St Kevin's College, Oamaru

Proposal The establishment of a Catholic boarding school for boys in Otago was first proposed in 1890. However, it was not until 1925 that the preparations for the establishment began. The Bishop of Dunedin, James Whyte, asked the Christian Brothers to set up the school. They had, from 1876, conducted the Christian Brothers School in Dunedin. 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 Oamaru was chosen as the most suitable site. 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 He died in 1902 and the land passed to his nephew, St. John McLean Buckley. 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 (now a school building 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. Designed by Dunedin architect John Burnside, the property was called "Redcastle" and is heritage listed. 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, gymnastic and tennis clubs 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. 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 56 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. Juniors In 1928 the Brothers took over the running of St Patrick's Primary School for boys and two brothers commuted daily from the college.). St John's was located adjacent to the lower end of the college drive. This school too was amalgamated with St Joseph's School in 1983. In that year St Joseph's School became a full primary school and St Kevin's became a secondary school only with classes beginning with year 9 students (both boys and girls). St Joseph's School is to be rebuilt on the St Kevin's College site and thus provide a completely new school for St Joseph's (which would continue to have a separate identity) and concentrate all Oamaru Catholic education on one site while also providing a use for "The Stables". ==Overview==

Enrolment 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%. Although in recent Years it has been noted that-for the first time in the college's history there is a majority of girls attending the school. In that year, the college's maximum roll under the Education Act 1989 was 465 pupils. As a state-integrated school, St Kevin's College charges New Zealand-resident students compulsory attendance dues. For the 2025 school year, the attendance dues payable is $1,015 per year. As of , the school has roll of students, of which (%) identify as Māori. As of , the school has an Equity Index of , placing it amongst schools whose students have socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to decile 7 under the former socio-economic decile system). 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 and at St Thomas's Girls Secondary School until the merger of the two schools. St Kevin's College currently has boarding capacity for over 100 students. Students come mainly from Oamaru and the surrounding rural areas (many of them ex-pupils of St Joseph's School, Oamaru) 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-including but is not limited to Rugby, Netball, Cricket, Football and a wide array of others. Houses The houses of the college, their colours and eponyms are as follows: • Clancy - Green - Brother Ferdinand Clancy, Christian Brothers Superior General (1950–1966) • Magee - Red - Brother Felix Magee, the first Rector of the College in 1927 • Treacy - Blue - Brother Ambrose Treacy, Christian Brothers Leader and pioneer in Australia and New Zealand • Whyte - Yellow - James White, Bishop of Dunedin in 1927 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 re heavily encouraged to participate. The college has its own golf course, Indoor athletics track, shooting range, polo field, swimming pool, turf and gymnasium. St Kevins strongly participates in Rugby competitions. There is an annual game with Waitaki Boys' High School (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 St Kevin's College was established as a boys boarding school. When St Kevin's amalgamated with St Thomas's, the college took over the running of the St Thomas's boarding hostel which had been established after the closure of Teschemakers in 1979. 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 ==Dominican Sisters' Oamaru schools==

The Dominican Sisters operated primary and secondary schools in Oamaru. Many of the pupils of these schools were the sisters, brother's or other relatives of St Kevin's College boys. St Kevin's College amalgamated with St Thomas's Girls' Secondary School and so was a co-educational school when the college became a state integrated form 1-7 school in 1983. Dominican sisters joined the St Kevin's staff. St Kevin's College thus became the "Heritage school" for Catholic secondary education in North Otago. "In essence, our histories merged, the Dominican and Christian Brothers' values united, and educational opportunities were enhanced for students." In 2025 there are two Catholic schools in Oamaru, a primary school St Joseph's School, Oamaru (also a Dominican school) and St Kevin's College. St Joseph's School This is the only Catholic Primary School in Oamaru. It was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1882 as their first and continuing educational initiative in Oamaru. St Joseph's School will be shifted from its present site opposite St Patrick's Basilica to the St Kevin's College campus. St Thomas's Girls' Secondary School was accommodated in the Rosary Convent and adjacent buildings. This large building, designed by the prominent Dunedin architect, F. W. Petre was completed in 1901. Part of the convent was designed to be used as a boarding school. It was composed of Oamaru stone and with concrete foundations. The Chapel of the Sacred Heart was opened in 1920 St Thomas's Academy (1912-1962) The Dominican sisters also conducted St Thomas's Academy, a full primary (ages 5 years to 12 years) boarding school for boys. It was established in 1913. The school was accommodated in Rosary Convent. The school began with one pupil, but there were 24 pupils by the end of the second year. Numbers of pupils had declined considerably and the Dominican sisters could not provide staff for such a small group. In 1961 a primary school was set up for the Year 7 and 8 boys from St Kevin's College. This was situated on the lower part of the driveway of the college. This school closed down in 1983 when St Joseph's school became a full state integrated primary school and there were no more junior classes at St Kevin's College. ==Notable alumni==

St Kevin's College honours not only its own notable ex-students but also those now-closed Dominican Oamaru schools, St Patrick's Dominican College Teschemakers, St Thomas's Academy, and St Thomas's Girls' Secondary School. • Miles Anderson – politician; National Party Member of Parliament for Waitaki (2023–present) • Bridget Armstrong – actress (St Patrick's Dominican College, Teschemakers) • Maree Bowden – a New Zealand netball international. • Leonard Anthony Boyle (1930–2016) – fifth Bishop of Dunedin (1983–2005) • Kevin Brady CNZM (born 1947) – the 17th Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand 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 • Jacqueline Fahey – artist (St Patrick's Dominican College, Teschemakers) • James Esmond Farrell (1909 – 1968) – diplomat. (St Thomas's Academy) • Peter Gresham (1933 - 2024) – National Party Member of Parliament for Waitotara (1990–1996), List MP (1996–1999); Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Senior Citizens (1996–1999) • Gavan Herlihy – National Party Member of Parliament for Otago (1996–2002) • Sister Patricia Mary Hook (1921 – 2010) – Sister of Mercy, nurse and hospital administrator (St Thomas's Girls' Secondary School). • 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 McKinnon – ophthalmologist; mountaineer; and the first volunteer doctor at Kunde Hospital • Denzil Meuli (Pierre Denzil) (1926–2019) – priest of the Diocese of Auckland, writer, former editor of the Zealandia and a leading New Zealand traditionalist Catholic • Sione Misiloi (born 1994) – rugby union player for the in Super Rugby as flanker. • Alec Neill – National Party Member of Parliament for Waitaki (1990–1996), List MP (1999, 2001 and 2002) • Melanie Nolan (born 1960) - historian specialising in labour and gender history (St Patrick's Dominican College, Teschemakers) • Bernard O'Brien (1907 – 1982) - Jesuit priest, philosopher, musician (cellist), writer and seminary professor (St Thomas's Academy). • Tim O'Malley (born 1994) – rugby union player for in the Bunnings NPC • Bronson Ross (born 1985) - professional Rugby Player. • Craig Smith (born 1985) – first-class cricketer for Otago (2004–05 and 2015–16). • Matt Saunders – rugby union player • Cyril Laurence (Larry) Siegert (1923–2007), , Air Vice Marshal – Chief of Air Force (New Zealand) (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 • Tom Taylor (1925–1994) – sculptor, architect; Head of Sculpture at the University of Canterbury. • Owen Tracey (1915–1941) – fighter pilot and flying ace; flew in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. • Jane Watson (born 1990) – New Zealand netball international • Gordon Whiting (1942–2018) – judge • Thomas Williams (1930–2023) – cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington. 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). In sport, 2 Silver Ferns and 7 All Blacks (including 3 captains) have been students at St Kevin's. ==See also==