Sir John Duncan, (father of
Sir Walter, Speaker of the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of the ...
for many years) who planned the house in 1891 and built it in 1899. The family home was named ''
Strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following:
* Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland
* Strathspey Camanachd
Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...
'' after his childhood home in Scotland.
The Duncans eventually bequeathed the property to the
Presbyterian Church
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 ...
and it became St Andrew's Residential College attached the
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
. In 1939 the property was sold to Mr and Mrs F. W. Cornell and it once again became a private residence.
Archbishop Reynolds, first
Archbishop of Adelaide, was in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
in 1879 asking for sisters of his diocese when a group of sisters returned from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, forced by revolution to leave their home for twenty-four years. Some were the original Irish sisters but many were South American girls who left behind their families and homes. Accepting the Archbishop's invitation the twenty-four sisters arrived in Adelaide on 3 May 1880.
In 1953 the property was bought by the Sisters of Mercy, and approved by Xavier Dalton. ''Mercedes'', the Spanish word for mercy, was chosen by the sisters to commemorate the circumstances of the Mercy foundation in Adelaide.
About Mercedes
Student life
Many of the students who study at Mercedes College live in the eastern suburbs of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and
Adelaide Hills, because of the easy access by
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
. Mercedes College uses the
Adelaide Metro
Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal system offering an integrated network of bus, tram, and train service throughout the metropolitan area. The network has an ann ...
bus service to transport nearby students.
House system
As with most Australian schools, Mercedes College utilises a house system. At first there were two houses (McAuley and Fitzpatrick), but as enrolment numbers increased, two more houses were added. There are currently five houses, each named after memorable Mercy Sisters. The current houses are McAuley, Fitzpatrick, Palmer, Dalton and Barry.
Notable alumni
*
Allday
Tomas Henry Gaynor (born 21 February 1991), known professionally as Allday, is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter from Adelaide, South Australia. Gaynor became active in 2011, when he began uploading his music for free online. Followin ...
(Tomas Gaynor)Australian rapper
*
Troy Broadbridge
Troy Broadbridge (5 October 1980 – 26 December 2004) was an Australian rules footballer with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
AFL career
Melbourne career (2001–2004)
Broadbridge began his career as a de ...
(1998)AFL Footballer (
Melbourne Demons
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...
)
*
Keegan Brooksby (2007)AFL Footballer (
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
)
*
Abby Coleman
Abby Jane Coleman (born 26 May 1981) is an Australian radio presenter and comedian living in Brisbane, currently employed with B105 FM, B105. She rose to fame by finishing runner-up on the The Mole (Australian season 1), first season of the Aust ...
(1998)
HIT 105 breakfast show, Channel 10
Have You Been Paying Attention?
''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' (abbreviated on social media as HYBPA? and stylised on-screen as Have you been paying attention? in sentence case) is an Australian panel game television quiz show on Network 10. The series, which is produced ...
*
Kate Croser
Kate Croser is an Australian film and television producer and screen executive. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Film Corporation.
Notable films produced by Croser include romantic comedy ''Top End Wedding'', ti ...
(1995) film and television producer, currently CEO of the
South Australian Film Corporation
South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...
*
Hannah Davis (2002)Olympic Bronze Medalist
*
David Feeney
David Ian Feeney (born 5 March 1970) is a former Australian politician. He was the Labor member for the division of Batman in the House of Representatives from 7 September 2013 to 1 February 2018. Before that, he was a member of the Australian ...
former member of the
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...
, currently member of the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of the ...
*
Amos Gill
Amos William Gill (born 22 June 1991) is an Australian comedian and television and radio presenter.
Gill was born in Adelaide. He attended Mercedes College in Adelaide and Aquinas College in Perth, graduating from the former. He later went on ...
- (2008) Hit 107 Presenter,
ABC3
ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3.
Hist ...
Host, Comedian
* Tristan Goodall (1992)musician,
The Audreys
The Audreys are an Australian blues and roots band which formed in Adelaide, in 2004 by founding mainstay, Taasha Coates on lead vocals, melodica, harmonica and ukulele. They have released four studio albums, '' Between Last Night and Us'' (F ...
*
Peter Malinauskas
Peter Bryden Malinauskas ( ; born 14 August 1980) is an Australian politician, serving as the 47th and current premier of South Australia since March 2022. He has been the leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party (AL ...
(1998) Australian trade union leader and South Australian Premier
*
Orianthi
Orianthi Penny Panagaris (born 22 January 1985), known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his '' This Is It'' concert series, and performed wi ...
pop-Rock singer/guitarist
*
Teresa Palmer
Teresa Mary Palmer (born 26 February 1986) is an Australian actress. She began her career with roles in '' Bedtime Stories'' (2008), ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' (2010), '' Take Me Home Tonight'' (2011), and ''I Am Number Four'' (2011). She re ...
(2003)actress (December Boys, I Am Number Four)
*
Will Snelling (2015)AFL Footballer (
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...
)
*
Kelli Underwood
Kelli Underwood (born 1977) is an Australian radio and television sports journalist and sportscaster specialising in Australian rules football, netball and tennis. She was the first woman to call an Australian Football League match on televisi ...
Channel 10 AFL commentator
*
Natalie Medhurst
Natalie Medhurst (born 20 January 1984) is a retired Australian international netball player. As well as playing for several clubs in Australia's domestic competitions, she also made multiple appearances for the Australian Diamonds in various in ...
-Netballer
See also
*
List of schools in South Australia
This is a list of all schools, both current and closed schools in South Australia.
Aboriginal Schools, operated by the South Australian Government
Aboriginal early learning centres and kindergartens
* Kalaya Children's Centre, Queenstown ...
References
External links
* College website, 2008, Home, accessed 12 March 2009.
{{ISSA Schools
Catholic primary schools in Adelaide
International Baccalaureate schools in Australia
Catholic secondary schools in Adelaide
Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools
Educational institutions established in 1954
Sisters of Mercy schools
1954 establishments in Australia