Avondale College
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Template:Infobox University Avondale College is a tertiary education provider, with three campuses, the primary campus situated in Cooranbong, Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia. It is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Avondale has one other campus at the Sydney Adventist Hospital in Wahroonga, Sydney.
Avondale College primarily focuses in the areas of teaching, theology, and nursing, but also offers Bachelor's degrees in business, and the arts as well as certificate studies in outdoor recreation, aviation and secretarial studies. The nursing programme commences at the Cooranbong campus for one semester and is completed at the Sydney Adventist Hospital with hands-on experience gained in the hospital. Master's degrees are offered in theology, education, and some business related fields by distance education, including a one-month on-campus component in the winter semester.
Avondale College is an institution under the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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History and surroundings
Avondale College was founded in 1896 with substantial guidance from Ellen White.
History of the land
Finding land for a college seemed an impossible task as the small church in Australia at the time did not have the finances to support such a project. Eventually the committee searching for the land found a 1500 acre (6 km²) block of land near Cooranbong for $3 an acre ($741/km²) - priced for its "poor, sandy and hungry" land. An agricultural expert from the government who was commissioned to look over the land reported that it was of extremely poor quality. The land was purchased in the Spring of 1895.
A common myth is the furrow story, in which Ellen White was reported to have had a vision concerning the land.
Geography
The institution was initially called Australasian Missionary College and is located on a large allotment of land known as the Avondale Estate. The Cooranbong shopping district and Freeman's drive now occupy some of the land that was part of the Estate, creating a disjoint estate. The Avondale Schools (a separate entity) and the airport, which is used as part of the aviation certificate training are located on one section and the college on the other. The nearby Sunnyside museum has photographs of the college through its early years.
Architecture
There are a number of historic buildings that have been preserved on the Cooranbong campus. These include Bethel Hall and College Hall, both of which are unique multi-story wooden buildings. The refurbished Chan-Shun Auditorium is based on the original auditorium.
Avondale College is currently in the process of receiving University status from the Australian government.
Related
See also
Sunnyside Museum, Avondale Rd, Cooranbong
External links
- Avondale College (http://www.avondale.edu.au/)