As a community of learners, Clarendon is also a community that enjoys its libraries. They are spaces that encourage curiosity and spark imagination, support learning and growth and bring us together.
The Weatherly Library at Ballarat College (BC), which opened in 1936, was an impressive space complete with specially made fittings and furnishings gifted by Gladys Dalziel Mackenzie in honour of her pioneering parents, the Weatherlys, for ‘the encouragement of sound learning in the school’. Gladys was deeply passionate about school life at Ballarat College, where her husband served on Council for many years and her children attended school.
Ballarat College Weatherly Library
In 2023, items from the Weatherly Library were refurbished and given new life in Clarendon’s Archives space. These included a refectory-style reading table, eight reading chairs and an ornamental mantle pediment featuring the school’s Minerva.
Minerva, which has been central to the BC seal since the school’s foundation, is often mistaken for a Roman soldier. In fact, Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom and first appeared on class prize medals awarded in 1869. An important part of the school’s history, Minerva remains featured on the Ballarat Clarendon College crest today.
Weatherly Library logo
The Weatherly Library was a well-loved space within the school and continued to grow through book donations from staff, students, school Council members and the local community, as well as past students who had previously won book prizes – donations we still receive from our alumni today.
However, in 1971, the library was deemed no longer large enough to accommodate the growing student population. It was replaced with a larger, separate building, also known as the Weatherly Library.
In 1972, the Nicholson Library opened at Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies College (CPLC), named after Chairman of the Clarendon Council, Sir Arthur Nicholson OBE. Following the merge of BC and CPLC, it became the Senior School Library, before the opening of the Erindale Library in 1993. In 2011, the Fraser Library was opened in honour of Old Collegian and past Chair of the Board, Darrell Fraser (1958).
The new Weatherly Library
Today, Clarendon students have access to libraries across all campuses, including Yuulong, as well as the Professional Learning Library for staff. Together, they house more than 25,000 reference materials, fiction books, magazines, class sets and online newspapers, supporting classroom learning and encouraging recreational reading across all ages and interests.
Reflecting on our history, including the histories of our facilities enjoyed by past students, is an important part of life at Clarendon. It helps us understand how the experiences, generosity and vision of those who came before have shaped the opportunities available to our students today.
Our Archives space is also a wonderful place to reminisce and share your stories with our Archivist, Hugh McKenzie-McHarg. If you have any questions about our archives, would like to learn more about the school’s history or have items from your school days that you would like to donate, please contact Hugh at archives@clarendon.vic.edu.au.
Clarendon's archive space
The information for this article was compiled by Archivist, Hugh McKenzie-McHarg.