Fahan School

Two Australian educators, Audrey Morphett and Isobel Travers, founded Fahan School in Hobart as an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for girls, wanting to provide an education which would enable girls to have an impact on the world in their own right. The school opened in 1935 with 19 pupils; in 1942, for fear of invasion, the school was evacuated to Interlaken for two terms, recalled as an idyllic time.

In 1948 Fahan was moved to its present location in Lower Sandy Bay. The founders wanted the rural environment of the school, with its fields and many trees, to inspire the students, and their chosen motto, 'Light Come Visit Me' reflected their desire for enlightenment and creativity. In 1960 the founders retired, selling Fahan to the Presbyterian Church. The school later reverted to non-denominational status, and continued under a succession of principals. Seventy years after its foundation it remains small, with a population of just under 400 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Further reading: G Winter, Sixty years of endeavour, Hobart, 1995; E Emery, A twentieth century life, Hobart, 1995.

John Williamson