“Fortitier et Recte” echoes in the air. That’s Latin for “Bravely and uprightly”. It was the motto of Brighton College.
We are standing before a plaque that whispers tales of Brighton College. This plaque marks a place of learning. Brighton College was a private girls’ school in Manly. It shaped young minds from 1889 to 1960.
Miss Ethel Milne founded Brighton College. She started a girls’ kindergarten in 1880 on Wentworth Street. Nine years later, Brighton College was born.
In the early days, boys attended kindergarten too. Later, boys were admitted to the infants’ department in the 1940s. By 1928, Brighton College had 222 pupils. The school was divided into kindergarten, middle, and upper schools by 1946.
Brighton College moved several times. It occupied a cottage called Brighton on Ocean Beach. It was also on Pittwater Road. For a short time, it was in North Steyne. In 1905, a new building opened. It was named Vista Reale. It stood on the corner of Fairlight Street and The Crescent.
Miss Mildred Fry sold Brighton College in 1912. The buyer was Miss Maria Hayes-Williams. She was the Principal of Manly High School for Girls. Hayes-Williams kept the Brighton College name. She initially called it Manly High School for Girls and Brighton College. In 1927, the school moved to its final location. This was Kurrumboola. It was on the corner of Margaret Street and 38 The Crescent. Boarders lived at 5 Margaret Street.
A branch school opened in 1923. It was on the eastern side of Manly. This branch moved into the main building in 1924. In 1942, the school acquired Dalkeith. Dalkeith was Sir Adrian Knox’s country estate in Gundagai. It became a country branch.
Physical culture was taught by Hans Christian Bjelke-Peterson. The Brighton College Old Girls’ Union formed in 1923.
The Wyndham Report led to the Public Education Act in 1961. This act led to the closure of smaller private schools. Brighton College closed in 1960.
The school had four houses by 1932. These were Kendel, Wentworth, Hayes Williams, and Allenby.
Nancy Bird Walton attended Brighton College. Kylie Tennant also went here. She won many prizes in English literature.
This plaque is more than metal. It represents an era of girls’ education in Manly. It reminds us of the brave and upright spirit of Brighton College.