Marist College Kogarah

Marist College Kogarah is an independent Roman Catholic single sex secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a suburb located in the St George region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Marist College Kogarah
Marist College Kogarah
Location
Bexley, St George region, Sydney, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°57′29″S 151°7′49″E
Information
Former name	Kogarah Boys' School
Type	Independent single sex secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Finis Coronat Opus (The end crowns the work)
Religious affiliation(s)	Marist Brothers
Denomination	Roman Catholicism
Established	1909; 116 years ago (1909)
Educational authority	New South Wales Department of Education
Oversight	Archdiocese of Sydney
Principal	David Forrester
Staff	96+[1]
Years	7–12
Gender	Boys
Enrolment	c. 1,200[2] (2007)
Colour(s)	Blue, red and white
Athletics	Metropolitan Catholic Colleges Sports Association
Affiliations	Association of Marist Schools of Australia
Website	mckogarah.syd.catholic.edu.au

The college was founded in 1909, and has a tradition based on the teachings of the French educator Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers. The school offers education to approximately 1,200 students from Year 7 to Year 12.

History

Marist College Kogarah was established in 1908 as the Kogarah Boys' School, a primary school for boys. The Marist Brothers agreed to establish the school after requests by John O'Driscoll, parish priest of the new parish of Kogarah. During 1908 a hundred pupils were enrolled, it then being the only Catholic boys school in New South Wales south west of Newtown. As demand for secondary education grew in the region, junior secondary classes were added to the school in the late 1920s. By 1938 it was a full secondary school, presenting pupils for the Leaving Certificate. By the 1940s it was the largest Catholic School in Australia.^{[citation needed]} In the 1960s, the school became part of the new Archdiocesan system of schools and this had important consequences for Kogarah. Parish schools were preferred for primary education and so in 1982 primary classes ended at Marist Brothers Kogarah. From 1984, senior girls were enrolled in Years 11 and 12. This was however short-lived due to the establishment of Bethany College in 1993.

School crest and motto

Over the years the school has had three crest designs. They all have in common a red cross dividing a shield into four fields. Above the shield is the school motto Finis Coronat Opus, meaning "The End Crowns the Work"; below is the school name. The redesigns were required after the school's name was altered. The crest's symbols were also rearranged after the first redesign. The fields contain the following symbols:

• The Marist symbol
• The Southern Cross, the symbol of Australia
• The Waratah, the symbol of New South Wales
• An open book to symbolise learning

House system

The present school house system has been operating since 2000. As each new student begins at the school, he is allocated to a house and its colour. The school has four houses that have been named after people that have made a lasting impact on the school. Students are involved in House Competitions which include Sporting, Cultural and Academic events. The four houses are:

• Cooper: Named after Alfred Cooper, a benefactor of the school.
• Gonzaga: Named after the first principal of the school, Brother Gonzaga Brown.
• Gilroy: Named after Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney, who was enrolled in the school on the first day of lessons in 1909.
• Lindwall: Named after Ray Lindwall, a first-grade St George rugby league footballer and cricketer who represented for Australia at Test level.

Principals

The following individuals hav served as Principal of Marist College Kogarah:

Ordinal	Principal	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	Br. Gonzaga Brown	1909	1914	4–5 years	[3]
2	Br. Athanaius Raess	1915	1918	2–3 years
3	Br. Ildephonsus Bassett	1919	1921	1–2 years
4	Br. Hubert Prowse	1922	1927	4–5 years
5	Br. Stanislaus Dillon	1928	1933	4–5 years
6	Br. Cyrill Ryan	1934	1934	0 years
7	Br. Aidan O'Keefe	1935	1937	1–2 years
8	Br. Ethelred Ferguson	1938	1940	1–2 years
9	Br. Placidus Redden	1941	1945	3–4 years
10	Br. Maurus Bartlett	1946	1951	4–5 years
11	Br. Othmar Weldon	1952	1954	1–2 years
12	Br. Michael Naughtin	1955	1956	0–1 years
13	Br. Laurence McKeon	1957	1962	4–5 years
14	Br. Frederick McMahon	1963	1968	4–5 years
15	Br. Baptist Gillogly	1969	1974	4–5 years
16	Br. Osmund	1974	1975	0–1 years
17	Br. Geoffrey Joy	1976	1976	0 years
18	Br. Christopher Wade	1977	1980	2–3 years
19	Br. John O'Brien	1981	1986	4–5 years
20	Br. Patrick Foley	1987	1992	4–5 years
21	Peter McNamara	1992	1996	3–4 years
22	Brian Roberts	1996	2000	3–4 years
23	Patrick O'Connor	2001	2007	5–6 years
24	Damian Millar	2007	2008	0–1 years
25	John Riordan	2009	2020	15–16 years
26	Simon Ghantous	2021	2024	4–5 years
27	David Forrester	2025

Notable alumni

Academic

• Glyn Davis AC – Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne^[4]

Clergy

• Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy – first Australian Cardinal; Australian of the Year 1971^[4]
• Bishop Edward Kelly – former Bishop of Toowoomba^[4]
• Monsignor John Slowey – Director of the Sydney Catholic Education Office; co-founder of the Australian Catholic University^[4]

Entertainment, media and the arts

• Geoff Plummer (1954–2006) – Founding member and original drummer for 50s revival band Ol' 55
• Warren Fahey AM – Australian Folklorist, founder of Folkways Music and Larrikin Records, former Deputy managing director Festival Mushroom Group.
• John Hargreaves – actor; only actor to receive the Byron Kennedy Award^[4]
• Chris Holland – former 2007 College co-vice captain, member of Australian band Operator Please
• Paul Merciadez – member of Justice Dance Crew who won Australia's Got Talent in 2010
• Dom Turner – blues guitarist and founder The Backsliders
• Paul McDermott (aka Paul Mac) – DJ and musician

Politics, economics, public service and the law

• John Ajaka – politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
• Kevin Greene – former politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly^[4]
• Chris Minns – 47th Premier of New South Wales and Leader of Labor Party in NSW^[5]

Sport

• Paul Alamoti – current rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers
• Peter Armstrong – rugby league footballer; St. George Dragons hooker (1957–1964)
• Jim Bailey – athlete; Olympian (Melbourne 1956)^[4]
• Michael Beattie – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons; captain
• George Carstairs – rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons (1921–1929) and Australian representative (1921–1922)
• Matt Dufty – current rugby league footballer for Warrington Wolves
• Frank Farrell – former rugby league footballer who played for Newtown Jets, NSW and Australia
• Keith Galloway – rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers and the Cronulla Sharks.^[4] Played for Australia.
• Blagoj Janev – professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings
• Michael Korkidas – former rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL, and various clubs in the Super League.
• Ray Lindwall – cricket player; considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time^[4]
• Daryl Millard – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs
• George Ndaira – former rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights, St. George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs
• Kerry O'Keeffe – Australian cricketer and commentator.^[4]
• Josh Reynolds – former rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers (formerly Canterbury Bulldogs)
• Warren Saunders – former NSW and St George cricket captain
• Jason Stevens – former rugby league footballer for the Cronulla Sharks, Australian Kangaroo's and NSW Blues^[4]
• Robert Stone – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons and NSW Blues^[4]
• Robert Windle – Olympic gold medallist in the 1500 m freestyle (Tokyo 1964) – Swimming^[4]

See also

• Schools portal
• Catholicism portal

• List of Catholic schools in New South Wales
• Catholic education in Australia