Docco's Diary | St Peter's College in 1956

At lunchtime on Friday November 6, 2026, there will be a seventy-year milestone reunion of those who left in 1956. We decided to look back seventy years and remember the many good features of 1956 at St Peter’s College.

In 1956, Australia hosted the Melbourne Summer Olympics, marking the first time the Games were held outside Europe and North America. In August 1956 there was the largest flood in recorded history for the River Murray, impacting towns across NSW, Victoria, and South Australia. It caused widespread devastation for seven months. It was fuelled by extreme rainfall in the Murray-Darling basin, submerging towns like Mildura, Renmark and Mannum, marking the largest flood on record for the region. Some areas flooded up to 100km from the natural riverbank. The families of some of our boarders were affected by this flood. It was also a pivotal year for the introduction of television. Australia was deeply involved in the Suez Crisis and accepted 10,000 Hungarian refugees following the Soviet invasion. The country was led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies. It was the year of atomic tests at Maralinga, a shearers' strike, and the Sydney Opera House design competition.

At the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games old scholar Leon Gregory OAM teamed with David Lean, Graham Gipson and Kevan Gosper to win the silver medal behind the powerful American combination in the 4 x 400 metres relay. Leon was in Da Costa House 1945-1949. In his last year at St Peter’s he won the 220 yards, 440 yards (in a record time of 51.3 seconds, breaking the old record by two seconds) and 880 yards (in a record time of 2 min 8.2 seconds). This was the first Olympic medal by an Australian men’s athletics relay team. The Melbourne Olympic Games was the only time Gregory competed internationally. He had been the national champion in the 440 yards in 1951 and 1955 and finished third, behind Kevin Gosper and John Goodman in 1956.

Ian Bruce (WDK 1950) took part in the Decathlon and Long Jump at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.

The disastrous floods along the Murray aroused the sympathy of our School. Eleven hundred bags were collected by Scouts and boys. Several parties went to aid the people of Mannum, and a smaller party spent five days helping at Barmera.

At St Peter’s College, Mr Colin Gordon was Headmaster, Mr RE Cameron was Second Master and Mr FH Schubert was Assistant to the Headmaster. MG Montgomery was Captain of the School and BM Seppelt was Vice-Captain of the School.

In 1956 we had 787 boys in the School. 465 boys were in the Senior School. Of these 465, 132 were boarders. Of the 322 in the “Prep” school, 60 were boarders. Dayboys in the Senior School were in six Houses: Short, Farrell, Hawkes, Da Costa, MacDermott and Woodcock. Senior School Boarders were in School and Wyatt and Allen Houses. There were approximately 60 boys in each Senior School Day House and approximately 65 boys in each Senior School Boarding House. The House system continued to be a great strength of our School in 1956 as it is in 2026. A previous Headmaster once said: “If you have a good House system, you have a good School”. He was right!

In 1956, House Dinners were starting to become a tradition in some of the Houses. Short House had a House Dinner in honour of Mr Cameron’s thirty-third year as Housemaster. This was their first House Dinner. The House report comments: “We extend our thanks to the parents for our first House Dinner, and may the flame be carried into many more!” Woodcock House again held their House Dinner at Athelney. It was another success thanks to the Woodcock mothers, who served the Dinner.

At Speech Day, the Administrator of the Diocese, the Dean of Adelaide, Bishop TT Reed, presided, and the Premier, the Honourable T Playford, spoke to the School and distributed the prizes. It was the first time in the School’s 109 years that at an Old Scholar has presided at Speech Day as Chairman of the School Council, and the Headmaster commented: “We are glad that the breaker of this duck should be the Very Rev TT Reed”. Bishop Reed was a boy at St Peter’s College from 1912 to 1921.

Photo: Thomas Reed and Robert Reed, attending Preparatory School in 1911

Headmaster Colin Gordon in his Speech Day address commented that in 1956 he felt the staff and School Prefects had had especially good support from the House Prefects and House Seniors. He said he was thinking not merely of what one might call the “policework” of the school, the enforcement of rules and routine, but the underlying job of setting the right example in their own work in the classroom, their training and sportsmanship in games, and their general readiness to put the needs and requirements of the school before their own inclinations.

He also spoke of “self-confidence untainted by arrogance” as the one of the criteria by which to judge boys leaving our School. This is equally true in 2026, is it not?

The Headmaster spoke out strongly about the value of having prefects in a school and giving boys opportunities for leadership while at school: “When one’s prefects have learnt the truth that responsibility is better than privilege, just as example is better than precept, and when their office has given them greater self-confidence untainted by arrogance, then the prefect system avoids the evils that may attend it and becomes one of the finest weapons in our armoury. I have seldom felt more sure that this has been the case than I have this year”. As we all know, St Peter’s College has a reputation for producing leaders. Boys at St Peter’s College in 2026 continue to gain valuable leadership experience during their time here.

The Headmaster also spoke of some of the challenges of 1956. Old scholars may remember that Mr Cameron, Mr Bills and Mr Vollugi were away for long periods due to sickness. Mr “Trunk” Vollugi missed most of the year. The Headmaster said: “It was particularly sad that he, who has perhaps done as much as anyone  in the last ten years or so for athletics in South Australia, and had two of his own boys in the Australian team, should have had to miss the Olympic Games for which he was to have been an official”.

The Public Examination results in 1956 for boys doing Leaving Honours were outstanding:

On the General Honours List BM Debelle gained eleventh place, and was awarded the Tennyson Medal for English Literature .

A Leaving Honours Bursary was also awarded to BM Debelle.

There were fourteen credits – one in English, one in Latin, two in Ancient History, two in Modern History, one in Mathematics I, one in Mathematics II, three in Physics and three in Chemistry.

Forty-seven boys presented subjects, and of the one hundred and seven subjects presented, 77 per cent were passed.

The following thirty-eight boys passed one or more subjects: WDF Abbott; JS Adams; A Basten; PJ Bishop; AB Black; R Black; RJ Blandy; FR Bryan; WM Burch; WH Callaghan; KR Clayton; MH Codd; BM Debelle; AJ Del Fabbro; RM Edwards; JM Finnis; RJ Fitch; PL Flint; CJ Hall; AR Harry; AS Jones; DG Jose; DB Lahey; CR Lee; PR Lee; JRD Martin; LL Morris; AW Murray; ECC Pegge; KL Rogers; RE Sage; N Sarah BM Seppelt; RC Sharp; RM Sherwin; MEL Weller; AL West; DA Young.

Headmaster Colin Gordon expressed the School’s thanks to a wide range of donors both for their generosity and for the spirit which prompted their donation. He described some of the gifts received by the School. “Mrs. Angus Maitland gave us new honour boards for the pavilion, in memory of her first husband, Dr GE Jose. All the school's cricket and football teams from 1878 and 1891 respectively onwards are thus recorded on panels in the pavilion, and there is room to carry us into the 1980’s. Mrs Maitland’s son, DG Jose, Vice-Captain of Boats this year, has given us a challenge cup for the House Junior Rowing competition. Mr Henry Lloyd has given us a grand piano from his father’s old home in Trinity Street. Mrs GH Barham Black and her family are giving us, in memory of her husband, a new reading desk for this Hall. Finally, the mother of an Old Scholar who lost his life in the 1939-45 war, Flying Officer WA Cranz, RAAF, bequeathed to the school a sum which has been spent to acquire a specially built portable gramophone, record cabinet and records for the use of the English department”.

The Cloisters on the Southern side of the Big Quad were almost complete by the end of 1956. They were a gift to the School from contributors to the War Memorial Fund. The became a beautiful tribute to those fallen in the wars. They were to be dedicated early in 1957.

The Sir George Murray Shield for school work was won by Short House for the third year in a row, with MacDermott House in second place. Woodcock won the Junior House Cup with School in second place. Wyatt and Allen House won the Senior House Cup with School in second place. Wyatt and Allen won the Senior House Football, Cricket, Rowing and Swimming Competitions.

A large number of boys were confirmed in the School Chapel on Sunday 23rd September including these boys from the Senior School: MS Adams, WP Andrews, NF Arthur, MA Ballinger, AL Brooke, AH Buttfield, JA Cameron, R. D. Cheesman, JRF Dredge, PR Egerton-Warburton, GL Fielding, PG Giacchino, JK Henery, GL Hussey, CJ Kelly, BM Lewis, RK McFarlane, AE Morgan, GM Nairn, JAKM Napier, RC Newman, M Quinlan-Watson, GA Seppelt, BS Shepherd, JW Shepherd, JM Smith, BJ Starr, CM Stokes, RS Wolff. These boys from the Preparatory School were also confirmed: BM Allison, DS Allnutt, DE Brooks, DAS Burden, CL Caskey, CF Crawford, RH Crawford, RF Day, PR Espie, GR Hooper, WT Kay, CI Ker, ER McEwin, RJ McKay, WJ Parker, BC Teague, JS Trader, AP Wadlow, RM White and Mr DJ Merchant (Staff).

Memorable features of 1956 that old scholars may remember included an outstanding Carols Service in Memorial Hall, a fine Concert held in the first term, lunch hour organ recitals held in the Chapel, an excellent school play based on Oscar Wilde’s short story, “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime,” busy years for Cadets and Scouts, the successful production of the musical play Toad of Toad Hall.”, adapted by AA Milne from “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame, by the Music Society.

There were two 1956 School Expeditions. One was a visit to Broken Hill for twenty boys, selected from Leaving and Leaving Honours Science forms. The visit was arranged by the Broken Hill branch of the Old Scholars’ Association, in whose homes boys were billeted. The many tours and functions that were arranged included a picnic to the flooded River Darling at Medindie, and an inspection of the Penrose Park Miners’ Recreation Grounds at Silverton. The boys also watched sheep-shearing, visited the Flying Doctor Base, and enjoyed an interesting film evening at the North Mine Staff Club. The main interest of the trip was centred around the mines. We inspected the surface workings of all the main mines, comparing each of their methods of treatment. The undisputed highlight was the underground tour at the South Mine. It was an exciting experience and one which will not easily be forgotten. The other expedition was to Barmera. A party from the Exploration Society did flood defence work on the River Murray for five days.

There were a wide range of societies that provided opportunities for boys. These included: Senior Literary Society, Junior Literary Society, Chess Club, Debating Society, Music Society, Science Society, Philatelic Society, Junior Biology Society, and Automotive Society.

The Exploration Society had two outings during the year. The first was a day-hike in the Adelaide Hills on Anzac Day, and the second was a weekend hike in the Humbug Scrub district.

1956 was a good year for sport.

In tennis, we defeated our traditional rivals PAC by 9 rubbers to 6.

In rowing, we won the Head of the River defeating Scotch College by one length.

In athletics, for the first time, SPSC and PAC both competed in the Combined Schools’ Sports

Meeting on Wednesday, 9th May, on the Adelaide Oval. Princes (163 points) easily won the meeting from Adelaide High and Rostrevor. Saints were fourth, two points behind Rostrevor.

In football the Intercollegiate Match was drawn: SPSC 8.15.63   PAC 9.9.63. We won most of the other games against Adelaide schools, but we were defeated by Melbourne Grammar School and Geelong Grammar School.

The First XI Cricket Team had a good season but we lost to a stronger PAC team in the Intercollegiate Match. We found ourselves 6 for 31 in our first innings after PAC had made 203 and we never recovered from this position.

In the school swimming sports Wyatt and Allen won both the Senior and Junior Cups. DA McEwin won the individual championship for the second year in succession. The Under-age Cups were won by AB Robins, PD Watson, PD Ross, and DLB Jupp .

In 1956 there was again much that was “strong, and lovely, and of good report” going on at St Peter’s College inside and outside the classroom. “Beauty, order and reverence” continued to be “the message of its walls and fields”.

Many old scholars look back on their time at St Peter’s College with great affection. We hope that a large number of those who left in 1956 will return for their 70-year milestone reunion on Friday November 6th, 2026. They will enjoy the reunion. They may may meet some friends they have not seen for 70 years. They will find a School experiencing record enrolments, with many new facilities, including improved boarding accommodation from 2003 in School and Allen House, a 2015 refurbished Pentreath Building that is used mainly for Middle Schooling, the Hill Wing transformed into an excellent Music Centre in 2018, and a 2021-22 redevelopment of the Big Quad and Big School Room, which they may like to see, and with the grounds looking more beautiful than ever. They will remember seeing the work on the completion of the cloisters on the Southern side of the Big Quad in 1956. They will be impressed with the redeveloped Big Quad in 2026.

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.