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).