Kambala Girls School
Encyclopedia
Kambala is an independent
, Anglican
, day
and boarding school
for girls, located on one campus in Rose Bay
, an eastern suburb
of Sydney, New South Wales
, Australia
. Established in 1887, Kambala has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 950 students from Pre-school to Year 12, including 95 boarders from Years 7 to 12. Students come to Kambala from the greater metropolitan area, rural New South Wales and overseas.
The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
(JSHAA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is a founding member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
(AHIGS).
called 'Fernbank'. In 1891, Mlle Augustine Soubeiran, who had assisted in the running of the school and taught French
, became Co-Principal and to accommodate increasing enrolments, the School was moved to a larger property in Bellevue Hill
called Kambala, of which the school took its new name.
In 1913, with an enrolment of nearly fifty, the School moved again, to its present site in New South Head Road
, Rose Bay
. The property was known as "Tivoli" of the original Tivoli Estate, and was previously occupied by Captain William Dumaresq and later by merchant James Robinson Love
. The spacious new building, built in 1841, and the notable architect John Horbury Hunt
was commissioned to extend Tivoli and today this building houses Kambala's boarders in Years 7 to 10.
In 1926, Kambala became a Church of England
Foundation School controlled by an independent council. During Fifi Hawthorne's tenure as Principal, 1933 to 1966, the School grew from 100 pupils to more than 660 and buildings and facilities expanded accordingly.
on the rising shore above suburban Rose Bay, overlooking Sydney Harbour
. The school is divided into four main areas:
during the 1840s, extensively renovated by architect John Horbury Hunt
in the 1880s, Tivoli features modern dormitory
-style living amenities.
Boarders in Years 11 to 12 reside in Fernbank. Opened in 1997, Fernbank provides students with more independent living, social privileges and greater privacy for study.
The House system
was introduced at Kambala in 1928, and each student from Years 3 to 12 are allocated to one of the four houses:
Gurney
Named after Louisa Gurney, Principal of Kambala from 1887 to 1914. Colour: Green.
Hawthorne
Named after Fifi Hawthorne, Principal of Kambala from 1933 to 1966. Colour: Black.
Roseby
Named after Clara Roseby, Principal of Kambala from 1914 to 1927. Colour: Blue.
Wentworth
Named after W.C Wentworth, a Founder of the School when it became a Foundation School in 1926. Colour: Red.
There are several interhouse competitions throughout the year in which houses can earn points towards the Angus Cup at the end of the year. Each house is led by two house captains. Tutor groups are formed according to Houses. Hawthorne recently won the Angus Cup in 2008.
Ex-students of Kambala are known as Old Girls and may elect to join the Kambala Old Girls' Union (KOGU). Some notable Kambala Old Girls include:
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, Anglican
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
, day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
and boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for girls, located on one campus in Rose Bay
Rose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
, an eastern suburb
Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
of Sydney, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Established in 1887, Kambala has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 950 students from Pre-school to Year 12, including 95 boarders from Years 7 to 12. Students come to Kambala from the greater metropolitan area, rural New South Wales and overseas.
The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
Junior School Heads Association of Australia
The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia , is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia....
(JSHAA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is a founding member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools , is an association for private girls' schools, based in North Ryde, in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
(AHIGS).
History
Kambala was established in 1887 by Louisa Gurney, the daughter of an English clergyman. Gurney conducted her first classes with twelve girls at a terrace house in WoolahraWoollahra, New South Wales
Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. The Municipality of Woollahra takes its name from the...
called 'Fernbank'. In 1891, Mlle Augustine Soubeiran, who had assisted in the running of the school and taught French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, became Co-Principal and to accommodate increasing enrolments, the School was moved to a larger property in Bellevue Hill
Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
Bellevue Hill is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bellevue Hill is an affluent suburb, located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
called Kambala, of which the school took its new name.
In 1913, with an enrolment of nearly fifty, the School moved again, to its present site in New South Head Road
New South Head Road, Sydney
New South Head Road, is a major road in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The road runs north-east from Rushcutters Bay through Edgecliff, Double Bay, Point Piper, Rose Bay and Vaucluse where it finally merges into Old South Head Road.-Maroo Track:...
, Rose Bay
Rose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
. The property was known as "Tivoli" of the original Tivoli Estate, and was previously occupied by Captain William Dumaresq and later by merchant James Robinson Love
James Robinson Love
James Robinson Love was an Australian merchant and founder of J. R. Love & Co Ltd and Kinkara Tea.Love was the son of the politician William Love and Ellinor Robinson, both immigrants from Ireland, and brother of magistrate Milton Sydney Love...
. The spacious new building, built in 1841, and the notable architect John Horbury Hunt
John Horbury Hunt
John Horbury Hunt was a Canadian-born architect who worked in Sydney, Australia and rural New South Wales from 1863.-Life and career:...
was commissioned to extend Tivoli and today this building houses Kambala's boarders in Years 7 to 10.
In 1926, Kambala became a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Foundation School controlled by an independent council. During Fifi Hawthorne's tenure as Principal, 1933 to 1966, the School grew from 100 pupils to more than 660 and buildings and facilities expanded accordingly.
Principals
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1891 – 1914 | Augustine Soubeiran |
| 1887 – 1914 | Louise Gurney |
| 1914 – 1927 | Clara Roseby |
| 1914 – 1926 | Minnie Roseby |
| 1927 – 1932 | Flora Stewart |
| 1933 – 1966 | Fifi Hawthorne |
| 1966 – 1984 | Joyce Gibbons |
| 1985 – 1987 | Barbara Monk |
| 1988 – 1999 | Peter Moxham |
| 1999 | Roderick West |
| 2000 – present | Margaret White |
Campus
Kambala is located on a single campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
on the rising shore above suburban Rose Bay, overlooking Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
. The school is divided into four main areas:
- Hampshire House - the Early Learning Centre (creche)
- Massie House for students from Preparation (4 year olds) to Year 2;
- Junior School for girls in Years 3 to 6; and
- Senior School for girls in Years 7 to 12.
Boarding
Boarding students from Year 6 to Year 10 live in Tivoli, the home of the original Tivoli estate, of which the school was once a part. Frequented by the colonial artist Conrad MartensConrad Martens
Conrad Martens was an English-born landscape painter active in Australia from 1835.-Life and work:Conrad Martens' father was a merchant who came originally to London as Austrian Consul; Conrad was born in "Crutched Friars" near Tower Hill...
during the 1840s, extensively renovated by architect John Horbury Hunt
John Horbury Hunt
John Horbury Hunt was a Canadian-born architect who worked in Sydney, Australia and rural New South Wales from 1863.-Life and career:...
in the 1880s, Tivoli features modern dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
-style living amenities.
Boarders in Years 11 to 12 reside in Fernbank. Opened in 1997, Fernbank provides students with more independent living, social privileges and greater privacy for study.
House system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
was introduced at Kambala in 1928, and each student from Years 3 to 12 are allocated to one of the four houses:
Gurney
Named after Louisa Gurney, Principal of Kambala from 1887 to 1914. Colour: Green.
Hawthorne
Named after Fifi Hawthorne, Principal of Kambala from 1933 to 1966. Colour: Black.
Roseby
Named after Clara Roseby, Principal of Kambala from 1914 to 1927. Colour: Blue.
Wentworth
Named after W.C Wentworth, a Founder of the School when it became a Foundation School in 1926. Colour: Red.
There are several interhouse competitions throughout the year in which houses can earn points towards the Angus Cup at the end of the year. Each house is led by two house captains. Tutor groups are formed according to Houses. Hawthorne recently won the Angus Cup in 2008.
Notable alumnae
- Jessie Strahorn AspinallJessie AspinallJessie Strahorn Aspinall was the first female junior medical resident at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney. Her four brothers were also doctors.-Professional career:...
– First female junior resident medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred HospitalRoyal Prince Alfred HospitalThe Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown...
(1906) (also attended Presbyterian Ladies' College, SydneyPresbyterian Ladies' College, SydneyThe Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
) - Claudia BlackClaudia BlackClaudia Lee Black is an Australian actress and voice actor, known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in the science fiction television series Farscape, Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, Chloe Frazer in the Uncharted series, the witch Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins and...
– Actress, best known for her portrayal of Aeryn Sun and Vala Mal DoranVala Mal DoranVala Mal Doran is a fictional character in the American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by former Farscape actress Claudia Black, Vala was created by...
in science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series FarscapeFarscapeFarscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
and Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich... - Grace Emily Munro – Co-founder of the Country Women's AssociationCountry Women's AssociationThe Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
- Suzanne Gae Williams – Director of Football Federation AustraliaFootball Federation AustraliaFootball Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
; Recipient of the Australian Corporation Lawyer of the Year Award 2000 - June Finlayson – Miss Australia 1956
See also
Further reading
- Nobbs, A. 1997. Kambala: The First Hundred Years, 1887-1987. Melbourne, Globe Press.
- Lenskyj, H. 2005. A Lot to Learn: Girls, Women and Education in the 20th Century. Toronto, Women's Press.