Asquith Boys High School
| Asquith Boys High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Jersey Street North , , 2077 | |
| Coordinates | 33°41′29.33″S 151°6′16.69″E / 33.6914806°S 151.1046361°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, Secondary, Single-sex, Day school |
| Motto | "Grow In Wisdom." |
| Established | January 1960[1] |
| Principal | Terry Griffiths |
| Enrolment | ~567 (7–12)[2] |
| Colour(s) | Green Maroon |
| Website | ABHS website |
Asquith Boys High School, (abbreviated as ABHS) is a public boys' high school located in Asquith, New South Wales, Australia, on Jersey Street. It is a boys high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training with students from years 7 to 12. The school was established in 1960 and many of its students have gone on to notable success, some holding high public office.
History
The site on which Asquith Boys High School was built was originally a citrus orchard owned by the Fear family, a Hornsby pioneer family. The name "Asquith" from which the suburb north of Hornsby, and subsequently the school, takes its name, was named in 1915 after the wartime Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Herbert Asquith, who was later made the Earl of Oxford and Asquith. Before the land was acquired by the New South Wales Government in the 1950s, the land had become a cattle and horse paddock. Originally intended to be the site of the Hornsby Technical College, the Department of Education later decided to build Asquith Boys on its current site instead.[3]
Construction of the school buildings began in late 1959 but it was realised that they would not be finished in time for the school's opening in 1960 and thus the half the first boys were housed in various sites around Hornsby while the other half were housed in Chatswood High School. By mid 1960, the A Block was complete and the school moved onto its present site on 24th June 1960. By 1961 the school had risen in size to 660 students, which was later to rise to 990 by 1962, and 30 teachers while E Block and the Assembly Hall were also completed. The first Principal was Mervyn Brown, who contributed to establishing school traditions by composing the School song "Grow in Wisdom".[3]
By the time the first Prefects and Captains were elected in 1964, the school had risen in size to 1073 students and 54 teachers. The school was officially opened on 7 August 1964 by the Director-General of Secondary Education, A.W. Stephens. By 1965 the science, arts and music rooms in G Block had been completed. The Cadet unit was also formed in 1967, only to be disbanded again in 1973 following the end of Commonwealth funding for cadet units. The 1970s also saw various changes including an expansion of the Library as well as repairs to E Block following a classroom fire. Enrolments peaked in the late 1960s but continued to fall following the establishment of other High Schools in the area to around the 500 students it is today.[3]
It is the brother school of Asquith Girls High School.
Senior staff
| Years | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1960–1968 | Mervyn Brown |
| 1969–1972 | Norman Bowles |
| 1973–1975 | Les Rodgers |
| 1976–1985 | Austen Hughes |
| 1986–1987 | Tom Mehigan |
| 1988–1991 | Frank Yardley |
| 1991–2000 | Chris Bonnor |
| 2001–2005 | David Short |
| 2006–present | Terry Griffiths |
The Principal of Asquith Boys from 1991 to 2000 was Chris Bonnor. Bonnor later became Principal of Davidson High School from 2002 to 2005 and was also President of the NSW Secondary Principals Council from 2001–2006 and a Member of the Australian College of Educators (MACE). On 26th January 2007, Bonnor was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for "service to education through significant contributions to the development of educational policy and practice in New South Wales, the promotion of excellence in school leadership, and advocacy for public education."[4]
Notable alumni
- Lloyd Babb SC - NSW Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Garry Frost - Moving Pictures (band)
- Mel Gibson - Australian actor.
- John Hartigan - News Limited chairman and CEO.[5]
- Leroy Houston - Australian Rugby Union player.
- Dr Mike Kelly MP - former Australian Army lawyer and Federal Member for Eden-Monaro.[5]
- Daniel Arnamnart - Australian swimmer[6]
- Andrew Sayers - Director of the National Museum of Australia
See also
- List of Government schools in New South Wales
- Asquith Girls High School
- Electoral district of Hornsby
- Division of Bradfield
- Hornsby Shire
References
- ^ "Asquith Boys High". Government Schools of New South Wales from 1848. NSW Education and Communities. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ "Asquith Boys High School". School Locator. NSW Public Schools. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ a b c Northerly '85 - Silver Jubilee Year. Sydney: Asquith Boys High School. 1985.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|nopp=Y(help); Unknown parameter|nopp=ignored (|no-pp=suggested) (help) - ^ "Mr. Christopher Richard Bonnor - AM" (PDF). Governor General of Australia. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ a b Findlay, Tracey (5 May 2010). "Asquith Boys High School set to celebrate its 50th". The Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate. News Limited. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Recent Graduate Daniel Arnamnart" (pdf). Asquith Old Boys Club Newsletter. 4: 2. 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
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External links
- Asquith Boys High School website
- New South Wales Department of Education - Asquith Boys High School