Korowa Anglican Girls' School is a private, Anglican, day school, located in Glen Iris, Melbourne, Australia.
Established in Malvern in 1890, Korowa is a non-selective school and currently caters for approximately 800 students, offering a co-educational Early Learning Centre (three- and four-year-olds) and girls-only from Prep to Year 12. The school prepares students for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
The school is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPHSA), the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), and a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).
History Korowa Anglican Girls' School was established in 1890, first in two houses in Valetta Street, Malvern and then in an old house in Pine Grove. In 1900, the school moved again, this time to a two-storey house in Wattletree Road. The school was registered as "School No.5" in 1906.Chessell, Pam (1990). And, as we journey: A history of Korowa, Anglican Girls' School 1890-1990, Coghill Publishing, Australia. .
Korowa relocated to its current site in Glen Iris in 1914. The residence was the former property of the Hon. William Knox, MHR, who named the home "Ranfurlie", which is now reflected in the name of the crescent in which the school is located. The school was officially named "Corowa" in 1899, but later changed to Korowa to avoid confusion with the township of Corowa in 1890.
From 1910 to 1918, Korowa was a Presbyterian school for girls', then in 1919 was incorporated by the diocesan authorities as a Church of England grammar school. When the Diocese of Melbourne adopted the title "Anglican" instead of Church of England in 1982, it was decided that the church connection should be retained in the name, and the school has since been known as "Korowa Anglican Girls' School".
Principals
PeriodPrincipal1899–1905Henrietta Akehurst1906–1926Ethel Akehurst1927–1929Enid Eastman1930–1949Margaret Dickson1950–1969Beatrice Guyett MBE (c)1970–1990Margaret McPherson1991–2003Roslyn Otzen 2003–2015Christine Jenkins2016–2021Helen Carmody2022Narelle Umbers (interim)2022–presentFrances Booth
House system HouseYear establishedNamed forColourAkehurst1933Miss Ethel Akehurst (former principal and daughter of founder)Grey Clarke1924Dr Lowther Clarke (former Archbishop of Melbourne, responsible for the inauguration of Korowa as a Church of England Grammar School)PinkJamieson1924Miss Jean Jamieson MA (former Senior Mistress of staff)BlueWilkinson1924Miss Wanda Wilkinson (former Head Prefect and former member of staff)Cherry
Notable alumnae All Korowa alumnae are members of the school's alumni association, the 'Korovian Club'. Korowa alumni number over 12000 members and every past student is automatically a lifetime member of the Korovian Club. The Korovian Club was founded in 1917 with the purpose of maintaining friendships and a connection with the school.
Some notable 'Korovians' include:
Eva Duldig, Tennis Player; played in Wimbledon, the Maccabiah Games, and in Fed Cup for Australia Kerrie Engel, Paralympic Swimmer Dorothy Gibson, Teacher, Communist, and Peace Activist Bella Heathcote, Actress Ann Liang, Author Hannah MacDougall, Paralympic swimming medalist Mary Owen, Activist Sally Peers, Wimbledon junior doubles champion 2009 Marina Prior, Opera Singer Pauline Neura Reilly, Author and ornithologist Jenna Strauch, Swimmer and Olympian Rowena Webster, Water Polo Player Caroline Pitcher, CEO VicScreen Naomi Simson, Entrepreneur Pam Barnes, Television Producer Louise Siversen, Actress Eli Giannini, Architecture and Director Jaq Grantford, Artist and Writer Jessica Au, Author Caroline Brothers, Author
Notable faculty Margaret Blackwood, botanist and geneticist Slawa Duldig (1901–1975), Austrian-Australian inventor, artist, interior designer, and teacher Norma Redpath, sculptor Jane Robinson, World Champion and Triple Olympian Rower Shelley O'Donnell, Australian Netball Hall of Fame
See also Anglican Church of Australia Victorian Certificate of Education List of schools in Victoria
References
External links Korowa AGS website