Padua College

Infobox Aust school
name = Padua College


motto = "Deus Meus Et Omnia"
(My God My All)
established = 1956
type = Independent
principal = Mr Robert Out
city = Brisbane
state = QLD
country = Australia
campus = Kedron
enrolment = 1200
(Years 5-12)
colours = Brown and Gold
homepage = http://www.padua.qld.edu.au/|www.padua.qld.edu.au] |]

Padua College is a Roman Catholic boys' school in Brisbane, Australia. The college derives its name from franciscan friar Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), appointed by St. Francis as the first Professor of Theology for the friars. Padua is the university city of Northern Italy where St Anthony died.

History of the college

Padua began in 1956 when the Franciscan Sisters, who cared for the parish primary school of St Anthony’s, were no longer able to cater for the large number of boys in their school. At the request of Sister Mary Bernadette O’Callaghan OSF, the Friars, who had taken charge of the Kedron parish since 1929, agreed to begin a separate school for boys.They have pinners

Fr Damian Nolan OFM, was appointed nominal Rector of the new school, which began with two lay teachers, Mrs Eileen Cameron and Mr John Fox, and 89 boys in Years 4, 5 and 6. The Friars began teaching in the school in 1957 with the arrival of Fr Alban Mitchell OFM, Fr Angelo O’Hagan OFM, and a little later Fr Odoric Fathers OFM.

Since that time Padua has developed with many extensions and facilities. At present there are over 1100 students enrolled at the College.

In November 2006, former Rector and now current Chaplain Fr. John Boyd-Boland released his book "On A Cragged Hill - A Fifty Year Story" reliving the events and history of Padua College since its beginnings in 1956.

port

Sport is an important part of the college curriculum. The College is a member of the Associated Independent Colleges (AIC) and Combined Independent Colleges (CIC) whose sporting competitions usually take place on Saturdays. The member colleges of the AIC association are Marist College Ashgrove, Iona College, St Patrick's College, St Edmund's College, St Peters Lutheran College, St Laurence's College, Villanova College and Padua College. Members of the CIC association are Marist College Ashgrove, Iona College, St Patrick's College, St Laurence's College, Villanova College, Brisbane Grammar School, Brisbane Boys' College, The Southport School, Churchie, Gregory Terrace, Nudgee Junior College and Padua College. Padua has traditionally been a great and strong rugby league school. Padua college has won the confraternity shield numerous times with their last title in 2005. With a proud and successful past, producing many famous players like Paul Vautin, David Stagg, David Shillington and Dane Carlaw to name a few. Padua college also is a competitive soccer school. Padua's first XI in 1999 won the soccer aggregate in the second year of the AIC competition. Padua's main arch rivals are SPC.

Co-curricular activities

All boys attending the College are required to represent Padua in co-curricular activities. The College offers students the opportunity to participate in debating and public speaking events, chess competitions and music and drama programs. In addition, the College also enters teams into the Associated Independent Colleges competition for the following sports: Swimming, Water Polo, Cricket, Volleyball, Rugby, AFL, Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, Athletics and Cross Country.

All boys must compete in the College's annual Inter-House Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals. Padua College has its playing fields on a 73,000m² site at Elliot Road Banyo for cricket, rugby and soccer.

Padua has a well-equipped Music Department which includes a recording studio and sound-proof drum room. Tuition is available in all orchestral instruments. A wide variety of instruments are available for student hire, and students and are encouraged to become members of the Concert Bands, Big Band, String Orchestras and Symphony Orchestra. All Year 8 students study piano and guitar as part of the ordinary school curriculum. Music is taught as a Board Subject in Years 9 through to 12. Every alternate year the boys and girls from Mt Alvernia and Padua College produce a stage musical. Recent productions have included "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Les Miserables", "Jesus Christ Superstar", and Oliver! being performed in 2008.

Campus

The college is situated at Kedron on 2 campuses. The primary department, catering for boys from Years 5 to 7, on the eastern side of Turner Rd and the Year 8 to 12 boys on the western side. Two other Franciscan schools, St. Anthony's and Mt. Alvernia are also in the precinct. Padua College boasts excellent facilities for the students to use. The college has recently refurbished all classrooms, installed more computers and installed 2 new buildings; a sports complex and a multi purpose centre containing a library, seminar rooms and computer labs. Other facilities the school features include:

* 25x25m pool
* Rugby sized oval with grandstand
* Intdoor basketball, volleyball and tennis courts
* Outdoor basketball, volleyball and tennis courts
* Weights Gymnasium
* Large multipurpose hall (La Cordelle Centre)
* Music room with sound proof recording studios
* Secondary and primary libraries
* Well equipped computer rooms
* Science and graphics labs
* Industrial skills centre
* 300 seat auditorium

Padua College has an outdoor education centre called "Amaroo" at Pomona on the Sunshine Coast. Most year levels visit the camp every year. Amaroo is located on 62 hectares of lush rainforest and boasts luxurious facilities including a high and low ropes course and rock climbing walls. The outdoor education centre is located closely to Lake Cootharaba and canoeing is involved regularly.

In addition to in-school facilities and the Outdoor Education Centre the school owns 73,000m² of playing fields on Elliot Rd, Banyo, which is used for rugby, soccer and athletics carnivals.

Houses

All boys are placed into house groups when they enrol at the college. Each house has approximately 250 boys in the secondary. These houses are:

Beirne
House colours: Red (for military fortitude and magnanimity), and White (for peace and sincerity).
House symbol: A hand - the pledge of Faith, sincerity and justice.
Motto: “Fuimus” (We have been)

Grigg
House colours: Gold (for generosity), and Black (for constancy).
House symbol: An eel - the ancient symbol for wisdom. Young eels are known as "Griggs".
Motto: "Ut prosim” (That I may be of use)

Mitchell
House colours: Blue (for loyalty and truth), and White (for peace and sincerity).
House symbol: A swan - a symbol for poets and the hieroglyphic of a musical person.
Motto: “Moriendo Modulor” (Dying, I sing)

Odoric
House colours: Green (for prosperity, success and new beginnings), and White (for inner purity).
House symbol: An ostrich - a symbol of willing obedience and serenity.
Motto: “Valens et Volens” (Able and willing)

Winners of the house competition since 1998

*1996: Grigg house (inaugural)
*1997: Grigg house
*1998: Grigg house
*1999: Grigg house
*2000: Mitchell house
*2001: Grigg house
*2002: Grigg house
*2003: Grigg house
*2004: Beirne house
*2005: Grigg house
*2006: Grigg house
*2007: Beirne houseThis year of 2008, Odoric house has made a significant impact in the house competition, winning 2 out of the 3 sporting carnivals (cross-country and athletics). They are well on the way to winning the house championship for the first time.

Notable alumni

* Dane Carlaw (Current Rugby League player)
* Eddy Groves (Founder and chief executive officer of ABC Learning Centres Ltd)
* Paul McCabe (Former Queensland origin and rugby league player)
* Peter Nowill (Current long distance runner for Australia)
* Shane Perry (Current Brisbane Broncos NRL player)
* David Stagg (Current Brisbane Broncos NRL player)
* David Shillington (Current Sydney Roosters NRL player)
* Paul "Fatty" Vautin and commentator)
* Lachlan Creighton (Current Gold Coast Titans Toyota Cup Player)
* Rohan Ahern (Current Sydney Roosters Toyota Cup Player)
* Aaron Hammett (Current South Sydney Rabbitohs Toyota Cup Player)

ee also

* List of schools in Queensland

External links

* [http://www.padua.qld.edu.au Padua College]