The Old Newington Union (ONU) executive informed its members via email that a no-confidence vote in the old boys’ union board would be presented as a plebiscite rather than a formal resolution. If the plebiscite showed a majority lacking confidence in the current ONU council, steps would be taken to hold a new council election as soon as possible. However, during a meeting, the executive agreed to allow voting on all five original resolutions, leading to a delayed vote count due to over 440 proxy votes being submitted. Former students, including Peter Thomas, who traveled from interstate, and a third party were engaged to count and verify votes.
Newington College’s council chairman Tony McDonald stated in a letter to parents that a group of alumni was attempting to undermine the school by passing votes of no confidence. In response, a group of 20 former students who now work at the school viewed the proposed motions as a threat to the ONU’s values of inclusion, respect, and positive community building. Parents and former students protested outside the Stanmore campus following the announcement of the school’s transition to co-education. Dallas Morgan of the Save Newington Group stated that many alumni were against the decision and criticized the school’s consultation process as flawed and misleading.
One anonymous former student criticized the school’s co-ed consultation process as botched and misleading, with parents feeling misled after putting their sons on waitlists from a young age. Alumni president Alex Pagnonis noted that the ONU had received increased feedback due to the co-ed decision, with a survey showing mixed perspectives on the move. Some alumni are seeking to take control of the ONU to oppose the college’s decision, while others, like a Newington graduate from 1967, support co-education. Yianni Moustakas, a 2011 graduate, expressed satisfaction with the co-ed decision, believing more people should have access to the school community.
Newington College announced plans to admit girls in the junior school from 2026 and become fully co-educational by 2033. Some parents are challenging the move, citing concerns that it goes against the school’s trust established in 1873. The school views the ONU’s special general meeting as an internal matter. Overall, the decision to become co-ed has sparked controversy and divided opinions among alumni, parents, and former students at Newington College, with some supporting the move for greater inclusion while others oppose it.
