This unique and striking building dominates the entrance to Hale School and stands out to all passersby. The Chapel of St Mark was designed by famous WA Architect, Marshall Clifton and consecrated by the Anglican Archbishop the most Rev. George Appleton in 1969.
Before moving to the Wembley Downs campus in 1961, Hale School students had attended St Mary’s Church in West Perth with sister school St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School under the pastoral leadership of the dynamic Rector, the Reverend Charles Tom Riley (1905-06), Old Haleian and founder of St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School. The building of the Chapel of St Mark was the first time that Hale students, both boarders and day students could worship on campus.
In 1969 it was recorded in the Cygnet that the “Chapel of St Mark will stand at the entrance of Hale for generations to come. The way the Chapel looks out over the City of Perth links the faith with the mission of the school – to send boys out into the world, able to see beyond the material in the prosperity of this age.”
It is over 55 years since the Chapel of St Mark was consecrated by the Reverend George Appleton. The 1969 Cygnet provides a vivid account of the day conveying a strong sense of the solemnity and emotion of the occasion.
The 111th year in the history of Hale School was made memorable by the consecration of the school’s first Chapel, dedicated to the glory of God and the honour of St Mark, by the most Reverend George Appleton on Sunday, February 16th, 1969.
It was a day of searing heat with the temperature over the century by 11 am. The Chapel was packed above capacity. The fact that it needed more ventilation was painfully obvious.
Before the service began, Mr Brian Barrett, organist of Guildford Grammar School, gave a recital on the new Larner organ and then the doors were closed.
The Archbishop – attended by the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Q Stow, and the Chaplain, the Reverend R E Davis – then knocked on the door with his
The Chapel of St Mark is named after Mark the Evangelist, traditionally considered the author of the Gospel of Mark. More modern scholars believe the gospel was written by an anonymous author. It remains a contentious issue. Nonetheless, in 1969, Reverend Charles ‘Tom’ Riley, suggested that St Mark was an appropriate name for Hale School’s first chapel. The Feast of St Mark fell on the same day as Anzac Day, 25 April; a day very close to the hearts of all Hale students, current and past. He believed that, together with aspects of St Marks life, it made it a fitting name. On the outside doors of the Chapel sit the Lions of St Mark. They were designed by Roger Lilly and were a gift from Stirling House.
[TBC as another source suggests Ian Lilly and gift from Rev Russell Davis]
Renowned West Australian Architect Mr Marshall Clifton designed the Chapel of St Mark. By 1969, he had already designed many of the buildings at the Wembley Downs campus including the Headmaster’s House, Memorial Hall in partnership with Tony Brand, and…..[TBC]
The symbolism incorporated within the design was intended to offer sanctuary and peace to the growing Hale community in a place dedicated to God and Church. The unusual southwest wall is curved and can look to some like a climbing wall for students. However, as the outer wall of the chapel and to Hale Road, it symbolizes the protective security of the church around its community. The balustrade around the outside of the entrance way, lining the broad platform, represents the crown of thorns.
The chapel is east facing allowing the morning sun to shine through the stained-glass windows above the entrance doors. Above the altar is a skylight which directs the morning sun onto the cross at the back of the altar.
In 1979 there were two majors works in the Chapel to improve ‘appearance and efficiency’. The first was the installation of the Q. R. Stow window, the largest of the eastern windows. Quinton Stow resigned that year after 20 years as Chairman of the Board of Governors. Gowers and Brown were commissioned to design the window and instructed to include the Greek letters for ‘Christ’ since the letters forming the symbol for ‘Jesus’ are in the smaller Parker Memorial window. The result is an unusual window full of movement and colour, symbolizing the swirling outward from Christ of the truth and light he brought.
The second work undertaken was the fixing of plywood panels on the ceiling. The acoustics before this had been terrible, according to the Cygnet, the ‘singing was dull and the organ ineffective’. Jarrah boards were fitted to each alternate row of ceiling panels. This helped improve the acoustics and make the inside of the chapel more appealing.
[insert excerpts from Tony Brands oral history 2023_4756]
[INSERT PHOTOS]
The Chapel was funded by two appeals. Firstly, by two Old Haleian Board of Governors, Sir Henry Cooke K.B. (1915-17) and Mr Quinton Stow (1911-19) who, with the help of Mrs Leslie Craig raised over $50,000. Then in 1968, the Old Haleians’ Association organised an appeal that raised the remainder of the money needed to complete the build. These families form a deep and long connection to the school, many of whom feature again and again in the history of the school at the Wembley Downs campus.
[insert, digital copies of fundraising brochures, letters, correspondence etc]
The Reverend Russell Davis was appointed as the Hale School Chaplain in 1960. He looked after the religious education of the students and pastoral care of the Hale community until 1987.
In 1967, he wrote some thoughts for consideration on future Worship in Hale Chapel…
Since Hale is a Church of England school the chapel services must represent the faith and practice of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Perth. Care must be taken to ensure that a peculiar Hale School religion does not develop – no matter how superior we consider it to be.
It is therefore important that our chapel services are kept in line with the normal prices of parish churches and our rites and ceremonies should be similar to those in St George’s Cathedral (which normally sets the standards for the diocese).
There have been eight Chaplains of Hale School since the completion of the Chapel. Each one acknowledged on an honour board inside the chapel. The current Chaplain is Father Thomas Couper who joined the school in 2022.
Chaplains
- Reverend Russell Davis 1960 to 1987
- Reverend Brian Eccleston 1988 to 1989
- Reverend Richard Pengelley 1990 to 2000
- Reverend Tim Russell 2001 to 2006
- Reverend Dougall Ethel 2006 to 2016
- Reverend Dr. Alan Forsyth 2017 to 2018
- Reverend Dr. Eleanor O’Donnell 2019 to 2021
- Father Thomas Couper 2022 to present
[insert photo of board, photos of past chaplains, commissioning programs]
Owing to the generosity of Old Boys, students and friends, the Chapel of St Mark had everything it needed when it opened in 1969. The list of donations is long and a few of the items have expired and been replaced, but most are still in place or have retired to the archives. The donations are all recorded on the front pages of a visitors’ book, now located in the School Archives. [insert photo]
It could be said that the Chapel is built on donations, quite literally. The bricks for the building were donated by Old Haleian, Charles Richard New (1929-30), founder of the Midland Brick Company. Each school house raised money to buy something to donate to the chapel. Old boys and their families donated stained glass windows and church furnishings. Donations were also received from other schools such as Wesley College and Guildford Grammar School. These donations made in the 1960s display the true community spirit that was behind the creation of the Chapel of St Mark.
The doors were donated by the Atkins Family, including Old Boy Dr Philip Atkins (1927-34), in memory of L.F.King Atkins (1892-95).
Marshall Clifton also incorporated, in the form of a cross, the old convict-made bricks from the George Street school, salvaged by Walter James, student (1880) and Member of the Board of Governors 1918-1927, and others when it was demolished in 1926.
The ceramic sculptures of the Lions of St Mark on the doors, were designed by Roger Lilly and were a gift from Stirling House. However, another reliable source indicates they were designed by Ian Lilly and donated by the Reverend Russell Davis.[TBC]
The first altar was a gift from the family of the late J B Newbery, science master at Hale from 1917-1945.
Each House raised money to buy something to donate to the Chapel. Buntine gave the alter bookstand; Faulkner the silver chalice and paten; Haynes House a prayer desk; Loton the sanctuary lamp; Parry House donated the processional cross and the sanctuary lamp which were both designed by Jane Priest; Riley House the large cross behind the Altar; Stirling House (now Tregonning House) one of two prayer desks and a chair; Wilson House the font and lectern; Brine House the candlesticks (now in the Archives); the Junior school donated a candle snuffer and wafer box. Stirling House raised $400 in a walkathon, and this provided funds for other items as were needed.
Gifts were made by other Perth-based schools. Wesley College donated the pulpit; Aquinas College donated four small stained-glass windows which were designed by Gowers and Brown, who also designed and installed the northern and southern windows. Christ Church Grammar School donated the Book of Common Prayer; Guildford Grammar School donated one of the two sanctuary chairs, made especially for the occasion and Scotch College presented the school with the Bible still used today by Father Tom.
Additions were made to the Chapel organ in 1978 when a bequest was received from the estate of the late Doris Green, a long-time Junior School teacher. In the same year Justice John Virtue donated a stainless-steel font cup, and the two sisters of Bill Altorfer, Pat Kennison and Margaret von Hazel, donated a communion chalice. Mr Michael Bennett, assistant Housemaster in Faulkner House (date unknown) gave the alter service book, Mr Andre Foss (1956-59), Art teacher and Old Boy, made and gave a pottery urn for the font, while Robin Johnson (1947-50), woodwork teacher and Old Boy, made, presented and installed two hymn boards. Horace Bernard “Boogie” Summers (1910-18) another Old Haleian, donated the wooden pedestal for flowers.
David Broadhurst (1938-47) designed and donated a table and chest of drawers. The chest of drawers is currently used in the vestry.
The chapel bell, cast especially for the building, was a gift from Jim Cumpston (1928-37), long-time old Haleians’ Association treasurer.
In 1979, the Parents’ and Friends’ Association donated the curtains that were pulled around the organ. These are no longer in the chapel.
Over the years, further donations have been made to the Chapel of St Mark, some replacing initial ones. These include the current alter which was made by Year 12 Students in 2006 under the guidance of Head of Design and Technology and Faulkner House, TJ Steenkamp.
The northernmost and smallest stain-glass window, which incorporates the Greek letter forming the symbol for Jesus, was a gift from the parents of Graham “Goog” Parker (1960-68), young Old Boy killed in a motor bike accident in Kings Park.
The long southern window was the gift in 1979 from Quinton Stow. In the swirling patterns of light and dark blue and green can be seen the symbol for Christ.
The centre window was a bequest from the late Brian Simpson (1924) supplemented by an anonymous Old Boy. Brian Simpson who died shortly before the consecration of the Chapel had been greatly involved in its planning. Designed by Marshall Clifton himself who was an old friend, it was installed by Gowers and Brown in 1972 with glass from Italy. Its ‘glorious explosion of colour’, symbolises the Holy Ghost The three windows together constitute a unity in trinity, depicting Jesus the man, the holy ghost and the eternal God.
In the school’s archives is a Book of Hale School Confirmations from 1960-1968. The first page of which is devoted to the last confirmation service at St Mary’s Church, West Perth for Hale Boys, the second is at Hale School, Wembley Downs. The collection also includes the Register of services 1969-1978 and 1978 -2001, and eight Marriage registers from 1969-2013.
[insert digital copies of pages, [2020.1949- 2020.1959].
Before the Chapel of St Mark was built, chapel services on campus were first held in the Tom Hoar Dining Hall and then later in Memorial Hall after it opened in 1962.
In 1977 the Church’s General Synod approved the use of a new Australian Prayer Book. It was to be the last year that the Book of Comon Prayer and the Authorised Version of the Bible were used in the Chapel.
Under the pastoral care of Father Tom Couper, the Chapel today is used for worship by the students during the week, the borders on the weekends, baptisms, weddings and funerals of members of the Hale community.
It still provides a place of sanctuary and worship for the Hale community, continuing to look out over the City of Perth- linking the faith with the mission of the school – to send boys out into the world, able to see beyond the material in the prosperity of this age.
