The Presbyterian Ladies' College (informally known as PLC), is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

day A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

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. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

predominantly for girls, situated in Peppermint Grove, a western suburb of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia. Established in 1915 by the

Presbyterian Church of Australia The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA), founded in 1901, is the largest Presbyterian and Reformed denomination in Australia. The PCA is the largest conservative, evangelical and complementarian Christian denomination in Australia. The Presby ...

, PLC came under the control of the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

in 1977 following

church union Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian denominations. Such unions may take on many forms, including a united church and a federation. United churches A united church is the result of a merger of churches of vari ...

. The college moved to the current property in 1917. PLC's grounds consist of a

junior school A junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at an infant school, which covers the age range 5–7. Since both infant and junior schools provide pri ...

for years Pre-Kindy to Year 6, a

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

for Years 7 to 9, a senior school for Years 10 to 12, sporting grounds, arts centres and boarding facilities. The school currently caters for approximately 1200 students, with boys and girls enrolled from pre-

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to pre-primary and girls only from Year 1 to Year 12. PLC also provides accommodation for up to 150 boarders in Years 7 to 12. The college has been an IB World School since December 2006, and is authorised to offer the

IB Primary Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is an educational programme managed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) for students aged 3 to 12. While the programme prepares students for the IB Middle Years Programme, it is ...

and IB Middle Years Programme and the

IB Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry int ...

. PLC is also registered to offer the Western Australian state curriculum to Years 11 and 12. PLC is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, the

Junior School Heads Association of Australia The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia. Officially established in Septem ...

, the Australian Boarding Schools' Association, and the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australia.

History

On 19 August 1915, George Nisbet Dods, Moderator of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church in Western Australia, called together a group of ministers and church elders to discuss the proposal of establishing a Presbyterian college for girls, since the Church had already established the Scotch College, Perth for boys. Present at this meeting were Rev Dods, Rev Alexander Crow, Principal Oxer, Rev Daniel Ross, Peter Corsair Anderson (principal of Scotch College, Perth), John Maxwell Ferguson, Donald John Carmichael, Inspector of Schools James Klein and Alexander David Ross. Ormiston College had been established in 1907 by Constance Wilson and her two sisters in Palmerston Street, North Perth. The newly formed committee agreed to purchase Ormiston College, and the school was named Presbyterian Ladies' College and Kindergarten (Ormiston House). Wilson was taken up on her offer to continue acting as principal until a permanent one was appointed. The successful applicant was Agnes Scorgie, a certified teacher from

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

. She had also studied modern language at three European universities, and had taught for twelve years at Glasgow High School. Scorgie arrived in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

on 24 February 1916 and took up her duties immediately. In January 1917, the school's committee was constituted as the first College Council. After considering several permanent locations for the school, it eventually settled on the purchase of William Gerald Lefroy's property on the corner of View and McNeil Streets, Peppermint Grove. After modifications and additions to the property, all boarders were transferred from North Perth, and the first classes began on the new campus in July. The school was officially opened by the

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...

William Ellison-Macartney Sir William Grey Ellison-Macartney, (7 June 1852 – 4 December 1924) was an Irish-born British politician, who also served as the Governors of the Australian states, Governor of the Australian states of Governor of Tasmania, Tasmania and Gove ...

, on 11 August 1917. The North Perth campus remained operating as a day school until the end of 1918.

Academic performance

The school has traditionally performed well in the

Western Australian Certificate of Education The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the credential awarded to students who have completed senior secondary education (Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12) in the state of Western Australia. It is the Western Australian graduation ...

examinations and appear regularly among the top 10 schools in the state.

House system

As with most Australian schools, PLC utilises a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. The school is divided into units called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

through which students participate in Inter-House activities and

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

s. The House system was introduced in 1934 by Vera Summers OBE, in her first year as principal, with three houses: Carmichael, Stewart and Ferguson. The colours chosen were those of the new uniform; navy, green and white. McNeil was added in 1943 and further expanded in 1977 with the addition of Summers and Baird. Celebrating the centenary of the school in 2015 a seventh House, Ross, was created. The House was named after Professor Alexander David Ross. ;Carmichael: Colour: blue. Named for founder, past treasurer and past chair of council Donald John Carmichael. Emblem: Scottish thistle ;Stewart: Colour: green. Named for benefactor and council member John Stewart. Emblem: royal acorn ;Ferguson: Colour: red (changed from white in 1957). Named for founder John Maxwell Ferguson. Emblem: sunflower ;McNeil: Colour: yellow. Named for early local resident, PLC council member and benefactor Neil McNeil. Emblem: dryas ;Summers: Colour: initially white but changed to purple in 1999. Named for Vera Summers, who was on teaching staff from 1920 and principal from 1934 to 1961. Emblem: white heather ;Baird: Colour: orange. Named for the Baird family from which two past chairs of council, one teacher and many students came. Emblem: white cotton grass ;Ross: Colour: black. Named for Alexander David Ross, who was one of PLC's founders and served on the school council for 41 years. Emblem: chrysanthemum

Co-curriculum

Music PLC offers music ensembles to both junior and senior students, including a stage band, three concert bands, three string orchestras, several string quartets, a combined chorale with Trinity College, a combined string chamber orchestra with Scotch College as well as a combined symphonic wind ensemble and vocal ensemble with PLC's brother school, Scotch College. The school also features an all female

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...

, one of only a small number throughout Australia. The pipe band is a long-standing tradition of the school and reflects PLC's Scottish heritage. Visual art At PLC there is an annual visual art exhibition exhibiting works of current students done during the school year ranging from sculpture to textiles and painting. Works from PLC have been selected over the years and in 2012 to be shown in the annual "Year 12 Visual Art Perspectives" at the

Art Gallery of Western Australia The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

. Performing arts PLC also offers performing arts subjects, such as

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. Dance and drama performances are shown annually at the school, as well as year based curriculum performances. The school's Hazel Day Drama Centre is a professional-standard theatre venue. Sport The Presbyterian Ladies' College

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

programme provides students of all abilities with opportunities to partake in recreational activities such as

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

and

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, Muscle, muscular strength, and ...

, and

team sport A team sport is a type of sport where the fundamental nature of the game or sport requires the participation of multiple individuals working together as a team, and it is inherently impossible or highly impractical to execute the sport as a s ...

s such as

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

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 (appro ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

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 ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

, and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

. Inter-school competition is enabled through PLC's membership of the

for primary students, and the Independent Girls Schools Sports Association for middle and senior students.

Notable alumnae

Alumnae Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

of the Presbyterian Ladies' College are known as Old Collegians, and may elect to join the schools

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

, the PLC Old Collegians' Association. Some notable Old Collegians include: Academic *

Gillian Moore Gillian Margaret Moore is a retired Australian school principal. Biography Moore began her career in Perth, Western Australia. Her first teaching position was at Tuart Hill, where she taught in a high school from 1967 to 1971. She then took up ...

– Principal of

Pymble Ladies' College Pymble Ladies' College is an Independent school, independent, non-selective, day school, day and boarding school for girls, located in Pymble, New South Wales, Pymble, a suburb on the North Shore (Sydney), Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South ...

(1989–2007); deputy principal of

Methodist Ladies' College, Perth Methodist Ladies' College, Perth (MLC Perth), is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for girls, in Claremont, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Founded by the Methodist Church of Australia in 1907, MLC is ...

(1983–88) Entertainment, media and the arts * Claire van der Boom – Actress * Estelle Blackburn – Journalist and author * Katharine Brisbane – Theatre critic; publisher; co-founder of Currency Press Pty Ltd * Jill Alison Crommelin – Journalist for ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known simply as ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Are Media in Sydney and founded in 1933. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before bein ...

'', ''

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...

'' (Singapore) and the '' Sunday Independent'' (also attended St Mary's Anglican Girls' School) * Diane Dunbar –

Curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

at the

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery (QVMAG) is a museum located in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest museum in Australia not located in a capital city. History The foundation stone for the original building to house the ...

, Launceston * Dame Alexandra Hasluck née Darker – Author and social historian * Melissa Hasluck – Film producer * Jacinta John – Actor, director, producer * Mary-Ellen Murdoch King – Director of Orchestra Victoria; director of the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

* Sara Macliver – Classical soprano *

Judy Nunn Judith Anne Nunn ( AM) (born 13 April 1945), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian former actress, and author of both adult and children's fiction titles. She has collaborated with writers Patricia Bernard ...

– Author and actress * Paula Voce –

Seven News Perth Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

presenter * Sue-Anne Wallace – Chief executive officer, Fundraising Institute Australia Ltd; Director of Techplas Pty Ltd, founding director

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

Cultural Precinct, former director of Education and Curatorial Programs Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney * Tahnee Atkinson – Australia's Next Top Model season 5 winner, graduated 2010 * Courtney Chircop – Finalist in '' Make Me a Supermodel'', graduated 2008 * Olivia DeJonge – Actress, graduated 2015 * Poppy Lissiman - Designer, graduated 2005 Law *

Michelle Gordon Michelle Marjorie Gordon (born 19 November 1964) is a Justice of the High Court of Australia. She was appointed to the High Court in June 2015. Prior to her appointment, she was a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, to which she was appoi ...

– Justice of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

(also attended St Mary's Anglican Girls' School) * Marie Byles – First female solicitor in New South Wales and conservation lawyer, graduated 1916 Medicine and science * Megan Clark – Chief executive of the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

(CSIRO), inaugural head of

Australian Space Agency The Australian Space Agency is an agency of the Australian Government responsible for the development of Australia's commercial aerospace industry, coordinating domestic space activities, identifying opportunities and facilitating internatio ...

, Rio Tinto board director * Margaret Mary Henderson – Consultant

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and consultant

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

(also attended

Melbourne Girls Grammar Melbourne Girls Grammar School (commonly called MGGS and formally known as MCEGGSFalk, B. (2012Australian Dictionary of Biography: Dorothy Jean Ross. M.U.P. Retrieved 7 August 2018), is an Independent school, independent, Anglican, Day school, day ...

) * Joan Tully – Agricultural scientist (CSIRO, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland) Sport * Hannah Vermeersch – Olympic rower ( Australian women's eight, London 2012) * Nina Kennedy – Bronze medallist pole-vaulter in Commonwealth Games 2018 * Jacqueline Swick – Australian representative rower 2022 World Rowing Championships

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control Girls' schools in Western Australia Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools in Western Australia Presbyterian schools in Australia Uniting Church schools in Australia Boarding schools in Western Australia Private secondary schools in Perth, Western Australia International Baccalaureate schools in Australia Educational institutions established in 1915 Private primary schools in Perth, Western Australia 1915 establishments in Australia Peppermint Grove, Western Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia