George Fairfowl Macarthur
TKS 1832 - 1839
HEADMASTER 1868-1886
Although enrolled as pupil No 1 at The King’s School, George Fairfowl Macarthur did not attend on that first day in February 1832 due to ill health. However, he was the first Old Boy to go on to become Headmaster of The King’s School.
George was barely eight when he started at TKS. His father Hannibal, was a nephew of John Macarthur and his mother was the eldest daughter of Philip Gidley King once Governor of the colony. He was a member of the “exclusive” class in early colonial society but unlike John Macarthur’s family, economic depression and a downturn in family fortunes meant that George could not attend Oxford University as he had planned . Instead he studied at St James’ under the tutelage of Robert Allwood and was made a deacon in 1848 and priested the following year by Bishop Broughton.
During his incumbency of St Mark’s Darling Point George took in pupils to supplement his income. By 1856, there were 12 pupils in St Mark’s Collegiate School. Claiming ill health affected his preaching George moved to Macquarie Fields and opened the school there. Financial troubles left him bankrupt in 1859, but he worked hard and the school prospered.
In 1864, his old alma mater had closed due to the buildings being in a bad state of repair and some of the pupils moved to Macquarie Fields. Bishop Barker approached George to re-open The King’s School. Initially George declined, but after lengthy negotiations with the Bishop he accepted, and began the task of rebuilding.
George repaired TKS at considerable personal expense but the gamble paid off with numbers in 1887 so increased that he rented a cottage in Marsden Street to accommodate the extra staff.The main school building was enlarged with an upper story added.
George dreamed of TKS having a chapel. In 1872, he set to work to collect subscriptions to fulfill his dream but it would not come to fruition until his time at TKS was done. However he had sown the seed.
George was highly respected by the community and won the esteem of the boys by his straight justice and personal affection for them. He made it his duty to learn the characteristics and traits of all the boys in his care and taught all the boys to be “high principled, pure minded manly Christians”. George died in 1890.
