Trinity College, Gawler

Trinity College, previously known as Trinity College Gawler, is an Anglican, K–12, co-educational, day school in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.

Trinity College Gawler
Location
Gawler South Australia Australia
Coordinates	34°38′00″S 138°44′09″E
Information
Type	Independent, co-educational, day
Motto	In God Is My Faith
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Denomination	Anglican Church of Australia
Established	1984
Chair	Dr. Ken Heath
Head of College	Nick Hately
Chaplain	Rev'd David MacGillivray
Enrolment	(K–12)[1]
Campus	Suburban
Colour(s)	White, navy, red & yellow
Affiliations	Sports Association for Adelaide Schools
Guinness World Record	Largest game of heads or tails
Reconciliation Action Plan	2022/023 Approved
Website	www.trinity.sa.edu.au

Established in 1984,^[2] approximately 4,000 students are enrolled over 5 different campuses in Evanston South, Angle Vale, and Blakeview, with a sixth planned to open in Roseworthy in 2024^[3]

Students from the College have been successful in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge (3rd in the small school section in 2004), the Tournament of Minds (2003 Secondary Division in Maths Engineering) and the Wakakirri competition, with Gawler River earning a 1st place in the division one section for new schools and South receiving 1st in the division three section. Trinity College is also home to the BaCoNeers, a FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team.^[4]

History

Trinity College was formed at St Georges Church, Church Hill, Gawler, when a group of parish parents wanted a better place for their children to learn. The first class was held in the parish hall, before moving to its now current location in Evanston South. In 1994, the college purchased 2.16 square kilometres of bushland and created the Blackham Environmental and Conservation Centre.

In 1995, the Trinity College Foundation was formed with a Board of 11 volunteer members and became incorporated in 1996.

STARplex is a business adjacent to the senior campus, owned and operated by Trinity College. Opened in 2000, the centre has four multi-purpose courts, one 25m and one small indoor heated swimming pools, gymnasium, café, theatre, and conference rooms. The facility offers sports, training, arts and recreational services.

The "Trinity Innovation and Creativity School" was opened in early 2020 and contains an art gallery, podcast studios, green rooms, 360 degree projection room, multiple classrooms, design studios and a sunken gallery with a large screen. In 2021 it was announced the school would be teaching students to create VR content as a partner in a project with Pembroke and SEDA College, with the schools working with Newcastle University to run a year-long trial in VR content creation.^[5]

The College plans to open a sixth school at Roseworthy in 2024.

Alumni

• Travis Head (2011) – cricketer^[6]
• Wes Carr (1999) – singer/songwriter^{[citation needed]}
• Glenn Docherty (2001) – Mayor of City of Playford, Australia^{[citation needed]}
• Brad Symes (2001) – footballer^[7]
• Ryan Harris (1997) – former cricketer^[8]
• Paul Benz (2003) – Paralympic athlete^{[citation needed]}
• Chelsea Jaensch (2002) – track and field athlete^[9]
• Wayne Milera (2015) – footballer^[10]
• Jackson Hately (2018) – footballer^[11]
• Kristian Rees (1996) – footballer^{[citation needed]}
• Clementine Ford (1998) – writer^{[citation needed]}

Criticism

In 2021, an incident of alleged racism occurred involving two Trinity College Senior schoolgirls, who were reported to have lynched a black baby doll.^[12][13] A white doll was also mistreated.^[12] Although an investigation by the school found the incident to not be racially motivated, the school acknowledged that "not having a racist intent does not mean the impact is not racist" and suspended seven students over the incident.^[14]

Headmasters

• Mrs Christina Hatchett – 1984
• Mr Michael Hewitson – 1984 to 2002
• Mr Luke Thompson – 2002 to 2010
• Mr Nick Hately – 2010 to current

Schools

Current:

• Evanston South (Gawler)
  • Trinity College Montessori Early Learning Centre 3–5 years of age
  • Trinity College North, Reception – Year 10
  • Trinity College South, Reception – Year 10
  • Trinity College Senior, Year 11–12
• Blakeview (City of Playford)
  • Trinity College Blakeview, Reception – Year 10
• Angle Vale (City of Playford)
  • Trinity College Gawler River, Reception – Year 10
  • Trinity College Montessori Early Learning Centre at Gawler River

Planned:

• Roseworthy (Light Regional Council)
  • Trinity College Roseworthy (planned opening 2024)

Extracurricular Offerings

Trinity College offers the following extracurricular activities to its students:

Art Club Athletics Bands/Ensembles Basketball Cattle Club Choirs College Musical Cricket

Dance Engineering and Robotics Equestrian Football (AFL) Goat Club Gymnastics Hockey

Lion Dancing Netball Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Tournament of Minds

Basketball Team Achievements

Championship Men (Open)

• Australian Schools Championships

Champions: 2018

Runners Up: 2016, 2024

Third Place: 2019

See also

• Anglican Church of Australia
• List of schools in South Australia
• List of Largest South Australian Schools