Hamilton and Alexandra College

The Hamilton and Alexandra College is an independent, private non-profit, co-educational day and boarding school located in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia.

The Hamilton and Alexandra College
Location
Hamilton
,
Victoria

Australia
Coordinates37°44′14″S 142°1′26″E
Information
MottoKnowledge and Wisdom
Denominationassociated with the Uniting Church in Australia [1]
Established1871
PrincipalAndrew Hirst
GradesEarly Learning Centre, Prep - Year 12
GenderCoeducational
Number of students425[2]
Colour(s)Navy, gold and maroon
PublicationThe Collandrian
WebsiteHamilton and Alexandra College

History

The college came into existence as a co-educational school in 1962[3] as an amalgamation of the former Hamilton and Western District Boys' College which was founded in 1871, and Alexandra College, founded in 1872.[4]

The school has been known as Hamilton College for most of its post amalgamation existence. In the early 21st century, the name of the college was changed to The Hamilton And Alexandra College to reflect its relationship with Alexandra College the former school for girls.

Curricula

At Year 11 and 12 level, the school teaches the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).[5]

The School is Hamilton's leading educational facility, with some of the highest Enter scores in the state. Sporting an average class size of 18.[6]

Extra-curricular activities

The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities including outdoor education, choirs, jazz bands, a string ensemble and a concert band, drama and debating.

Sports offered include rowing and equestrian.

Campuses

The College has two campuses within Hamilton. The Chaucer Street Campus encompasses the Senior School accommodating students from Year 7 through to Year 12. A separate 14 hectare property, "Myrniong", contains boarding houses for both boys and girls, Junior Campus and Equestrian Centre and is situated one and a half kilometres from the Senior Campus.

Approximately 20-25% of students at the school are resident at the boarding houses.[7]

Alumni

Phyllis Rountree who was born in 1911 attended this (Ladies) college before she became a noted bacteriologist.[8]

Urban Myths

The College is reported to have a resident ghost who presents herself in the forms of odd sounds and occurrences, such as opening doors and faces in windows. She is referred to colloquially as "The Ghost of Mary Esther", and is said to have been a teacher who had an affair with a principal in the early 1900s. According to the tale, she fell pregnant with his child, after which he left her and she hanged herself from the clock-tower in despair, still haunting the campus in anger. Indeed the school's rowing club has a boat named in her honor.

There are also rumors of a tunnel running between the secondary campus and the old "Alexandra College" campus (now the pub, Alexandra House). Though no evidence has been found, it is said that they were dug during the Second World War, after the bombing of Darwin, as a shelter for the students.

References
  1. "Associated Schools" https://victas.uca.org.au/community-learning/uniting-church-schools/
  2. http://www.intedu.com/findyourschool/detail.php?lang=en&id=18&step=voll&mode=map&
  3. http://www.intedu.com/findyourschool/detail.php?lang=en&id=18&step=voll&mode=map&
  4. http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1063429
  5. http://www.gsgi.co.uk/countries/australia/melbourne/hamilton-and-alexandra-college
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. http://www.intedu.com/findyourschool/detail.php?lang=en&id=18&step=voll&mode=map&
  8. Dean, Katrina, "Rountree, Phyllis Margaret (1911–1994)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 2 February 2020
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