De La Salle College

History

Beginning over a century ago with 54 boys in a parish hall, our College now educates over 1,000 students across three campuses. It’s a rich history and one that informs our direction for the future.

Early History from 1912

Three Irish brothers, Br Dunstan Drumm, Br Leopold Loughran and Br Jerome Foley, arrived in Melbourne on 4 February, 1912 after a long sea voyage that took them from a bleak northern winter into a hot Australian summer.

Having settled into ‘Coldblo’, a house owned by St Joseph’s Parish, they began teaching 54 boys the very next day in the parish hall.

These early days, and indeed the early years, would provide an exciting challenge for our three pioneers in establishing De La Salle College in Malvern.

A New Beginning in 1929

A momentous year in the history of the College was 1929. The size and public profile of De La Salle grew dramatically with the move from the first school building in Stanhope Street West to the new Tower Building, erected on the site of our present Tiverton Campus.

That year also saw the return to the College of Br Jerome Foley for a seventeen-year appointment as Headmaster.

Dr Eric D’Arcy, retired Archbishop of Hobart and Oxford educated academic, spoke of his old De La Salle teacher:

Br Jerome, one of many great leaders De La Salle has seen, had the difficult task of steering the College through the hard years of the Great Depression and the Second World War and was loved and respected by generations of De La Salle Collegians’.

1953 and Beyond

In 1953 a second property, ‘Kinnoull’, was purchased in nearby Northbrook Avenue and, since then, each decade until the end of the century has seen further expansion and growth.

Today the College comprises over 1,000 students and 150 staff divided between Tiverton Campus on High Street, Kinnoull, our senior campus and Holy Eucharist, our Year 9 Campus in Malvern East.

The growth and development of the College, along with the many students who have passed through its gates, are a fine tribute to those three Irish brothers.

Securing our future for the next 110 Years

On Monday, 8 August 2022, the College was pleased to announce it is joining Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) as its trustees, the De La Salle Brothers transition from their ownership role.

In a joint statement to the community, the College said it was looking forward to embracing the many exciting years ahead as it continues to grow and prosper under the Lasallian charism.

You can read more about this important and exciting announcement here.

Archives

Preserving the history of the College is important to us, should you have a question for our College Archivist or have any items of memorabilia you wish to donate to the College please drop us an email archivist@delasalle.vic.edu.au.

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