1987
Planning meeting held at St Mary’s Tewantin
“Each person in our
College community plays their special part in helping Flinders to grow and flourish.”
– Stuart Meade, Principal
On January 29, 1990, the first students walked through the gates of Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast.
Once a thriving citrus orchard, over 30 years, Flinders has grown to become one of Queensland’s leading co-educational academic schools with a rich co-curricular program.
From an enrolment of 161 in its foundation year, the College now supports more than 1,450 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.
On these pages, you’ll find an evolving collection of stories, photos and milestones that highlight our College’s growth, community and vision.
We hope you enjoy stepping back through time as we celebrate 30 years of educating for excellence.
WITHOUT HISTORY, there would be no future…
Welcome
BY THE PRINCIPAL
From humble yet inspired beginnings, Matthew Flinders Anglican College opened its doors in January 1990 with 161 students from Years 5 to 8, and 19 staff on campus. The Foundation Committee of the College decided on the name Matthew Flinders in recognition of the spirit of one of our distinguished explorers, in the same way that James Cook and Charles Sturt have universities named in their honour.
Surrounded by rainforest and red dirt, our College steadily grew, year by year. As more families joined us, we built more classrooms and facilities, we employed more staff, we expanded our curriculum offerings and launched new sports, art, music and co-curricular programs.
And here we are today: each year we support more than 1,450 students from Flinders Early Learning Centre to Year 12, and we have over 280 staff members on our team.
Our College has proudly grown to be a leading school in Queensland, committed to educating for excellence in learning and life. Each person in our College community – student, alumni, staff member, parent, grandparent and community member – has played their special part in helping Flinders to grow and flourish.
In 2020, we will celebrate 30 years of Matthew Flinders Anglican College. We hope you enjoy viewing and listening to some of the history and celebratory pieces we have to share on these pages.
And we encourage you to get in touch with our Community Engagement Team or share your story here if you have your piece of Flinders history to contribute.
Here’s to a successful and rewarding future for our College and our students as, together, we continue to learn, lead and serve.
Stuart Meade | Principal
