# Prince Alfred College

Prince Alfred College (also referred to as PAC, Princes, or in sporting circles, the Reds) is a private, independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town – near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. Prince Alfred College was established in 1869 by the Methodist Church of Australasia, which amalgamated with other Protestant churches in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia.
The school has enrolment of some 1,160 students from Reception to Year 12 (ages 2 to 18), including some 151 boarders from years seven to twelve. Prince Alfred College launched its own Early Learning Centre, Little Princes, in 1999, which was renamed Princes ELC in 2009, with a current enrolment of 260 students.

## History

Prince Alfred College was named after Prince Alfred during his visit to Adelaide in 1867. Alfred was one of the four sons of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The school has attracted many royal visitors since its foundation, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1954.
The founders of PAC were determined that the religious traditions of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, should be indoctrinated in the school. Young Methodist men of the colony and PAC were encouraged to live disciplined, hard working and predominantly Christian lives, even though they were mocked facing society's temptations.
The only female student to attend the school was Lilian Staple Mead, daughter of Baptist minister Silas Mead, in 1883–1884, in order to matriculate and enter University at a time when few schools were available for girls to do so.
At one time, Princes was the only college in Adelaide to offer the IB Diploma at all three stages; the PYP and MYP are compulsory units of work for Preparatory and Middle school students, enabling its students to continue to complete the Diploma in year 11 and 12, or to be recognised nationally with the SACE.
On Wednesday 18 April 2018, Elizabeth II's son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, visited Prince Alfred College, and participated in an unveiling a stone to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the College. In 2019, Prince Alfred College celebrated its sesquicentenary 150th Anniversary.

### List of headmasters

* 1869–1870 Samuel Fiddian
* 1871–1875 John Hartley
* 1876–1914 Frederic Chapple
* 1915–1929 W. R. Bayly
* 1930–1948 Fred Ward
* 1949–1969 John Dunning
* 1970–1987 Geoffrey Bean
* 1988–1999 Brian Webber
* 2000–2004 Dr. Stephen Codrington
* 2004–2014 Kevin Tutt
* 2014–2022 Bradley Fenner
* 2022–current David Roberts

## Campuses

The original school campus is in the Adelaide suburb of Kent Town. The school also owns two other campuses, one for outdoor education in Scott's Creek, and the other in Point Turton named 'Wambana'.

### Kent Town

The original and main campus is located in Kent Town, approximately 2 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The land, originally leased by Dr Benjamin Archer Kent from 1840 to 1859, then bought by Charles Robin, was bought at auction from Charles Robin for £2750 on 18 September 1865. However, it was not until 22 June 1969 that the college celebrated its inauguration, two years after the laying of the foundation stone by H.R.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.
The school campus is divided by the main building, with the preparatory school on the Flinders Street (south) side of the school, and the middle and Senior schools on the Capper Street (north) side.

### Scotts Creek Campus

Scotts Creek campus is the college's Murray River retreat. The Scotts Creek Outdoor Centre is located near Morgan, approximately 165 km from Adelaide. It provides a mix of environmental education, adventure and personal development activities.

### Wambana Campus

Wambana Campus is an off school ground recreational camp. The primary purpose of Wambana is to foster growth by helping adolescent boys better manage the transition to adulthood through immersion in community, academic, spiritual and outdoor adventures.
Wambana is a six-acre (approx. 2.5 hectares) property situated on the coast of southern Yorke Peninsula, bordering the township of Point Turton and rural farming land. Students and staff live in a small village in which residential accommodation and a classroom are clustered around a central meeting facility. The property consists of six accommodation buildings known as "Wardlis" (aboriginal word meaning "dwelling"). Wambana accommodates up to 32 students for five-week periods.

## Sport

Prince Alfred College is a member of the Sports Association for Adelaide Schools (SAAS).

### Rowing

Rowing began at PAC in 1883 and has played an important part in the school's sporting culture since that time. The school has two boat houses, at West Lakes and by the Torrens Lake in the City of Adelaide's parklands. The school employs a full-time Director of Rowing, (currently Mr. Tim Hennessy). Although competition in local and national regattas forms an integral part of the rowing programme, the main event for each year is the Head of the River. The school won the Head of the River in 2012, 2013 and 2014, captained by Jack Kelly (2012), Nicholas Parletta (2013) & William Burfield (2014). These years marked the first time the college has won three consecutive titles at the event. Notably, the school won the 2025 Head of the River captained by Oliver Smith, putting an end to a near ten-year St Peter's College victory record.

### Intercol

Each sports team at Princes has an annual fixture against traditional longtime rivals Saint Peter's College, known as the "Intercol" (Inter-collegiate). These are considered by the two colleges to be the most important games of the seasons, and the fiercely fought matches of the more popular sports draw big crowds of students and old scholars from both schools. The Intercols have been played for over 100 years. At one time, the Australian rules football and the Cricket intercols were both played on Adelaide Oval. The Cricket Intercollegiate match has been competed since 1878. According to Richard Sproull this is "the oldest unbroken annual contest in the history of cricket" (Weekend Australian 5/6 December 1992).

## Outdoor education

The Prince Alfred College Outdoor Education programme provides a variety of integrated activities designed to allow boys to face challenges beyond those possible in a suburban day school. Current activities are focused on the Scotts Creek Outdoor Centre at Morgan on the River Murray.
In 2008, the college opened its Wambana Campus at Point Turton on the Yorke Peninsula. Year 9 students spend 5 weeks at the new facility, learning field science and mathematics along with other subjects and life skills as well as community service.
Year 11 students undertake practical leadership training and are encouraged to nominate for trips to Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Kangaroo Island.

## Notable alumni

    See also People educated at Prince Alfred College

### Rhodes scholars

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for study at Oxford University. As of 2023, PAC has educated 20 Rhodes Scholars throughout its 154 year history. Recipients who attended PAC include:
| Rhodes Scholar | Year awarded | College at Oxford |
| William Douglas Allen (1914–2008) | 1937 | New College |
| Henry Brose (1890–1965) | 1913 | Christ Church |
| Garry Leslie Brown | 1964 | Magdalen |
| Theodor Siegfried Dorsch | 1933 | Christ Church |
| David Wyke Evans (1934-2024) | 1957 | New College |
| Henry Fry (1886–1959) | 1909 | Balliol |
| Sir Brian Hone (1907–1978) | 1930 | New College |
| Stanford Howard | 1919 | Christ Church |
| Norman Jolly (1882–1954) | 1904 | Balliol |
| Cecil Madigan (1889–1947) | 1911 | Magdalen |
| Ryan Paul Manuel | 2006 | Merton |
| Roger Gilbert Opie (1927–1998) | 1951 | Christ Church |
| Renfrey Potts (1925–2005) | 1948 | Queen's |
| Howard Rayner (1896–1975) | 1916 | Balliol |
| David Alexander Robertson | 1983 | Magdalen |
| Peter Lindsay Rogers | 1963 | New College |
| Michael Ewers Smyth | 1960 | Exeter |
| Mahesh Umapathysivam | 2014 | St Peter's |
| Stephen Kidman Wilkinson | 1982 | New College |
| Max Kirkby | 2023 | Magdalen |

### Academia and education

* Herbert Basedow (1881–1933), Anthropologist, geologist, explorer, politician
* Russel Ward (1914–1995), historian
* David Horner (1948–), historian
* C. J. Coventry (1991–), historian
* William Bayly, Headmaster – Geelong College Vic and Prince Alfred College SA
* Sir Brian Hone OBE FACE (1907–1978), Headmaster – Cranbrook School NSW and Melbourne Grammar School Vic

### Business

* Tim Cooper (1955–), CEO of Coopers Brewery
* Glenn Cooper (1952–), Executive Chairman of Coopers Brewery
* Robert Gerard, businessman, previously Chairman of Gerard Industries
* Sir Edward Holden (1885–1947), Founder of Holden, vehicle manufacturer
* Greg Siegele, Co-founder of Ratbag Games Pty Ltd

### Entertainment, media and the arts

* Sir John Ashton, OBE, ROI (1881–1963), Painter and Director of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales
* Charles Baeyertz (1866–1943), publisher of The Triad, critic and broadcaster
* Chris Bailey (1950–2013), bass guitarist with ARIA award-winning Australian Bands 'The Angels' and 'GANGgajang'
* David Basheer, association football (soccer) commentator and analyst
* John Henry Chinner (1865–1933), caricaturist and PAC board member
* Bob Francis (1939–2016), radio presenter, FIVEaa
* Robert Hannaford, AM (1944–), portrait painter and sculptor
* Ivor Hele (1912–1993), war artist and prolific portraitist
* Sir Robert Helpmann, CBE (1909–1986), Ballet dancer, actor, director and choreographer
* Graham Jenkin, poet, composer and historian
* Hayley Lever (1876–1958), painter
* Adam Liaw (1978–), lawyer and winner of 2010 MasterChef Australia
* Rex Heading (1929–2010), the creator of Humphrey B. Bear whose show won two Logies; former managing director of Channel Nine

### Exploration

* Duncan Chessell (1970–), Mountaineer
* Cecil Madigan (1889–1947), explorer, Geologist, Rhodes Scholar, University Lecturer
* Andrew Martin (1951–), Marathon swimmer, first recorded solo crossing of the treacherous Backstairs Passage between Cape Jervis and Kangaroo Island.

### Military and defence

* Major General Steve Gower AO (1940–), Director of the Australian War Memorial 1996–2011
* Major-General Sir Newton Moore KCMG (1870–1936), eighth Premier of Western Australia, World War I general, member of the UK House of Commons
* John Alexander Raws, journalist and WW1 diarist, killed in action 23 August 1916 at Pozieres – no known grave
* Lieutenant Leonard Taplin, DFC, World War fighter ace, pioneer aerial photographer and aerial cartographer
* Captain Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell, VC (1884–1933), soldier, farmer

### Politics, public service and the law

* Cory Bernardi (1969–), Senator for South Australia from 2006 to 2020
* Harold Boas (1883–1980), Perth architect and town planner
* Sir John Lavington Bonython (1875–1960), editor of The Advertiser, Lord Mayor of Adelaide (1927–1930)
* Grant Chapman (1949–), Member for Division of Kingston (1975–1983) and Senator for South Australia (1988–2008)
* David Combe (1943–), National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party from 1973 to 1981.
* John Lancelot Cowan, Member for the District of Southern Districts (1949–1959) in the South Australian Legislative Council
* Charles Glover (1870–1936), first Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide (1919)
* Lionel Logue, CVO (1880–1953), speech therapist who successfully treated King George VI's stammer
* Major-General Sir Newton Moore KCMG (1870–1936), eighth Premier of Western Australia, World War I general, member of the UK House of Commons
* Sir Geoffrey Reed (1892–1970), judge in the Supreme Court of South Australia, first Director-General of ASIO

### Science and medicine

* Herbert Basedow (1881–1933), anthropologist, geologist, explorer, politician
* Roger Brissenden (1962–) Deputy Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
* Henry Brose (1890–1965), physicist, translator, pathologist, biochemist, academic, Rhodes Scholar
* Sir Raphael Cilento, medical practitioner and public health administrator
* Sir John Burton Cleland, CBE (1878–1971), Naturalist, microbiologist, mycologist, ornithologist, Professor of Pathology
* Henry Fry, DSO (1886–1959), Physician, anthropologist, Rhodes Scholar
* Bill Griggs, AM, ASM, doctor
* Brian Kenneth Hobbs (1937–2004), doctor
* Howard Rayner (1896–1975), doctor
* Con Stough, Professor of Psychology – Swinburne University
* John Burnard West (1928– ), respiratory physiologist

### Sport
#### Cricket

* Greg Blewett (born 1971)
* Greg Chappell, MBE (born 1948), Australian captain 1975–1977, 1979–1983
* Ian Chappell (born 1943), Australian captain 1971–1975
* Trevor Chappell (born 1952)
* Joe Darling, CBE (1870–1946), Australian captain 1899–1902, 1902–1903, 1905
* Rick Darling (born 1957)
* Simon Douglas Fry (umpire 2001–)
* Clem Hill (1877–1945), Australian captain 1910–1912
* Tim May (born 1962)
* Howard Rayner (1896–1975)
* Paul Rofe (born 1981)
* James Smith (born 1988)
* Ashley Woodcock (born 1947)

#### Australian rules football

* Edward Charles Atkins (1873–1966) Norwood (SA Premiers 1894), Sturt, West Perth (WA Premiers 1897), East Fremantle (WA)
* Zac Bailey (1999–), Brisbane Football Club 2018– ; AFL premiership player 2024
* Kade Chandler (2000–), Melbourne Demons 2019–
* Riley Bonner (1997–), Port Adelaide Football Club 2016–2023 (93 Games, 13 Goals); St. Kilda Football Club 2024 (19 Games, 1 Goal) - Total: 112 Games, 14 Goals
* James Borlase (2002–), Adelaide Crows 2021–
* Mitch Crowden (1999–), Fremantle Football Club 2018–2022 (42 Games, 15 Goals)
* Peter Dalwood, Norwood, Fitzroy 1945 (7 Games, 12 Goals), South Australia
* Peter Darley (1944–) South Adelaide (206 games); premiership winners 1964, captain 1967–1969, 1971. 7 times best and fairest, leading goalkicker 1974
* Rick Davies (1952–) South Australia (20 games, Captain 1980); SANFL: Sturt (317), South Adelaide (33); VFL: Hawthorn 1981 (20 Games, 37 Goals)
* Sam Day (1992–), Gold Coast Suns 2011–2024 (155 Games, 117 Goals); Brisbane Lions 2025-; Inaugural member of the Gold Coast Suns
* Aaron Francis (1997–), Essendon Football Club (35 Games, 6 Goals); Sydney Swans 2023-
* George Hewett (1995–), Sydney Swans Football Club 2016–2021 (120 Games, 32 Goals); Carlton Blues 2022-
* Wayne Jackson (1944–), CEO of the AFL (1996–2003)
* Craig Kelly (1966–), Collingwood
* Ed Lower (1987–), North Melbourne Kangaroos 2006–2010 (42 Games, 16 Goals)
* Nick Lower (1987–), Port Adelaide 2006–2009 (20 Games, 0 Goals); Fremantle Dockers 2011–2012 (22 Games, 9 Goals); Western Bulldogs 2013 (13 Games, 2 Goals) – Total (55 Games, 11 Goals)
* Rodney Maynard (1966–), Adelaide Crows
* Kane McAuliffe (2005-) Richmond Football Club 2023-
* Ian McKay (1923–2010), North Adelaide (164 Games, 45 Goals, Captain 1948–1955); South Australia (14 Games, Captain 1950–1951); 1950 Magarey Medalist.
* John Mossop (1959), Geelong 1979–1986 (134 Games, 87 Goals); North Melbourne 1987–1988 (37 Games, 15 Goals) – Total (171 Games, 102 Goals); Carji Greeves Medalist 1982
* Kysaiah Pickett (2001–)- Melbourne Football Club 2020–; AFL premiership player 2021
* David Pittman (1969–), Adelaide Crows 1992–1999 (131 Games, 34 Goals); 2× AFL premiership player 1997, 1998
* Loch Rawlinson(2005-) West Coast Eagles 2023-
* Kym Russell (1968–), Collingwood Magpies 1991 (3 Games, 1 Goal)
* Scott Russell (1970–), Collingwood Magpies 1990–1998 (182 Games, 107 Goals); Sydney Swans 1999 (16 Games, 8 Goals) – Total (198 Games, 115 Goals); AFL premiership player 1990
* Luke Pedlar (2002-) Adelaide Crows 2021-
* Harry Schoenberg (2001–), Adelaide Football Club 2020–
* Tom Sparrow (2000–) Melbourne Football Club 2019–; AFL premiership player 2021
* Luke Tapscott (1991–), Melbourne Demons 2011–2014 (48 Games, 12 Goals)
* Jack Trengove (1991–), Melbourne Demons (86 Games, 39 Goals, 2010–2017), Captain of Melbourne FC (2012–2013), youngest Captain in VFL/AFL history
* Bernie Vince (1985–), Adelaide Crows 2006–2013 (129 Games, 80 Goals) Melbourne Demons 2014–2018 (100 Games, 33 Goals) – Total (229 Games, 113 Goals); 2009 Malcolm Blight Medalist, 2015 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medalist
* Jack Viney (1994–), Melbourne Demons 2013– Co-Captain (2017–2019); AFL premiership player 2021; 2x Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medalist 2016 & 2024
* Tim Weatherald (1977–) Sturt and Norwood Football Club (SANFL), Magarey Medallist 2002
* Tex Wanganeen (2003-) Essendon Football Club 2022-2024 (5 Games, 1 Goal)

#### Association football

* John Hall (1994–), Western Sydney Wanderers and Olyroos

#### Rowing

* Dr. Matthew Bolt (1986–), former Australian Under 23 Rower, stroke of the 2011 Bronze medal winning South Australian Kings Cup crew, member of 2012 Bronze medal winning Kings Cup crew, former Captain of Adelaide University Boat Club
* Alexander Hill (1993–), Current Australian Rowing Team member, Olympic Silver Medallist (Rio 2016) M4–, World Cup Medallist, Australian Under 23 Rower, 2011/2012 Bronze medal winning Kings Cup crew member, former Under 19 World Champion
* Brian Richardson (1948–), former Olympic Rower, Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980