Wilderness School
Wilderness School is an independent, non-denominational Christian, day and boarding school for girls, located in Medindie, an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
| The Wilderness School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| , Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, day and boarding |
| Motto | Latin: Semper Verus (Always True) |
| Denomination | Non-denominational |
| Established | 1884 |
| Principal | Belinda Arnfield |
| Grades | R–12[1] |
| Gender | Girls |
| Enrolment | 820 (2018) |
| Colour(s) | Brown and blue |
| Affiliation | Independent Girls Schools Sports Association |
| Website | www.wilderness.com.au |
Established by the Brown sisters in 1884 with four girls and one small boy, Andrew Muecke, as students,[2] Wilderness is a Reception to Year 12 school, and also caters for Year 13. The school currently enrols approximately 820 students, including up to 80 boarders.[1] In 2003, The Australian declared The Wilderness School one of the ten highest achieving schools in Australia.[3]
Wilderness School is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[4] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[5] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association,[1] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA)[6] and the Independent Girls' Schools Sports Association (IGSSA).
House system
The Wilderness School has five houses, through which all girls partake in intra-school activities:
- Amaryllis (Pink)
- Antholiza (Blue)
- Carob (Green)
- Cedar (Purple)
- Sparaxis (Orange)
Sport
Wilderness School is a member of the Independent Girls Schools Sports Association (IGSSA). The school maintains the sporting grounds at Park 6 on Robe Terrace, for use as hockey, lacrosse and soccer fields. Other sporting facilities include a gymnasium which was completed in 2005, and a boatshed at the South Australian Rowing Association complex at West Lakes for rowing.
IGSSA premierships
Wilderness school has won the following IGSSA premierships.[7]
- Badminton (3) – 2009, 2014, 2015
- Hockey (7) – 1981, 1982, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2019
- Swimming – 2010
Notable alumnae
- Annabel Crabb – the ABC's chief online political writer, formerly political columnist with The Age[8]
- Ally Fowler – Actress[8]
- Posie Graeme-Evans – Novelist; Producer; Director of Drama, Nine Network; Co-creator of Hi-5 and McLeod's Daughters (also attended The Fahan School)[9]
- Georgie Parker – member of the Australian National Hockey Team.[10]
- Mekhla Kumar – Australian pianist
- Phiala E. Shanahan – theoretical physicist[11]
- Susan Magarey – historian and author
References
- "Wilderness School". Schools. Australian Boarding Schools' Association. 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- "Wilderness School Diamond Jubilee". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 7 October 1946. p. 10. Retrieved 25 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- The Australian- Wilderness School award (accessed:26-06-2007)
- "School Directory". South Australia. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- "JSHAA South Australian Directory of Members". South Australia Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2008. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- Butler, Jan (2006). "Member Schools". Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- "Sports – Independent Girls Schools Sports Association". Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- Green, Jonathan (30 March 2005). "Famous alumni on Latham's hit list". Politics. Crikey. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "GRAEME-EVANS Posie". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
- "Home | Hockey Australia".
- Yew, Anthea (August 2017). "Eloise Petrucco: St. Andrew's University Scotland". Life in the Wilderness. 7: 20–21 – via issuu.com.