St John's College, Woodlawn, was founded from
St. Patrick's College, Wellington, New Zealand in 1931. The Marists who began the school themselves originated in
France in the early 19th century. St John's College was formally opened in 1931 as a Boarding and Day school on land which was donated by Margaret Buckley. The first rector of the school was Thomas Segrief S.M, Followed by Frs James Bell, John Kennedy, John Webber, Steven Maloney, Sid Mitchell, John Webber, Garry Reynolds, Lou Molloy, John Worthington, William Ryder, Ray Chapman – all priests of the Society of Mary and the current principal is Aaron Beach. The college was described in the
Northern Star on 25 May 1931: For many years, St John was primarily a boarding school for boys. While most students came from country NSW, during the 1960s and 1970s, a substantial number of students came from
Sabah,
Malaysia. St John's Woodlawn College has a shameful history when it comes to child abuse. There have been allegations of abuse against several former teachers, and at least two have been criminally convicted for sexually abusing students at the Catholic boarding school. The two most notorious offenders were James (Jim) Doran and Richard O’Connor, who were both found guilty of over 40 charges of sexually abusing students at Woodlawn. Their victims were all teenage boys, as the College did not become co-ed until 1998. James Doran Doran was a boarding master and English teacher at Woodlawn in the 1980s. In 2017, he was found guilty of 41 charges relating to sexual offences committed against former Woodlawn students during his time at the College. The charges included engaging in intercourse without consent and soliciting persons to commit indecent acts. Despite his refusal to plead guilty, he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in jail. Richard O’Connor During the 1980s, Richard O’Connor was the discipline master at Woodlawn and also taught both art and English. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to 40 charges relating to sexual offences committed during his time at Woodlawn, including charges of rape and the sexual assault of students.
The 75th anniversary St John's College Woodlawn celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2006. The college held many events throughout the year to celebrate, ranging from the first "Woodlawn Race Day", to "St John's Youth Day" and formal ceremonies. The opening of the renovated chapel was a central part of the ceremonies, with hundreds of alumni returning to be a part of the celebrations. After the Woodlawn Race Day (also known as the Woodlawn Cup), the college executive in association with the Parents and Friends executive decided to hold the day annually. == Houses==