Warrane College, University of New South Wales

The prehistory of Warrane can be traced to the 1950s, when the Catholic archbishop of Sydney, Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy, first came into contact with members of Opus Dei and a sample of their educational initiatives in Europe. Around that time, the Archdiocese had the desire to establish a Residential College at UNSW under Catholic auspices. Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church, provided the opportunity for this desire to become a reality[2] and was invited to operate the college. Education Development Association (EDA), a not-for-profit company and a registered charity, was set up to represent Warrane College and future initiatives of similar nature. Pastoral care is entrusted to Opus Dei.[3]

Evening shot of Warrane College

Warrane began operating at its present site in 1971 in an eight-storey building on Anzac Parade, Kensington, in the south-western corner of the UNSW campus. Warrane was officially opened by Sir Roden Cutler. Its five residential floors each provide accommodation for groups of 25 residents, two of whom are residential tutors. Since 2008 all bedrooms and bathrooms as well as dining and kitchen facilities, common areas and offices have been renovated.

The College has had four Masters since 1971.

Senior staff members live in the College and oversee the pastoral care of residents. Two residential tutors live on each residential floor. Tutors are mentors to the students, providing academic and personal support. Several academic tutors and residential fellows live in College. They are distinguished academic staff or students of UNSW who conduct the academic program of the College, including formal tutorials and consultation times for different university subjects.

And yes, because old traditions die hard, Warrane remains the proud owner of UNSW's (if not Sydney's) last $1 Coke machine.

The majority of students are undergraduate, with about a third in first year. While residents are from all university faculties, a large proportion belong to the faculties of Engineering, Medicine and to the Australian School of Business. There are normally several residents undertaking higher degree programs at UNSW such as Masters and Doctoral programs and younger students benefit from their experience.

One of the main features of college life is the weekly formal dinner, which normally features guest speakers, including politicians, sportsmen, academics and business leaders. The college hosts several faculty nights during the year with guest speakers in specific fields talking to residents about career options and the "big picture" of their profession.

The Warrane College Chapel is open each day. Regular activities in the chapel include Mass, the weekly meditation by the College Chaplain and an all-night vigil every month.