Kambala School

For the buffalo race in Karnataka, see Kambala.

School in Australia

Kambala

Kambala pictured in 2011

Location

794 New South Head Road, Rose Bay, New South Wales

Australia

Coordinates| 33°51′54″S 151°16′19″E﻿ / ﻿33.86500°S 151.27194°E﻿ / -33.86500; 151.27194
Information
Type| private school single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school
Motto| Latin: Esto Sol Testis
(Let the Sun be your Witness)
Denomination| Anglican
Established| 1887; 137 years ago (1887)[1]
Founder| Louisa Gurney
Chairman| Ainslie van Onselen
Principal| Jane Danvers
Gender| Girls
Slogan| Celebrating learning; inspiring young women
Affiliations|

* Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia
* Junior School Heads Association of Australia
* Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia
* Australian Boarding Schools' Association
* Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools

Website| www.kambala.nsw.edu.au

Kambala Church of England Girls' School is a private Anglican early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1887, Kambala has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,000 students from early learning to Year 12, including 95 boarders from Year 7 to Year 12. Students come to Kambala from the greater metropolitan area, rural New South Wales and overseas.[2]

The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),[3] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[4] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[5] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),[6] and is a founding member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).[7]

## History[edit]

"Tivoli" - Kambala, Rose Bay

Kambala was established in 1887 by Louisa Gurney, the daughter of an English clergyman. Gurney conducted her first classes with twelve girls at a terrace house in Woollahra called 'Fernbank'. In 1891, Augustine Soubeiran, who had assisted in the running of the school and who taught French, became Co-Principal. To accommodate increasing enrolments, the School was moved to a larger property in Bellevue Hill called Kambala, from which the school took its new name.

In 1913, with an enrolment of nearly fifty, the School moved again, to its present site on New South Head Road, Rose Bay. The property was known as "Tivoli", from the original Tivoli Estate, and was previously occupied by Captain William Dumaresq and later by merchant James Robinson Love. The spacious new building was built in 1841, and the notable architect John Horbury Hunt was commissioned to extend it. Today this building houses classrooms and Kambala's boarders in Years 7 to 9.

In 1926, Kambala became a Church of England Foundation School controlled by an independent council. During Fifi Hawthorne's tenure as Principal, 1933 to 1966, the school grew from 100 students to more than 660, and buildings and facilities expanded accordingly.[8]

## Principals[edit]

Kambala students, c. 1890s Period  | Details

|

1891–1914  | Augustine Soubeiran
1887–1914  | Louise Gurney
1914–1927  | Clara Roseby
1914–1926  | Minnie Roseby
1927–1932  | Flora Stewart
1933–1966  | Fifi Hawthorne
1966–1984  | Joyce Gibbons
1985–1987  | Barbara Monk
1988–1999  | Peter Moxham
1999  | Roderick West
2000–2013  | Margaret White
2014–2017  | Debra Kelliher[9]
2017–2021  | Shane Bogan
2021  | Amanda Bell
2022–present  | Jane Danvers

## Campus[edit]

Kambala is located on a single campus on the rising shore above suburban Rose Bay, overlooking Sydney Harbour.[10] The school is divided into four main areas:

1. Hampshire House – the Early Learning Centre (creche)
2. Massie House for students from Preparation (4 year olds) to Year 2;
3. Junior School for girls in Years 3 to 6; and
4. Senior School for girls in Years 7 to 12.[11]

### Boarding[edit]

Boarding students from Year 7 to Year 9 live in Tivoli, the home of the original Tivoli estate, of which the School was once a part. Frequented by the colonial artist Conrad Martens during the 1840s, extensively renovated by architect John Horbury Hunt in the 1880s, Tivoli features modern dormitory-style living amenities.[12]

Boarders in Years 10 to 12 reside in Fernbank. Opened in 1997, Fernbank provides students with more independent living, social privileges and greater privacy for study.[12]

Kambala overlooking Sydney Harbour, as seen from New South Head Road.

## House system[edit]

The House system was introduced at Kambala in 1928. Each student from Years 3 to 12 is allocated to one of the four houses; Gurney, Hawthorne, Roseby or Wentworth. There are several interhouse competitions throughout the year in which Houses can earn points towards the Angus Cup at the end of the year. Each House is led by two House Captains. Tutor groups are formed according to Houses.[13]

## Notable alumnae[edit]

Kambala Old Girls' Union Logo

See also: Category:People educated at Kambala School

Ex-students of Kambala are known as Old Girls and may elect to join the Kambala Old Girls' Union (KOGU).[14] Some notable Kambala Old Girls include:

* Jessie Strahorn Aspinall - first female junior resident medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (1906) (also attended Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney)[15]
* Claudia Black - actress, best known for her portrayal of Aeryn Sun and Vala Mal Doran in science fiction television series Farscape and Stargate SG-1
* Sheila Chisholm – socialite[16]
* Michelle Guthrie – former managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation[17]
* Judy Playfair – silver medal-winning swimmer at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics[18]
* Roxy Jacenko – Businesswoman
* Claire Messud – writer

## See also[edit]

* Schools portal
* Christianity portal

* List of non-government schools in New South Wales
* List of boarding schools in Australia

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Kambala". Directory. Sydney's Child. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
2. ^ "Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Kambala. 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
3. ^ Butler, Jan (2006). "Member Schools". Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
4. ^ "JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members". New South Wales Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
5. ^ "AHISA Schools". New South Wales. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. April 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
6. ^ "Kambala". Schools. Australian Boarding Schools' Association. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
7. ^ "Heads of New South Wales Independent Girls' Schools". About AHIGS. Association of Heads of Independent Girls Schools. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
8. ^ "Our History". About Us. Kambala. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
9. ^ "Kambala principal Debra Kelliher resigns after 'nasty campaign'". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
10. ^ "About Kambala". About Us. Kambala. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
11. ^ "Our School: One School". Our School. Kambala. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
12. ^ a b "Boarding at Kambala". Boarding. Kambala. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
13. ^ "About the Senior School". Our School. Kambala. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
14. ^ "Kambala Old Girls' Union (KOGU)". Community. Kambala. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
15. ^ Durie, E. Beatrix (1979). "Aspinall, Jessie Strahorn (1880 - 1953)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. p. 118. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
16. ^ Wainright, R. (2014), Sheila: The Australian Beauty Who Bewitched British Society, Allen & Unwin, pp. 12–13
17. ^ Lehmann, Megan. "ABC boss Michelle Guthrie: 'We can do better.'". Weekend Australian Magazine. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
18. ^ Playfair profile

## Further reading[edit]

* Nobbs, A. 1997. Kambala: The First Hundred Years, 1887-1987. Melbourne, Globe Press.
* Lenskyj, H. 2005. A Lot to Learn: Girls, Women and Education in the 20th Century. Toronto, Women's Press.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kambala School, Rose Bay.

* Kambala website

* v
* t
* e

Members of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools, New South Wales, Australia

* Abbotsleigh
* Ascham
* Brigidine
* Canberra GGS
* Danebank
* Frensham
* Kambala
* Kincoppal
* Loreto Kirribilli
* Loreto Normanhurst
* Meriden
* MLC
* Monte
* NEGS
* OLMC
* PLC Armidale
* PLC Sydney
* Pymble
* Queenwood
* Ravenswood
* Roseville
* SCEGGS
* St Catherine's
* St Clare's
* St Patrick's
* St Vincent's
* Santa Sabina
* Stella Maris
* Tangara
* Tara
* Wenona

* v
* t
* e

Members of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia

In Australia|

| In the Australian Capital Territory|

* Canberra Girls Grammar School
* Merici College
* St Clare’s College

|

In New South Wales|

* Abbotsleigh
* Ascham School
* Bethlehem College, Ashfield
* Brigidine College, St Ives
* Caroline Chisholm College
* Catherine McAuley Westmead
* Danebank
* Domremy College
* Frensham School
* Georges River College (Penshurst Girls Campus)
* Kambala School
* Kincoppal School
* Loreto Kirribilli
* Loreto Normanhurst
* MacKillop College, Bathurst
* Marist Sisters' College, Woolwich
* Meriden School
* MLC School
* Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College
* Mount St Benedict College
* Nagle College, Blacktown
* New England Girls' School
* Our Lady of Mercy College
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale
* Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
* Pymble Ladies' College
* Queenwood School for Girls
* Randwick Girls' High School
* Ravenswood School for Girls
* Roseville College
* SCEGGS Darlinghurst
* St Catherine's School, Waverley
* St Clare's College, Waverley
* St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong
* St Patrick's College, Campbelltown
* St Scholastica's College
* St Ursula's College, Kingsgrove
* St Vincent's College, Potts Point
* Santa Sabina College
* Stella Marris College
* Tangara School for Girls
* Tara Anglican School for Girls
* Wenona School

In Queensland|

* All Hallows' School
* Brigidine College, Indooroopilly
* Brisbane Girls Grammar School
* Clayfield College
* Fairholme College
* Ipswich Girls' Grammar School
* Loreto College Coorparoo
* Lourdes Hill College
* Mary MacKillop College, Brisbane
* Moreton Bay College
* Mount Alvernia College
* Mt St Michael's College
* Rockhampton Girls Grammar School
* St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
* St Hilda's School
* St John Fisher College, Bracken Ridge
* St Margaret Mary's College
* St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School
* St Mary's College, Ipswich
* St Monica's College
* St Patrick's College, Townsville
* St Rita's College
* St Ursula's College, Toowoomba
* St Ursula's College, Yeppoon
* Somerville House
* Stuartholme School
* The Glennie School

In South Australia|

* Kildare College
* Loreto College, Marryatville
* Mary MacKillop College, Kensington
* Mitcham Girls High School
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
* Roma Mitchell Secondary College (Girls' Education Campus)
* St Aloysius College
* St Mary's College
* St Peter's Girls' School
* Seymour College
* Walford Anglican School for Girls
* Wilderness School

In Tasmania|

* Fahan School
* Mount Carmel College
* Ogilvie High School
* St Mary's College
* St Michael's Collegiate School

In Victoria|

* Ave Maria College
* Avila College
* Camberwell Girls Grammar School
* Canterbury Girls' Secondary College
* Catholic Ladies College
* Clonard College
* Fintona Girls' School
* Firbank Girls' Grammar School
* Genazzano FCJ College
* Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School
* Kilbreda College
* Korowa Anglican Girls' School
* Lauriston Girls' School
* Loreto College Ballarat
* Loreto Mandeville Hall
* Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
* Mac.Robertson Girls' High School
* Mater Christi College
* Melbourne Girls' College
* Melbourne Girls Grammar
* Mentone Girls' Grammar
* Mentone Girls' Secondary College
* Mercy College, Coburg
* Methodist Ladies' College
* Mount St Joseph Girls' College
* Our Lady of Mercy College
* Our Lady of Sion College
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Bentleigh
* Pascoe Vale Girls College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College
* Ruyton Girls' School
* Sacré Cœur School
* Sacred Heart College, Geelong
* Sacred Heart Girls' College
* St Aloysius' College
* St Catherine's School, Toorak
* St Columba's College
* St Margaret's School
* Santa Maria College
* Shelford Girls' Grammar
* Siena College
* Star of the Sea College
* Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School
* Toorak College
* Worawa Aboriginal College

In Western Australia|

* Iona Presentation College
* Mercedes College
* Methodist Ladies' College
* Penrhos College
* Perth College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College
* St Brigid's College
* St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
* St Mary's Anglican Girls' School
* Santa Maria College, Perth

In Hong Kong|

* Good Hope School

In Japan|

* International School of the Sacred Heart
* Ohtani Junior and Senior High School

In New Zealand|

* Baradene College
* Carmel College
* Chilton Saint James School
* Christchurch Girls' High School
* Columba College
* Craighead Diocesan School
* Diocesan School for Girls
* Hamilton Girls' High School
* Iona College
* Marlborough Girls' College
* Napier Girls' High School
* Nga Tawa Diocesan School
* Otago Girls' High School
* Palmerston North Girls' High School
* Queen Margaret College
* Rangi Ruru Girls' School
* Rotorua Girls' High School
* St Cuthbert's College
* St Hilda's Collegiate School
* Saint Kentigern School for Girls
* St Margaret's College, Christchurch
* St Matthew's Collegiate School
* St Oran's College
* Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
* Selwyn House
* Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls
* Timaru Girls' High School
* Waikato Diocesan School
* Waitaki Girls' High School
* Wellington Girls' College
* Westlake Girls High School
* Woodford House

In the Philippines|

* Miriam College

In Singapore|

* Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) (former)

In South Africa|

* St Stithians College

in Zimbabwe|

* Chisipite Senior School

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