St Edmund's College, Canberra is an independent Catholic primary and secondary school for boys, in Griffith, a suburb of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia.
The college was established in 1954 by the Christian Brothers as St Edmund's War Memorial College. It was opened to meet the demand for a Catholic education school in the region and was the first Catholic secondary boys' college established in the Australian Capital Territory. St Edmund's College practises in the tradition of Edmund Ignatius Rice. The principal of the college is John Couani (interim).
Students are placed into houses for sporting and other events. The current houses and colours are: Clancy (yellow), Treacy (dark blue), O'Brien (white), Haydon (red), Mulrooney (sky blue) and Rice (green).
History
St Edmund's War Memorial College opened in 1954[1] as a Christian Brothers school in response to the needs of Catholic parents of the region. St Edmund's was the first Catholic secondary boys' college established in Canberra.
Headmasters / principals
Headteachers include Brother N. T. Landener, in post 1960–65.[2]
Rugby union
The college has won the Waratah Shield more than any other school (14 times) and was the defending champion in 2005, when schools from the ACT were no longer invited/permitted to participate by the organisers, the New South Wales Rugby Union.[3]
Ancillary bodies
The St Edmund's College Foundation aims to give financial assistance to disadvantaged families for children's education.[4]
The St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association was established in 2015.[5]
Notable alumni
Arts
Business
- John A. Bryant – president and CEO of Kellogg's and director of Macy's, Inc[8]
Military and police
Politics, public service, and law
- Terence Higgins AO – former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (2003–2013)
Religion
Sport
- Finlay Bealham – Irish rugby union player for Ireland national rugby union team and Connacht Rugby[10]
- Anthony Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
- Saia Fainga'a – rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
- Matt Giteau – former rugby union footballer for the Wallabies and the Brumbies
- Jordan Jackson-Hope – Australian rugby union player
- Alex Jesaulenko – Australian rules football player[11]
- Stephen Simmonds – Paralympic swimming medallist and disabled waterski world champion
- Ricky Stuart – former dual-code rugby player, rugby league coach[12]
References
- 1.Power, Patrick (2012). "A Centenary of Canberra's Catholics". Catholic Voice. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- 2."Obituary: Brother Landener". Canberra Times. 21 September 1982. p. 6. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via Trove.
- 3.Sheehan, Paul (23 May 2005). "Boys' lesson in defeat, if not class". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- 4."Foundation". St Edmunds College Canberra. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- 5."About St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association". St Edmund's College Old Boys and Friends Association. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- 6.Queanbeyan's own Tommy Murphy sees his drama series Significant Others start this weekend on ABC TV Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- 7.http://stedmunds.realviewtechnologies.com/?iid=26347&startpage=page0000007 "Retrieved: June 2009"
- 8.Doherty, Megan (15 March 2012). "Meet the ex-Canberra boy putting the snap, crackle and pop into a $13b cereal empire". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 9."Bishop Power: Biographical Information". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra–Goulburn. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 10.Small, Daragh (6 February 2015). "'Giving up rugby league was a gamble but it paid off'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- 11.Vortex Newsletter 14 May 2008 (retrieved 7 August 2008)
- 12."Ricky Stuart – Dally M Coach of the Year". 29 September 2016.