A history of Wesley College, Melbourne

Hellol folks,

Thanks to Martin Elliget and Paul Blair for their Wesley references. Now I'm completely perplexed.

I've been looking at a private school in Ascot Vale called Melbourne College. It was started in 1895 by a fellow called Welchman. It is not clear to me yet how long it operated, but I had pinpointed 1897 as it's probable dissolution.

I have lately been reading an oral history by a lady recalling that her brothers attended the Melbourne College, but that they had left to go to Wesley, and she thought the reason was that they had followed a master who had become the headmaster of Wesley. She gave the name of Parnell.

A different source (but I don't know what it was, something in an old newsletter), said that 'it was thought that the school was later operated by a Mr Palmer, who later became a headmaster of Wesley College.

So I thought this was going to be easy, look up the book, check the index for Palmer or Parnell, and sure enough, there's a Thomas Palmer becoming the principal in 1897, about the time I'm expecting BUT - both the book and the webpage indicate that he had come from University High School, a private school preceeding the current state school of that name.

So what of Melbourne College? Don't know. Back to the drawing board. Check more newspaper ads and directories. Palmer was said to have been entrepreneurial, so I suppose there'd be nothing stopping him operating two schools at the same time. Spread himself a bit thin, perhaps, but not beyond a man of vigour if he had some good folk to help him.

Or it was all rubbish to beginning, and the boys were actually at University High School rather than Melbourne College.

Best wishes,

Lenore

story of Wesley College about their person, I am