By Mrs Annette Carter, College Historian
In 1984, when Radford College first opened, there were just two Houses: Blue and Garnet. The following year, in 1985, this was expanded to include Gold and Green.
In response to the school’s increasing size in 1986, a decision was made to establish eight houses the next year. After deliberating on various themes including Indigenous words, trees, artists, explorers, scientists, or National Parks, they eventually settled on Australian trees with “their Aboriginal names where possible”:
Acacia – Gold
Jarrah – Garnet
Huon – Black
Kurrajong – Green
Karri – Dark Blue
Boronia – Red
Wandoo – Light Blue
Banksia – White
1987 marked the commencement of the Bishop’s Cup. For this inaugural occasion, there were form picnic lunches that were followed by an afternoon of special inter-house sport which included hockey, netball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, touch football and table tennis. Karri emerged as the inaugural champion, closely followed by Banksia.
The same year saw the introduction of House Colours, represented by a metal bar in the respective House colour. These were awarded to students who “exhibited outstanding service to the House in participation in inter-house competitions, in assistance with house organisation and in generally promoting house spirit.”
By 1997 – Jarrah had become purple rather than garnet.
In 2004, when the Middle School opened, houses named after previous Principals – Casson (Gold), Mackinnon (Light Blue) and Wigg (Maroon) – were established. However, these were disbanded at the end of 2005 in favour of restructuring that maintained the existing eight houses.
Throughout Radford College’s history, from its modest beginnings with two Houses to the subsequent expansion and evolution, the school has not only grown but has also successfully preserved the spirit and determination envisioned by its founders.