Tony Rae
Encyclopedia
Anthony James Morell Rae AM was an Australian-born headmaster of a GPS School and chairman of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia
.
and graduated from the University of Sydney
with a Master of Arts
and Diploma of Education
. He completed a Master of Education
at the University of New England
.
in 1948 at his alma mater
, Scots, and spent four years there before teaching English
in England
and Canada
. He returned to Scots in 1956 and in 1959 he was appointed Duputy Headmaster at Toowoomba Grammar School
. In 1964 he moved Trinity Grammar School, Summer Hill as a housemaster and later served as Senior Master from 1966 until 1968. James Wilson Hogg OBE, then the Headmaster of Trinity, wrote of him: "He was of formidable stature, tall and striking looking, a headmasterly figure long before headmastership. He habitually moved with a measured pace, gravely and with dignity." Albury Grammar School (now The Scots School Albury
) appointed him as Head in 1969.
as Headmaster of Newington College
. In Our Proper Concerns: A History of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia, Wilson Hogg says that, "His was an imaginative appointment. Despite the fine qualities of such headmasters as Laurence Pyke
and Douglas Trathen
, the school had been passing through a protracted period of uncertainty and difficulty ... a decade before Tony Rae's assumption of office no one would have suspected that Newington would emerge in the eighties as a leading school in the arts; notably in drama, and pre-eminently in music. It was not just the arts that prospered during Rae's leadership. In 1992, for instance, Newington teams won all eight summer sporting premierships in the GPS competition: 1st/2nd basketball
, 1st/2nd cricket
, 1st/2nd tennis
, 1st/2nd rowing
eights - a record never before achieved by any school. Rae retired from Newington in 1993.
Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia
The Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia was founded in 1931 and amalgamated in 1985 with the Association of Independent Headmistresses to form the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. It is the peak body representing the independent schools of...
.
Early life
Tony Rae (the familiar form was part of his persona) was educated at The Scots CollegeThe Scots College
For other schools with a similar name see Scots College.The Scots College is an independent Presbyterian day and boarding school for boys, located in Bellevue Hill, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and graduated from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
with a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and Diploma of Education
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
. He completed a Master of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
at the University of New England
University of New England, Australia
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
.
Teaching career
Rae began his teaching career as a schoolmasterSchoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
in 1948 at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Scots, and spent four years there before teaching English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He returned to Scots in 1956 and in 1959 he was appointed Duputy Headmaster at Toowoomba Grammar School
Toowoomba Grammar School
Toowoomba Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding grammar school for boys, in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia....
. In 1964 he moved Trinity Grammar School, Summer Hill as a housemaster and later served as Senior Master from 1966 until 1968. James Wilson Hogg OBE, then the Headmaster of Trinity, wrote of him: "He was of formidable stature, tall and striking looking, a headmasterly figure long before headmastership. He habitually moved with a measured pace, gravely and with dignity." Albury Grammar School (now The Scots School Albury
The Scots School Albury
The Scots School Albury is an independent, K-12, Uniting Church, co-educational, day and boarding School, located in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. It draws students from the local area and other parts of Australia....
) appointed him as Head in 1969.
Headmaster
In 1972, Rae returned to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as Headmaster of Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. In Our Proper Concerns: A History of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia, Wilson Hogg says that, "His was an imaginative appointment. Despite the fine qualities of such headmasters as Laurence Pyke
Laurence Pyke
Laurence Richard Dimond Pyke was an Australian headmaster and university dean.Pyke was the son of Richard, an accountant, and Lillian, a teacher, journalist and author. He was one of three children and was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne. Pyke graduated as a Bachelor of Science form the...
and Douglas Trathen
Douglas Trathen
Douglas Arthur Trathen was an Australian Methodist minister and the Headmaster of Newington College and is known for his opposition to the Vietnam War and conscription.-Early life:...
, the school had been passing through a protracted period of uncertainty and difficulty ... a decade before Tony Rae's assumption of office no one would have suspected that Newington would emerge in the eighties as a leading school in the arts; notably in drama, and pre-eminently in music. It was not just the arts that prospered during Rae's leadership. In 1992, for instance, Newington teams won all eight summer sporting premierships in the GPS competition: 1st/2nd basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, 1st/2nd cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, 1st/2nd tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, 1st/2nd rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
eights - a record never before achieved by any school. Rae retired from Newington in 1993.
Honours
- Member, Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(1992) - For service to education as Headmaster of Newington College and through the Association of Independent Schools