Moore College: Principal Writes (May 2006)

One hundred and fifty years ago – to be precise, on 1 March 1856 – three young men met, in the former home of the late Mr Thomas Moore of Liverpool, with William Macquarie Cowper. Cowper had been appointed the acting Principal of the brand new College that was gathered before him. The College’s first Principal, William Hodgson, was on his way from England.

The fledgling College was to bear the name of the benefactor whose will had made its establishment possible. ‘Moore College’ came into existence on that Saturday in 1856. Thomas Moore had died just over 15 years previously, on Christmas Eve in 1840. He left his house and grounds at Liverpool, together with some other property.

Fifteen years and two months later Moore College opened as a Theological College for the training and preparation of young men for ordained Christian ministry in what was then, of course, still the Church of England.

The names of those first three students who met with William Macquarie Cowper were Stanley Mitchell, Thomas Kemmis and Marcus Blake Brownrigg. Mitchell and Kemmis would go on to become ministers in Sydney Diocese, while Brownrigg had a long-term ministry in Tasmania and pioneered missionary work in the Bass Strait Islands. (So perhaps we can claim that Moore College began with over 30 per cent of its students going into ‘overseas’ missionary service!)

We are profoundly thankful to God for what happened those 150 years ago, and for the generosity of Thomas Moore that made it possible. We are thankful for the last 150 years of joys and struggles that are the history of Moore College. Most of all we thank God for the 3798 students who have come to Moore College over the last 150 years to grow in the knowledge of God and to prepare to serve him in innumerable places around the world. We are particularly thankful for the largest body of students ever to have studied at Moore College and for the largest graduation the College has seen.

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