Newcastle Boys' High School was a government-funded single-sex selective high school, located in Waratah, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The school was active between 1929 and 1976, after which time it became a co-educational non-selective school.
Contents
History
Newcastle Boys High School was established in 1929 when the Hill High School was split into two selective single-sex schools, the other being Newcastle Girls High School. Hill High School's campus was located on Newcastle Hill, at a site now occupied by Newcastle East Public School, and was referred to as "the School on the Hill". Newcastle Girls High School moved to a new campus in Hamilton, and Newcastle Boys High School moved to a new campus in Waratah in 1934, at which time Hill High School became Newcastle Junior Boys High School. Both Newcastle Boys and Newcastle Girls high schools carried on the traditions established by the original school, including use of the same motto and school colours.
Newcastle Boys High School became non-selective and co-educational in 1977 and changed its name to Waratah High School that same year. Later it became Waratah Technology High School, and then Waratah Technology Campus of Callaghan College in 2000.
Headmasters
The Headmasters of Newcastle Boys High School were:
1930–31 Robert Frederick Harvey
1932–34 Charles Herbert Christmas
1935–44 Norman Ross Mearns
1945–47 William Pillans
1948–63 Frank Harold Beard
1964–74 Leonard Thomas Richardson
1975–76 Victor Huish Webber (relieving)
School song
Newcastle Boys High School continued to sing the Newcastle High School song: words by a member of staff, R. G. Henderson MA set to the tune of "D'ye ken John Peel?", chosen by competition announced in 1913 in the school journal, "Novocastrian". When the boys moved to the plain at the Waratah site, they no longer climbed up The Hill and the first verse was re-written in 1943 by Mr Hodge.
Science scholarships
The following Newcastle Boys' High School students won scholarships to the Professor Harry Messel International Science School:
Extra-curricular activities
The following Newcastle Boys' High School boys were awarded "Blues" by the New South Wales Combined High Schools Sports Association under the system which operated from 1957 to 1980:
Notable alumni
Reginald Ian BarrettAO – jurist; Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales (2001–2015)
Jonathan Biggins – entertainer, writer
Leigh Blackmore – horror writer, critic, editor, musician
Peter Cave – journalist; Current Affairs Foreign Editor, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Peter Robert Charlton (1946–2007) – journalist, soldier, military historian; editor at The Courier-Mail from 1996
William T. Cooper – artist and ornithologist
Phil Cousins – community worker, surf life-saver, mines rescue leader; Venerable Order of Saint John (2004), Centenary Medal (2003), named Open Champion (First Aid) Surf Life Saving Australia (1994 and 1997), Gold Medallion NSW Mines Rescue Service (1993)
Julian Croft – novelist and poet; Emeritus Professor of English, University of New England
Howard Crozier (1936–) – teacher, education administrator, CSIRO manager, shire councillor, grazier
Roger Dean – Federal Member for Robertson 1949–64, Administrator of the Northern Territory 1964–70, diplomat
Robert Douglas – medical practitioner and academic; chair, SEE-Change ACT; emeritus professor and visiting fellow, Australian National University; chair, Australia 21
Gary Gilmour – Australian cricketer
Ross Gittins – author; economics editor of The Sydney Morning Herald
Notable teachers
Kelver Hartley