De La Salle College Malvern is a Catholic independent school for boys in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern, established in 1912 by the De La Salle Brothers, a religious order based on the teachings of Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. The college is a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges and is on two campuses (Tiverton and Kinnoull) located in Malvern.
Timeline
1911 – Father Simon Hegarty CM, parish priest of Malvern, announced that a boys school was to be established, conducted by the Brothers of Christian Schools.
1912 – On 4 February, Brother Dunstan Drumm, Brother Leopold Loughran and Brother Jerome Foley arrived in Melbourne from Waterford, Ireland. The following day, they commenced teaching 54 boys in the Parish Hall. On Easter Tuesday, Archbishop Thomas Carr blessed the new school in Stanhope Street, Armadale. 1926 – The Brothers were operating a junior (primary), senior and boarding school. The first edition of the college magazine Blue and Gold was published, and the first student to complete his leaving certificate finished. 1929 – The house Manresa on the corner of Stanhope Street and Dalny Street was purchased and the Tower Building was erected, and later blessed and opened by Archbishop Daniel Mannix. The old Stanhope Street, Armadale building was sold to the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Trust. The Old Collegians' Association was formed.
1937 – The boarding school closed with many boarders enrolling at St Bede's College, established in 1938 in Mentone by the De La Salle Brothers. 1944 – Two-classroom buildings on the corner of Stanhope Street and Dalny Street was constructed on the site of a tennis court. 1946 – The Old Collegians' Association was reformed after it lapsed during the Second World War. 1947 – Robert Myers, a 14-year-old student, was shot and killed at Puckapunyal during simulated cadet night battle. The coroner delivered an open finding.Edward Duyker,Horace Street Green: A Personal Past, 2023, ISBN 978-0-6484209-0-3, p. 165. 1948 – The World War II shrine was erected on Stanhope Street. 1954 – On 21 March, Archbishop Mannix officially opened Kinnoull (named after Kinnoull Hill), the then preparatory school for the College. 1959 – Gardens to the east of the homestead Kinnoull were removed to create what is now known as Kinnoull Oval. 1960 – The new senior school, on High Street, now the Brother Oswald Murdoch Building, was erected. The Fathers' Association was formed. 1962 – The former Gymnasium and Hall, now the Performing Arts Centre, was erected. 1967 – Kinnoull homestead was demolished. 1969 – Paul Jackson was expelled for distributing anti-war leaflets outside the College.Edward Duyker,Horace Street Green: A Personal Past, 2023, ISBN 978-0-6484209-0-3, pp. 152–3. 1972 – Manresa was demolished and the Brothers moved to a new residence on High Street. The now Brother Jerome Foley Library and the now Brother Dunstan Drumm Administration building was opened on High Street. Father Les Troy, CM, was appointed College Chaplain. 1983 – The Lasallian Award was introduced by the Old Collegians' Association. 1984 – The Brother Peter Duffy Memorial Building was opened and the Kinnoull Campus became the Senior School for Years 11 and 12. 1987 – The Brother Stanislaus Carmody Centre for the Arts and Technology was opened. 1988 – The Brother James Taylor Gymnasium was opened. 1990 – The Brother Damian Harvey Building was opened. 1995 – The High Street campus was renamed, Tiverton, after the former Brothers' residence on Stanhope Street (which, in turn, was named after Tiverton, Devonshire). 2004 – The Old Collegians' building was opened on the Kinnoull campus and the Year 10 students move to that campus. 2007 – The Old Collegians' Association executive committee was reformed. 2009 – The St Miguel Theatre and Peppercorn Café attached to the Brother Adrian Fitzgerald Building (colloquially known as the Chapel Building) was opened. 2012 – Centenary celebrations and publication of a pictorial history "With Faith and Zeal Resplendent" by Nicholas Quin and Steven Stefanopoulos. 2014 – The College's first lay principal Peter Houlihan, was appointed. 2019 – The third Campus, Holy Eucharist was opened at 1241 Dandenong Road, Malvern East, as an exclusive Year 9 campus. 2019 – Final Year 4 students. 2024 – Final Year 5 students. 2025 – Final Year 6 students. The Holy Trinity campus closed. The Kinnoull campus became a middle school for Years 7–9, and the Tiverton campus became a senior school for Years 10–12.
Campuses
There are two campuses, Tiverton and Kinnoull, all in Malvern. Because of their proximity and for government funding reasons they are considered one campus.
The Kinnoull Campus is adjacent to the Malvern Cricket Ground at the end of Northbrook Avenue and Sorrett Avenue. The site was purchased in 1955, and was initially a junior campus for Grades 3 – Form 2 (Year 8). Facilities include a chapel, Saint Miguel lecture theatre, amphitheatre, library, oval, and a cafeteria style canteen.
Tiverton Campus is located on High Street and is home to Years 10–12 students. Facilities include a Performing Arts Centre, gymnasium, weights room, basketball courts, chapel, library and dedicated arts and technology spaces. The Rheims Centre is an advanced technical and science space opened in 2018.
Curriculum De La Salle College offers its senior students multiple pathways including the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and VET and VCAL +VCE results 2012-2025YearRankMedian study scoreScores of 40+ (%)Cohort size2012136318.22172013176307.82442014186306.42412015175306.72162016232295.32262017178306.42172018115327.22072019138317.81932020165308.520020211183110.32182022240295.41602023132317.51922024202305184202598329.6178
Sport As a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges, interschool competition is offered to year 7–12 students in: Athletics Australian Rules Football Basketball Chess Cricket Cross country running Golf Swimming Hockey Soccer Table tennis Tennis Volleyball
ACC matches are timetabled into the school week. Students are also involved in state and national level competitions in athletics, snow sports and weightlifting.
ACC premierships De La Salle has won the following ACC premierships.
Athletics (26) – 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2016 Basketball (2) – 1992, 2008 Cricket (20) – 1932, 1934, 1939, 1945, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1973, 1975, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017 Cross Country (7) – 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2013 Football (18) – 1935, 1936, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1958, 1960, 1977, 1987, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2008 Golf (5) – 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019 Handball (2) – 1942, 1948 Hockey (2) – 1998, 2019 Soccer – 1984, 2011 Swimming (20) – 1942, 1943, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1993, 1996, 2018, 2019 Tennis (13) – 1934, 1935, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000
Mission Action Day
On the final day of term 1, students participate in Mission Action Day (formerly Charity Action Day), which consists of a 13 km walk from Kooyong Stadium to T.H. King Oval, Glen Iris and back.
The walk is usually completed in two hours, with students sponsored for completing the walk, thereby raising much needed funds for schools in third-world countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia. This event has raised $30,000 AUD in 2021.
Yaluwo The De La Salle 'Yaluwo' are a group of recently graduated Year 12 students who travel to Sri Lanka to work on projects that help the Sri Lankan Lasallian community at Diyagala Boys Town. Money raised by the students throughout the year goes towards the completion of the projects.
The De La Salle students work as labourers for approximately four weeks and while they are doing so, live with the De La Salle Brothers and immerse themselves in the community they are helping. This is an alternate way for students to celebrate their year 12 graduation whilst contributing to underprivileged communities. All students must commit to the immersion at the start of their year 12-year and raise a minimum amount per student for the building projects. Students also cover their own transport and living costs.
Patron saint St. Jean-Baptiste De La Salle was born in Reims, France on 30 April 1651. He was 29 years old when he realised that the educational system of his day was inadequate to meet the needs of poor children. To provide a Christian and human education that would be practical and effective, La Salle founded a religious community of men, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum), dedicated to the instruction of youth.
After many hardships, Jean-Baptiste De La Salle died on Good Friday, 7 April 1719. He was canonised a saint of the Catholic Church in 1900 and declared "Universal Patron of All Teachers" by Pope Pius XII in 1950. The feast of St. Jean-Baptiste De La Salle is celebrated on 15 May by the worldwide La Sallian movement of approximately 1 million students in over 85 countries.
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse 2013–17 The Royal Commission estimated that 13.8 percent of De La Salle Brothers, Australia wide, were alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse. De La Salle Malvern are known to have had two brothers actively offending whilst teaching at the college. One, Brother Frank 'Ibar' Terrence Keating, was sentenced in 2018 to five years and three months in jail for indecently assaulting eight students between 1969 and 1977. Historian Edward Duyker, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities who gave evidence to the Royal Commission, has drawn attention to the presence of other paedophile Brothers who resided at the college and abused boys next door at St Joseph's Primary School, Malvern, in the 1960s. He has also documented sexual abuse, alleged abuse, or concealment of abuse by other Brothers, as well as child sexual abuse offences committed by former students of De La Salle College, Malvern (including a school captain), who joined the De La Salle Brothers or the priesthood.Edward Duyker,Horace Street Green: A Personal Past, 2023, ISBN 978-0-6484209-0-3, chapters 3 & 13.
Houses There are four Houses: St Mark's (red) St Edwin's (green) St Leo's (blue) St Austin's (yellow) Years 10–12 are arranged in houses.
Classroom saints Years 7 and 8 classrooms are named after the following patron saints or significant people in the history of the College.
Benilde Peter Romancon (Brother Benildus) was born in Thuret, France, on 14 June 1805. He worked quietly and effectively as a teacher and principal, educating boys – many of whom had never been to school before – in Saugues, an isolated village on a barren plateau in southern France. It was said of him that he was "always cheerful" in the daily routine of school. He died at Saugues on 13 August 1862, and was declared Blessed on 4 April 1942. He was canonised on 29 October 1967, and his feast day is 13 August.
Dunstan Brother Dunstan Drumm was born in Ireland on 11 July 1880 in Ardee, County Louth, and arrived in Australia in 1912. He became the first Headmaster of De La Salle College and remained in that position from 1912–1917. He then taught in New South Wales, eventually returning to Ireland in 1922 where he taught in schools there and in England. He died on 24 September 1952 and is buried in Kintbury, UK.
Hegarty