‘Sweet Evelina’ — the origins of the School Song

Newington’s school song, ‘Dear Newingtonia’, was first sung at Speech Day on 13 December 1895. The words had been written for the occasion by Frank Williamson, a teacher who had charge of concerts and entertainments at the school. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that this ‘glee’ was ‘perhaps the selection most appreciated’ of the entertainment pieces performed that day.

While the words were new, the tune was well known. It had been published as a sentimental love song, ‘Sweet Evelina’ (words by ‘M’, music by ‘T’) in New York in 1863. It is likely that the song was older still: the published song describes it ‘As sung by all the Minstrel Bands’.

It was not the melody alone that was borrowed for the new school song. The words of the chorus, ‘my love for thee shall never, never die’, also came from the original song, with its refrain of ‘Sweet Evelina, Dear Evelina, my love for thee shall never, never die’.

‘Sweet Evelina’ was popular among Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War and was reportedly a favourite song of J.E.B. Stuart, the famous dashing Confederate cavalry commander. The Confederates also had a more martial version to the same tune, ‘The retreat of the grand army from Bull Run’ (‘Poor Mr Lincoln, Poor old Abe Lincoln…’).

After its successful debut, ‘Dear Newingtonia’ quickly became popular in the Newington community and by 1899; it was being referred to as ‘the old school song’. For many decades it appeared at the front of each issue of The Newingtonian and it continues to be sung with great emotion today.

David Roberts
College Archivist