In 1936, Leslie and Mervynne Carter opened Woodridge Preparatory with just three pupils. From those humble beginnings, the school steadily grew to a full complement of 80, thereby laying the foundation for the thriving community we are today. In later years, the Carters’ sons, Roger and Godfrey, continued the family legacy by joining the school as staff members.

The College officially opened in 1967 with 24 pupils across three grades. While originally intended as a boys’ boarding school, the presence of daughters of staff and neighbouring families meant that girls were part of the Woodridge story from the start. The first official group of girls matriculated in 1980, and by the 1990s, our bussing system had been established. Today, we are proud to be a vibrant co-educational community of boarders and day scholars. The original Cadle’s Hotel building, which housed the school in 1936, still stands proudly at the heart of our Prep School—home to the library, reception, and offices.

This past weekend, we welcomed a number of Old Woodridgeans back to campus. Our Friday Founders Day Assembly was a particularly meaningful moment, with all 801 pupils—from Grade 0000 to Grade 12—gathered in the Raymond Richie Hall in celebration of our founders. As guest speaker, we were privileged to have Debbie Birch (nee Carter), granddaughter of our founders, who attended Woodridge from grade 1. Her reflections on her time at Woodridge and her life since leaving school were deeply appreciated. 

In Debbie’s words, “The heart of my message is simple...

To continue reading, please download the newsletter HERE.