From the archivist...   

Did you know we have an Archive timeline on our website with thousands of memories which all Old Andreans have access to?  

There’s something interesting attached to the Old Andrean website -in news and photos, right under the Hall of Honour. That something is the virtual timeline devoted to our humble school and over 137 years of continuous development.  

An archaic infographic, Timelines denote the chronological progression of events and allow comparison of dates. The closest early timeline equivalents were annuals and king list, such as the Book of Chronicles within the bible, dry lists of events and persons with minimal. The first “modern” timeline, the Chart of Biography by Joseph Priestley, was a similar list of famed historical figures sprawling from 1800 BC to the then-modern year of 1765.  While a mere “mechanical help to the knowledge of history", timelines have become a dominant way of displaying history ever since. Indeed, sometimes they were too detailed  - the Chronologie Universelle, published later, was a dense text written over 16 meters of a scroll. 

With the adoption of virtual timelines, this scale is no longer a limiting factor allowing us to expand our collected knowledge. Our SACS timeline is a record of events second and a record of person firsts. Our School had a long list of colourful characters, such as Canon M C Newth, the longest-running headmaster, or Warwick Selvey, a self-trained Olympian athlete. No doubt many famed names will join this collection in future, as this timeline preserves their stories-and the School’s story for future generations. Our timeline also places past events in their context, allowing comparisons to major events and tracking of our School’s changes over time. Our current high rise city school is almost unrecognisable to the 30-strong choir school of 1885 – all visible on the timeline. 

Our timeline makes available to Old Andreans an online library. Starting in 1966, our school yearbook is included in the timeline, which not provides a list of names and faces but a visual record of our development, with humble black-and-white leaflets giving way to the curated, graphic designs of the modern 2022 Andrean. Every published Andrean has a digital copy on the timeline, which you can download to open and read to your heart’s content. This collection is also supplemented with other major SACS publications, such as Serving a Great Cause. Whether you’re looking for your face in your yearbook or wondering what student life was like in 1980s, you’ll have a source here.   

Like the school itself, the timeline will expand and evolve. While a timeline alone will never be a complete record of events and their connections, it remains a visual testament to the school’s 138 years of development, and to our ambitions for future development. 

Kelton Jarvis (OA2012) 

SACS Archivist 

To access the archive timeline and its treasure trove of memories, back copies of the Andrean, countless photos and other important publications please log in to our website and update your details  at https://oaa.com.au/