Mercedes College (Adelaide)

Mercedes College
Mercedes College
Location
	Springfield, South Australia; Australia
Coordinates	34°58′34″S 138°37′45″E / 34.97611°S 138.62917°E
Information
Type	Independent co-educational primary and high day school
Motto	French: Loyal en Tout; (Loyal in All)
Religious affiliation(s)	Sisters of Mercy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	1954; 70 years ago
Chairman	Louise Mathwin
Principal	Andrew Balkwill
Chaplain	Deacon Andrew Kirkbride
Key people	Paul Wadsworth; (Deputy Principal); Bill Deegan; (Head of Senior School); Jarrad McCabe; (Head of Middle School); Kellie Osborn; (Head of Junior School);
Years	R–12
Gender	co-educational
Enrolment	c. 1,200
Campus type	Suburban
Colour(s)	Green, gold and navy blue
Slogan	Unlocking Life Potential
Mascot	"Camels"
Affiliations	International Baccalaureate; Council of International Schools; Sports Association for Adelaide Schools; Junior School Heads Association of Australia;
Website	www.mercedes.catholic.edu.au

Mercedes College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational primary and High day school located in the Adelaide inner-south suburb of Springfield, South Australia, Australia.^[1]

Established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1954 as a boarding school for girls, it is now a co-educational day school. Mercedes is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, and offers the PYP, MYP, and IB Diploma programmes as well as the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).

History

Strathspey, c. 1910.

The school was established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1954. The purchase of the 8.1 hectares (20 acres) site at Springfield brought to fruition the dream of finding a healthier environment for the girls' boarding school until that time part of Saint Aloysius College in Angas Street, Adelaide. With the eighty boarders on opening day were sixty day scholars, mostly girls but with a group of boys in the infant section.^[2]

After twenty-one years the boarding school was phased out when rising costs and a decline in the rural economy made it financially beyond the means of the very families it was created to serve. In 1976 the school became co-educational with the first intake of boys in the Year 8 and numbers have grown. The Mercedes property was originally part of the Springfield Estate. It was sold to Sir John Duncan, (father of Sir Walter, Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives for many years) who planned the house in 1891 and built it in 1899. The family home was named Strathspey after his childhood home in Scotland.

The Duncans eventually bequeathed the property to the Presbyterian Church and it became St Andrew's Residential College attached the University of Adelaide. In 1939 the property was sold to Mr and Mrs F. W. Cornell and it once again became a private residence.

Archbishop Reynolds, first Archbishop of Adelaide, was in Dublin in 1879 asking for sisters of his diocese when a group of sisters returned from Buenos Aires, forced by revolution to leave their home for twenty-four years. Some were the original Irish sisters but many were South American girls who left behind their families and homes. Accepting the Archbishop's invitation the twenty-four sisters arrived in Adelaide on 3 May 1880.

In 1953 the property was bought by the Sisters of Mercy, and approved by Xavier Dalton. Mercedes, the Spanish word for mercy, was chosen by the sisters to commemorate the circumstances of the Mercy foundation in Adelaide.^[3]

Student life

Many of the students who study at Mercedes College live in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide and Adelaide Hills, because of the easy access by public transport. Mercedes College uses the Adelaide Metro bus service to transport nearby students.^[1]

House system

As with most Australian schools, Mercedes College utilises a house system. At first there were two houses (McAuley and Fitzpatrick), but as enrolment numbers increased, two more houses were added. There are currently four houses, each named after memorable Mercy Sisters.^{[citation needed]} The current houses are McAuley, Fitzpatrick, Dalton and Barry.

Notable alumni

Troy Broadbridge – AFL footballer (Melbourne Demons)
Keegan Brooksby – AFL footballer (Hawthorn Football Club)
Abby Coleman – radio presenter
Kate Croser (1995) – film and television producer
Hannah Davis (2002) – sprint canoeist
David Feeney – politician
Amos Gill – Hit 107 presenter, ABC ME host, comedian
Tristan Goodall – musician, The Audreys
Peter Malinauskas – Australian trade union leader and South Australian premier
Orianthi – pop-rock singer/guitarist
Teresa Palmer (2003) – actress
Will Snelling (2015) – AFL footballer (Essendon Football Club)
Kelli Underwood – sports commentator
Natalie Medhurst – netballer

References

^ ^a ^b The ECIS international schools directory 2009/10. Bingham, Derek., European Council of International Schools. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational. 2009. p. 3. ISBN 9781904724674. OCLC 390865538.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ What does it mean to be a saint? : reflections on Mary MacKillop, saints and holiness in the Catholic tradition. Laffin, Josephine. Kent Town, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press. 2010. ISBN 9781862549395. OCLC 669146600.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ "Mercedes College History - Mercedes College". mercedes.catholic.edu.au. Retrieved 22 October 2019.

External links

www.mercedes.catholic.edu.au College website, 2008, Home, accessed 12 March 2009.

[:0-1] The ECIS international schools directory 2009/10. Bingham, Derek., European Council of International Schools. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational. 2009. p. 3. ISBN 9781904724674. OCLC 390865538.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[2] What does it mean to be a saint? : reflections on Mary MacKillop, saints and holiness in the Catholic tradition. Laffin, Josephine. Kent Town, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press. 2010. ISBN 9781862549395. OCLC 669146600.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[3] "Mercedes College History - Mercedes College". mercedes.catholic.edu.au. Retrieved 22 October 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]