Docco's Diary | St Peter's College in 1966

Sixty years on, the Class of 1966 will return to St Peter’s College on Friday 6 November 2026 - an occasion that invites us to reflect on a remarkable year in the life of the School and the memories that have endured ever since.

1966 was a time of economic confidence in Australia with near-full employment (approx. 2% unemployment), robust manufacturing, and the transition to decimal currency on February 14th. It was a period of high optimism, industrial expansion, and emerging resource development. There was growing, yet still limited, female workforce participation. Manufacturing was robust (e.g., Holden production). The mining sector saw growth, with the first commercial oil production from the Moonie field, located in Queensland's Surat Basin, peaking in 1966. 1966 was also a challenging, drought-affected year for Australian agriculture, but one that was simultaneously adopting modern, high-intensity farming practices to secure its future as a major, increasingly diverse, exporting nation.

This mood of confidence and optimism flowed on to enrolments at St Peter’s College. At the beginning of the year we had 1,023 boys in the School. At the time this was the highest we had ever had. There were 196 boarders in the Senior School. We needed three boarding houses for these 196 boys: Athelney, Wyatt and Allen, and School Houses. Dayboys in the Senior School were in one of eight Houses of about 60-65 boys: Da Costa, Farrell, Hawkes, Short, MacDermott, Woodcock, Howard and Young. The strong enrolments justified the decision to create Howard and Young Houses in 1963 and these Houses were developing their own identity and making their presence felt in inter-House competition. There were 235 boys in the “Prep” and 78 in Palm House.

In 1966, The Headmaster and his family were on leave overseas for four months. During this time Mr. F.H. Schubert was Acting Headmaster, and the Acting Second Master was Mr. J.E. Smith.

At the Founders’ Day service for old scholars on Sunday 24th July 1966, Bishop T.T. Reed said in his sermon: “The men who founded the Collegiate School of St. Peter 119 years ago, had one thing in common — a lively faith. The Private Act of Parliament by which the School was incorporated on the 18th July, 1849, set forth clearly that their aim was to found what we would call a Public School today. Though the original Act was altered in 1889 and again in 1949, the purposes for which our School was founded remain unchanged. The successive members of the Council of Governors have striven to fulfil the hopes and plans of the founders. We, each year in July, give thanks to God for the foresight and the faith of those same founders of the School. It required very great faith in 1847 when the colony was little more than ten years old, to set about founding a school like ours. The generosity of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the munificence of William Allen of Buckland Park, Port Gawler, and those associated with them, has brought such benefits upon us and hundreds of others that it is not possible to record them. Their faith in the future of South Australia, their faith in the benefits to be conferred by a sound and liberal education founded on religious principles, and, above all, their faith in God, led them to act as they did. And their faith has been justified. From a dozen boys in 1847 the school has grown to a thousand; and from one class room behind Trinity Church, North Terrace, the School today stands with its magnificent buildings upon more than seventy acres of land near the heart of Adelaide. It is truly wonderful what faith can do, under the good hand of God”.

At Speech Day on Friday, 16th December, in the Memorial Hall, Bishop. T.T. Reed, presided. He welcomed the Headmaster and his family on their return from overseas leave. He expressed his pleasure in asking Sir Grenfell Price to present the prizes, for he was a distinguished Old Boy of the School; he had taught at St. Peter’s, and for many years he had been a member of the School Council.

In his Headmaster’s Report on Speech Day, Reverend J.S.C. Miller said: “In the running of the school this year we have been particularly fortunate in the quality of leadership displayed by the School Captain, Simon Lane. Not only has he most effectively shouldered the responsibility of his position, but he has brought out the very best leadership among the other prefects, so that they have worked together as a very strong and united team, and also he has handled the school extremely well, so that the general tone of straightforwardness and frankness has been most noticeable”.

In the 1966 Matriculation Public Examinations, J.N. Horne gained first place in English. This achievement won him the Tennyson Medal. G.H. Clark gained first place, and R.P. Oertel second place in Chemistry. The following boys were on the General Honours List: R.P. Oertel was sixth, P. W. Padbury fourteenth, G.H. Clark eighteenth, and J.G. Robertson nineteenth. There were forty-eight credits: eleven in English, four in German, one in Modern History, one in Economics, five in Mathematics I, seven in Mathematics II, seven in Physics, seven in Chemistry, and five in Biology.

In 1966 two new courses offered by the School - an “Upper Sixth” course and a “Form S” course - were successful. Reverend J.S.C. Miller commented on Speech Day: “One development this year which has given satisfaction to the staff concerned and which also has been most appreciated by the senior boys of the school has been our new “Upper Sixth” form course, which has been a combination of advanced work in special fields of study, together with subjects of general interest such as Music, Art and Current Affairs”. Regarding “Form S”, he said: “This group of boys at about the Intermediate level and above do not work for public examinations, but have their own subjects for study, and in particular rural science under the guidance of Mr. J.O. Ellis. During his first year here with us, he has shown what can be made of this course, mainly for boys going on the land”.

Throughout the year, activities which raised money for the Mission provided many diverting lunchtimes, as well as being financially profitable. The most popular of these was “Prefect-over-the-pool”, in which boys had the chance to douse their favourite prefects by hitting a target for a small fee! Other competitions were held in basketball, which aroused startling enthusiasm among the forms, golf driving, and a model-car racing game called Scalextric; several auctions and film lunchtimes were also arranged. These activities, together with the money received from the Preparatory School and the Popular Parade, were so successful that the quota for the Mission was raised without an involuntary donation for the first time in many years.

Gifts to the School included The Old Collegians’ Association contributing $310 (a huge sum in 1966) towards the new seats in the Nitschke Pavilion.

In 1966 a school orchestra was first established. It gave two concerts in Memorial Hall.

The school play, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, was a notable and polished performance, enjoyed by the actors and all who saw it. 

The choir again had a successful year. In addition to its part in the St. Peter’s Day services, the following anthems and carols were sung: Lord for thy Tender Mercy’s sake by Tye, Lead me Lord by Wesley, With a Voice of Singing by Shaw, Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach, and Let us now Praise Famous Men by Vaughan Williams. For the strolling carols and Christmas, two negro folk-carols, Jesus Jesus rest your Head and Rise up Shepherd and Foller and the Spanish carol A la nanita were learnt.

As part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, a four-part choir of ninety boys gave the first performance in South Australia of Peter Maxwell Davies’ cantata O Magnum Mysterium in the Elder Hall, conducted by the composer.

The Cadets had an outstanding Ceremonial Parade earlier in Advent Term: they also took part in a Cadet Centenary Parade, and camps were held at Cultana and El Alamein.

The Scouts had a successful venture on the Murray River and held a number of excellent camps in the May holidays. The Rymill Hike was once again a highlight of their year’s program.

 A school expedition was held to the Snowy Mountains and this was so successful that another one was planned for 1967.

There were again a wide range of societies and clubs that provided opportunities for boys. These included: Senior Science Society, Junior Science Society, Rural Youth Club, Field Naturalist Exploration Society, Senior Literary Society, Junior Literary Society, Debating Society, Music Society, Astronomical Society, Chess Club.

The Sir George Murray Shield for the best House in schoolwork was won by MacDermott House again, with Young second. For MacDermott this was the ninth win in nine years. They were to go on and win it eleven years in a row: 1958-1968.

Farrell House were dominant in inter-House sport. Farrell won Senior House Cricket, Tennis, Athletics and Football. Farrell also won the House Basketball.

It was another good year for school sport.

In Tennis the First VI won ten of their thirteen matches but lost a close Intercollegiate match 9-7.

The First VIII Rowing crew won seven of their first nine races but lost form and were second in the Head of the River Regatta.

In Athletics D.N. Reilly won the College Cup, winning the 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, 120 yards hurdles, and 220 yards hurdles races. In the Combined Schools’ Sports, we were third behind PAC and Rostrevor.

In Football, the First XVIII won all their matches except the games against Prince Alfred College and Melbourne Grammar School.

We had a strong First XI cricket team that won nearly all its matches. The Intercollegiate match was drawn after interruption from rain.

In his Headmaster’s Report on Speech Day, Reverend J.S.C. Miller spoke about “education being more than getting through examinations, it must be also a training in citizenship, the beginning of community service, and a time of preparation for leadership in the future, and I hope that this is what we shall always set out to achieve here at St. Peters”. How right he was!

He also talked about Australia being spoken of as a land of opportunity. Those of us born overseas, who have made our lives in Australia, would agree!

At the Founders’ Day service for old scholars on Sunday 24th July 1966, Bishop T.T. Reed also said in his sermon: “You and I are proud to have been to this School; we know the great benefits it has conferred upon us”. Many old scholars would say the same!

We hope that many of those who left in 1966 will return for their 60-year milestone reunion held in conjunction with the Old Blues Lunch on Friday November 6 2026. They will enjoy the reunion. They will meet friends they have not seen for a long period of time (in one or two cases, 60 years).

At the reunion they will have a chance to see some of the new educational facilities the School has in 2026. These include: improved boarding accommodation in School and Allen House, which opened in 2003, an amazing 2003 Burchnall Sports Centre, a 2015 refurbished Pentreath Building that is used mainly for Middle Schooling and a 2021-22 redevelopment of the Big Quad and Big School Room. The upper level of the classrooms on the Southern side of the Big Quad provides an excellent quiet place for Year 12 boys to study during the day and in the evenings.

If those who left in 1966 have not been back for a few years, they will find a School experiencing record enrolments, and with the grounds looking more beautiful than ever. The ATAR results of St Peter’s boys in 2025 were outstanding.

Researched and written by David Docwra
David Docwra retired from St Peter’s College in December 2015 after 37 years’ service and is fondly remembered by many as a dedicated teacher, a committed coach of squash, cricket and soccer, and most especially as a passionate Head of Hawkes House for 21 years. David remains connected to St Peter’s College and regularly provides historical articles for the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ newsletters. In 2023 David was made an Honorary Member of the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ Association.