Historical information

Cato College had agreed to merge with Wesley College in 1989, and Renton, who was in 1987 the chaplain at Wesley College Glen Waverley, had accepted the appointment to be Principal of Cato College in 1988, its last year of separate existence, and then Head of the Cato or Elsternwick Campus from 1989. Cato College in 1987 had Miss Dulcie Brookshaw as acting Principal. John Norman, who had been Principal of Cato, left in 1986.
Robert Renton had been ordained in 1974 as Presbyterian minister in North Essendon, then was chaplain at Penleigh & Essendon Grammar School from 1975 to 1985. He continued at Wesley College as Head of Campus firstly at Elsternwick and then Prahran until 2007. For 12 months he was acting Principal of Wesley. After retirement at the end of 2007 he took up the placement of Presbytery Minister Administration at the Presbytery of Port Phillip West, and retired permanently on February 28, 2017, aged 71.

Physical description

Rev. Robert W Renton is shown talking to a group of students at Cato College, now Wesley College Elsternwick. Ms Di Vallance (later Findlay) who was deputy principal at the time is shown with the group. The students are standing next to a memorial drinking fountain which had been erected in memory of a girl student who had drowned rescuing a boy.

Inscriptions & markings

Robert Renton; Cato College. Church and Nation 9 September 1987 p13