Hurlstone Agricultural High School

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Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Location
Glenfield, NSW, Australia
Information
Founder John Kinlock
Principal John Norris
Enrollment

961
School type Public (Secondary, Selective, Agricultural, Boarding)
Grades 7-12
Campus size 112 hectares (1.2 km²)
Motto Pro Patria
(Latin for "For my country")
School Colour(s) Blue, Yellow, Red
Established April 1, 1907
Homepage hurlstone.com.au

Hurlstone Agricultural High School (abbreviated HAHS) is an agricultural and selective, co-educational, public high school, located in Glenfield, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest government boarding school in New South Wales (NSW).[1]

Hurlstone is unique in that it is the state's only public selective and agricultural school that also includes a coeducational boarding school. The 112 hectare campus includes an operational farm, sporting facilities and student accommodation.

Hurlstone has been named the Macarthur region's best academic school, ranking 27th in the NSW top 200 list for the 2007 academic year. The school had 148 distinguished achievers, 13 on the state's top achievers' list, eight on the all-rounders' list and three students who topped the state in a course.


Contents

[edit] History

Manual training class, 1913
Manual training class, 1913

Hurlstone was established as a boys-only school in 1907 in Hurlstone Park, approximately ten kilometres south west of Sydney, at the present site of Trinity Grammar School. The original owner of the land was a teacher, John Kinloch, one of the first graduates of the University of Sydney. He named the land 'Hurlstone Estate', after his mother's maiden name, with the aim of setting up his own school on it.[citation needed]

In those days, most students completed their schooling after primary school and students at 'Hurlstone Agricultural Continuation School' (as it was known at the time) studied there for only two years. In 1926, the school moved to its present site in Glenfield, approximately 42 km south-west of Sydney (between Liverpool and Campbelltown) and serviced by the Main Southern Railway. By then, its student numbers had grown from 30 in 1907, to 148.[citation needed] The school supported government policy to promote productivity in the agricultural sector through the training of boys in all aspects of agricultural sciences and farm management.

For a brief period in the 1940s, it was known as 'Macarthur Agricultural High School', in honour of woolgrower John Macarthur. However, the school soon reverted to its previous name.

Hurlstone was a boys' school until 1979, when the decision was made to become co-educational.[2]

[edit] Principals

Collectable School Cigarette card featuring the Hurlstone colours & crest, c. 1910s
Collectable School Cigarette card featuring the Hurlstone colours & crest, c. 1910s

Hurlstone has had 10 Principals:

Name From To
Mr F. McMullen 1907 1916
Mr George Longmuir 1917 1938
Mr P. Hindmarsh 1939 1945
Mr J. Mc. E. King 1946 1953
Mr C. G. James 1954 1967
Mr R. W. Clarke 1968 1978
Mr J. F. White 1979 1982
Mr G. K. Wilson 1983 1987
Mr R. M. Kidd 1988 mid-2003
Mr J. Norris mid-2003 present

[edit] Population

The boarding school at sunset. Several dormitories, a kitchen, and dining room are visible.
The boarding school at sunset. Several dormitories, a kitchen, and dining room are visible.

Enrolment at the school is dependent on examinations of Year 6 students from across the state. New students coming in later grades have to sit a similar exam.

The student population of about 960 is divided between boarder students (who reside on the school grounds and originate mainly from country NSW), and day students (who commute mostly from the south western Sydney region). The boarder-day student ratio is roughly 1:3. For sporting and accommodation purposes the school is divided into four houses: Farrer (red), Macarthur (yellow), Wentworth (blue) and Macquarie (green).

[edit] Campus

The school maintains a dairy with 42 head of cattle.
The school maintains a dairy with 42 head of cattle.

Hurlstone Agricultural High School is located on a single campus, covering the area from Glenfield railway station, along Roy Watts Road and extending to sections of Quarter Sessions Road near the Hume Highway. The school is serviced by the East Hills, South and Cumberland train lines.

Hurlstone features a fully functional farm and a commercial dairy. Livestock on the farm include: Beef and dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, boer goats, alpacas and peacocks.

The school's swimming pool is located next to the boarding school, and is used for swimming carnivals, school sports and recreational purposes.

Clarke House is a heritage listed building which houses a Hurlstone memorabilia museum.

On Roy Watts Road past the boarding school there is a memorial forest with trees planted in the shape of a cross. The memorial forest is where the Anzac Day and Remembrance day ceremonies are held.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

The school provides opportunities for students to engage in both co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Students may participate in certain clubs which promote these activities. Some groups are fairly unique to public schools within the district, such as the Cadet corps, Interact and Rural Youth. Sport is an important part of extracurricular life at Hurlstone.

[edit] Notable alumni

 This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can (January 2008).
Academic
  • Dr Lester Hiatt - Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard 1990-91;[3]
  • Professor Ross Street - Personal Chair in Mathematics at Macquarie University;
  • Roy Watts, AO - Former Director-General NSW Agriculture
  • Gareth White - featured on Nerds FC series 2 and represented Australia in the 2002 International Mathematics Olympiad
Entertainment, media and the arts
Military


Politics, public service and the law
Sport
  • David Lyons - rugby union player, Wallabies[4]
  • Patrice Douglas - polocross player, Australia

[edit] References

  1. ^ Patty, Anna (Sep. 29, 2007). "Parents demand answers over top school's finances". Sydney Morning Herald.
  2. ^ Hurlstone Agricultural High School. School History
  3. ^ p. 727 Who's Who in Australia 1995
  4. ^ a b Patty, Anna (May 26, 2006). From the principal's desk: furniture sale means I've been carpeted Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ^ Flying high - Local News - News - General - Campbelltown - Macarthur Advertiser
  6. ^ Grant, Ian (1996). "Edmondson, John Hurst (1914 - 1941)". Australian Dictionary of Biography (Online) 14. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. p.80. Retrieved on 2008-01-23. 
  7. ^ p. 619 Who's Who in Australia 1977
  8. ^ Burke, Kelly. "One of the old school", TV & Radio, The Age, 2004-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Selective Schools of New South Wales, Australia
Fully Selective
Partially Selective
Selective Agricultural