In 1926, co-principals Misses Isabel Hamilton and Robina Hamilton conceived a vision to relocate Toorak
College from its Mayfield Avenue, Toorak location to the countryside as a way to provide their students
with fresh air and ample space to thrive. They purchased land in Mount Eliza, and in September 1928, the
first assembly was held at the newly-built school. In the process of relocating, one of the wooden buildings
was to be transported. On hearing this news, school parent and chairman of the Board, Mr George Russell,
was said to have exclaimed, ‘You are surely not taking that white elephant!’ The name ‘The Elephant’ stuck,
and that same building was used for the next 40 years as an assembly hall, classroom, and theatre before
being demolished in 1972.
The name, 'The Elephant', now lives on in this publication.
