('To Do and To Teach') , established = 6 February 1927; years ago , type = Integrated co-educational secondary , affiliations =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, Christian Brothers,

Dominican Sisters The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

, founder = His Lordship Most Rev. Bishop James Whyte D.D., J.C.D , roll = () , decile = 7O , grades = 9–13 , grades_label = Years , principal = Jo Walshe BA, Dip Tch, Grad Dip (Theo), Grad Dip (RelSt) , chaplain = Very Rev. Fr Wayne Healey , campus = St Kevins College Redcastle , address = 44a Taward Street , city =

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

, state = , country = New Zealand , coordinates = , MOE = 369 , website
www.stkevins.school.nz/
St Kevin's College (also called Redcastle) in

, New Zealand, is a

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 ...

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, integrated, boarding and day,

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

. It was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1927 for boys and became a co-educational school in 1983 when the

closed down their school at Teschemakers. The College became a state integrated school in 1983.Graeme Donaldson, pp. 8 and 10. The Christian Brothers ceased to be on the teaching staff of the college in the late 1990s but remained the school's proprietor, and so appointed representatives to the college board, until 2019 when they transferred the ownership of St Kevin's College to the

Bishop of Dunedin The Diocese of Dunedin is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese covers the same area as the provinces of Otago and Southland in the South ...

.Jeff Dillon, "Southern college changes ownership after 90 years", ''NZ Catholic'' 14 July 2019, p. 3.
(Retrieved 6 August 2019)

College

In 2019, St Kevin's College had a roll of about 450 students including approximately 80 boarding students and 370 day students. Its gender composition in 2019 was female 50% and Male 50%. In that year, the college's maximum roll under the Education Act 1989 was 465 pupils. In 2016, its ethnic composition was NZ European/Pākehā 70%, Asian 10%, Pacific 5% and Māori 10% and other 5%. St Kevin's College has a strong Catholic focus.

Character

In February 1983 St Kevin's became co-educational. Until 1979 girls boarded at Teschemakers, a secondary school located about 12 km south of Oamaru. St Kevin's College currently has boarding capacity for over 100 girls. Also in 1983, the college was integrated as a College with a "special character" under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975. The special character is broadly the connection of the school with the Catholic faith. Preference of enrolment is given to students who have established a link with the Catholic Church through baptism or membership of a parish. Preference is decided by the appropriate parish priest in each case. A preference certificate from the student's parish is required for each student with their application for enrolment at the school. Under the Act, the school may enrol "non-preference" students but the enrolment of such students is restricted to 5% of the total roll. Students come mainly from Oamaru and the surrounding rural areas (many of them ex-pupils of

St Joseph's School, Oamaru St Joseph's School is a school in Oamaru, the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It was established by an order of Catholic nuns — Dominican Sisters — who started teaching in Oamaru in 1882. It is associa ...

) with some coming from more distant New Zealand and overseas locations. The school benefits from modern facilities and spacious grounds to provide, amongst other learning opportunities, an equestrian academy, a primary-industry trades academy, and opportunities in the media and a wide range of sports activities.

Sport

The college has produced seven All Blacks and one Silver Fern. Students participate in many sports including: hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, netball, swimming, rowing, cricket, tennis, squash, badminton, skiing, snowboarding, multi-sport, athletics, tramping and kayaking. Swimming, athletic and cross-country sports are particularly emphasised and all students participate."St Kevin's College Sport"
(Retrieved 1 September 2014) The college has its own golf course, swimming pool, turf and gymnasium. St Kevins strongly participates in Rugby competitions. There is an annual game with

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

(located near Redcastle) for the Leo O’Malley Memorial Trophy ("the peanut"). This attracts up to 5000 spectators in anticipation of a tight match. As at 2014, Waitaki was the more frequent winner hoisting the trophy on 53 occasions to St Kevin's 21 wins with 5 draws. This rivalry is often referred to as "the blooder" by St Kevin's students, originating from St Kevin's students calling Waitaki Boys blood nuts because of the colour of their blazers. The St Kevin's blazers are blue.

Media and performance

The College emphasises public speaking, singing, drama, debating, choirs, dance, reading aloud, role plays and scripture reading. Cultural activities, such as the annual choral festival and annual production, are timetabled into the school year so that all students are involved to some degree. The College participates in the annual Bishop's Shield Competition which it has won several times. Debating is also encouraged. Many students learn music and learn to play musical instruments within the school day. The college has music ensembles and some students play in groups and orchestras outside the college. There is a Chapel Choir for College liturgical events.

Boarding hostel

In 2019 a million-dollar upgrade of the five-building hostel block was commenced with the aim of attracting more boarding student enrolments. The improvements were funded by the Christian Brothers.

Rectors

* 1927–1933: Brother B. F. Magee * 1933–1936: Brother M. M. O'Connor * 1936–1938: Brother J. B. Gettons * 1939–1945: Brother M. D. McCarthy BA * 1945–1951: Brother P. C. Ryan BA * 1951–1952: Brother J. A. Morris * 1953–1957: Brother J. I. Carroll BA, MusB * 1958–1961: Brother J. B. Duffy BA, BEd (Hons) * 1961–1967: Brother P. A. McManus BA, DipEd * 1968–1971: Brother J. M. Hessian BSc, MACE * 1972–1974: Brother P. A. Boyd * 1975–1979: Brother M. B. Scanlan BSc, DipEd * 1980–1996: Brother B. J. Lauren BA, TTC, DipEd, DipCat, DipRE * 1996–2001: Mr J. G. Boyle BA, DipTch * 2002–2010: Mr C. B. Russell BA, DipEd, DipTch * 2010–2021: Mr P. R. Olsen BSc, DipTch * 2022-present: Ms Jo Walshe BA, Dip Tch, Grad Dip (Theo), Grad Dip (RelSt)

Origins

Proposal

The establishment of a Catholic boarding school for boys in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

was first proposed 1890. However, it was not until 1925 that the preparations for the establishment began. The Bishop of Dunedin,

James Whyte James Whyte may refer to: *James Whyte (Australian politician) (1820–1882), Scottish-born Australian politician * James Whyte (bishop) (1868–1957), Roman Catholic bishop of Dunedin, 1920–1957 * James A. Whyte (1920–2005), Scottish theologian ...

, asked the Christian Brothers to set up the school. They had, from 1876, conducted the Christian Brothers School in Dunedin.''Redcastle Recollections, A Golden Jubilee Volume'', p. 2. This school had for a time taken boarders in a hostel which operated from 1919 until 1924. Various sites were inspected by the Bishop and the Provincial of the Christian Brothers, P. I. Hickey, and the property called "Redcastle" in

was chosen as the most suitable site.

Campus

The site of the college was originally developed by the McLean and Buckley families.

John McLean John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was often discussed for ...

was born on the island of

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides ** Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

, Scotland, in 1818. He (with his brothers) made his fortune in developing and exploiting High Country

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

s (particularly "Morven Hills" in the

Lindis Pass Lindis Pass (elevation 971 m) is located in the South Island of New Zealand. A carpark at the top of the pass provides access to a viewpoint and two short trails to other viewing spots. Lindis Pass lies between the towns of Cromwell (78km, 55 mi ...

) and by selling them at the right time.Robert Pinney, ''Early Northern Otago Runs'', Collins, Auckland, 1981, pp. 141–143. McLean purchased the Oamaru land in 1857 as part of much larger block for about 10/- an acre. Much of it was sold off, but he retained the area which is now the school, and he resided there from the 1860s. By 1871 he was running 10,000 sheep on the property. He was the Oamaru member for the

Otago Provincial Council The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870. Area an ...

and he was also a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

(1867–1872). He died in 1902 and the land passed to his nephew, St John McLean Buckley."Buckley, St. John Mclean", ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Otago & Southland Provincial Districts''
retrieved 2 September 2014. The original homestead was one-storied with a thatched roof. When the old house burned down, Buckley built the red brick residence with Oamaru stone facing, now known as the "Castle" and, since he was very fond of horse-racing, he built large stables (a building now named "The Stables"), St John Buckley died in 1915 and his son, also named John Buckley, sold the property to a syndicate of local people. The property was called "Redcastle". Redcastle was known for its beauty and its sporting associations (particularly those of St John McLean Buckley – He was, apart from his horse racing interests, president of cycling,

coursing Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, t ...

, gymnastic and tennis clubs). The homestead (the "castle") was (and is) a significant country house. The property comprising was purchased by the Christian Brothers at a cost of £8000 in 1925 and a further were added, at a cost of £1000, in 1928. The present campus thus has an area of 27 hectares. In May 1926, Brother Moore, who had experience in fund-raising, came to Dunedin to organise a bazaar and lottery to fund the purchase of the land and the establishment of the college. His confrere, Brother Dowd, toured the country districts to collect donations. These initiatives resulted in a fund of £7000. In 1926, the construction of the buildings began under the supervision of Brother Prunster.

Commencement

The college was named after the Irish saint,

Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...

(498–618), the founder of the monastery and school of

Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine. ...

. The blessing and opening of the college took place on Sunday, 6 February 1927. There were several Bishops present: Archbishop

Redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...

and Bishops

O'Shea O'Shea is a surname and, less often, a given name. It is an anglicized form of the Irish patronymic name Ó Séaghdha or Ó Sé, originating in the Kingdom of Corcu Duibne in County Kerry. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Alicia ...

, Whyte, Cleary,

Brodie Brodie can be a given name or a surname of Scottish origin, and a location in Moray, Scotland, its meaning is uncertain; it is not clear if Brodie, as a word, has its origins in the Gaelic or Pictish languages. In 2012 this name was the 53rd ...

and Liston. There were many priests and more than 2,500 friends and well-wishers present coming from Dunedin and nearby parts of both Otago and

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

. Classes commenced on Tuesday, 8 February 1927. There were 60 boarders and 31 day students. The Christian Brothers on the first staff were Brother Magee (the Rector) and Brothers Bowler, Brennan, Le Breton, Dowd, Ryan, Mills and Maye. The Rector of Waitaki Boys' High School, Frank Milner, was present at the opening. When Frank Milner ("a firm friend of St Kevin's") died in 1944, the St Kevin's Boys formed a guard of honour for his remains as they left the church after the funeral service.

Ethos

For its first 55 years, St Kevin's College was typical of Christian Brother boarding institutions in Australia and New Zealand. They were designed to provide a Catholic education for the sons of rural Catholic families. For the Christian Brothers they were places of particularly hard work. Individual Brothers taught throughout the day, coached sports teams after school, supervised meals and study, and were responsible for the dormitories at night. The Brothers generally had to be young men with energy.

Notable alumni

The college has produced 19 Christian Brothers and 7 Brothers belonging to other Religious Orders, 101 Priests, 1 Bishop, 1 Archbishop (who was also a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

). In sport, 2

Silver Ferns The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern (''Cyathea dealbata''), which is National symbols of New Zealand, ...

and 7

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

(including 3 captains) have been students at St Kevin's. Notable former students include: *

Maree Bowden Maree Bowden (née Grubb; born 20 November 1979 in Clyde, New Zealand) is a New Zealand international netball player. Bowden played with the Canterbury Flames in the National Bank Cup from 1999 to 2007. She continued with the Canterbury franchis ...

– a New Zealand netball international. *

Leonard Anthony Boyle Leonard Anthony Boyle (30 November 1930 – 1 June 2016) was a New Zealand bishop. He was the fifth Catholic Bishop of Dunedin from 1985 to 2005.Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

(1983–2005) * Kevin Brady

CNZM The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

(born 14 June 1947) - the 17th

Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand The Controller and Auditor-General (the Auditor-General) is an Officer of the New Zealand Parliament responsible for auditing public bodies. John Ryan began his seven-year term as Controller and Auditor-General on 2 July 2018. The Deputy Controll ...

2002 - 2009 * Dan Buckingham – Olympic Paralympian athlete * Donald John Cameron (born Dunedin 20 February 1933), journalist and sportswriter. * Thomas Desmond Coughlan – All Blacks flanker, 1958 * Peter Gresham – Member of Parliament for Waitotara (1990–1993) and

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

(1993–1996),

list MP A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than from by a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs ...

(1996–1999); Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Senior Citizens (1996–1999) *

Gavan Herlihy Gavan Herlihy (born 16 January 1947) is a New Zealand former politician. He was educated at St. Kevin's College and University of Canterbury. He was a member of Parliament for the National Party from 1996 to 2002. Before entering politics, He ...

– Member of Parliament for

(1996–2002) * James Charles Kearney – All Blacks first five-eighth, 1947–1949 * Kevin Francis Laidlaw – All Blacks centre three-quarter, 1960 * Francis Steven McAtamney – All Blacks prop, 1956 * William Alexander McCaw – All Blacks Captain 1954, Number 8 and flanker, 1951–1954 * John Robert McKinnon, Ophthalmologist; mountaineer; and the first volunteer doctor at

Kunde Hospital Kunde Hospital (sometimes Khunde Hospital, ne, कुन्दे अस्पताल) is a hospital in the town of Kunde, Nepal, that serves 8,000 people from Khumbu district. It is situated above sea level and was founded by Sir Edmund Hill ...

Denzil Meuli Pierre Denzil Meuli (22 September 1926 – 22 March 2019) was a writer, former newspaper editor, Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Auckland and a leading traditionalist Catholic in New Zealand. In 1969 Meuli was appointed editor of the new ...

(Pierre Denzil) (1926 – 2019) – priest of the Diocese of Auckland, writer, former editor of the ''

Zealandia Zealandia (pronounced ), also known as (Māori) or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago.Gurnis, M., Hall, C.E., and Lavier, L.L., ...

'' and a leading New Zealand

traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, Christian liturgy, liturgical forms, Catholic devotions, devotions, and presentations of Catholic Church, Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church befo ...

* Sione Misiloi (born 1994) - professional rugby union player for the in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

as flanker. *

Alec Neill Alexander George Neill (born 22 July 1950 in Dunedin, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the National Party on three non-consecutive occasions between 1990 and 2002 and was later a member of the ...

– Member of Parliament for Waitaki (1990–1996),

List MP A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than from by a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs ...

(1999, 2001 and 2002) * Tim O'Malley (born 1994) - professional

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 ...

player for in the

Bunnings NPC Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian household hardware chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings was founded in Perth, Wester ...

. * Matt Saunders - professional rugby union player. * Cyril Laurence (Larry) Siegert (1923 – 2007), ,

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

–

Chief of Air Force (New Zealand) Chief of Air Force (CAF) is the most senior appointment in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Defence Force. The post was originally known as the Chief of the Air Staff. Appointees The following list chronological ...

(1976 to 1979) * Kevin Lawrence Skinner – All Blacks captain 1952; prop, 1949–1956; champion heavy weight boxer * Robert Charles Stuart – All Blacks captain, Loose forward 1949–1954; rugby coach, and WW2 naval commander * Jane Watson - New Zealand netball international (2016 - ). * Gordon Whiting (1942 – 2018) – Judge * Thomas Williams (born 20 March 1930) – Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington.

Notes

References

* J.C. O'Neill, ''The History of the Work of the Christian Brothers in New Zealand'', unpublished Dip. Ed. thesis, University of Auckland, 1968. * ''Redcastle Recollections, A Golden Jubilee Volume'', St Kevin's College, Oamaru, 1977. * Robert Pinney, ''Early Northern Otago Runs'', Collins, Auckland, 1981. * Paul Malcolm Robertson, ''Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces'', an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1996. * Graeme Donaldson, ''To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876–2001'', Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001.
St Kevin's College website
(Retrieved 2 September 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Kevin's College, Oamaru Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools Congregation of Christian Brothers in New Zealand Secondary schools in Otago Dominican schools in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Oamaru Educational institutions established in 1927 Boarding schools in New Zealand Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand 1927 establishments in New Zealand