St Paul’s Celebrates 40 Years
Forty years ago, local families founded St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, and in the decades since, the school has amassed a rich history and a collection of remarkable stories.
Looking to the future and remembering the past, the six Principals of St Paul’s, past and present, united to commemorate this historic milestone as part of a special 40th Anniversary Service. Prep students joined the Principals in a candle lighting ceremony to welcome their return, with the passing of the flame symbolising one Principal passing on responsibility to the next.
Members of the Board, Life Governors, previous students, and current students and staff from both the Warragul and Traralgon Campuses gathered at the service to memorialise the momentous occasion.
Class of 1987 alumnus, Mr Malcom Watts, now the National Director (CEO) of SIM Australia, delivered the keynote address, encouraging current students to “Explore the possibilities. The possibilities of life motivate us and the experiences they bring define us.”
St Paul’s commenced with 19 students in 1982 in the Sunday School rooms of St Paul’s Anglican Church in Warragul. Since then, the school has grown to be a leading independent, co-educational school of approximately 1,600 students across two campuses in Warragul and Traralgon. The school has established a strong academic reputation with the majority of graduates continuing to university studies.
The Foundation Principal was Dr Des Parker from 1981-1992, followed by Mr Richard Prideaux 1993-2006 and Mr Mark Robertson 2007-2010. From 2011-2012, Mr Mike Clapper was Executive Principal of St Paul’s and Ms Lisa Moloney was Principal from 2011-2017. The current Principal Mr Cameron Herbert commenced in 2018.
The School’s history encompasses steady growth, expanding from the original secondary school to include a primary school in 1998 and a kindergarten in 1999. It has also spread its wings, establishing a Traralgon Campus in 2002 which began with Pre-Kinder to Year 3 students but now is home to more than 450 students through to Year 10, and has committed to further expansion to include Years 11 and 12 by 2027. The school is now also planning to offer Early Learning through to Year 2 at a new campus in Drouin from 2024.
The service concluded with attendees gathering for a whole-school drone photograph.