Marist College Kogarah is an independent Roman Catholic single sex secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a suburb located in the St George region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The college was founded in 1909, and has a tradition based on the teachings of the French educator Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers. The school offers education to approximately 1,200 students from Year 7 to Year 12.
History
Marist College Kogarah was established in 1908 as the Kogarah Boys' School, a primary school for boys. The Marist Brothers agreed to establish the school after requests by John O'Driscoll, parish priest of the new parish of Kogarah. During 1908 a hundred pupils were enrolled, it then being the only Catholic boys school in New South Wales south west of Newtown. As demand for secondary education grew in the region, junior secondary classes were added to the school in the late 1920s. By 1938, it was a full secondary school, presenting pupils for the Leaving Certificate. By the 1940s, it was the largest Catholic school in Australia. In the 1960s, the school became part of the new Archdiocesan system of schools and this had important consequences for Kogarah. Parish schools were preferred for primary education and so in 1982 primary classes ended at Marist Brothers Kogarah. From 1984, senior girls were enrolled in Years 11 and 12. This was, however, short-lived, due to the establishment of Bethany College in 1993.
School crest and motto
Over the years the school has had three crest designs. They all have in common a red cross dividing a shield into four fields. Above the shield is the school motto Finis Coronat Opus, meaning "The End Crowns the Work"; below is the school name. The redesigns were required after the school's name was altered. The crest's symbols were also rearranged after the first redesign. The fields contain the following symbols:
- The Marist symbol
- The Southern Cross, the symbol of Australia
- The Waratah, the symbol of New South Wales
- An open book to symbolise learning
House system
The present school house system has been operating since 2000. As each new student begins at the school, he is allocated to a house and its colour. The school has four houses that have been named after people that have made a lasting impact on the school. Students are involved in House Competitions which include Sporting, Cultural and Academic events. The four houses are:
- Cooper: Named after Alfred Cooper, a benefactor of the school.
- Gonzaga: Named after the first principal of the school, Brother Gonzaga Brown.
- Gilroy: Named after Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney, who was enrolled in the school on the first day of lessons in 1909.
- Lindwall: Named after Ray Lindwall, a first-grade St George rugby league footballer and cricketer who represented for Australia at Test level.
Principals
The following individuals have served as principal of Marist College Kogarah:
| Ordinal | Principal | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Br. Gonzaga Brown | 1909 | 1914 | 4–5 years | [1] |
| 2 | Br. Athanaius Raess | 1915 | 1918 | 2–3 years | |
| 3 | Br. Ildephonsus Bassett | 1919 | 1921 | 1–2 years | |
| 4 | Br. Hubert Prowse | 1922 | 1927 | 4–5 years | |
| 5 | Br. Stanislaus Dillon | 1928 | 1933 | 4–5 years | |
| 6 | Br. Cyrill Ryan | 1934 | 1934 | 0 years | |
| 7 | Br. Aidan O'Keefe | 1935 | 1937 | 1–2 years | |
| 8 | Br. Ethelred Ferguson | 1938 | 1940 | 1–2 years | |
| 9 | Br. Placidus Redden | 1941 | 1945 | 3–4 years | |
| 10 | Br. Maurus Bartlett | 1946 | 1951 | 4–5 years | |
| 11 | Br. Othmar Weldon | 1952 | 1954 | 1–2 years | |
| 12 | Br. Michael Naughtin | 1955 | 1956 | 0–1 years | |
| 13 | Br. Laurence McKeon | 1957 | 1962 | 4–5 years | |
| 14 | Br. Frederick McMahon | 1963 | 1968 | 4–5 years | |
| 15 | Br. Baptist Gillogly | 1969 | 1974 | 4–5 years | |
| 16 | Br. Osmund | 1974 | 1975 | 0–1 years | |
| 17 | Br. Geoffrey Joy | 1976 | 1976 | 0 years | |
| 18 | Br. Christopher Wade | 1977 | 1980 | 2–3 years | |
| 19 | Br. John O'Brien | 1981 | 1986 | 4–5 years | |
| 20 | Br. Patrick Foley | 1987 | 1992 | 4–5 years | |
| 21 | Peter McNamara | 1992 | 1996 | 3–4 years | |
| 22 | Brian Roberts | 1996 | 2000 | 3–4 years | |
| 23 | Patrick O'Connor | 2001 | 2007 | 5–6 years | |
| 24 | Damian Millar | 2007 | 2008 | 0–1 years | |
| 25 | John Riordan | 2009 | 2020 | 16–17 years | |
| 26 | Simon Ghantous | 2021 | 2024 | 5–6 years | |
| 27 | David Forrester | 2025 |
Notable alumni
Academic
- Glyn Davis AC – vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne[2]
Clergy
- Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy – first Australian cardinal; Australian of the Year 1971[2]
- Bishop Edward Kelly – former bishop of Toowoomba[2]
- Monsignor John Slowey – director of the Sydney Catholic Education Office; co-founder of the Australian Catholic University[2]
Entertainment, media and the arts
- Warren Fahey AM – Australian folklorist, founder of Folkways Music and Larrikin Records, former deputy managing director of Festival Mushroom Group
- John Hargreaves – actor; only actor to receive the Byron Kennedy Award[2]
- Chris Holland – former 2007 college co-vice captain, member of Australian band Operator Please
- Paul Mac (Paul McDermott) – DJ and musician
- Paul Merciadez – member of Justice Dance Crew who won Australia's Got Talent in 2010
- Geoff Plummer (1954–2006) – founding member and original drummer for 50s revival band Ol' 55
- Dom Turner – blues guitarist and founder of The Backsliders
Politics, economics, public service and the law
- John Ajaka – politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
- Kevin Greene – former politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly[2]
- Chris Minns – 47th premier of New South Wales and Leader of Labor Party in NSW[3]
- Graham Richardson – former Senator for New South Wales and cabinet minister[4]
Sport
- Paul Alamoti – current rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers
- Peter Armstrong – rugby league footballer; St. George Dragons hooker (1957–1964)
- Jim Bailey – athlete; Olympian (Melbourne 1956)[2]
- Michael Beattie – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons; captain
- George Carstairs – rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons (1921–1929) and Australian representative (1921–1922)
- Matt Dufty – current rugby league footballer for Warrington Wolves
- Frank Farrell – former rugby league footballer who played for Newtown Jets, NSW and Australia
- Keith Galloway – rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers and the Cronulla Sharks,[2] played for Australia
- Michael Korkidas – former rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL, and various clubs in the Super League
- Ray Lindwall – cricket player; considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time[2]
- Daryl Millard – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs
- George Ndaira – former rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights, St. George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs
- Kerry O'Keeffe – Australian cricketer and commentator[2]
- Josh Reynolds – former rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers (formerly Canterbury Bulldogs)
- Warren Saunders – former NSW and St George cricket captain
- Jason Stevens – former rugby league footballer for the Cronulla Sharks, Australian Kangaroos and NSW Blues[2]
- Robert Stone – former rugby league footballer for the St. George Dragons and NSW Blues[2]
- Robert Windle – Olympic gold medallist in the 1500 m freestyle (Tokyo 1964) – swimming[2]
References
- 1.Centenary Publication
- 2.[2.2][2.3][2.4][2.5][2.6][2.7][2.8][2.9][2.10][2.11][2.12][2.13]Marist College Kogarah- Famous Ex-students Archived 8 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine (14 June 2007)
- 3."Chris Minns 'did not expect' to be NSW Opposition Leader today as Michael Daley pulls out". ABC News. 4 June 2021.
- 4.Wilcox, Craig (2017). "Richardson, Graham Frederick (1949–2025)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 9 November 2025.