History of the College

West Moreton Anglican College is a modern and ambitious College, built on the foundations of a much older Anglican School which was located in Ipswich.

St Paul’s Day School was founded shortly after the establishment of St Paul’s Church, Ipswich, in 1855. In the official history of the Church, it’s noted that St Paul’s was the first brick building in Brisbane Street, Ipswich, and that the first appointed Master of St Paul’s Day School was Mr Alfred Haxeldon.

West Moreton Anglican College grew out of the vision of Reverend Canon Gavin Ott and the desire of the parishioners of St Paul’s Church to offer the families of the region a co-educational facility. The new school was to provide a holistic and integrated philosophy of education based on a Christian way of life and in accordance with the principles and traditions of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The aim of the College, recorded in the first prospectus, was to "develop balanced, fully rounded and motivated individuals who can reach their maximum potential intellectually, socially, culturally, physically and emotionally." WestMAC remains true to this aim to the present day.

In the very early planning stages, Rev Ott approached Dr Hugh Bartholomeusz – a well-respected medical specialist in private practice in Ipswich – to become Chair of the College’s Steering Committee. Together, Dr Bartholomeusz and the Steering Committee manoeuvred the mountains of regulatory requirements to reach the position of appointing Mr Paul Claridge, formerly of Geelong Grammar School, as the Foundation Principal in 1993. Mr Ross Switzer was appointed as the College’s second principal in 2007. Mr Switzer had previously served as the Foundation Principal of Georgina Molloy Anglican School in Busselton. In 2010 Mr Geoff McLay was appointed the College’s third principal and, under his leadership, WestMAC has established itself as a premier educational institution in the region with extensive modern facilities on a leafy campus.

At board level, the College Council at West Moreton Anglican College has been served by many faithful and capable community volunteers over time. Dr Bartholomeusz (1994-2004), Mr Paul Lostroh (2005 – 2014) and Dr Ian Lupton (2015-2022) served as Chairs of College Council prior to the current Chair, Mr Bruce Sackson, assuming the role in January 2023.