Whitefriars College

Whitefriars College
Latin: Almae In Fide Parentis In The Care Of A Loving Mother
Location
Donvale, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37°47′26″S 145°12′1″E
Information
Type	Independent, Single-sex, Day school
Denomination	Roman Catholic, Carmelite
Established	1961
Chairman	Peter Duffy
Principal	Fr Paul Cahill, O.Carm.
Chaplain	Fr Noel Kierce, O.Carm.
Employees	130
Years	7-12
Enrolment	1,165
Colour(s)	Brown      Navy Blue      White      Gold
School fees	A$7,300 - $8250p.a (2011)
Website	www.whitefriars.vic.edu.au

Whitefriars College is a Roman Catholic Independent school for boys located in the Melbourne suburb of Donvale. Established in 1961, the College reflects the tradition of the Carmelites, and is recognised for its uniform's brown blazer with the College Crest appearing on the breast pocket. The school has been a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges since 1999.

History

Whitefriars College was established by the Carmelites in 1961, with a single stream of forty boys. In the school's early years all teachers were Carmelites, under the leadership of the founding Principal, Fr Frank Shortis, O.Carm., and lay teachers were appointed as the need arose. However, as time has transpired, the Carmelites, although retaining a small number of their own members on staff – including, the current Principal – have been far outnumbered by lay staff. The current Carmelites on staff are Fr Paul Cahill O.Carm, Fr Noel Kierce O.Carm and Br Sean Keefe O.Carm.

The school's campus is currently set on 19 hectares at the northern end of a property acquired by the Carmelites in 1937 for a novitiate and seminary. The original property, of 113 acres (0.46 km²), was bounded by Park and Heads Roads and Mullum Mullum Creek and was then largely surrounded by orchards. Part of the monastery property was subdivided in the 1970s, and the monastery itself was sold to the Coptic Orthodox church in 2002.

Whitefriars College remains the sole Carmelite School in Australia.

House system

The College has eight houses, each one named after a Carmelite of note. The houses are:

• Avila, named after Saint Teresa of Avila
• Brandsma, named after Blessed Titus Brandsma
• Corsini, named after Saint Andrew Corsini
• Lisieux, named after St. Therese of Lisieux
• Mantua, named after Blessed Baptist Spagnoli of Mantua
• Soreth, named after Saint John Soreth
• Stein, named after Saint Edith Stein
• Trinity, named after Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

As there is a vertical pastoral care (more commonly known as homeroom) system at the College, each house is made up of seven pastoral care groups and each group contains approximately twenty-four students. This change was made in 2005.

Community service

The school has two student-run community service organisations, the Key Club, sponsored by the Doncaster-Templestowe Kiwanis, and Young St. Vinnie's. Both groups work in the school community as well as in the wider community on a number of projects. The Key Club runs a recycling drive and St Vinnie's runs a weekly blood donation drive, in which VCE students are encouraged to give blood.

Notable alumni

• Pat Cash - 1987 Wimbledon Champion
• Marc Murphy (2005) - Carlton Footballer and No. 1 AFL Draft Pick
• David Morris - Australian Aerial Skier
• Paul van der Haar - Essendon Football Club Footballer - 1984 / 1985 Premiership Winners - Essendon Team of the Century
• Andy Otten (2007) - Adelaide Football Club and #27 draft pick 2007
• Max Otten - Sydney Swans and #21 rookie draft pick 2011
• Stephen Gilham - Hawthorn Football Club Player and 2008 premiership player
• John Blakey - North Melbourne Football Club Player and premiership player
• Brad Gotch - VFL footballer (Fitzroy, St Kilda), AFL assistant coach (Collingwood 2000-2007, Western Bulldogs 2008-2009)
• Ben Griffiths - Richmond Tigers Football Club- #19 2009 NAB AFL Draft
• Anton De Ionno - Triple J radio presenter

See also

• List of schools in Victoria
• List of high schools in Victoria
• Victorian Certificate of Education

External links

• Whitefriars College Website