Last week, we hosted a history tour for Old Scholars’ Week led by our very own Historical Society. A wide range of boys from this society were stationed at various landmarks across the school. Ryan and I were lucky enough to take a group around to each station and whilst doing so learned a lot of interesting facts about the School’s history. Here are some examples of fun facts about the School’s history:
- Around Old School House, there are various gargoyles to be spotted. Upon closer inspection, you may notice holes and chips in some of them. This damage dates back to when boarding students would try and shoot the pigeons standing on these gargoyles or on the roof… clearly they didn’t have the best aim.
- Big School Room is believed to be the oldest continually operated classroom in Australia.
- The organ in the Chapel is one of the four original organs brought to South Australia.
- In 1985, Memorial Hall burnt down in a fire believed to be caused by an electrical fault. Along the outside of the Hall, you can see black charred bits of brick, especially outside the windows, which are from that fire.
- The fountain in the centre of Big Quad is called Jury Fountain and is made from a stone from Tea Tree Gully.
These are just a few examples that serve as a reminder of our School’s rich history. Given that we have been operating for over 177 years, it is important to understand and appreciate how we made it to where we are today.
James Hattingh and Ryan Fowler
School Captains