Radford College Explained

Radford College is an independent school, Anglican, coeducational day school, located in Bruce, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Founded in 1984, the college is named after Bishop Lewis Bostock Radford.^[1] It has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for over 2,100 students from pre-kindergarten to Year 12.^[1]

History

Radford opened its doors in 1984 under founding principal Jock Mackinnon AM, with 235 students and 15 staff.^[1] Professor T.B. Millar AO served as the inaugural chairman.^[2] Radford presently has more than 2,100 students enrolled across its Junior (Years pre-kindergarten to 6), and secondary School (Years 7–12).^[2]

Principals

Years	Principal
2023–present	Andy Gordon (acting Principal, Head of Junior School)
2014–2023	Fiona Godfrey OAM (formerly headmaster of St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School)
2009–2013	Phillip Heath AM (currently headmaster of Barker College)
2001–2008	David Mulford (later headmaster of Newington College)
1993–2000	Graeme Wigg
1989–1992	Peter Casson
1983–1989	Jock Mackinnon AM (was appointed before the college opened, formerly headmaster of Pulteney Grammar School)

Chairman of the Board

!Years!Chairman

2021–present	Vicki Williams
2017–2021	Steve Baker
2008–2017	Ian Morison
2003–2007	Ray Young
1985–2003	Lawrie Willet AO
1982–1985	Tom Millar (was appointed before the college opened)

Curriculum

Junior School pupils undertake the International Baccalaureate Primary Years programme.^[3]

The Secondary School operates a core curriculum of English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Religious and Values Education, and Physical education as well as various electives including Performing Arts, Creative Arts, Design and Technology, and Languages.^[4] A strong emphasis is placed upon service learning and active participation in co-curricular activities.

In Senior School, students work toward the Year 12 Certificate, a credential awarded to ACT secondary students on completion of their studies. Radford College offers a range of courses leading to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), in addition to accredited courses for students not seeking to enter university.^[5] In 2011, more Radford students sought tertiary entrance than any other school in Canberra, with 93% of students receiving an ATAR.^[6] Radford College has a record of academic success, with its Year 12 graduates achieving the highest median ATAR of all ACT schools in 2004,^[7] 2005,^[8] 2006,^[9] 2007,^[10] 2008,^[11] 2010,^[12] 2011,^[13] 2012,^[14] 2014,^[15] 2015,^[16] and 2016.

Connections with other schools

Radford College is an active member in Round Square, with exchanges and participation in conferences and service opportunities.

Radford College is twinned with the following schools:

• Konko Gakuen school in Okayama prefecture, Japan^[17]
• Kure National College of Technology, in Hiroshima, Japan^[18]
• BISU High School in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China^[19]

Collegians and notable alumni

The Radford Collegians are about building a community that provides ongoing support to members on a social, educational and career level. With over 6,500 former students, the group seeks to connect Collegians to each other and the College. It is committed to three core pillars of focus including social & community awareness, business & career opportunities and giving back. These pillars guide the Radford Collegians in success and growth. They organise reunions and mentoring programs, support College functions and raise funds for community outreach programs.^[20]

• Alistair Coe MLA^[21] – former leader of the opposition at the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly^[22]
• Samuel Beever^[23] – diplomat, former Australian High Commissioner to Cyprus
• Nicholas Bishop^[24] – actor
• Dale Brede^[25] – former Supercars Championship Racing driver
• Katherine Calder – skier and Winter Olympian
• Ryan Carters^[26] – first class cricketer for New South Wales and Victoria
• Jo Clay^[27] – member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly^{[28] [29] [30] [31]}
• Jessica Cottis^[32] – artistic director and chief conductor of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra
• David Dawson – first-class cricketer, a former player for the Tasmanian Tigers and NSW
• Stef Dawson – actress, known for playing Annie Cresta in the Hunger Games film franchise
• Anna Flanagan^[33] – hockey player for the Hockeyroos
• Jane Garrett – Mayor of Yarra and a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the Victorian Legislative Council.^[34]
• Chloe Hosking^[35] – racing cyclist, competing in UCI championship
• Elanor Huntington – Dean of Engineering at the Australian National University
• Nick Kyrgios – tennis player
• Luke Letcher – Olympic bronze medallist, Australian men's quadruple scull
• Sam Michael – Formula One engineer, former director at McLaren F1 and Williams F1.
• Rachel Moseley^[36] – diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Mexico,^{[37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]} former DFAT assistant secretary, Latin America and Eastern Europe Branch,^{[43] [44]} former Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea^{[45] [46]}
• Kaz Patafta – soccer player for Lanexang United F.C.
• Tom Rogic^[47] – Socceroo, Futsalroo, Nike 'The Chance' winner, and professional soccer player for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.
• Allan Sly – probability theorist, professor of mathematics at Princeton University, 2018 MacArthur Fellow
• Rohan Telford^{[48] [49] [50]} – Sports Scientist
• Jesse Wagstaff^[51] – professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats
• Simon Young^[52] – Deputy Principal at The Geelong College
• Stefan Qin^[53] – Notable cryptocurrency fraudster

Notable faculty – current and former

• John Foulcher^[54] – Australian poet^[55]
• George Huitker^[56] – Australian Musician^{[57] [58]}

See also

• List of schools in the Australian Capital Territory
• Associated Southern Colleges

Notes and References

1. http://www.radford.com.au/News/Assets/2011/Term%201/Sundry/StrategicPlan2011-2015.pdf Strategic Plan 2011–2015
2. http://www.radford.com.au/About/about.html History and Location
3. http://www.radford.com.au/Junior/junior.html Junior School
4. http://www.radford.com.au/High/highacademic.html High School
5. http://www.radford.com.au/Senior/senioracademic.html Senior School
6. http://www.bsss.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/193595/Media_Year_12_and_TES_2011.pdf BSSS 2011 Overview
7. Web site: Students with ACT Tertiary Entrance Statements . 2011-12-21 . Annual Report 2004-2005 . ACT Department of Education and Training.
8. Web site: Radford Tops School Tertiary Rankings . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
9. Web site: Students with ACT Tertiary Entrance Statements . 2011-12-21 . Annual Report 2006-2007 . ACT Department of Education and Training.
10. Web site: Parents in Dark on UAI Results . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
11. Web site: Colleges Roll Out Rush for Uni Spots . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
12. Web site: Radford Pulls Rank with Exam Scores . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
13. Web site: School Exam Scores Slip . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
14. Web site: On course for bright futures after ATARs . 2012-12-20 . The Canberra Times. 19 December 2012 .
15. Web site: ACT Year 12 Certificate awards on the rise . 2014-12-16 . The Canberra Times. 16 December 2014 .
16. News: ACT college results: Fewer students admitted to tertiary, more completing year 12 . Clare Sibthorpe . 16 December 2015 . The Canberra Times . 28 May 2017.
17. Web site: A second sister school partnership in Japan. Sharp. Michele.
18. Web site: Skype with Radford's sister school. Fitzpatrick. Dianne.
19. Web site: From the LOTE Department. Fitzpatrick. Di.
20. Web site: About us. 2018-02-07.
21. http://www.radford.act.edu.au/community/collegians/collegian-news/article/?id=alistair-coe-class-2001 Radford College
22. http://www.parliament.act.gov.au/members/ninth-assembly-members/yerrabi/coe-alistair ACT Legislative Assembly
23. Web site: Australian High Commissioner to Cyprus . 2022-01-10 . DFAT.
24. http://www.buddytv.com/info/nick-bishop-info.aspx Nicholas Bishop Biography
25. https://the-riotact.com/vale-dale-brede-more-than-a-v8-supercar-driver/684041 Riotact - Vale Dale Brede
26. Web site: Comets focus on former Canberrans . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
27. Web site: Life after Radford with Jo Clay . 2023-09-05 . Radford Collegians.
28. https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/members/tenth-assembly-members/ginninderra/clay-jo Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory - Jo Clay
29. https://greens.org.au/act/person/jo-clay ACT Greens - Jo Clay
30. https://www.carbondiet.com.au/jo-clay Carbon Diet - Jo Clay
31. https://radfordcollegians.com.au/life-after-radford-with-jo-clay-class-of-1994/ Radford Collegians interview with Jo Clay
32. Web site: Conductor who does not do anything by halves . 2022-01-10 . Radford Collegians.
33. Web site: Flanagan picked in Roos . 2011-12-21 . The Canberra Times.
34. https://radfordcollegians.com.au/vale-jane-garret-class-of-1990/ Radford Collegians - Vale Jane Garrett - Class of 1990
35. http://www.radford.com.au/News/Assets/2011/Term%202/Academic/Annual_Report_2010_final.pdf Annual Report 2010
36. Web site: Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. 2022-01-11 . Radford Collegians.
37. https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-people/homs/ambassador-to-mexico DFAT - Ambassador to Mexico
38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWuOKKQMNOY Interview with Rachel Moseley - Ambassador to Mexico
39. https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/ambassador-mexico Australian Foreign Minister - Senator Penny Wong - Media Release
40. https://www.directory.gov.au/people/rachel-moseley - Name reference - Australian Government Directory
41. https://twitter.com/AusEmbMex/status/1803854300390789453 Twitter - Rachel Moseley - Australian Ambassador to Mexico presenting her credentials to the President of Mexico
42. https://www.directory.gov.au/portfolios/foreign-affairs-and-trade/department-foreign-affairs-and-trade/dfat-overseas-representation/c/costa-rica/ambassador-mexico-city Australian Government Directory
43. https://www.directory.gov.au/people/rachel-moseley DFAT Directory
44. https://www.directory.gov.au/portfolios/foreign-affairs-and-trade/department-foreign-affairs-and-trade/central-office/europe-and-latin-america-division/latin-america-and-eastern-europe-branch/assistant-secretary DFAT
45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqXdUlcO0nw Radford Alumni Interview YouTube
46. https://soundcloud.com/radford-talk/howard-shroot-interviews-rachel-moseley-deputy-australian-high-commissioner-to-papua-new-guinea Radford Alumni Interview SoundCloud
47. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/rogic-joins-aleague-greats-20121002-26xyb.html Sydney Morning Herald
48. https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/rohan-telford Rohan Telford – Australian National University
49. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rohan-Telford Rohan Telford – University of Canberra
50. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_Zkr7LcAAAAJ&hl=en Rohan Telford – Google Scholar
51. http://gometrostate.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=120 Jesse Wagstaff – 2008–09 Men's Basketball
52. https://radfordcollegians.com.au/congratulations-simon-young-class-of-1994/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR28I-1W1mKhDl2eDVunhxthpU1c0UmKUgDC2daEgLoH-DzEnIpWnLuwwL0_aem_ATwH8oYMRezcz4G56J1hdgo0cdPnrCi31_Jo-FvRQtltWSrnZmEOibPHbgeZsrNYPIgFXIEAvaC5IvE20CRx4qYm Simon Young
53. Web site: How a Canberran conned his way to a New York penthouse in $114m fraud . 22 February 2021 .
54. https://radfordcollegians.com.au/collegian/john-foulcher/ John Foulcher – Life beyond Radford
55. https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/OLD?id=A%23tm&idtype=oldid John Foulcher – AustLit
56. https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/7090979 – National Library of Australia
57. https://georgehuitkerhome.com.au/music George Huitker – Music
58. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-11/radford-college-george-huitker-chronicles-his-big-life/7402814 Australian Broadcasting Corporation