Christ College is the oldest tertiary institution in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and is a

residential college A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship wi ...

of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

. The college is located on the University's grounds in Sandy Bay. The college, familiarly referred to as "Christ", is the largest of the three Sandy Bay residential colleges, with a residential community consisting of approximately 285

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

and

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

residents, a significant number of whom are international students from

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and the

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History

1840, Christ College was first proposed in Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Franklin's Legislative Council; 1846, it was later founded in Bishopsbourne, modeled on the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, as an Anglican college; 1856, the college closed due to bad financial conditions; 1879, the College re-opens in Hobart; 1885, the institution moved to the Hobart High School premises on the Domain on a seven year lease; 1892, the lease was not renewed because of the foundation of the University of Tasmania; 1911, the College reopened as the matriculation section of the Hutchins School; 1926, The Christ College Act receives Royal Assent; 1929, a move of staff and students into an enlarged site in Park Street; 1933, the institution was formally affiliated with the University as its first residential college; 1971, the College relocates to Sandy Bay. On 23 October 1974, Prince Charles visited the University of Tasmania. This included a garden party at Christ College. In 2003, the administration of Christ College was taken over by Accommodation Services, which also administers

St John Fisher College St. John Fisher University is a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York. It is named after John Fisher, an English Catholic cardinal and saint. It was named St. John Fisher College until July 1, 2022. History St. John Fisher Univers ...

and the new University Apartments. In 2008, the college completed its first major refurbishment initiative since moving to the Sandy Bay site.

College Buildings

The college's Sandy Bay campus buildings were designed by

Dirk Bolt Dirk Bolt (24 October 1930 – 13 December 2020) was a Dutch-born architect who is best known for his post-Second World War Australian modernist architecture and his later career as an academic and consultant that applied sustainable, equitable ...

, and are regarded as one of Tasmania's finest examples of post-Second World War Australian architecture. The college's design centres on four distinct buildings, each clustered around a central elevated courtyard, while still framing external views over Hobart and the Derwent Estuary. These buildings marked one of the earliest uses of concrete masonry for both internal and external finish, a style that became closely associated with the distinct Tasmanian architectural style of the 1960s. Since moving to the Sandy Bay site in 1962, Christ College has been made-up of six residential blocks, each named after influential figures in the establishment and history of the college. As such, the six college blocks are named in honour of four former wardens, the first Bishop of Tasmania and an important benefactor of the college. Gell: John Philip Gell was the first Warden of Christ College when it opened in 1846. He was born in 1816, and educated at Rugby and Trinity College in Cambridge before moving to Tasmania. In 1849 he resigned as Warden, returning to England to marry Eleanor Franklin (the daughter of Sir John Franklin). He strongly believed that the basis of the college's academic life should be its library, and one of his most notable contributions to the college is the original Christ College library collection. Gell was indefatigable in building this up from both his personal collection and those of his friends and family. Another reminder of him is his portrait (done later in life), which remains on display in the college's dining hall. He was succeeded as Warden by the Revd Philip Valpy Mourant Filleul of St Aubin,

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, who held the post for four years before returning to England to become Vicar of

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. Barrett: William Rothwell Barrett was the founder of Christ College in its current form as a residential college of the University of Tasmania. Barrett was the first Warden of the college to be appointed after the Christ College Act of 1926 and remained Warden from 1929 until 1949. In 1955, Barrett became the Assistant Bishop of Tasmania, but remained closely involved with the University through his role in the establishment of Jane Franklin Hall, then the University's first residential college for women. His portrait remains on display in the dining hall of Christ College. Dudley: Lancelot Stokes Dudley was appointed Warden of the College in 1953, having already served as Acting Warden in 1933 while William Barrett was in England. Contemporaries describe him as being a good scholar and an evangelical churchman, but also as humourless and a "shy quiet man" who may have been better understood by his theological students than by his undergraduate charges. Dudley remained with Christ College until his death from leukaemia in 1957. May: The Rev. Canon (Emeritus) John May was himself a student of Christ College in the early 1930s, soon after its affiliation with the University of Tasmania. He returned to the college to be appointed Warden from 1958 to 1963, and again 18-years later in 1981. May was responsible for the college's move from Park Street to its present location in Sandy Bay, and was therefore closely involved in the design of the College buildings at the present site. In 1982, May became a Senior Fellow of the college, and his portrait remains in the Christ College dining hall. Nixon:

Francis Russell Nixon Francis Russell Nixon (August 18037 April 1879) was a British Anglican bishop who served as the first Bishop of Tasmania, Australia. Early life and ministry Nixon was the son of Robert Nixon, a priest and amateur painter of North Cray, Kent. N ...

was the First Bishop of the Church of England in Tasmania, and the driving force behind the foundation of Christ College in 1846. Nixon strongly advocated for the college's establishment despite the judgement of John Gell (the college's first Warden), who felt that the college was not yet financially-secure enough to open. In this respect, Nixon can be considered indirectly responsible for the college's collapse in 1856, as a result of mismanagement stemming partly from his interference (in the appointment of a Bursar) and indifference (in failing to properly oversee the College Trustees). In 1847, Nixon was described as 'a remarkable man both in appearance and character, good-looking, coal-black hair ... piercing black eyes, and full, rather thick lips; tenacious of his rights, extremely anxious to be correct with regard to costume and all other points of etiquette, devoted to the fine arts and a beautiful draughtsman.' Nixon's influence on Christ College is felt today in the community's celebration of the college's year of founding, as well as in the College library collection, which retains a number of his books. Toosey: James Denton Toosey was one of four Trustees appointed to manage the affairs of Christ College after its closure in 1856. Born in England in 1801, Toosey studied cattle husbandry and moved to Hobart in 1826, where he worked on the Cressy estate of the Horse Breeding Co. of the New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land Establishment. Contemporaries describe him as kindly and hospitable, and celebrate his public spirit. When he died in 1883, Toosey bequeathed his property to the Diocese with the request that it be used for the revival of the college. This included a portrait of the Duke of Wellington, as well as the bookcase and two large cupboards held in the Conference Room.

Symbols

Motto

The college motto is ''Jesus Christus esto mihi'' ("Jesus Christ shall be mine" or "Let Jesus Christ be mine").

Seal

The college seal was designed by Captain D. Colbron Pearce of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The seal, a symbolic expression of ''Dux Lux Rex Lex'', is composed of the baton, torch, crown and book. These were incorporated into the seal design featuring a shield surmounted by a mitre after suggestions from the residents of the college.

Colours

The college is represented by the colours

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

. These are prominent in the sport jersey used by the college team.

Mascot

The collegians are affectionately known as the Black Pigs.

The Rock

The Rock was brought to the college site from the quarry in Proctor's Road in 1962. It is tradition that the Rock be burned annually, but it is now so fragile that since 2006 this ceremony is no longer performed.

Social and cultural events

The college holds many cultural and social events throughout the year and are organised by the social and cultural convenors. In O-Week, the orientation program, residents are involved in get-to-know-you events, guided tours around the University, Sandy Bay, and Greater Hobart, as well as trips to Mt Wellington and Port Arthur. Each year the college holds a themed ball, a scavenger hunt, and a satirical college play. Other events include various parties throughout the year, and residents can get involved with

Clean up Australia Clean Up Australia Limited is a not-for-profit Australian environmental conservation organisation registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. The organisation has sponsored a yearly Clean Up Australia Day since 199 ...

Day, tree planting, the

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dawn service, the annual play, World's Greatest Shave, winter sleep outs, movie nights, trivia nights, Relay for Life and various formal dinners. The college also offers free tutoring sessions through Accommodation Services.

Sport

It is a tradition that students from the southern

residential colleges A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship wi ...

of the

compete annually in a series of sport events. Christ College competes annually with

Jane Franklin Hall Jane Franklin Hall in Hobart, Australia is an independent non-denominational residential college of the University of Tasmania. Familiarly referred to as "Jane", it was founded by the Tasmanian Council of Churches in 1950 as a residential col ...

and

in a variety of different sports, with residents in non-affiliated residences such as University Apartments, Midcity Apartments, the Annexe and Old Commerce able to play for the college of their choice. Major sports consist of

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

Australian Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modifie ...

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

(men's), and

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

(women's). Minor sports consist of

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

Table Tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

(men's), and

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

(women's). Debating is a mixed non-sport feature.

Major sports

Minor sports

Sports records

Student club committee

The role of Diversity Officer replaced the position of International Representative in 2016. The role of Vice-President was split into Secretary and Treasurer starting in 2019.

Past records

Alumni

Pip Courtney Philippa Jane "Pip" Courtney is an Australian journalist and television presenter. She is known for her work as a reporter and host of the ABC series ''Landline''. In 2000, she became a reporter on ''The 7.30 Report'', but returned to ''Landline'' ...

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journalist * Sir

William Lambert Dobson Sir William Lambert Dobson (24 April 1833 – 17 March 1898) was an English-born Australian politician, a Leader of the Opposition and Chief Justice of Tasmania, (Australia). Early life Dobson was born at Carr Hill, Gateshead, Durham, Engla ...

, Tasmanian politician and

Chief Justice of Tasmania The Chief Justice of Tasmania is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Tasmania. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the adm ...

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*

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, Tasmanian politician *

William Nevin Tatlow Hurst William Nevin Tatlow Hurst, ISO (11 April 1868 – 24 December 1946) was a senior Tasmanian civil servant. In 1925 he succeeded the Tasmanian Surveyor-General, E A Counsel, as the head of the Tasmanian Department of Lands and Surveys, although ...

, Secretary for Lands 1925-1938 *

Ian B. Tanner Ian Bowe Tanner (24 February 1926 – 27 December 2013) was an Australian Presbyterian and Uniting Church minister. He was President of the Uniting Church's Assembly between 1985 and 1988. Education Tanner was educated at Trevallyn State S ...

, President of the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

Peter Underwood Peter George Underwood, (10 October 1937 – 7 July 2014) was an Australian jurist and the Governor of Tasmania from 2008 until his death in 2014. He was the Chief Justice of Tasmania from 2004 to 2008, having been a judge of the Supreme Cou ...

, the former

and

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

* Eric John Warlow-Davies (1910-1964),

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

and aircraft engineer * Jack Holyman, men's mental health advocate * Peter McEvoy, former College President and current

Coburg Football Club The Coburg Football Club, nicknamed the Coburg Lions, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It is based at Coburg City Oval since 191 ...

co-captain * Alison Watkins, College President (1982), CEO of ASX listed companies, RBA Board, Chancellor of the University of Tasmania

References

External links

Christ College information for prospective students
{{Authority control Residential colleges of the University of Tasmania