to 2002.-Member of Parliament:...
- Member of Parliament for OtagoOtago (New Zealand electorate)Otago was a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate,which was replaced by the Waitaki electorate and Clutha-Southland electorates for the 2008 election....
(1996–2002) - James Charles KearneyJim Kearney (All Black)James Charles Kearney was a New Zealand international rugby player. He was a member of the All Blacks in 1947 and 1949, playing in the First five-eighth position.-Early life:...
- All Black first five-eighth, 1947-1949 - Kevin Francis Laidlaw - All Blacks centre three-quarter, 1960
- Francis Steven McAtamneyFrank McAtamneyFrancis Steven McAtamney is a former New Zealand international rugby player. He was a member of the All Blacks in 1956 and 1957, playing in the Prop position.-Early life:McAtamney was born in Middlemarch, New Zealand and educated at St...
- All Blacks prop, 1956 - William Alexander McCawBill McCawWilliam Alexander McCaw is a former New Zealand international rugby player. He was a member of the All Blacks in 1951 and in 1953-54, playing in the No 8 and Flanker positions.-Early life:...
- All Blacks Captain 1954, Number 8 and flanker, 1951-1954 - Alec NeillAlec NeillAlexander George Neill is the former Chairman of the Canterbury Regional Council and a former New Zealand National Party politician. He was an Electorate Member of Parliament from 1990 to 1996, and a List Member for two terms in 1999, and from 2001 to 2002. He was born in Dunedin, and attended St...
- Member of Parliament for WaitakiWaitaki (New Zealand electorate)Waitaki is an electorate for the New Zealand House of Representatives that crosses the boundary of North Otago and South Canterbury towns on the East Coast of the South Island. The electorate was first established for the that determined the 5th New Zealand Parliament...
(1990–1996), List MP (1999, 2001 and 2002) - Kevin Lawrence SkinnerKevin Skinner (rugby union)Kevin Lawrence Skinner is a former All Black who played in 20 international tests for New Zealand, 2 of them as captain. He was also a heavy weight boxer, winning the New Zealand championship in 1947.-Early life:...
- All Blacks captain 1952; prop, 1949-1956 - Robert Charles StuartBob StuartRobert Charles "Bob" Stuart was one of the most well known and admired sportsman in New Zealand. He was given a lifetime service award by the International Rugby Board immediately after the World Cup in 2003.-Career:...
- All Blacks captain, Loose forward 1949-1954; rugby coach, and WW2 naval commander - Thomas Stafford Williams - Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of WellingtonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of WellingtonThe Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
.
Main sources
- Redcastle, for the years: 1927, 1963, 1966, 1977, 1980, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2006–2008 and 2009.
- J.C. O'Neill, The History of the Work of the Christian Brothers in New Zealand, unpublished Dip. Ed. thesis, University of Auckland, 1968.
- Redcastle Recollections, A Golden Jubilee Volume, St Kevin's College, Oamaru, 1977.
- Paul Malcolm Robertson, Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces, an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1996.http://www.edmundrice.org.nz/index.php?page=/downloads/index.htm/.
- Graeme Donaldson, To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876-2001, Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001.
- "College Personnel", Redcastle, 2009 Page 4.