The right amount of crazy : St Philip's College & Griffiths House, Alice Springs - 75 years
John Lamont (Author), Alison Lamont (Author)
This history of St Philip's College and Griffiths House is a story about people dedicated to providing education for Outback children. It is a book about pioneering, determination, risk taking and characters such as Rev Harry Griffiths, Rev Dr Fred McKay and Chris Tudor playing on aremote stage, who indeed generated 'The Right Amount of Crazy' - for without this and without them it would never have happened. The remarkable story of St Philip's College is framed by determination, crafted by courage, pioneering, service and risk, but formed through hope which made reality. Part of the Territory's history can be viewed from before the opening of St Philip's in 1965 to the construction of Griffiths House in 1941. After the war, children who needed accommodation in a small Alice Springs so they could attend local government schools, called this home. St Philip's College grew from this early boarding house, into a vibrant establishment, keen to take on the many challenges it faced, always moving forward, always looking at how better to fulfil its mandate. And its mandate was education, providing access to good quality education through its boarding houses for isolated children, and they would attend any school of their choosing in Alice Springs. Only in 1989 were they then able to attend St Philip's as a school. Impressively, the college never gave up its original mission, allowing children to board but attend other schools if they wished. This was a real Territory touch - don't worry about convention but let's make it work. St Philip's has been committed to breaking the bonds of isolation and encouraging its community to look outward, to be part of our rich, diverse global community. Its enthusiastic membership of Round Square has greatly helped to facilitate this; the college now belongs to this global friendship community of 180 schools, with students taking the adventurous opportunity to go on exchange around the world. Part of the richness of the Territory is found in its many unique characters. The Territory seems to attract strong and interesting personalities and this book is filled with such identities. As the title The Right Amount of Crazy implies, developing anything in such a remote area has to be done by those driven by the cause, who have a belief in themselves and aren't shy about taking risks. Such characters see setbacks as an interlude before having another'yes'moment! This story is about lots of Territorians who 'had a go', holding a place of effectiveness and pride within Australian and the world. Today the college's population is multi-cultural, reflecting the richness that is the Territory - European, Aboriginal, African, American, Asian, etc., all finding a welcoming community there, able to support their aspirations for an exciting future within Alice Springs, the Territory or indeed the wider world. The authors worked on this story for nine years, visiting every capital city in Australia for archival research and to interview former staff and students, delivering a wonderful, richly interesting history
Print Book, English, 2018
PenFolk Publishing, Blackburn, Victoria, 2018