The Cooerwull Academy was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, day and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for boys, located in Bowenfels, a small town on the western outskirts of Lithgow,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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 ...

. Cooerwull was founded in 1882LaSalle Academy Lithgow: History of the Academy
(accessed:04-08-2007) by the Scottish pastoralist and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

, Andrew Brown, who was also the Lithgow Valley's first European settler. The school, which was originally intended to be a training academy for prospective Presbyterian ministers,Greater Lithgow: Andrew Brown
(accessed:04-08-2007) was the first Presbyterian school established in New South Wales.University of South Australia: THESES
(accessed:04-08-2007) Cooerwull attended the initial meetings resulting in the formation of the

Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales The Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS) is a sporting association of boys' schools in New South Wales, Australia that contest sporting events among themselves. The AAGPS was formed on 30 March 1892, and ...

but didn't take part in any of the association's events. It was attached to St Andrew's College at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, which was also founded by Andrew Brown. The Academy ceased operating when most of its staff and some students enlisted to fight in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It then became a private residence, and in 1953 the site was converted into the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, La Salle Academy, which is still in operation today.

Notable alumni

Thomas Simpson Crawford Thomas Simpson Crawford QC, (21 December 1875 – 20 April 1976) was an Australian politician and New South Wales Senior Crown Prosecutor. Biography Born and raised in Bulli, New South Wales, the son of a miner, Crawford left school at ag ...

QC (1875-1976), Presbyterian minister, Member of the

NSW Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Hous ...

for the seat of Marrickville and Crown ProsecutorAustralian Dictionary of Biography: Crawford, Thomas Simpson (1875 - 1976)
(accessed:04-08-2007) * William Montgomerie Fleming (1874-1961), Member of the

for the seat of Robertson and seat of Upper Hunter, Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

as the member for the

Division of Robertson The Division of Robertson is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Geography Federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined since 1984, at redistributions by a redistribution committee appo ...

and writerAustralian Dictionary of Biography: Fleming, William Montgomerie (1874 - 1961)
(accessed:04-08-2007) * John Ross OBE (1891-1973), Member of the

for the seat of Albury and Member of the

Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party, also known as the National Party, was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the latter formed by Prime Mini ...

Cecil Arthur Butler Cecil Arthur Butler (1902 - 1980) was an Australian businessman who established Butler Air Transport Co. Buttler was born in Warwickshire, England, and migrated to Australia with his family in about 1910. In 1917 he was apprenticed to become ...

OBE (1902-1980), aviator and founder of Butler Air Transport * Arthur Sidney (Sid) Hoskins (1892-1959), industrialist, third son of Charles Hoskins and younger brother of

Cecil Hoskins Sir Cecil Harold Hoskins (1889–1971) was an Australian industrialist associated with the iron and steel industry. He is notable mainly for the establishment of the steel industry at Port Kembla, the company Australian Iron & Steel, and its sub ...

. Retrieved 28 September 2021.

Notable teachers

Carsten Borchgrevink Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink (1 December 186421 April 1934) was an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer and a pioneer of Antarctic travel. He inspired Sir Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, and others associated with the Hero ...

(1864-1934), who would later become an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer and a pioneer of Antarctic travel

References

{{Authority control Presbyterian schools in Australia Defunct schools in New South Wales Educational institutions established in 1882 Former boarding schools in New South Wales Defunct boys' schools in Australia 1882 establishments in Australia

Notable alumni

Notable teachers

See also

References