St Laurence's College


St Laurence's College is an independent Catholic primary and secondary school for boys, located in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1915. the school is a member of Edmund Rice Education Australia. As of 2021, the college had an enrolment of over 1913 students from Year 5 to Year 12. St Laurence's is affiliated with the Associated Independent Colleges sporting association.
Some of the college's historic buildings are listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.
WWW slc.qld.edu.au𝕏 st_laurencesFB StLaurencesCollege

History

The college was officially opened and blessed on 11 July 1915 by the Archbishop of Brisbane James Duhig. The school has been operated by the Christian Brothers since its inception. On the first day there were 270 students and a staff of five teachers. The monastery for the Brothers was built in 1917.
Since 1961, the school has also operated sporting fields in the southern Brisbane suburb of Runcorn, which contains eight playing fields and a function centre. In 1977 the school established an outdoor educational facility, Camp Laurence, at Lake Moogerah, to the west of Brisbane.
In 1994 a College Board was established as an advisory group for the principal. In 1996 the first lay principal, Mr D Frederiksen, was appointed with the Christian Brothers retaining ownership and control of the College. The last of the brothers left the monastery in 2009, and the building was converted in 2010 into the school's administration building.
In 2010, as part of an agreement with the adjacent Mater Hospital Brisbane, the school's land was leased for 25 years to build a six-storey car park, which now houses the college's synthetic oval on top along with a 1500 seat auditorium.

Sport

St Laurence's College is a member of the Associated Independent Colleges.

Notable alumni

Alumni of St Laurence's College are known as "Old Boys" and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the St Laurence's College Old Boys Association. Notable alumni include:

Business

Entertainment, arts and the media

  • Tim Allen-Ankinsassociate principal french horn of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
  • Jon Copleymusician, music manager and tour manager
  • Matthew Copleymusician, music producer, and vice president of ATLED Records
  • Murray Foyactor and theatre director
  • Gerard LeeAustralian novelist, screenwriter and director
  • Matthew Newsomemedia composer, orchestrator and conductor
  • Daniel O'Brienfilm and television composer and studio manager for Joff Bush
  • Kerry O'Brientelevision news journalist and presenter
  • Samuel Piperbaritone soloist and chorister in opera, oratorio, song, and chamber music
  • Conrad SewellAustralian singer-songwriter
  • Ross Symondsformer news presenter for Seven Network in Sydney
  • Dominic Woodheadmusical director, conductor and composer

Politics, law and public service

Sports

Controversies

July 2008 attack on students

On 28 July 2008, a group of youths armed with a meat cleaver and a steel bar stormed St Laurence's School campus in South Brisbane and attacked two 15-year-old boys. One student was slashed across the face and had to undergo surgery. Another suffered deep cuts to his lower back. Seven individuals, aged between thirteen and eighteen, were charged over the attacks.

Sexual assault

The college has a history of sexual assaults. At a candlelight mass in 2015 hosted by Ian McDonald, St Laurence's previous principal, he apologised for the sexual assaults, saying that they "must never happen again". In April 1984, former Christian Brother Brian Dennis Cairns was charged with sexual assault offences against twelve male pupils, aged from ten to twelve years, a number of which attended St Laurence's. Cairns was jailed in 1985 and again in 2014 after more victims came forward.