PREFECTS School Prefects were first appointed at Geelong College in 1908 when the School became a 'public school' under the ownership of the then Presbyterian Church. There were six prefects first appointed and John Mackenzie, a boarder, probably born in Bengal, India was the first
Senior Prefect. Over the years the number of prefects have expanded as the school has grown, and particularly so in relation to the House System which was also first mentioned in 1908 by the then Principal, Norman Morrison, who introduced the Prefect System.
Prefects, 1909.
The authority of prefects was different in the past as they were expected to actively assist in maintaining standards and discipline particularly among the boarders. The Jubilee History of the School published in 1911, phrased it as follows:
'Always, however the senior boys took a great deal of the responsibility for the supervision of school life. No school has ever had a more healthy or more manly tone than the College, and this, has been chiefly due to the example set and the control exercised by the senior boys’ .
House Prefects of the older boarding houses such as Warrinn and Mackie had very strong roles in relation to behavioural control within the boarding houses.
Female School Prefects were first appointed in 1976 with three appointees. The first female vice-captain was Kirsty Elliott in 1977; Sarah Henderson was the first female School Captain in 1981. That was also the first year in which there were similar numbers of female and male prefects.
Notable
Senior Prefect, Head Prefect, or School Captains of the past have included Jack Hawkes in 1918/19 - Australian singles tennis champion and Davis Cup Player; Don Macmillan in 1946 - an Australian one mile record holder and Olympic finalist in the 1500 metres and former staff member; and Paul Sheahan in 1964- Australian test batsman and former Principal of the Geelong College.