About Our College
The name Clontarf refers to a village, now a suburb, to the north of Dublin in Ireland. In 1014, Clontarf became famous throughout Ireland as the place where the Battle of Clontarf was fought. In this battle the local Irish, led by their King Brian Boru, defeated the Viking or Danish invaders. This famous battle was a very significant event in Irish history and is celebrated as signifying an end to years of Irish-Viking conflict.
For members of the Clontarf community in Perth, the name Clontarf is associated with positive and powerful feelings of success, overcoming adversity and winning.
Clontarf Aboriginal College
Clontarf Aboriginal College is a co-educational Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition that caters for Indigenous students in Years 7 to 12. The College is located in the Perth suburb of Waterford. The College also manages two boarding houses which cater for male Clontarf students.
Early History
Clontarf Aboriginal College has its origins in the founding of the Clontarf Boys’ Orphanage which was built and conducted by the Irish Christian Brothers. It was originally known as St Joseph’s Boys’ Orphanage. The original building was constructed in 1901. The site was very isolated and building supplies had to be ferried up the Canning River by barge. It was not until 1927 that Manning Road (originally called Clontarf Road) was constructed.
Clontarf was later known as Clontarf Boys’ Town and became self-sufficient with a productive farm on site. The boys worked on the farm and were also engaged in assisting with much of the building work. The Clontarf chapel, dedicated to St John Bosco, was built in 1941 with the boys supplying much of the labour. During World War II (between 1942-1945) the site was occupied by the Royal Australian Air Force. After the war, Clontarf resumed as a boys’ orphanage.
In 1961 the function of Clontarf was extended and it operated as a general school enrolling both day and boarding students. For a few years enrolments rose steadily until 1964 when over 300 students were enrolled. Numbers then fell away dramatically and Clontarf was eventually closed as a school.
Clontarf was, after this, used as a special treatment centre for a small number of boys with behavioural problems. But this proved to be too costly to operate and the institution eventually closed in 1984.
Establishment of Clontarf Aboriginal College
Clontarf re-opened in May 1986 as Clontarf Aboriginal College. In the early days enrolment numbers were small and the College struggled to attract and retain students.
In January 2000, the Clontarf Football Academy was established on the Clontarf site to provide high level coaching for Clontarf College boys. The partnership between the Academy and the College has proved to be highly successful, and the name Clontarf is now widely known around Australia. This partnership model between the College and the Football Academy has been followed by the successful establishment of a Girls Academy for netball and basketball.
Ownership and Governance
The land Clontarf Aboriginal College stands on (as well as the land on which the other Aboriginal agencies on site are located) is owned by the Christian Brothers; however, for over a decade, the Brothers have been actively planning to hand over the site to Aboriginal people. The Brothers are, at present, pursuing negotiations with the Indigenous Land Corporation which is the agency most likely to be the recipient of the gift of the property from the Brothers.
Clontarf Aboriginal College is governed by a representative Board of Management which is responsible to the Catholic Archbishop of Perth through the Director of Catholic Education of Western Australia. The day-to-day running of Clontarf Aboriginal College, including the hiring of all staff and the enrolment of students, is the responsibility of the College Principal.