A Brief History of Fairholme College
Fairholme College originated from Spreydon College, a school which was situated on the corner of Warra and Rome Streets in the Newtown area of Toowoomba. Part of Spreydon is well preserved at this location.
This College was opened by the Thompson sisters on 4th February, 1908, with Beth and Jessie the joint Principals, and Margaret being responsible for boarders. Patronage from the Presbyterian Church in Brisbane was sought and granted from May 1909. The Thompson sisters gave notice of their intention to resign and return to Melbourne at the end of 1914, and this, coupled with financial difficulties, increased the urgency of the Church to take full responsibility for the running of the school.
A private company was established and the new Directors changed the name of the College to The Presbyterian Ladies College Limited and was opened in January 1915 with Miss Amy Carson appointed Principal during first term. With increasing enrolments, the Board acquired more suitable property at Fairholme which had been generously offered by Mrs. Margaret Cameron for purchase.
In July 1917, the Primary students relocated to Fairholme, and the school operated on two campuses under the Principalship of Miss Amy Carson for the second half of 1917. At the beginning of 1918, the whole school relocated to Fairholme. The motto which was used at The Presbyterian Ladies College Limited "Ardens sed Virens" (Burning yet Flourishing) was adopted for use at Fairholme.
Miss Amy Carson [1917-1919] was the first Principal of Fairholme College which opened with fifty nine (59) scholars. The official name of the College was Presbyterian Girls' College - the name Fairholme College not being legally used until 1978, though it had been called Fairholme since its inception.
Miss Nancy Jobson became the second Principal [1920-1921] and was instrumental in the construction of the first "new" building on site. This is now the Patrea O'Shea Performing Arts Centre and it was designed as three classrooms which were separated by folding walls so that it could be used as an Assembly Hall. In September 1921, the Fairholme Old Girls' Association (FOGA) was formed with Miss Jobson the inaugural President. Miss Jobson resigned at the end of 1921 to take up the Principalship of P.L.C. Pymble.
Miss Daisy Culpin became the third Principal of Fairholme [1922-1940] and also the longest serving Principal. She guided the College through the formative period of the twenties and the difficult depression years of the thirties. Consolidation and expansion of enrolments and the establishment of facilities were noteworthy features of her term of office. During this period, the first Kindergarten bungalow was built and later extended. These buildings now form part of the Community Centre and also the Chapel teaching area. S.G. Stephens or Palm Avenue was built as well as W.R. Black Dormitory. Some enrolments during her term include:
1926 48 boarders, 55 day girls
1930 54 boarders, 75 day girls
1933 29 boarders, 58 day girls
Miss Jean Tassie became Principal from 1940 to 1948. During her time, as a result of the closing of Brisbane schools during the war, enrolments peaked at one hundred and seventy (170). Miss Tassie was restricted in implementing building programs due to a dearth of materials, and progress in this area was limited to a maintenance role. Recognition should be given for her ingenuity and hard work in sustaining the College through the war years and post-war years.
The Revd. Norman Joughin [1949-1951] was appointed Principal. His appointment was seen to fulfil a need for planning and overseeing the implementation of a building program. During this time additional classrooms (now C Block) and the refurbishment of the Music Block (under the old Black Dormitory) were completed as well as many improvements throughout the College. Numbers at the beginning of 1951 were one hundred and eighteen (118) boarders and seventy-eight (78) day girls.
In 1951, the Shire Hall from Highfields was acquired and transferred to Fairholme where it became the Home Science Room. This was located in the area now occupied by the Dining Hall. It was moved to a site near the indoor swimming pool where it was used as an Art Room and Christian Education Teaching Room before being located in the N.E. corner of the grounds, where it is now the Chapel.
After Revd. Joughin's resignation at the end of April, 1951, Mr. R.A. Kerr (ex Headmaster of Ipswich Grammar School) became Acting Principal until the appointment of Revd. Richard Crawford (1952-1953).
During his largely uneventful term of office a significant chapter in the history of Fairholme had occurred. This was the formation of the Fairholme Parents & Friends' Association, which has proven its value repeatedly not only in rescuing the College from financial crises, but also in support and protection which was very evident in 1979. It was becoming apparent that Ministers of Religion were not able to give a full time commitment to the position of Principal, as well as maintaining their parish duties.
Miss Nancy Shaw (1954-1968) was appointed Principal and could take up duties as of Term 2, 1954. Miss Adams was Acting Principal in the interim. Enrolments at the beginning of 1955 included one hundred and thirty (130) boarders and one hundred and six (106) day girls. Miss Hawkins, who had been appointed as scholarship teacher by the Revd. Joughin, enjoyed considerable success and enhanced her reputation as the "best scholarship teacher in Toowoomba", and no doubt this assisted enrolments, especially in the primary school, as the success of a school was observed and reflected through scholarship performances. Numbers grew to over three hundred (300), the Assembly Hall was opened in 1958, the oval was levelled by Mr. Ray Powell and the appeal for a swimming pool began. This was opened in 1961 and occupied the position roughly centred on the foyer area of the present Physical Education complex. Prior to the completion of the outdoor pool, swimming lessons were conducted in a private pool off Fairholme Street. Enrolments in 1960 reached three hundred and fifty (350) with this increasing to three hundred and sixty five (365) in the following year. Additional dormitory accommodation was planned, as by this stage C Block was being used as boarder accommodation. The South Dormitory Block was completed in 1964. When Fairholme acquired the Talara property, it was decided to build a cottage for the Principal on this site. It was ready for occupation in 1965. A substantial grant from the Commonwealth Government led to the building and equipping of a new Science Block, now called S Block, which was opened in 1966. The Science laboratory was previously housed in P Block. A verandah connected this area to M Block.
Staff numbers in 1963 reached nineteen (19) full time teachers for approximately three hundred and sixty (360) students, one hundred and fifty seven (157) being boarders.
The Daisy Culpin gates at the Wirra Wirra Street entrance were officially opened in 1964 as well as South Dormitory. The drive at this stage was one lane. Imagine the congestion on rainy days!
Following her resignation at the end of 1968, Miss Shaw semi-retired for one year before being offered the position as Head of Brisbane Girls' Grammar which she accepted and held from 1970 to 1976. Miss Shaw served as Principal for fifteen years, establishing the growing reputation of Fairholme as a secondary school of prestige among independent schools.
Miss Shaw was succeeded by Miss Pamela Harris [1969-1972]. During her term, the Library was opened as was the Administration Centre. The previous library, the Peace Library, was located in C Block, where the main G Block thoroughfare presently exists. {The silkyoak display cabinets outside the Principal's Office and in the passageway in Cameron House were part of the old Library furnishings}. The Principal's Office was enclosed on the N.W. verandah of Cameron homestead. The Library has now expanded somewhat with the Audio-Visual area in the Deputy Principal's old office and the Administration Centre being absorbed in the present Administration Block (Principal's Office, Principal's Secretary's office and adjacent area). Enrolments in 1972 included two hundred and two (202) boarders.
Mr. Robert Clinch [1973-1974], the first lay headmaster, was appointed in 1973. Much attention was devoted to refurbishing the primary school and upgrading teaching methods. The modern Dining Hall complex with its streamlined kitchen and Tuckshop was completed and opened in October 1974. The Boarders' Common Room in Cameron House now occupies the old dining room. Construction of G Block classrooms began in 1974 - G1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2.
Mr. Clinch resigned in May, 1974 and Revd. Neil Key designated himself Acting Principal with an Education Committee consisting of himself, Mrs. Moreton and Mrs. Meyninck. They would run the school until a suitable successor could be appointed. This proved to be a trying time for the College community, particularly Teaching Staff, as neither Revd. Key nor Mrs. Moreton had teaching experience or qualifications, and both held full time commitments outside of the College.
Under these strained conditions, Mrs. Belle Gillies [1975-1979] was appointed Principal. Home Economics classes were re-located and later absorbed into the Home Economics complex in the Nancy Shaw building. The present Home Economics kitchen was part of this building. A severe hailstorm followed by cyclonic rain in January, 1976 caused considerable damage to the school buildings and although the term started on time, it was not until third term that repairs had been completed. Enrolments had dropped from three hundred and seventy one (371) in 1974 to two hundred and eighty six (286) in 1976, a further indication of problems occurring within the College, particularly in conjunction with boarder discipline. The Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches were united in June 1977 to be known as The Uniting Church in Australia. St. Stephen's Church and hence Revd. Neil Key formed part of this movement and it was presumed that Fairholme would become a College of the Uniting Church and it was believed that the Revd. Neil Key had hopes of becoming the Principal as he had recently completed his B.Ed. History now shows that schools such as Scots, P.G.C., Warwick, Somerville House, Clayfield College and B.B.C. either became Uniting (P.G.C. Warwick) or became part of the P & M.S.A. network, while Fairholme remained with the Presbyterian Church of Queensland. It is the only College in Queensland owned by the Presbyterian Church and it remains one of a very small number throughout Australia. Others include P.L.C., Armidale; P.L.C. Croydon, Sydney; P.L.C. Burwood, Melbourne - girls schools, and the boys schools of The Scots College, Sydney; The Scots School, Bathurst and Scotch College, Melbourne. In March 1978, the name of the College was changed from "Presbyterian Girls' College, Fairholme, Toowoomba" to "Fairholme College, a College of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland".
Internal problems continued within the College - numbers were falling and finances were a problem. Board decision-making was described thus: "sectarianism was being placed ahead of financial, professional and managerial expertise at a time when nothing short of such expertise would save the College". This was a desperate time for the College.
Mrs. Gillies' appointment as Principal was terminated in May 1979 and Miss Ann Waxman reluctantly accepted the position of Acting Principal for the remainder of the year.
Mr. Allan Faragher was appointed Principal in 1980. This appointment, in conjunction with a vigorous and dynamic Council, P&F and Head Matron, Miss Margaret Lawson, proved to be the catalyst required to foster the growth of the College from near obscurity to the professional recognition it now enjoys. Mr. Lindsay Statham became Chairman of the College Council, a position he would occupy for 21 years, and Mr. Bruce Manning became Deputy Chairman, a position he would hold for 18 years.
Discipline tightened, morale improved, enrolments increased and the financial management and general management showed a marked improvement. From an enrolment of three hundred and thirty three students (333) in 1981, the number peaked in 1992 at seven hundred (700).
A Master Plan incorporating new buildings was established and an extensive program involving all areas of College life was set in motion. An outline of the building program follows:
Art had been held in various sections of the College - in the Chapel, at the back of the Assembly Hall. Art classes were set up in the rooms in C Block adjacent to the present Staff Room, which was also upgraded. The Staff Room had previously been in upper P Block - the old Science laboratory. The Staff Room linked the Administration Office and C Block.
Upper G Block classrooms were erected and connected to the G classrooms (previously known as F Block) constructed in Mr Clinch's term, and to the main thoroughfare in G Block. The lower G Block area was walled at the same time in preparation for the classrooms and an assembly area for the Middle School and eventually the assembly area became the classrooms now known as G1.3, G1.4.
Black Dormitory was renovated, the hospital in lower South was upgraded and new buildings included the Principal's residence and the town houses. (The area under Black Dormitory had been extensively used as Music Rooms and Grade 8 dormitory and was dark and foreboding.).
Demolition of the old laundry, the workmen's shed, West Dormitory and Fairholme House annexe allowed the area now known as Daisy Culpin courtyard to be cleared and paved. New boarding facilities and the Home Economics Block and laundry were built - the complex now known as the Nancy Shaw building. This linked the Dining Hall with the Boarding Areas.
The Assembly Hall was enlarged, as was the stage area. The original Assembly Hall dimensions remain visible because of the presence of the supporting pillars. The house and one acre of land in Wirra Wirra Street at the base of Prep. Oval was purchased for future development and this work has now been completed.
A new complex (on site of old primary school, swimming pool, chapel and commercial rooms) incorporating twelve classrooms for Primary and Middle Schools, two Art rooms, the Commercial centre, indoor swimming pool and gymnasium was officially opened in 1990. The old primary buildings were brought into use as the Community Centre and the other buildings which were once used as typing rooms now form the teaching rooms for the Christian Education Centre.
The Ray Powell gates of the original pool can now be found at the trainer pool. The Chapel was substantially refurbished in Mr. Faragher's time.
Upon Mr. Faragher's retirement in 1994, Mr. Stan Klan was appointed Principal, commencing his duties at the beginning of Term 2, 1994.
Since that time, the Jean Tassie Dormitory has been built, and South Dormitory refurbished, the Refectory has been built and the training pool enclosed and heated. The Community Centre has been brought into service to house the Pre-School which was re-established in 1996.
In 1997, enrolments reached 752 students. Growth in student numbers and changing emphases in teaching necessitated the construction of a science laboratory and restructuring lower G block to accommodate a new and significantly larger library also containing 12 computer terminals for internet access. A lecture room, the Amy Carson Room, was developed within the previous library structure. In 1998/99 the Patrea O'Shea Music Centre (the original classroom block from 1920 was relocated and made into a 2 storey Performing Arts Centre.
At the end of 2000 the computer laboratories were re-located to Lower G and incorporated into a greatly extended Library to become the Greta Statham Learning Centre where print and electronic media operate in parallel. This move was taken to enhance a culture of independent learning.
At the same time an enlarged and re-located Primary Office gave the Fairholme Primary a higher profile.
On 30th June, 2001, Mr. Lindsay Statham retired as Chairman of the College Council. At the same time, the College was reconstituted under a Board of Directors and Mr. Bill Munro became Chairman of the Board.
A Kindergarten was established in 2003 and, with the opening up of Toowoomba Grammar Junior to Years 1 to 3 in 2003, the Lower Primary boys from Fairholme left us. Fairholme Primary, Pre-School and Kindergarten were amalgamated and called Fairholme Junior.
In 2004, Fairholme Junior grows to two streams of Kindergarten and Pre-School following a building extension program.
In 2005 planning began for a new Middle School and construction commenced in August 2006. The Middle School opened in July 2007, catering for Years 7, 8 and 9 and moved into a purpose-built $7 million facility in January 2008. See the Fairholme Middle School for more detail.
For a more detailed history of Fairholme, the following books are recommended:
"Fairholme - The First 75 Years 1917-1992" - John Moore.
"School Ties - A History of Private Schooling in Toowoomba".
