Newington College

The establishment of Newington College can be traced back to July 16, 1863, when the Wesleyan Collegiate Institute first opened its doors to 16 boys and several theological students. Due to the absence of appropriate buildings in Sydney, the institution decided to lease Newington House, the central piece of a 1,200-acre property owned by John Blaxland at Silverwater. Over time, the school, which quickly adopted the name Newington College, witnessed remarkable growth and success while stationed on the Parramatta River. One notable accomplishment was being the first Australian school to participate in a rugby football game against the University of Sydney in 1869. Not long after, Newington College hosted Australia's first athletics carnival. The same year, the Governor of New South Wales, Somerset Lowry-Corry, the 4th Earl Belmore, formally incorporated the Newington College Cadet Corps. This group has continued its operations till date, making it one of the longest-running corps in the Australian Army Cadets. On July 18, 2016, as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Newington College's sibling school Tupou College, King Tupou VI, the reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Tonga, along with Queen Consort Nanasipau'u, visited the institution to inaugurate the Tupou College Centre. This new center comprises specialized teaching spaces and a health center. The Duckmanton Drama Centre, which opened its doors on July 31, 2017, was named in honor of Sir Talbot Duckmanton, who was a part of the Newington College Council from 1964 to 1978, serving as the Chairman of the Council Executive Committee for a significant part of this tenure. Furthermore, Newington College plans to admit girls into Year 5 starting in 2026, aiming to become a fully co-educational institution by 2033.