ST COLUMBA COLLEGE

Location
St Columba College was located in Nedlands, Western Australia, just five minutes from the centre of Perth, the capital city. Directly across from the historical buildings that make up the University of Western Australia. St Columba College had all the benefits of life that come with being close to the beautiful Swan River and the acres of natural bush land that make up Kings Park.

Background
On June 22, 1961, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Western Australia, the Right Reverend A.J. Watt, proposed to the church's General Assembly that the Church should provide a residential college at the University of Western Australia. It was considered an opportune time to ensure at least that land was set aside for that purpose.

The Site
The General Assembly agreed in principal to the establishment of a residential men's college within The University of Western Australia, requesting that the Church authorities apply for an area of land under Section 3 of the University Colleges' Act of 1926 and the setting up of a provisional Council to undertake preliminary planning. At the second meeting of the provisional Council in April 1962, it was agreed that the Senate of the University be asked to set aside a site in the neighbourhood of the existing colleges. Then, in August, 1962 the provisional Council was informed that the Senate of the University had resolved to make available a five acre site between St Catherine's College and Kingswood College for the new college. Following favourable decisions by both churches, representatives of the Congressional Church were added to the provisional Council by October that year.

The Name and Crest
In March 1963 it was decided to name the college after St Columba, an adventurous Irish scholar-priest who brought Christianity to Scotland. It would be established as a joint foundation of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches, now incorporated within the Uniting Church in Australia. From a range of suggestions made it was decided to accept the design for a crest submitted by Mr. Ray Montgomery; namely, that of a white dove rising from the foot of a Celtic cross. The council added an olive branch in the beak of the dove. The final design was of a white dove bearing a golden branch rising alongside a golden Celtic cross on a blue field.

For Men and Women
Although it was both assumed and stated that St Columba College would be a men's college, on July 1, 1969, the Senate of The University of Western Australia requested the Council to include accommodation for female students. Since no objections were raised, it was resolved that 39 of the 117 places planned for the first stage of the college buildings, be reserved for female students. The distinction of being the first Western Australian University College to accept both male and female students was shared with Currie Hall which also admitted female students for the first time in 1971.

First Building Stage
Originally 1968 was planned as the opening date. On advice from the Australian Universities' Commission, this was revised to 1971. Tenders for site works and the first stage buildings were accepted in September and October 1969. The final cost, including furnishings and equipment was $736,416. The buildings thus created accommodated 123 students, 3 married Resident Life Managers, 4 single Resident Life Managers and the Bursar. The three wings thus created were named Iona, Derry and Durrow, after places where St Columba had established communities. Derry and Durrow were the sites of monasteries established by St Columba in Ireland. Iona was the location of a Lamas monastery he had established in Scotland.

First Principal
In anticipation of a 1969 opening, the council received 13 inquires about the position of Master. By August 1969, it was resolved to change the name from Master to Principal, in recognition that the college would house female as well as male students. From the 36 applications received by December 1969, the Council agreed in March the following year to offer the position to Reverend David Robinson. Dave and Lucie Robinson arrived in Perth from South Australia in September 1970. The building now known as "The Old Lodge", having been delayed in construction, was occupied by the Robinson's in December 1970. Dave Robinson continued as Principal for 14 years.

Iona Stone
During the later half of its first year the College was presented with a significant artefact, a sandstone block that was once part of the twelfth century Abbey of Columba of the Island of Iona in Scotland. Dr. W. L. Ride who was chairman of the College Council from 1966 to 1971, had been instrumental in obtaining the stone which came to the College as a gift from the Iona Community. (The Iona Stone is located in the foyer of Student Services).

Second Building Stage
Before the College's first buildings were occupied, the council was required to submit proposals to the Universities' Commission that would include the next stage of the building program. It was considered that a new residential wing as well as a joint Library and Tutorial Room complex to be shared with Kingswood College would be put forward for approval and funding. Only the residential component and the tutorial block of this proposal were accepted. The residential wing was to be a variation to the standard form of single rooms in the rest of the College. This would be achieved by having groups of four or five rooms in clusters around a common living / cooking area and bathroom / toilet. Thus Argyll Wing was conceived, consisting of a long building with six clusters of rooms and a small block with two clusters as well as a married tutor's unit. The top unit of this smaller block became known as "Argyll Towers". Argyll was a more recent name given to the Irish Kingdom of Dal Riata, closely associated with St Columba's family. The tutorial block was built opposite the Dining Room to form a courtyard with the Administration Block. The top floor was called the library and the ground floor provided five tutorial rooms. It was at this stage that a second car park was built and additional landscaping work was carried out.

Deputy Principal
With the increase in the College population from 123 to 166, the College began to consider the appointment of a Deputy Principal and the building of another residence for a family within the grounds. The Reverend Ken Melville was appointed Deputy Principal, arriving in December 1975. When the new residence was completed in February 1976, the principal moved into what became known as "The New Lodge" and the Meville's occupied "The Old Lodge". This was the third building stage of the College.

Ada Purnell Library
The fourth building stage consisted of a new Library building containing a top floor with chapel and tutorial/study rooms. This complex, completed in 1980 was named "The Ada Purnell Library" in recognition of the bequest made to the College in 1977 by the late Ada Purnell, a member of the Trinity Church, Perth, who for many years was a school teacher in Nedlands.

When the library was transferred to its new home, together with that of Kingswood College and the Uniting Church Theological Hall, the room occupied by the Library became known as the Lounge. In 1993 the Theological Hall collection was moved to Murdoch University. The Kingswood College collection was moved to its new location in Kingswood College at the beginning of 1996. The remaining books were those of St Columba College and the Goethe Society (WA Branch).

Renovations
During the nineties, the College followed a policy of updating its buildings. The bathrooms in three wings were upgraded first. In 1992 and 1993 all the study bedrooms were renovated. In 1994 the Resident Life Managers’ flats underwent a much needed overhaul. In 1993 a comprehensive telephone system and data cabling brought modern communications into every student’s room. In 1995 the Computer Laboratory was expanded and moved from the small tutorial room it had occupied under the Lounge, into the Ada Purnell Library now known as the Ada Purnell Resource Centre.

Jean Randall Common Room
In 1992 a move was made to provide facilities where a large number of residents could meet, the only place up to that time being the Dining Room, since the College did not have a Common Room for residents. Conceptual plans were drawn up and were amended by reference to the student body. The firm of Santelli Holbrook developed detailed plans and in 1995, after a long drawn out process of tendering, it was decided to put the project to Construction Management. Work began in September 1995 and was completed early in 1996 academic year.

It was decided to name the Common Room after Jean Randall whose participation to the cause of University Women, the French Department in particular, and in the Uniting Church as a member of the Ross Memorial Church was regarded as highly significant. A bequest from her estate has contributed largely to the cost of the building of the common room. The Jean Randall Common Room was officially opened by the Chancellor of the University, the Honourable Mr Justice Geoffrey Kennedy on Wednesday 20 March 1996.

Master Plan
In 1997 the College Council appointed Mr Bruce Callow as College Architect and charged him with the responsibility of drawing up a Master Plan for future renovation and development to the College. As a first step in the implementation of the Master Plan an Entry Statement was planned and built in that year on the Stirling Highway frontage of the College.

Principals
The College has had five principals in its 25 years: Dave Robinson (1971-1985), Richard Craig (1985-1990), John Henley (1991-1992), Noel Kentish (1993-1999).