Oxley College

The College took its name from the famous early Australian explorer, John Oxley, and looks up to the hill named after him. His descendants permitted the family crest to be used as the College badge's basis, which incorporates their motto Patientia et Fortitudine—Patience and Fortitude, and the College similarly adopted this as its motto.

Expansive grounds of great beauty provide a wonderful setting in which to educate young people. The centerpiece is a graceful colonial homestead 'Elvo,' built in the 1880s. Now, this elegant building serves as the administrative center of the College.

The grounds occupy seven hectares with established trees, many of which were planted when the property was first occupied. The grounds and the facilities developed within them are designed and maintained to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning. There is a sense of openness that encourages the enlargement of the mind. Students are encouraged to be sensitive to the environment they learn, respect it, and appreciate its beauty.

From its initial enrolment of 24 students, the student population is now over 400. The College's policy maintains its commitment to the modesty of scale, small enough for students' education to be personal and humane, yet large enough to provide a wide range of academic options and activities.

Although the school began only thirty years ago, it feels like it has been a part of the Southern Highlands landscape for much longer than that- perhaps founded in 1883, not 1983. This is partly due to the graceful main building, Elvo, and the grounds. It is also, however, something more profound than that. I think it is because it seems necessary, indeed inevitable, that a community such as ours should have a school such as Oxley.

The Southern Highlands is a community with high expectations and wants its children to eventually bestride their world, be it Madrid or Mittagong, Beijing, or Bundanoon. Oxley has similar high expectations of its students and will let them see that almost anything is possible with rigor and hard work. We aspire to give the students the advantages of a 'big city' school, without parents sending their children away to Sydney or Melbourne's boarding houses.

Simultaneously, most people in our community have made the conscious choice to raise our children in a local setting- one with four thousand people, not four million. People want a school that reflects that. Our beautiful grounds and relatively small size mean that every student is known and cared for. I know most students in the school by name (and know their birthdays), and many of the teachers have profound and long-lasting connections with each child. At the same time, we are large enough to offer a substantial variety of subjects, sports, activities, bands, and social groups.

Many people in the Highlands want a school that is co-educational and non-denominational. This reflects their world views about gender and the role of tolerant, ecumenical spirituality in a school setting. We respect the unique contributions of men and women and know the importance of them working together. We also respect each individual's profound, personal nature's journey about the 'big questions' of life. This respect is deep in Oxley's soil.