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GENERATIONS OF CONNECTION: THE GORDON FAMILY
Did brothers Stuart and Tom Gordon think it possible when they co-founded the Central West’s first Presbyterian school for girls that their descendants would still be among the students 100 years later?
Stuart and Tom Gordon are names synonymous with Kinross Wolaroi School. They were visionaries among the Presbyterian community who saw the need for a school that could provide an education based on Christian values to girls in the Central West.
The brothers already had extensive property holdings in the region, so focused on garnering support and funds to establish their school. In 1928, Stuart and Tom, with the help of locals Stuart Douglas and Reverend McInnes, opened the Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) Orange on Campdale, a 43-acre property. The College’s first Principal was Miss Eleanor Linck.
In 1973, amidst a period of substantial shifts in educational perspectives, both PLC Orange and the local boys school Wolaroi transitioned to coeducational institutions. As part of this transformation, PLC Orange rebranded itself as The Kinross School. Two years later, in 1975, the two schools merged to form Kinross Wolaroi School.
Throughout the years, Kinross Wolaroi has seen numerous changes, but two things have remained constant: its dedication to educational and Christian values and the continued attendance of the Gordon family. Like a thread running through the Kinross Wolaroi tapestry, family records provided by Stuart’s great-great-granddaughter, Victoria ‘Tory’ Gordon, and Stuart and Tom’s grandniece, Janet Appleby (nee Gordon and formerly Fitzhardinge), show that many descendants have been, and still are, actively involved in the Kinross Wolaroi community.
Stuart’s daughter Matilda was one of the first students to attend PLC Orange and the College’s first Prefect. Her sisters Jenny and Frances also attended PLC Orange circa 1934-1938.
Stuart’s grandson Don was a member of the PLC Orange Council for many years, and students and staff can still find a tree planted in his honour at the PLC bus bay. Don’s daughters, Susan and Wendy, attended PLC Orange in the 1950s, and there is a Speech Day prize named in Susan’s honour for Best All Round Sports Woman. Some of Susan’s grandchildren attended Kinross Wolaroi recently – Chloe, Amber, Maggie, Will and Daisy (current Year 11 student).
Don’s son Roger was a member of the Kinross Wolaroi Foundation in the 1980s and part of the Cow-Calf Program Fundraising Initiative during that decade. Following in his footsteps, Roger’s daughters Tory and Katherine, attended Kinross Wolaroi in the 1980s and 1990s. Tory was Head Prefect and Dux in 1989. Kate was also a Prefect.
In speaking with Tory, it became evident that her own children would naturally follow in the footsteps of their ancestors and attend Kinross Wolaroi, thus becoming the fourth generation to do so. Tory’s son Mac successfully graduated from Kinross Wolaroi in 2022, while her daughter Niamh is currently in Year 12. Niamh finds herself studying alongside her cousins Daisy and Lachie (Tory’s nephew and brother’s son), who is in Year 10.
Looking back at her family’s history, Tory understands that Stuart and Tom’s reasons for opening PLC Orange in 1928 were not only about providing girls in the western region with a school but also about recognising that the region needed excellent educational opportunities to prosper and grow. Tory and her husband had similar reasons for sending Mac and Niamh to Kinross Wolaroi.
“We were looking for a co-educational school close to where we live in Cowra that would offer our children a quality education and extensive co-curricular experiences. Mac and Niamh have relished the academic aspects of Kinross Wolaroi but have also been heavily involved in sport, drama and leadership opportunities (in the same way that my sister and I did). More importantly, they are at a school with students who have similar values and have made lovely friends.”
On the other side of the family tree, many of Tom’s children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews have also walked through the halls at Kinross Wolaroi. Tom’s youngest daughter Helen was a foundation pupil at PLC Orange at the age of seven and served on the School Council in her adult life. Her daughter Margot and her grandchildren Lucinda, Tim and Lachlan were all subsequently pupils. Tim’s daughter Millie attended until 2023 and Harry is currently in Year 5.
Tom’s sons, Tom Junior and Ron, also volunteered their time to the Council and put their children through PLC Orange. Tom Junior’s daughter Anne was Head Girl in 1958. Ron’s children Judy and Barbara attended in the 1960s, and Judy was Dux in 1963.
Janet, who shared her family’s history for this article, is connected to Tom and Stuart through her father George. George was Tom and Stuart’s nephew. He attended Wolaroi in the 1930s and served on the PLC Orange Council from the 1950s to the early 1970s. His seven daughters, including Janet, Heather, Louise, Catherine, Margaret, Georgina and Nancy, attended PLC Orange during this time (including the change-over period to co-educational).
But Janet’s connection with the School goes beyond her time as a student. She returned to teach in the 1970s and became the School’s first Development Officer in the 1980s, a position she held until 2008. Her daughter, Louisa, was also a pupil in the 1980s and early 1990s, and Louisa’s son, Charlie, is currently in Year 6.
Now, as the fourth generation makes its way through Kinross Wolaroi, Janet and Tory find themselves reflecting on their family’s incredible history through this very article. They ponder with excitement about the future, wondering which of the Gordon ancestors will join the Kinross Wolaroi community in another 100 years. Because, despite many Gordon family members venturing far and wide for further education, all have returned home to the Central West to nurture and raise the next generation. We thank Tory and Janet for generously sharing their family history, without which this article would not have been possible.
