'Ormeau' is a french name meaning ‘Young Elm’. It came from Ormeau House, the estate of Major A.J. Boyd, a sugar planter of the 1860s. Major Boyd took the name from the birthplace of his wife, Isabella Dawson. She was born in ‘Ormeau Road’ a district on the outskirts of Belfast, Ireland.
The name 'Woods' was chosen for three reasons:
- It is the collective noun for a group of trees (young elms – a reference to our students).
The name is a link to the past. Local Elders refer to ‘wallul jalia’ meaning ‘many trees’.
- The name also reflects our commitment to the environment ‘one of the most significant issues of the 21st Century’