Our History

mr sean corcoran appointed new school principal

Opening of Fahl Garden, Senior Campus

Appointment of Mr Stephen Webber as new Principal

Opening of New Learning Hub on Senior campus.

School switches to online learning due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Peter Lennox retires

During his twelve years as Principal, Dr Lennox oversaw enormous changes in the campuses, curriculum, co-curricular activities and school infrastructure.

Opening of John Roberts Music Centre and Edwards Auditorium

The new music facilities are named for former parents whose immeasurable dedication to Redlands stretched long past the time that their respective children left the School.

New Preparatory school and Dunnet Hall open

The Prep School’s move to the Junior campus sees the Senior and Junior Schools housed on separate campuses for the first time in the school’s history.

Redlands Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Introduction of the Redlands Learning Platform, key elements of which included providing a quality learning environment, planned and reflective learning, intelligent and effective use of technology and the development of whole-school language and process for planning, delivering and assessing learning.

First year of separate Year 12 Prize giving (Valedictory Dinner).

Appointment of Dr Peter Lennox as new Principal

Dr Lennox starts as new Head of School after 16 years as Headmaster of Brisbane Grammar School and a further 13 years in a variety of educational roles, notably at Canberra Grammar School as well as Cranbrook and Magdalen College, Oxford. Board Chairman Michael Jones describes him as being ‘ideally suited to build on Redlands’ reputation for developing well-balanced students prepared for a local and global community.’

Opening of Liggins Atrium

The science block, formerly named Wyndham Building, refurbished and renamed the Roseby Building.

Opening of Peter Cornish Building

The new building, named for recently retired Executive Headmaster Peter Cornish, becomes the first major building work on the Cremorne (Junior) campus since being purchased by Redlands in 1989.

Retirement of Peter Cornish

Mr Cornish retires as Executive Headmaster after guiding SCECGS Redlands for twenty-one years in collaboration with the Board, staff and parents from a newly co-educational school to a vibrant and innovative educational organisation.

Appointment of Deputy Headmaster, Christopher Daunt Watney (pictured) as new Headmaster.

Establishment of Redlands Dance and Ballet Academy

Redlands House, North Harbour pre-school opens.

High Country campus opens

First Winter School held at High Country Campus.

Inaugural Redlands Westpac Art Prize is held in Redlands Hall.

First Winter School

Winter School School held at Snowy Mountains Grammar School for first year.

Opening of Redlands House Preschool

First pre-school opened at former historic Cremorne Hall, Allister Street on the Junior campus.

Cremorne (now Junior) campus opened

New campus accommodates the Junior School and Middle School, originally Years 3 – 7.

Establishment of the ISA (Independent Sporting Association), initiated by Redlands Sports staff and Headmaster, Mr Cornish.

A parcel of land purchased in Jindabyne for the purpose of a High Country alpine campus in December is gifted to the School by the Parents and Friends’ Association.

Introduction International Baccalaureate

Redlands students undertake the first year of IB coursework.

School purchases former Cremorne Girls’ High School campus.

Opening of the Lang Building

Redlands’ award winning designed gymnasium, named for School Trustee and Chairman of the Board, John Lang, coincides with commemoration of ten years of co-education at SCECGS Redlands.

The expanding sports programme in the 1980s sees the introduction of basketball, cricket, rugby, football, touch football, rowing, water polo and cross country.

Opening of Lone Oak Building

Converted from a wartime era block of flats built on the site of the original Redlands House and Lone Oak garden, Lone Oak becomes the new School administration building.

Redlands fields its first competitive ski team

Redlands fields its first competitive ski team with five students. By 1988, Redlands has a team of over forty students, several of whom qualify for the New South Wales Championships at Perisher.

School celebrates its Centenary

Functions held during the year to celebrate include a Foundation Day service, a ball, a revue and numerous alumni events.

First boys two boys sit HSC

The first Year 12 boys also become first boy prefects and house captains.

First fully co-educational musical staged at Redlands.

Mr Peter Cornish appointed Headmaster

Mr Cornish collaborates with School Board by introducing a variety of innovations designed to support co-education at SCECGS Redlands, from planning new facilities, introducing a range of boys’ sports, curriculum camps and subjects such as technical drawing and woodwork. One of his many academic legacies includes the introduction of the International Baccalaureate

School officially becomes co-educational

The first boys admitted in the Junior and Prep Schools and also four boys in Year 7. School later renamed ‘Sydney Church of England Coeducational Grammar School, Redlands’ or ‘SCECGS Redlands’.

SCEGGS Redlands incorporated as SCEGGS (later SCECGS) Redlands Ltd

Redlands parents John Lang (pictured) becomes first Chairman, Bruce Adams, Deputy Chairman and John Roberts (pictured) becomes Secretary/Treasurer.

Formation of HICES (Heads of Co-educational Independent Schools with eight member schools), which Redlands later joins after becoming co-educational.

Mrs Helen Foote becomes Headmistress

Former Deputy Headmistress Helen (pictured here with John Roberts, President of Redlands Parents Association) becomes new Headmistress of SCEGGS Redlands.

Mrs Humphery retires

Mrs Humphery leaves behind an extensive post-war legacy covering twenty-seven years, her name remembered in the Humphery Building opened the previous year.

School fete, originally held in Term 1, held for the first time in Spring and accordingly renamed the ‘Spring Fair’.

Stage 1 of the Humphery Building opens

In addition to classrooms, the new building includes a new Roseby Library, Language laboratory and School Archives.

Establishment of first orchestra and jazz band.

Opening of New Science Block

The Wyndham Building (later the Roseby Building) is named after Dr Harold Wyndham, Director General of Education, pictured with Mrs Humphery and students.

First cohort of students sit the Higher School Certificate.

Redlands Hall Opens

Originally known as the Assembly Hall, at the time of its opening the hall can accommodate the entire school.

Dumolo, Redlands’ fourth house established as school numbers continue to grow. Named after Miss Nona Dumolo, former student and one of school’s first two university graduates who was also the first Headmistress of SCEGGS North Sydney. 

New Junior School block opens (now part of the Humphery Building)

A cottage on Waters Road purchased to house the Preparatory School (later occupied by Innovative Design department from 1983, demolished in 2021). 

Establishment of Redlands Parents Association

Now called the RPFA, the Parents’ Association has played an integral part in the School’s modern history, from fundraising to saving the School from closure.  

School fete held in Term 1 in 1961 organised for the first time by the Redlands Parents’ Association.

Gergaynia Beckett becomes Redlands’ first Olympian

Fifteen-year-old Gergaynia Beckett represents Australia in backstroke at the Olympic Games in Melbourne.

New School bell

With the completion of the top floor of the Mowll building, a new bell bequeathed by the late Professor E R Holme of the University of Sydney is hung above the western entrance of the building. After being moved to different locations, it now hangs in the Liggins Quad.

First issue of Lux magazine

Lux, the school publication for the SCEGGS schools, makes its first appearance at SCEGGS Redlands.

Opening of new Classrooms

Later known as Stage 1 of the Mowll Building, the new block comprises three classrooms and a cloak room and marks the beginning of the School's post war building programme.

Introduction of three sports houses

Cowper and McDouall, both named for former SCEGGS Council members in 1926 and adopted from SCEGGS North Sydney (closed in 1942), and a new house Roseby, named after Miss Roseby, replace former Redlands sports teams or houses, the ‘Blues’ and ‘Golds’.

Mrs Isobel Humphery becomes headmistress

Mrs I A Humphery, a war widow is appointed the first headmistress to SCEGGS Redlands. She is also the first principal of Redlands to be a parent.

A new SCEGGS uniform is introduced, although Senior girls in their final year are allowed to wear their old Redlands blazer.

Establishment of Roseby Library with money raised by Old Girls’ Union and later books from Miss Roseby’s personal library collection (now held in the Archives).

Miss Roseby sells Redlands to Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School (SCEGGS)

Miss Roseby remains for two terms before retiring at the end of the year.

Students involved in fundraising for war effort

Former students join the forces including the WAAAF, AAMWAS, the WRANS, the Land Army and the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS). Others work as scientific researchers connected with the war or in the Ministry of Munitions.

Boarding discontinued

Principal Miss Roseby decides to discontinue boarding rather than evacuate boarders according to government mandate the following year in 1942.

Outbreak of World War II

Most Boarders return home during the War years. 

Redlands House demolished

Following the death of Miss Arnold in 1932, ‘Redlands’, previously owned by Miss Arnold and leased to Miss Roseby, is sold and subsequently demolished.

Photo shows students and jacaranda tree in former Lone Oak gardens with reverse side of ‘for sale’ sign in background

Redlands’ Fiftieth Anniversary

Numerous activities held to celebrate the School’s Jubilee including a Garden party, an Old Girls’ Dance at the Florentine Room at Hordern Brothers and various performances at the School as well as a school fundraising fete.

First Redlands ski trip

Prior to ski lifts being built in the snowfields, Redlands students took their first trip to the Snowy Mountains.  

First prefects appointed

Gwen Hansard and Janet Wiseman (pictured), become the first prefects and are given special badges on their hat bands and their own room in Liggins House.

Liggins House opens

The Liggins Building officially opens on May 9th to accommodate the Junior School and boarders and ensures the school is contained on one site. School numbers grew steadily throughout the decade as a result of the new accommodation.

Netball introduced

After playing basketball for a decade, netball is introduced to Redlands by Miss Russell, the new sports mistress, allowing Redlands to join the Girls’ Schools Association (now IGSA).  Today it remains the school’s longest, continuously played goal sport.

Evacuation of boarders to Wentworth Falls

The Spanish influenza epidemic causes the School to be closed to all but the two Senior years, all of whom are required to wear masks to school and visit the inhalation chamber set up in one of the classrooms in ‘The Vines’ daily before school. The boarders are evacuated to ‘Rotorua’ in Pritchard Street, Wentworth Falls from February to May.

Armistice signed. End of World War I

Pixie O’Reilly’s (novelist Eleanor Dark) poem ‘Jerusalem Set Free’ celebrating the end of the War wins Victoria League Prize in England and is published in The Redlander.

‘Lone Oak’ Garden sanctuary established

Land adjacent to Redlands House on Military Road (now Monford Place) is purchased and made into a garden sanctuary for the Senior students and named ‘Lone Oak’ in recognition of Lone Pine at Gallipoli.

Outbreak of World War I

Ellice Nosworthy and Vida Sams become the first recorded ‘Head Girls’.

‘The Vines’, a house next door to the school is acquired with boarders accommodated upstairs and kindergarten downstairs, along with music rooms. It remains part of the School until its demolition in 1956.

Arnold Room built as first School Hall

Arnold Room built to provide Redlands with its first School Hall.

First annual Swimming Carnival held at Spit Baths, Mosman.

The new Literary and Debating Society establishes Redlands’ debating tradition. 

Redlands Games Club formed to organise the first inter-school sports matches. 

Miss G A (Amy) Roseby buys Redlands from Miss Arnold

Miss G A (Amy) Roseby, BA (1895), Diploma of Teaching (University of London), becomes Principal of Redlands, buying the school from Miss Arnold. 

Miss Elizabeth Liggins dies, 22 November.

First issue of the school magazine, The Redlander published the previous year and produced until 1944. 

Establishment of the Redlands’ Old Girls’ Union (now the Redlanders’ Association)

Miss Liggins becomes its first President, taken over by Miss Arnold two years later.

First school badge and motto ‘Honor ad Honores’ (honour before honours) comes into general usage, the badge designed by Miss Sarah Ann Brown, Head of the Preparatory School and worn by girls on their hatbands.

First Redlands Athletics carnival held in School grounds.

Redlands stages first full-length Shakespeare play, ‘The Tempest’ directed by former student and professionally trained elocution teacher, Miss Elsie Dumolo.

Redlands celebrates its 20^th anniversary. 

Entire School assembles for photograph outside ‘Redlands’. Miss Arnold is at the centre of the photograph in the second row. Miss Liggins is either unidentified, or more likely absent.

School moves to ‘Redlands’, Military Road.

On October 5th, the College opens in the former family home built by Phillips family in 1881 with ‘extensive grounds and excellent accommodation for boarders’. The school officially takes the name ‘College for Girls, Redlands’.

The tennis court and space for games allows for the introduction of sport at the School.

Boarding Introduced

In response to ‘enquiries throughout the colony’, the first boarders come to live with Miss Liggins and Miss Arnold at 48 Fitzroy Street, Milson’s Point.

New School House Opened at 31 Fitzroy St

Miss Liggins and Miss Arnold build ‘new School and class rooms’ at 31 Fitzroy Street. The two-storey Victorian school house still stands today at the corner of Broughton and Fitzroy Streets, now a private residence and business.  

College for Girls Opens

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