Matraville Sports High School
Encyclopedia
Matraville Sports High School, (abbreviation MSHS) is a school located in Chifley
, New South Wales
, Australia
, on Anzac Parade
. It is a coeducational 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 as a comprehensive High School, becoming a specialist Sports High School in December 2001. Its alumni include one state premier, Bob Carr, and a number of students who have been successful in professional sport, particularly rugby league
.
and Maroubra Junction Girls' High School. As a result, the local member and Minister for Education, Bob Heffron, made the decision to establish a new high school in Matraville. The site on the corner of Anzac Parade and Franklin Street in southern Matraville was secured by the Department of Education
in 1957. The original school site was covered in virgin Banksia scrub
growing on low sand hills bordered by houses on Mitchell Street. (The sourthern part of Matraville became the suburb of Chifley
in 1964.)
At Heffron's instigation, the new school would be co-educational, in a period when the vast majority of NSW secondary schools were sexually segregated. Prior to 1960, Robert E Mobbs, a former Second World War army officer
who had also helped establish Fairfield Boys' High and Arthur Phillip High
, was appointed as the school's first headmaster. However, a lack of funding restricted the start of construction and it was not until well after the first 200 students had been accepted in 1960 that building began. Therefore the first students were housed at Daceyville Public School and the 1961 intake of students were sent to Gardeners Road Public School. Construction was finished by early 1962, which allowed the students to finally move in. The school soon generated a reputation for excellence in sports. The Waratah Shield
, the state knockout competition for Rugby, was won by Matraville in 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983 and 2007 and the ARL Schoolboy Cup was also won in 2007. In recognition of the school's excellence in this area, in December 2001, Matraville High was re-established as a specialist sports high, thus becoming "Matraville Sports High School".
The senior school curriculum offers a wide range of vocational subject choices, including construction, hospitality, retail and sports coaching.
Chifley, New South Wales
Chifley is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chifley is located 13km south east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the City of Randwick. The postcode is 2036...
, 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...
, on Anzac Parade
Anzac Parade, Sydney
Anzac Parade is a major road in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It included part of the marathon during the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the blue line denoting the marathon's path still exists today.-Description:...
. It is a coeducational high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training
New South Wales Department of Education and Training
The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsibile for primary schools, secondary schools and Technical and Further Education colleges...
with students from years 7 to 12. The school was established in 1960 as a comprehensive High School, becoming a specialist Sports High School in December 2001. Its alumni include one state premier, Bob Carr, and a number of students who have been successful in professional sport, particularly rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.
History
In the years consequent upon the Second World War, South Eastern suburbs of Sydney saw increasing population growth and, as a result, increasing demands forinfrastructure to assist that growth. At the time, the closest high schools in the area were South Sydney Boys' High SchoolSouth Sydney High School
South Sydney High School is a public school located in Maroubra, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1953 for boys, it is today a co-educational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training for students from years 7 through 12...
and Maroubra Junction Girls' High School. As a result, the local member and Minister for Education, Bob Heffron, made the decision to establish a new high school in Matraville. The site on the corner of Anzac Parade and Franklin Street in southern Matraville was secured by the Department of Education
New South Wales Department of Education and Training
The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsibile for primary schools, secondary schools and Technical and Further Education colleges...
in 1957. The original school site was covered in virgin Banksia scrub
Banksia aemula
Banksia aemula, commonly known as the wallum banksia, is a lignotuberous shrub of the Proteaceae family. Found from Bundaberg south to Sydney on the Australian east coast, it is encountered as a shrub or a taller tree to 8 m in coastal heath on deep sandy soil, known as Wallum...
growing on low sand hills bordered by houses on Mitchell Street. (The sourthern part of Matraville became the suburb of Chifley
Chifley, New South Wales
Chifley is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chifley is located 13km south east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the City of Randwick. The postcode is 2036...
in 1964.)
At Heffron's instigation, the new school would be co-educational, in a period when the vast majority of NSW secondary schools were sexually segregated. Prior to 1960, Robert E Mobbs, a former Second World War army officer
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
who had also helped establish Fairfield Boys' High and Arthur Phillip High
Arthur Phillip High School
Arthur Phillip High School is a coeducational public high school in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. The school was established in 1960 in its own right, in buildings which had been used continuously as a school since 1875, and is named for Arthur Phillip, the first governor of the state of...
, was appointed as the school's first headmaster. However, a lack of funding restricted the start of construction and it was not until well after the first 200 students had been accepted in 1960 that building began. Therefore the first students were housed at Daceyville Public School and the 1961 intake of students were sent to Gardeners Road Public School. Construction was finished by early 1962, which allowed the students to finally move in. The school soon generated a reputation for excellence in sports. The Waratah Shield
Waratah Shield
The Waratah Shield is a rugby union knock-out competition for high school teams from New South Wales, Australia. First contested in 1963, it is organised by New South Wales Rugby Union in conjunction with NSW School’s Rugby Union and NSW Combined High Schools and attracts around 100 entries each...
, the state knockout competition for Rugby, was won by Matraville in 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983 and 2007 and the ARL Schoolboy Cup was also won in 2007. In recognition of the school's excellence in this area, in December 2001, Matraville High was re-established as a specialist sports high, thus becoming "Matraville Sports High School".
School details
In May 2010, there were 325 students enrolled in the school from Years 7 through to Year 12. Of these, 110 students were girls and 215 were boys. The school has an enrolment of 30% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and 30% Pacific Islander students. There were approximately 45 staff at the school.The senior school curriculum offers a wide range of vocational subject choices, including construction, hospitality, retail and sports coaching.
Notable alumni
- Fred BriggsFred BriggsFred Briggs is a rugby league player for the Canterbury Bulldogs in the National Rugby League competition...
- Canterbury BulldogsCanterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
Rugby League player. - Bob CarrBob CarrRobert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
- Dux of 1964 and Premier of New South Wales (1995-2005) - Sandor EarlSandor EarlSandor "Princess" Earl is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He primarily plays on the wing.-Early years:...
- SydneySydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and PenrithPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
Rugby League player. - MarkMark EllaMark Gordon Ella is an Indigenous Australian former rugby union player, often considered as one of his country's all-time greats in that sport. In a relatively short career , Mark Ella established himself as one of the all-time greats in world rugby union...
, Glen and Gary EllaMark EllaMark Gordon Ella is an Indigenous Australian former rugby union player, often considered as one of his country's all-time greats in that sport. In a relatively short career , Mark Ella established himself as one of the all-time greats in world rugby union...
- Australian Rugby UnionAustralia national rugby union teamThe Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
players. Mark Ella was one of the first Aboriginals to captain an Australian national sports team. - Russell FairfaxRussell FairfaxRussell Lance Fairfax was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach of the 1970s and 80s....
- Eastern SuburbsSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and South SydneySouth Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
Rugby League player. - Martin KennedyMartin Kennedy (rugby league)Martin Kennedy Martin Kennedy Martin Kennedy (born 20 February 1989 in Lismore, New South Wales, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League...
- Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
Rugby League player. - Jacob MillerJacob Miller (rugby league)Jacob Miller is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at halfback or five-eighth.-Early years:Hailing from Ocean Shores, Miller played junior football with the Mullumbimby Giants...
- Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
Rugby League player. - Dominique PeyrouxDominique PeyrouxDominique Peyroux is a professional rugby league footballer currently dual-registered with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup via the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League and Toyota Cup competitions in Australasia. He primarily plays at centre but has been known to convert to...
- Gold Coast TitansGold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
Rugby League player. - Willie TongaWillie TongaWillie Tonga is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the North Queensland Cowboys of the NRL...
- North QueenslandNorth Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
, Canterbury and ParramattaParramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
Rugby League player.
See also
- List of Government schools in New South Wales
- Electoral district of MaroubraElectoral district of MaroubraMaroubra is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by Michael Daley of the Australian Labor Party,...
- Division of Kingsford SmithDivision of Kingsford SmithThe Division of Kingsford Smith is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, on the north shore of Botany Bay, and the coast of the Tasman Sea...
- City of RandwickCity of RandwickThe City of Randwick is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of Sydney's largest parks, Centennial Park, lies within the city boundary of Randwick. Other major landmarks in Randwick include the world-famous Randwick Racecourse,...
External links
- Matraville Sports High School website
- New South Wales Department of Education and Training - Matraville Sports High School