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Wesley College, Perth

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Wesley College is one of Western Australia's most prestigious boys' schools and is a College of the Uniting Church in Australia. It is located in South Perth near the Swan River.

Established in 1923 by the Methodist Church, Wesley is a private school teaching Kindergarten to Year 12. Wesley's facilities are of a high standard and comparable to those of other elite Australian schools.

Wesley has been a member of Western Australia's elite boys school association, the Public Schools Association (PSA) since 1952. In recent years, Wesley has become best known for its talented atheletes, some of whom have gone on to high-paying careers in football, cricket, athletics and rowing.

Wesley College has a somewhat unusual, three-tiered school structure, it being:

  • The Junior School (referred to as Manning House), a co-educational junior school for boys and girls from Kindergarten to Year 4.
  • The Middle School, for boys from Years 5 to 8.
  • The Senior School, for boys from Years 9 to 12.

Wesley has some of the highest per-year fees of any private school in Western Australia, which as of 2006 were approximately $13000 for a year 12.

History of Wesley College

File:About intro.jpg
Panoramic view of the college from Ward Oval

The foundation stone for the Wesley Boys’ College was laid by the Premier of Western Australia, Sir James Mitchell, on November 11, 1922. This stone is still visible at the south-west corner of the original building, now known as the JF Ward Wing in honour of the school’s first headmaster.

The College began operation in February the following year, with an initial enrolment of 39 boys, and grew steadily in both size and reputation. This evolution can be traced through the campus architecture which was first extended in 1925 with the construction of a general classroom block, now the site of the RE Kefford Wing. A second storey was added to the original builidng in 1926, along with various verandahs and a weatherboard library, which have since been demolished.

In 1930, Mr JF Ward was succeeded as Headmaster by JL Rossiter. Under Dr Rossiter’s guidance, Wesley consolidated its academic reputation and continued its expansion program. A number of new buildings were constructed in the 1930s, including the Headmaster’s Residence (now JS Maloney House), a dining hall (now the staff common room), extra classrooms and a gymnasium (now the Hamer Wing). The College also joined the Public Schools’ Association in 1952.

Dr Rossiter's eldest son, Roger J Rossiter, was a formidable role model for other College students. He won Wesley’s first University Exhibition, in 1931, and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1935. The College’s first university graduate was JH Wheatley.

Dr Rossiter was succeeded as headmaster, in 1953, by Mr Norman Roy Collins. During Mr Collins' 11 years' tenure, construction of the Lych Gate, Memorial Chapel (1960-61), the boat shed, the science block (1956, 1959), additional classrooms (1955, 1963) and the swimming pool (1963) were completed.

A new Headmaster, Mr Clive Hamer, was appointed in 1965 and served Wesley with distinction until 1983. During this period, Wesley took a lead role in the introduction of the Achievement Certificate in Western Australia (1969-71), celebrated some great academic successes, and built the boarding houses of Cygnet and Tranby (1968-70), the HR Trenaman Library (1971), classrooms and balconies around the Jenkins Quadrangle (1972), the Collins Oval (1970) and the Joseph Green Centre (1973-78).

In 1977, Wesley came under the auspices of the Uniting Church which resulted from a joining of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. The first female students were enrolled in 1978 with the opening of a new Junior School, on land acquired north of Swan Street.

Mr Roderic Kefford served as the fifth Headmaster from 1984 to 1996 and continued the extensive curriculum changes associated with a broadening of upper secondary programs beyond university entry and the establishment of Wesley’s own lower secondary structure. The RE Blanckensee Physical Education Centre was opened in 1987 and the original gymnasium was renovated to become the Hamer Wing classrooms. An overhaul of the house system, in 1990, saw Cygnet and Tranby become distinct houses and the new houses of Grove and Jenkins being added to the existing houses of Dickson (1968) and Hardey, Mofflin and Walton (1924). The Preparatory School was also extended towards Mill Point Road in 1994.

An ambitious site development plan was initiated by Mr John Bednall who was Headmaster from October 1996 to July 2002. To date, this has resulted in the refurbishment of the Kefford Wing, the Ward Wing and the Science block, the opening of the Junior School (Manning House) (1999), and of the Middle School (2000).

In August 2003, Mr David Gee was appointed Wesley’s seventh Headmaster. A new building for Visual Arts and Design and Technology is complete and will be followed by refurbishment of the Joseph Green building.

Building Program

Wesley's Master Plan for 2005 - 2015 aims to ensure that the Wesley campus remains at the forefront of Western Australian schools. The main projects include: Refurbishment of the Joseph Green Centre, extension of chapel, Business & Enterprise Centre and various campus upgrades. The last building project the School embarked on was the state-of-the-art Design Technology & Visual Arts Centre which will house the new Business & Enterprise Centre in its undercroft level.

The Joseph Green Centre Refurbishment will revitalise the School Centre as the main Performing Arts Venue. It will house a new Student Cafe, auditorium, high-quality gallery & lobby and flexible music & drama areas. There are also plans to include a Function Centre on its top floor that will capture the stunning views of the Swan River and the City. Construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2006.

Wesley's Swimming Success

In 2006 Wesley claimed its third successive Public Schools Association Inter School Swimming Carnival after winning in 2004, 2005 and coming runner up in 2003. This is after the previous headmaster, John Bednall was quoted as saying that Wesley will never win the Inters Swimming again. It is the result of years of hard work and training under head coach Nick Watkins which has enabled the Wesley Swimming Team to be so successful.

Klem Cup

The Klem Cup is awarded to the winning house each year, it was donated to the school by its first boy ever enrolled (C H Klem). The houses compete in a number of activities in order to gain points, these include: swimming, athletics, cross country, basketball, badminton, soccer, football, debating and tug-of-war. The houses that compete are: Hardey (black), Mofflin (yellow), Walton (green), Dickson (red), Grove (yellow and green), Jenkins (black and white) and the two boarding houses: Cygnet (black and yellow) and Tranby (black and green).

The John Bednall Scandal

During 2002, then headmaster John Bednall resigned amid allegations of having viewed internet child pornography, causing enormous embarrassment for the college. Mr Bednall was charged in 2003 with one count of having accessed objectionable material under the Censorship act. The case was later dismissed, and Mr Bednall sued Wesley, claiming "it had irreparably damaged his national and international reputation as an educator of boys".

Sporting Alumni

Wesley has an extensive and impressive list of elite athletes who have gone on to represent their state, country and high profile sporting clubs. The RE Blanckensee Physical Education Centre contains a "Hall-of Fame" showcasing over 160 of Wesley's finest sporting old boys. These include:

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