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St Kevin's College

St Kevin's College was founded in 1918 as a final-year central college for the Christian Brothers' Melbourne schools. Its opening coincided with that of Newman College at the University of Melbourne and followed raised standards for public-service entry and an expanded number of Victorian Government senior scholarships. The school sought to prepare the sons of Melbourne's Irish Catholic working class for careers in the legal, medical and engineering professions, although it was probably most influential in creating an echelon of graduates who filled senior positions in the recently formed Commonwealth public service. St Kevin's was equally proud of its many old boys who went on to illustrious careers in football, who influenced the social policies of the Australian Labor Party or who took a lead in suburban parish life. The school moved from its East Melbourne site in 1932 to a rundown Toorak mansion, where a junior and intermediate school were added. St Kevin's joined the Associated Public Schools in 1958, opening a new senior school on the banks of the Yarra River at Heyington in 1963. By promoting social mobility and educating some of the leading Catholic intellectuals, St Kevin's has met well the goal of bringing Catholics into positions of lasting influence in Melbourne politics and cultural life.

Chris Mcconville

References
McConville, Chris, St Kevin's College, 1918-1993, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1993. Details