Downlands College
Encyclopedia
Downlands College, officially Downlands Sacred Heart College, is a private
, secondary
, coeducation
al, day
and boarding
school in Toowoomba, Queensland
, Australia
. Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
in 1931, the College began as a boarding school for boys with a total enrolment of 68.
Downlands is Queensland's only Catholic, coeducational, day and boarding school. The school has an enrolment of approximately 290 boarders from regional Queensland, interstate and overseas, including indigenous
students from communities such as Kowanyama
and the Tiwi Islands
. The school also provides casual boarding to its day students.
, and the lower half bears the Maltese Cross
of the State of Queensland. The shield is surmounted by the heart crest with the letters SHC (Sacred Heart College) supported by a ram's horns and ears of wheat
, to symbolise the College's setting in the Darling Downs. The college motto Fortes in Fide, meaning Strong in Faith is emblazoned under the crest.
, uses a house system
in the College. Students are randomly assigned to one of six houses which compete against each other during swimming
and athletics carnivals
, as well as a drama festival. The Downlands houses are:
Cody House – Green and White Copas House – Red and Black Doyle House – Blue and White Dwyer House – Yellow and Black Hyland House – Red and White Purcell House – Maroon and White
, football (soccer), netball
, cricket
, tennis
, touch football
, softball
, Australian rules football
, hockey
, basketball
, athletics and swimming
are the main sports played at the College, with a large number of students taking part of organised sport throughout the year. The College's mascot
is the Gryphon, who makes appearances at certain inter-school competitions.
department, catering for all age groups. The College choir
s and musical ensemble
s, as well as individual students, are regular participants in the Toowoomba Eisteddfod. Downlands runs an annual musical
with participation across all grades. Recent musicals have included [High School Musical 2]Footloose
(2008), The Wiz
(2007), Disco Inferno
(2006) and SherWoodstock (2005).
The College also enters teams into the Queensland Debating Union, with much success.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, secondary
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al, day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
and boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
school in Toowoomba, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
in 1931, the College began as a boarding school for boys with a total enrolment of 68.
Downlands is Queensland's only Catholic, coeducational, day and boarding school. The school has an enrolment of approximately 290 boarders from regional Queensland, interstate and overseas, including indigenous
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
students from communities such as Kowanyama
Kowanyama, Queensland
Kowanyama is a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria side of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.At the 2006 census, Kowanyama had a population of 1,017....
and the Tiwi Islands
Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands are part of Australia's Northern Territory, north of Darwin where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island and Bathurst Island, with a combined area of ....
. The school also provides casual boarding to its day students.
College Badge
The Downlands College Badge consists of a horizontally-divided field in the College colours, royal blue and cardinal red. The upper of the shield carries a gold gryphonGriffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, and the lower half bears the Maltese Cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
of the State of Queensland. The shield is surmounted by the heart crest with the letters SHC (Sacred Heart College) supported by a ram's horns and ears of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, to symbolise the College's setting in the Darling Downs. The college motto Fortes in Fide, meaning Strong in Faith is emblazoned under the crest.
House system
Downlands, like many Australian schoolsEducation in Australia
Education in Australia is primarily the responsibility of the states and territories. Each state or territory government provides funding and regulates the public and private schools within its governing area. The federal government helps fund the public universities, but is not involved in setting...
, uses a house system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
in the College. Students are randomly assigned to one of six houses which compete against each other during swimming
Swimming gala
A swimming gala is a swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, usually of young people. This term is primarily used in the UK and South Africa; in Australia swimming carnival is the norm....
and athletics carnivals
Sports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
, as well as a drama festival. The Downlands houses are:
Cody House – Green and White Copas House – Red and Black Doyle House – Blue and White Dwyer House – Yellow and Black Hyland House – Red and White Purcell House – Maroon and White
Sport
Downlands has long been recognised as one of the strongest sporting schools in Queensland. Rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, football (soccer), netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, touch football
Touch rugby
Touch rugby, Refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle in the traditional, highly physical way, but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball....
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, athletics and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
are the main sports played at the College, with a large number of students taking part of organised sport throughout the year. The College's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is the Gryphon, who makes appearances at certain inter-school competitions.
Arts
One of the newest facilities at Downlands is its large Performing ArtsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
department, catering for all age groups. The College choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s and musical ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
s, as well as individual students, are regular participants in the Toowoomba Eisteddfod. Downlands runs an annual musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with participation across all grades. Recent musicals have included [High School Musical 2]Footloose
Footloose (musical)
Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
(2008), The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
(2007), Disco Inferno
Disco Inferno (musical)
Disco Inferno is a modern 70s style musical usually performed by small-scale theatre companies and schools. Set in 1976. the show features memorable songs of the 70s era, including Boogie Nights, Celebration and Hot Stuff...
(2006) and SherWoodstock (2005).
The College also enters teams into the Queensland Debating Union, with much success.
Notable alumni
- Sir Gerard BrennanGerard BrennanSir Francis Gerard Brennan, AC, KBE, QC , is an Australian lawyer, judge and 10th Chief Justice of Australia. He is father to Jesuit priest and lawyer Frank Brennan....
– Chief Justice of Australia 1995–1998 - Sir Walter Campbell
- WallabiesAustralia national rugby union teamThe Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
- Tim HoranTim HoranTim Horan AM is a former Australian rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds in the Super 12, and represented Australia, he was one of the best centres in the world throughout the 1990s due to his attacking prowess, formidable defence and playmaking ability.As well as inside...
- Hope Brown (Munro) – former Hockeyroo
- Will PowerWill PowerWilliam Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:...
– International Motorsport driver - Michael Katsidis – boxer
- Vince LesterVince LesterVince Lester is an Australian politician. He was a National Party of Australia member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 2004, representing in succession the electorates of Belyando, Peak Downs and then Keppel...
- Tim Horan
Principals
| Years | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1931–1935 | Fr R Hyland MSC |
| 1935–1938 | Fr H Asprey MSC |
| 1938–1945 | Fr J Doyle MSC |
| 1945–1949 | Fr R Campbell MSC |
| 1949–1956 | Fr V Dwyer MSC |
| 1956–1962 | Fr T Kelly MSC |
| 1962–1969 | Fr J Mooney MSC |
| 1969–1974 | Fr Harold Baker MSC |
| 1975–1981 | Fr Val Patterson MSC |
| 1981–1986 | Fr James Littleton MSC |
| 1987–1990 | Fr Roy O'Neill MSC |
| 1991–1999 | Mr D McIntyre |
| 2000–2005 | Fr Denis Uhr MSC |
| 2006–2010 | Fr John Mulrooney MSC |
| 2011–Present | Mr Terry Finan (Acting) |