75 Year Timeline

SPOSA 75 YEAR TIMELINE

75 YEARS OF MEMORIES 1940s

> First Headmaster: Mr WC Schneider 20 FEBRUARY, 1945

On this day, St Peters Lutheran College was officially opened and welcomed its first 56 students and eight staff (above). Up un�l 1950, the school cohort was almost en�rely made up of Lutheran Boarding students. If people beyond the church heard of St Peters, most assumed it was a ‘German’ school. POCKET MONEY

Boarders were not allowed to keep money in the dormitories. Instead a ‘pocket money’ fund had to be kept with the College. Each stuent was allocated £2 (later raised to £3) per term to cover fares and other necessary expenses...like haircuts!

1950s

1948

Standing two-stories, 106 feet by 28 feet, Luther House was errected and aptly named. Here she would stand for the next 72 years, un�l her demoli�on in 2020, making room for The Centre for Learning and Innova�on currently being built. Bill Lohe installed as the second Headmaster of St Peters. Bill oversaw a great deal of growth during his years as Headmaster, including the ini�al research on the outdoor educa�on concept. St Peters had grown to a total of 400 students by 1961, with the majority of these s�ll being boarders. The emphasis on family and community was a priority of the Headmaster at the �me, Bill Lohe, as it is today. The Chapel opening took place on Sunday 18 February, 1968. Around 2,000 people gathered for this momentous occasion which was a�ended by the builder, Mr W Groom, and the architect, Dr Karl Langer, as well as Pastor Mayer, the President-General of the Lutheran Church of Australia, Dr M Lohe, and the College Council Chairman, Pastor Dohler. The 80 foot tower at the side of the Chapel to this day remains a prominent feature in the skyline of surrounding suburbs.

1960s

1970s

Due to increasing demand, a Lower Primary school was established in 1973 and the Upper Primary school then followed in 1978, under the expert guidance of Wendy Roehrs. The Junior School started with just 42 students and now educates over 450 students each year.

> Pastor Mayer (bottom left) with other new staff in 1958. 1958

The school’s third Chaplain, Pastor Reinhard Mayer, was inducted. Reini is an Old Scholar, much loved past Staff Member of St Peters, and s�ll very ac�ve in the College community today. EXPANSION

The 1960’s was a decade of major development within the College campus. The 25m Pool opened in 1965, the Refectory (now Café 45) was constructed, with sea�ng capacity for 400 people, new Girls Dormitories and a Science Block were built, and the Chapel was completed in 1968. CARSON DRON

Carson Dron, St Peters’ third and longest serving Headmaster, was installed on 25 October, 1970. Dr Dron served as Headmaster for 24 years, re�ring in 1994 a�er bringing extensive innova�on to St Peters, including the introduc�on of Ironbark and the Middle School, as well as construc�on of numerous facili�es including the 50m pool. IRONBARK

Now synonymous with St Peters, Ironbark was established a�er the ini�al pilot program in 1974. The property, located just outside of Crows Nest in Qld, started off as a full Term program in Year 10, and has evolved over the years to now provide a five week program to Year 9 students.

The broadening of the curriculum started in 1982 with the introduc�on of Graphics, French, Shop A (Manual Arts), Accoun�ng, Agriculture, Animal Produc�on and Social Maths. MORE EXPANSION

The Gymnasium was completed in 1982. In addi�on, Oval 1 (now Mayer Oval) and the grandstand were completed in 1983, and the 50m Pool was ready for use in 1985. FIRST FEMALE HOC

Sally Chandler was installed as Ac�ng Head of College in 1994, taking over from Dr

Carson Dron, un�l permanently instated in 1995. 1990s

1980s

CHAPEL DRAMA

Teacher, Chris Chapman, took up the reins as Coach/Director of Chapel Drama - a celebra�on of faith - in 1983 through un�l its culmina�on in the late 2000s. UNIFORMS

The school uniform changed significantly in 1990. The long standing maroon dress and blue shirts were both replaced with a white material with fine maroon stripe. Hats were re-introduced and became compulsory. 1997

St Peters now had over 1,500 students enrolled, with 76% of these being ‘day bugs’.

1995

A�er over 20 years of huge input and generosity from the Fielke family, 1995 was the final year that students a�ended the Mt Binga property for various school camps. Mt Binga was phased out a�er the purchase of 254 hectares at Ironbark. HERBSFEST

The much loved and long running annual Autumn fair, Herbs�est, came to an end in 2002. Herbs�est helped to foster a strong community spirit. The fair had everthing from Trash & Treasure to rides, spor�ng matches and musical performances.

2000s

2007

The purpose-built Prep Centre was opened at the Indooroopilly campus. The Centre con�nues to impress both exis�ng and new parents to the school. 2008

Enrolments for the Indooroopilly campus reached a new record of 2,000 students on 1 May. Numbers fluctuated between 2008 – 2018, however since then have not dropped under this 2,000 student milestone.

2010s

SPRINGFIELD CAMPUS

The Springfield College campus was offically opened with their own Founders Day on 20 February 2008. Le�, St Peters Indooroopilly Founding Scholar, Neville Stallman, meets one of Springfield’s first future Old Scholars, David Wells (2012). PAC OPENING

The state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre opened on 1 September, 2013. Equipped with an Auditorium, Theatre�e, Amphitheatre, and servery, it was a welcome and long awaited addi�on to the campus, suppor�ng the College’s excep�onal Music and Drama programs. SWIMMING SUCCESS

In 2021, St Peters girls won their eighth consecu�ve QGSSSA Swimming Championship, while the boys won their fi�h consecu�ve AIC Championship, se�ng new records in the process.

2020s

75th ANNIVERSARY ENROLMENTS

Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, most of the College celebra�ons were cancelled or postponed. For the first �me, the Senior Valedictory Service was held on Harts Road oval on 30 November and students and staff were required to wear masks to stop the spread. What a difference 76 years makes. From a total of 56 students in 1945, St Peters Indooroopilly’s enrolments now total 2,213 including 124 boarders, while Springfield has 662 students enrolled.