Warrnambool College

Warrnambool College
Location
Warrnambool , Victoria Australia
Coordinates	38.3772°S 142.4994°E / -38.3772; 142.4994
Information
Type	Government, co-educational, day school
Motto	Every Warrnambool Student Thrives
Established	1907 (as Warrnambool Agricultural High School) opened 1995 as Warrnambool College
Principal	David Clift
Enrolment	1300 (2022)
Colour(s)	Navy blue and green
Website	www.wblcoll.vic.edu.au

Warrnambool College is a government high school (years 7–12) in the regional town of Warrnambool in south-west Victoria, Australia.[1]

The school now known as Warrnambool College started out in 1907 as Warrnambool Agricultural High School.[2] After a number of changes, the school opened as Warrnambool College in 1995 after the merger of Warrnambool Secondary College and Warrnambool North Secondary College.

Warrnambool College consists of two campuses. The main campus, which comprises the majority of the school community, is located in an extensive set of school buildings on Grafton Road, near the Warrnambool racecourse. The second campus, called the WAVE school, is an alternative educational setting for students who have had difficulty fitting into mainstream education. It is located in East Warrnambool.

Houses

In 2011 Warrnambool College introduced a pastoral care system through six houses: Belfast, Childers, Flagstaff, Hopkins, Logans and Merri. These houses are named after local colonial named landmarks in the region, including the Merri and Hopkins Rivers[3] Every year, a "celebration day" is held for each house, at different times of the year, in order to raise money for each house's charity, which are as follows:

Hopkins: Francis Foundation[3]

Merri: Loved and Shared[3]

Childers: Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network[3]

Belfast: Gillin Boys Foundation[3]

Flagstaff: Leila Rose Foundation[3]

Logans: Warrnambool & District Food Share[3]

School profile

Warrnambool College hosts a campus of the Clontarf Football Academy for male indigenous students. The staffing profile for the school (as at 2014) was – principal and two assistant principals, 85 full-time-equivalent teachers and 30 full-time-equivalent education support staff.

School colours

The Warrnambool College school colours are navy blue, white and green, as displayed in the school uniform The houses that all staff and students are placed in as part of the pastoral care program have the following colours:

Belfast – Green

Childers – Yellow

Flagstaff – Red

Hopkins – Blue

Logans – Purple

Merri – Orange

Controversy

In 2024, the school was brought before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal regarding student abuse towards teachers.[4] VCAT has found that staff at the school at the time faced up to 20 violent and sexist attacks per day[5] and that 70 have been responsible for these incidents.[4] The school has additionally been criticised for displaying quotes by certain far-right individuals.

Notable alumni

• Sir John Eccles, Nobel Prize–winning scientist[6]
• Ronald Mack, politician
• Hugh McCluggage, AFL Footballer[7]
• Joe O'Connell, AFL Footballer
• Alicia Oshlack, bioinformatician
• Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, AFL Footballer
• Jay Rantall, AFL Footballer

References

1. "School Details - Warrnambool College (Warrnambool Campus)". Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
2. Welsford, Ray (2007). 100 years of service : a centenary history of Warrnambool College. Warrnambool. ISBN 9780975177914.
3. "Houses". Warrnambool College. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
4. "Nightmares, headaches, crying in the car: College staff describe impact of 'unsafe' work environment". ABC News. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
5. "Call for on-site psychiatric help for fearful teachers at centre of government, WorkSafe dispute". ABC News. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
6. "BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - John Carew Eccles 1903-1997". Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
7. "Meet Our Ambassadors". www.wblcoll.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 26 August 2023.