Kinross Wolaroi School is an independentUniting Churchco-educationalearly learning, primary, and secondaryday and boarding school, located in Orange, New South Wales, 260 kilometres (160mi) west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1886 it is the oldest school in Orange and operates across two campuses and serves students from early learning to Year 12. The modern school was formed in 1975 through the amalgamation of Wolaroi Methodist Boys' College and The Kinross School (formerly Presbyterian Ladies' College, Orange).
Kinross Wolaroi is a non-selective school and educates approximately 1,100 students, including around 350 boarders, across three sections: Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, and Senior School.
The school traces its origins to 1886 with the foundation of Weymouth House. In 1975, Weymouth House's successor, Wolaroi College, amalgamated with The Kinross School to form Kinross Wolaroi School, which subsequently enteried the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977.
Wolaroi Methodist Boys' College
1886-1925
Weymouth House, was opened in 1886, in the Union Bank building in Orange. The School was founded by Thomas Henry Richards, who served as its sole owner and teacher after relocating to Orange from All Saints College in Bathurst. In 1893 Richards purchased the Wolaroi mansion, built by John Charles McLachlan, allowing the School to relocate to a larger campus. The move coincided with a change of name to Wolaroi Grammar School.
The Union Bank Building in Orange, where Weymouth House was established in 1886.Very early Weymouth House photo with T. H. Richards seen in the centre
In 1913, Charles Campbell secured Wolaroi and became the third headmaster. In 1925, his successor, Mr. Connell, left Orange to join the staff of The Kings School in Parramatta. He therefore sought someone to purchase the School. This provided an opportunity for the Methodist Church to secure the continuation of the College.
In 1925, the Methodist Church assumed control of the school, renaming it Wolaroi Methodist Boys' College. The college reopened in 1926 under the direction of Stanley Brown who oversaw a broadening of the curriculum and programs offered. Brown is credited with stabilising the College finances during his tenure as Headmaster. The College Council later honoured him by naming the entrance gates "The Stanley Brown Memorial Gates".
1945-1975
The period following the Second World War and in particular the period from 1950 to 1962 was the greatest period of expansion for Wolaroi. Under Headmaster D.A. Trathen enrollments more than doubled, and new facilities were constructed. This period of expansion also included a tightening of both academic and sporting standards.
A Wolaroi Grammar Classroom, c.1905
In 1971 Wolaroi College was visited by the Sultan and Sultana of Selangor, whose son, Tengku Abdul Samad Shah, was a student of the college at the time.
By the early 1970s, following a drought in Western NSW, the college faced financial difficulties and declining enrollments. In 1973, amid a societal attitudes regarding single-sex education the College Council began investigating the feasibility of becoming a co-educational school. This culminated, when in 1975 the Wolaroi College Council resolved to amalgamate with The Kinross School.
Presbyterian Ladies' College (The Kinross School)
There had been substantial Scottish immigration to Orange since its foundation in the 19th century which had led to a sizeable Presbyterian community. Throughout the 1920s the Presbyterian community realized that there was a need for the establishment of a girls' school that could provide a well-rounded education based upon the ideals found within reformed Christianity. In response to this The Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC) opened in Orange in 1928 on a 43-acre site, named "Campdale". With Miss Eleanor Linck as its first Headmistress. Dorothy Knox took over in 1932 and she led the school until 1936. After which point Ina Miller became headmistress for 33 years.
PLC Orange c.1950
In 1973, PLC became co-educational, and changed its name to The Kinross School. During this time Wolaroi was suffering from financial difficulties and the Methodist Church approached the Presbyterian Church to take over management of Wolaroi. In 1975 both The Kinross School Council and Wolaroi College Council agreed to amalgamate.
Kinross Wolaroi School
1975-2015
In 1975 Wolaroi College amalgamated with The Kinross School to form Kinross Wolaroi School. Following the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, the School came under that denomination.
Alan Anderson was appointed headmaster in 1978 and served until 2001. In his first year he declined to announce a Dux, citing low academic standards. During his tenure he introduced stricter discipline, tighter uniform regulations, restrictions on student leave, and compulsory cadets for boys from 1979, then extended to girls in 1983. In July 1979, around thirty boarders staged a protest on the main Wolaroi oval seeking relaxation of the new rules; they returned to their boarding houses after being warned they faced expulsion.
By 1988, enrollments had grown to 728 students, including 384 boarders, making it the largest co-educational boarding school in New South Wales and the fourth largest in Australia at that time. In 1989 continued expansion in boarding numbers led the school to lease of the Victorian-era Croagh Patrick House.
In 1998, the former preparatory principal at Kinross Wolaroi, John Thomas Kennett, was convicted of sex offences against twelve boys.
Rev. David Williams was appointed as Headmaster in 2002 and was succeeded by Brian Kennelly in 2007. Under Kennelly's leadership a building program was undertaken to upgrade infrastructure such as the Derek Pigot Auditorium.
2016-2025
In 2016, the school celebrated its 130-year anniversary and Dr Andrew Parry took over as the Headmaster of Kinross Wolaroi School.
In August 2016, SBS News reported that several Kinross Wolaroi School students were assaulted by adult spectators following a school rugby match between Kinross Wolaroi and St Stanislaus’ College in Bathurst. According to the report, a group of intoxicated spectators confronted players after the game, leading to a physical altercation in which a number of students were injured. The incident prompted discussion regarding spectator behaviour and supervision at inter-school sporting events, particularly between rugby rival schools Kinross Wolaroi and St Stanislaus'.
In July 2020 several former students alleged they had been instructed to remove or alter naturally textured afro hair and protective braided hairstyles in order to comply with school grooming policy. The school responded that its current grooming policy does not prohibit any specific hairstyles, but requires boys’ hair to be “near and off the collar without any "unorthodox" cuts or colours.” The headmaster said that "existing school grooming standards which do not accommodate the natural hair texture and growth of African and Indigenous students have been identified as one issue faced by these students".
Campus and heritage
The School occupies 100 acres across two campuses in Orange.
The Wolaroi Mansion Building
Wolaroi Mansion Building
The heritage listed Wolaroi Mansion was built by the architect John Hale for John C. McLachlan in 1884. The School, after having outgrown the original buildings, moved to Wolaroi Mansion and grounds in 1893. The building has housed the school dining hall, offices, classrooms, and functions as a boys boarding up until the present day.
The original building consisted of a drawing room, sitting room, dining room, breakfast room, seven bedrooms, four servants bedrooms, a study, servants hall, pantry, kitchen, scullery, laundry, dairy, cellar, children's playhouse, and a lumber room. The existing mansion was expanded following the taking over of the college by the Methodist Church in 1925.
The War Memorial Building
The War Memorial Building was constructed during the 1950s and were built with funds donated from the Old Boys' Association and the Methodist Church. The new building was opened on 8 December 1952 by the Rev. Professor G. Calvert Barber, President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia and Professor of Theology, Queen's College, Melbourne.
The Stanley G. Brown Memorial Gates
The Stanley G. Brown Memorial Gates serve as the main entrance to the school's principal site on Bathurst Road. The gates were named in 1956, three years after Stanley Brown's death in 1953.
The Music / Performing Arts Centre
In 1991 The Music and Performing Arts Centre, designed by Roy Michael, was opened by Alan Jones and was celebrated by a gala concert compered by Rolf Harris actively involved 600 students.
Reporting on the event for radio station 2UE in November 1991, Jones described witnessing a Beating of the Retreat performance by the school's cadet corps on the main oval, noting with some surprise that girls took part alongside boys, and that he found the standard of discipline and precision remarkable. He went on to praise the gala open-air concert that followed as a showcase of the school's musical talent.
Sporting and Academic Facilities
Sporting facilities include eight playing fields, an indoor heated swimming pool, an outdoor pool, a gymnasium, a weights room, a boatshed, and courts for tennis, badminton, basketball and squash.
Academic facilities include a science centre, library, an Amphitheatre, and an auditorium.
House System and Boarding
Houses form the basis for many school activities, including assemblies, competitions, and tutor group structures.
History of the house system
The houses were established in 1936 "to encourage greater keenness in all contests within the College". The boys were divided into three Houses - the Sir Neville House, the McLachlan House, and the Campbell House. In 1941 it was decided to reform the House system due to unhappiness surrounding the fairness of the current system,[clarification needed] and so in 1941 the existing houses were abolished and replaced by two new houses, Brown and Wesley.
Boarding is conducted across the school's two campuses, with boys’ boarding located on the Wolaroi site and girls’ boarding located on the PLC site. Both sites offer recreation centers, swimming pools, chapel facilities, dining halls and gym facilities.
House name
Years active
Gender & Campus
Named in Honour of
Notes
Wolaroi House
2015 –Present
Boys – Wolaroi
The Mansion designed by John Hale and built by J. C. McLachlan.
Trathan House
1958 –Present
Boys – Wolaroi
Rev. D. A. Trathan, seventh Headmaster of Wolaroi College.
Weymouth House
1982 –Present
Boys – Wolaroi
The original school founded by T. H. Richards in 1886.
Tower House
1890 –Present
Boys – Wolaroi
The central tower of Wolaroi Mansion.
Croagh Patrick House
1989 –1995
Boys – Wolaroi
The Mansion designed by John Hale and built by Edwin Lane
Wyvern House
2026 – Present
Boys – Wolaroi
The Wyvern that surmounted the Wolaroi College crest
New House
1950 –Present
Girls – PLC
Stuart-Douglas House
– Present
Girls – PLC
Mr James Stuart-Douglas, one of the founders of P.L.C.
and Chairman of the College Council from 1932 to 1933.
Miller House
2003 –Present
Girls – PLC
Miss Ina Miller, Headmistress of P.L.C.
Loader House
1985 –Present
Girls – PLC
Mr David Loader, the eleventh Headmaster of the amalgamated school.
List of Headmasters
Ordinal
Headmaster
Years
Periods
Citation
1
Mr T. H. Richards
1886 – 1904
Wolaroi College (1886–1975)
2
Rev A. J. Rolfe
1904 – 1912
3
Mr C. R. Campbell
1913 – 1925
4
Mr N. Connell
1924 – 1925
5
Mr S. G. Brown
1926 – 1940
6
Rev E. A. Bennett
1941 – 1949
7
Rev D. A. Trathen
1950 – 1962
8
Mr D. H. Prest
1963 – 1968
9
Mr P. Brownie
1969 – 1972
10
Mr R. W. Buntine
1973 – 1974
11
Mr D. Loader
1975 – 1978
Kinross Wolaroi School (1975–Present)
12
Mr A. Anderson
1978 – 2001
13
Rev D. Williams
2002 – 2006
14
Mr B. Kennelly
2007 – 2016
15
Dr A. Parry
2016 – 2025
16
Mr T. Kelly
2026 – Present
Co-curricular activities
Co-curricular activities at the School began when a football team was formed in 1886. With other activities soon also being offered at the school including athletics, cricket, football, swimming, tennis, drama and debating. Other clubs included camera club, garden club, musical club, radio club, a scout troop (The Wyvern Patrol) and a junior farmers' club.
Sport
Sport is compulsory from Year 3 onwards. With students competing through the Western Associated Schools, the Independent Schools Association (ISA), the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools (AICES), Orange Town Competitions and NSW Combined Independent Schools (CIS). Sports available to students include rugby, soccer/football, cricket, hockey, netball, basketball, water polo, swimming, rowing, tennis, squash, softball, diving, cross country running and aerobics.
Rowing
Rowing is conducted on Spring Creek Dam and is a prominent School program. The School compete in both domestic and international regattas including the NSW Head of The River, the Australian Rowing Championships and the Henley Royal Regatta.
Rowing begins in junior years, where students are introduced to the sport through their Physical Education classes. Since 2021, Kinross Wolaroi has held the title of top performing school at the NSW State Championships.
Cadet Unit (KWSCU)
The Kinross Wolaroi School Cadet Unit (KWSCU) was established over 60 years ago, and has a unit strength of 300 cadets. KWSCU is a member of the Australia Services' Cadet Scheme. Unless a student is selected in the band or orchestra, membership of the Cadet Unit is compulsory for all students in semester two of Year 7, Year 8 and the first semester of Year 9. A camp, bivouacs and leadership courses are held annually. The unit parades through Orange on Anzac Day, and also conducts a farewell parade to Senior Cadets (Year 12) and band members, and in recent years a Ceremonial Parade on Open Day. A formal mess night is held annually for the Senior Cadets and Band members, their parents, and officers.
Each platoon is commanded by a Cadet Under Officer (CUO), with the assistance of a Platoon Sergeant (SGT), and is divided into three sections, with each led by a Corporal (CPL). Rank is attained after a cadet with suitable experience attends and passes the relevant promotion course.
Music and performing arts
Ensembles include orchestra, concert and marching band, chamber ensembles, chamber strings and choral groups. Each ensemble performs at school events and ceremonies including the Kinross Wolaroi Performing Arts Festival. The school offers private tuition in woodwind, brass, strings, percussion, piano, voice and guitar. The School also stages an annual musical at the Orange Civic Theatre.
Other Activities
In 2017, Kinross Wolaroi School launched The Regional Engagement Enterprise (TREE) initiative, which provides community-based learning experiences, especially opportunities in local agribusinesses, for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Kinross Wolaroi School is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools (AICES) and is an associate member of the Independent Schools Association (ISA). In 2021 Kinross also joined the Round Square international schools program
Notable alumni
Alumni of Kinross Wolaroi School, Kinross School, the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Orange, or Wolaroi Methodist Boys' College may elect to join the Kinross Wolaroi Ex-Students' Association. Alumni of Kinross Wolaroi are represented across politics, media and culture, business and science, and sport.
Anna Windsor (1993) – Swimmer who competed at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games
Crest, Motto and Symbolism
With the merger of the schools the previous Latin mottos were abandoned and in 2008, the school adopted the new Latin motto of Scientia, Amicitia, Integritas (Knowledge, Friendship, Integrity). The school's five core values are Courage, Respect, Inclusiveness, Resilience and Commitment.
School Crest
Meaning
Reference
Symbolism:
The Wyvern surmounting the shield was part of the Coat of Arms of the family of John Wesley.
The Stars are symbolic of Ambition.
The open volume of Knowledge.
The laurel branch of Victory
Motto:
'Agamus Pro Viribus' - 'Strive With All Our Might'
Symbolism:
A circular badge demonstrates the ideal of true community.
Eight stylised people form a stylised Latin Cross demonstrating the centrality of Christianity at the School.
The School's initials, 'KW', can be seen where the two figures meet in pairs.
12"New South Wales". School Directory. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
12"Kinross Wolaroi School". Schools. Australian Boarding Schools' Association. 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
↑Teale, Ruth, "Dorothy Isabel Knox (1902–1983)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 23 November 2023
12Stevens, Peter (2011). Kinross Wolaroi School: A Pictorial History 1975-2006. orange. p.29. ISBN978-0-646-56623-8.
12Stevens, Peter (2011). Kinross Wolaroi School: A Pictorial History 1975-2006. orange. p.30. ISBN978-0-646-56623-8.
↑Stevens, Peter (2011). Kinross Wolaroi School: A Pictorial History 1975-2006. Orange, New South Wales: Kinross Wolaroi School. p.120. ISBN9780646566238.
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