Guiding future leaders
NUDGEE COLLEGE: St Joseph’s Nudgee College has a rich history dating back 125 years, with a grand reputation built by successive generations of students, staff, parents and community members.
Located only 16 kilometres from Brisbane, the college campus sits on 136 hectares of sprawling bushland and ovals.
In the 1880s, the founder of the college, Ambrose Treacy, recognised the need for a Catholic boarding school servicing rural Queensland, as boys from the region were sent to boarding schools located far away in New South Wales. To achieve his vision, Treacy raised money for the college and gathered boarding enrolments while travelling on horseback around regional Queensland.
“We say that Nudgee College was originally built by funds from the bush, for boys of the bush,” principal Peter Fullagar said.
Since those humble beginnings, the college has continued to grow from strength to strength throughout the years.
Today, Nudgee College has 1300 day-school enrolments and 280 boarders.
At Nudgee College, students are taught, cared for and challenged by teachers who want the best for each student.
A focus on the holistic education, personal development and well-being of each student remains important for the college.
Mr Fullagar said the school offered some of the best facilities in the country.
“Nudgee College has everything available to students on ‘one footprint’– modern, technologically advanced classrooms, an exceptional agricultural centre (that includes cattle yards), state-of-the-art science labs and a trade centre designed for vocational education learning areas,” he said.
“In any one day, boys can move from one of our many Google classrooms to the agricultural centre to tend to the on-site cattle, take a PE class on our Olympic-grade athletics track, or perform on stage in our purpose-built 400-seat auditorium.”
The most outstanding facility the college has to offer, however – and one of its proudest achievements – is the newly redeveloped boarding village that was completed in 2015.
“The boarding community has been at the heart of the college since its founding, and is a valued and thriving facet of Nudgee College, with plenty of fantastic opportunities to further all aspects of a student’s development,” Mr Fullagar said.
The Bathersby Boarding Village has spacious individual rooms, shared common areas for study and recreation and a large communal courtyard with eco-friendly design.
It also offers a health centre staffed with skilled nurses, doctors and physiotherapists who are available 24/7 and a kitchen staffed with chefs who prepare nutritious, well-balanced meals.
Boarders include students from all over Australia, the South Pacific and beyond.
“Our focus in Nudgee College boarding is to help boys find and develop their strengths,” Mr Fullagar said.
“We do this by creating a safe, supportive environment where boys have multiple resources and opportunities to cater for their interests.
“Ultimately, at the end of their Nudgee College journey, we hope that we have moulded an independent, empathetic, culturally aware young man who is able to fulfil his potential.”