With roots back to the 1800s, the site of the prestigious Scotch College has a thrilling history comprised of mining, military, meatloaf, and more.
Scotch College was founded over one hundred years ago in 1919, during the aftermath of WW1.
“Scotch College was established by the Presbyterian Church and was founded as a war memorial to honour the sons of Scotland who had died in the 1st World War,” shared Scotch College Collegian and author of ‘Scotch College Adelaide Through the Camera Lens’, John Camens.
“In 1918 Dr JA Seymour, minister of Chalmers Church, discovered that Kyre College located in Unley Park was on the market for outright purchase or lease. The Church decided to take out a 2-year lease, the College opened as Kyre Scotch in 1919, the first headmaster being Mr Norm Gratton who held the position till the end of 1951.”
In 1920, the College moved to Torrens Park Estate and the name was changed to Scotch College. But before Scotch called Torrens Park home, three previous prominent Adelaide figures owned the house.
“Torrens Park House was built in 1853 by Sir Robert Richard Torrens, an Irish-born parliamentarian, writer, and land reformer. He was Colonial Treasurer and Registrar-general in South Australia, the third Premier of South Australia for a period of 1 month and chiefly remembered as the originator of the Torrens Title land registration system.
“He sold the House to Sir Walter Watson Hughes, pastoralist, public benefactor and as a result of his £20,000 gift, the University of Adelaide was founded in 1874. Hughes is best remembered for the copper found on his Yorke Peninsula sheep run – beginning the great Wallaroo copper mine.
“He held the property for 8 years after which Robert Barr Smith, partner with Elder Smith and Company purchased and held the property for 45 years. The House and land became a social and cultural centre for the affluent classes of Adelaide. It was used by a whole range of private and public organisations including the Adelaide Hunt club, for Church picnics, garden parties and events in the grand private theatre built in 1885, now known as the Barr Smith Theatre. They held concerts, recitations, plays, and tableaux in the theatre, often associated with sumptuous suppers and dinners. The theatre is now used by the Performing Arts department of the College and for a range of other events.”
In May 1915, Robert Barr Smith offered the Torrens Park Estate to the Australian Defence Department to become a military hospital for wounded soldiers. By 1918, both Robert and his wife Joanna had passed away and the estate was subdivided by the executors and sold.
When Scotch moved to Torrens Park founding Scotch College Headmaster, Norman Gratton, was faced with the task of turning an elegant but run-down Victorian mansion into a first-class boys’ college. Under his leadership, the Torrens Park estate was transformed. Army huts were changed into classrooms, dormitories, and workshops, the coach house became a science block, and the stables were transformed into a gymnasium.
“When the College first moved, the grounds were virtually virgin scrub, and all school activities were housed in the mansion,” John shared.
“It became classrooms for the 92 students, accommodation for the headmaster and his family, the 12 boarders and boarding and support staff. The College quickly outgrew the House with student numbers reaching 310 by 1924 necessitating the building of a new wing onto the mansion. The school oval was also constructed in these early days, being dug out of the hillside with teams of horses pulling Plows and scoops. Innumerable stones worked their way through the surface, and these were picked up and stacked by “sweated labour” of small boys in the recess and lunch periods. The old stables were converted to Science Laboratories a gymnasium and a tuck shop.
“Just when the school started to flourish, the Great Depression brought it to its knees, and the College came very close to closing. Not long after this, the Second World War began, and the College temporarily lost its home and grounds when initially the American Army and subsequently the Australian Military compulsorily took possession of the College and grounds. The College moved into temporary accommodation in Belair until the beginning of 1945. On returning to Torrens Park, the buildings were in a state of disrepair and the College was never adequately compensated for the damage which occurred. Headmaster Norm Gratton and the staff worked tirelessly to re-establish the grounds and buildings, a challenging feat, as there were limited funds. Since those times, there has been considerable construction within the grounds, there has been a broadening of the curriculum, and the College became co-educational in 1972.”
In the years since Scotch has grown outside of Torrens Park House. In 1952 land owned by George Prince was purchased in 1952, and was used initially as a boarding House for the Junior Boarders and for additional sporting facilities. In 1965, following the purchase of some additional land and buildings in the adjacent vicinity, a new Junior School was built.
The Prince’s home, named ‘Kallawar’, was built with large stone and brick pillars. Kallawar stood for many years until it was badly damaged in a flood in 1897 and an earthquake in 1902.
“It was initially called Montrose but was badly damaged by a flood in 1897 and an earthquake in 1902 after which it was demolished and in 1909 a new house was built and called Kallawar. The house with an adjoining five acres of land on Muggs Hill Road was purchased from the Housing Trust for £11,762. The first alteration to the property was to clear and level the land at the south end of the property for use as a sports field and to reconfigure the building for use as a Junior Boarding House.
“Further land and buildings were bought in 1963 including The Reserve on Norman Walk, as well as four Cottages on Albert Street. The Reserve was renamed Conquest House in Honour of John Playford Conquest, an old scholar and descendent of the original owner of the property, Fritz Conquest. Fritz was a butcher and the sausage all South Australians know as “Fritz”, was named after Fritz Conquest. Their shop was on Princes Road, Mitcham. Fritz’s father, also a butcher, ran a competition between his two sons, Fritz and Stanley, to see who could make the best meatloaf. According to their father, Fritz made the best meatloaf and his father consequently named it after him.”
Five years after its inception, Scotch became the first school in South Australia to have a fully operational farm on campus, which was established in recognition of the needs of the boarders who were from the country and needed skills as well as academics with which to return home.
Complete with cattle, alpacas, chickens and sheep, Scotch’s agricultural activities have gone on to include an established vineyard, orchard, stable and shearing shed to complement the livestock enterprises.
“In 1923, the College was one of the first schools to introduce to its curriculum an Agriculture and Pastoral Science Course. Eight acres of land available at the College provided an almost unique opportunity amongst South Australian Colleges to develop a sound practical course. An afternoon each week was set aside for “outdoor work” and the initial tasks included creating experimental cereal plots.
“The course waned in the early years of The Great Depression partly due to falling enrolments and a concern as to the economic viability of the course. By 1937, an orchard was planted adjacent to Blythewood Road, Dr Richardson from the Waite Institute supplied the first cereal seed, and 20 Border Leicester sheep were donated. Pigs and cows were added to the inventory and by 1939 the farm was paying its way and in 1940, students were attending Wool Classing courses at the School of Mines. In 1942 when the College moved to Belair, the stock was sold but the theoretical work continued with the course being fully re-instated at Torrens Park by 1944.
“In 1964, a merino flock was established and by 1971 a shearer was engaged as the flock had grown to about 100 animals. With the appointment of Chris Caudle in the 1970s, younger children were introduced to Agricultural Studies.
“During the 1970s some students kept their horses at the College, and this paved the way for the acquisition of a Clydesdale workhorse named Jordie in 1979. This was also the impetus to build a Stable, part of the A XII course Natural Resources Management. In 1984, the Trumble Agricultural Laboratories were opened.”
“In 1990, Scotch was the first school in the State to commence marine aquaculture. Other activities included an involvement in the St Vincent Landcare group where plantings of trees in the Aldinga area were undertaken on a large scale, as well as the Bettong and Potorro breeding program in 1995.
“Towards the end of the 2010s, there was a greater emphasis on technology to accompany the traditional curriculum. A Farm Skills Centre was built in 2019 with a focus on high end wine production and the use of Farmbot technology.”
Scotch College’s rich history highlights resilience, innovation, and an enduring commitment to education. From its early days as a war memorial school to its transformation of Torrens Park Estate, the College has continuously evolved while honouring its legacy. As it continues to grow, the school upholds its traditions while embracing the future, ensuring that generations of students will benefit from its unique blend of history, community, and forward-thinking excellence.
For more on the history of the school check out John’s fantastic book, here.
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