Unley High School
Encyclopedia
Unley High School, located in Netherby
, is one of the largest public high schools in South Australia
. In recent years the number of students enrolled typically ranges from 1,100 to 1,300, but in the early 1960s the school had a peak enrolment of 2,000 students.
The school currently has 30 international students enrolled, and has a history of enrolling such students from the 1960s. Unley has a long history of teaching foreign languages; in the beginning Latin
, then French
, German
and for a period Indonesian
. Today, Chinese
is strong; Unley has sister schools in China. The school has a lot of multicultural students, the majority of which come from China, Greece, Italy and Lebanon.
In 1915 the school was granted independence from Unley Primary and its first headmaster was appointed. This was Ben Gates who remained at the school until 1940. It was during his headmastership that the school became renowned for its discipline and high academic standards. An early link was forged with the Australian rules football
club, Sturt
. The colours of the school, light and dark blue, were also the colours of the football club.
During its first decade the school was shifted south to new buildings in Kyre Avenue, Mitcham
. There were problems which developed quite rapidly with this site, especially in relation to adequate sports grounds. Complicated negotiations eventually saw control of a block of land and a cottage passed to a trust associated with the school. This remains an open space, now used by Mitcham Girls High School, on Belair Road. The "memorial gates" celebrating the acquisition of this land were opened in 1936.
Following the setbacks of the Great Depression, which included the introduction of fees for students to attend the high school, student numbers gradually rose to their early 1930s high point. (1931: 956 students, 1934: 638, 1939: 869) Unley High had been a coeducational school from the beginning, but in fact, most classes were taught in single sex groups. This pattern would only change in the late 60s and early 70s.
World War II saw continuing privations in the school. It had been a constant pattern from the beginning: class sizes that were too large, and inadequate and too few teaching spaces. During the war, as had occurred in World War I students were engaged in fund raising, and girls especially, in knitting for the troops. In some of the darkest days of World War II the Parents and Citizens Association was founded and had its first meetings. There had been a School Council with community representatives appointed by the South Australian government since 1916, but now there was a chance for parents to have a much more active role in contributing to the school.
The school gradually shifted from the campus at Mitcham to the campus at Netherby. The girls moved to the transportable buildings first. The move was largely carried out using their labour as desks chair and books were carried to the new campus.
There is a published history of the school by Craig Campbell, "State High School: Unley, 1910-1985", Adelaide
, 1985.
Netherby, South Australia
Netherby is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Mitcham.Unley High School and Urrbrae Agricultural High School are located in the suburb.-References:...
, is one of the largest public high schools in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. In recent years the number of students enrolled typically ranges from 1,100 to 1,300, but in the early 1960s the school had a peak enrolment of 2,000 students.
The school currently has 30 international students enrolled, and has a history of enrolling such students from the 1960s. Unley has a long history of teaching foreign languages; in the beginning Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, then 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...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and for a period Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
. Today, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
is strong; Unley has sister schools in China. The school has a lot of multicultural students, the majority of which come from China, Greece, Italy and Lebanon.
History
Unley High School was founded in 1910 as one of the first group of public high schools to be established following Adelaide High School in 1908. Initially it was under the control of the Headmaster of the Unley Primary School, and had its first home as part of that school in the suburb of Unley.In 1915 the school was granted independence from Unley Primary and its first headmaster was appointed. This was Ben Gates who remained at the school until 1940. It was during his headmastership that the school became renowned for its discipline and high academic standards. An early link was forged with the Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club, Sturt
Sturt Football Club
Sturt Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League. The club is best known for its period of dominance from 1966–76 under legendary coach Jack Oatey, during which it revolutionised the style of play by emphasising teamwork and accurate ball...
. The colours of the school, light and dark blue, were also the colours of the football club.
During its first decade the school was shifted south to new buildings in Kyre Avenue, Mitcham
Mitcham, South Australia
Mitcham is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Mitcham.Created as a village separate from Adelaide , it was ancillary to a sheep station at Brown Hill Creek belonging to the South Australia Company. Prior to European settlement the area was inhabited by the Kaurna aboriginal people...
. There were problems which developed quite rapidly with this site, especially in relation to adequate sports grounds. Complicated negotiations eventually saw control of a block of land and a cottage passed to a trust associated with the school. This remains an open space, now used by Mitcham Girls High School, on Belair Road. The "memorial gates" celebrating the acquisition of this land were opened in 1936.
Following the setbacks of the Great Depression, which included the introduction of fees for students to attend the high school, student numbers gradually rose to their early 1930s high point. (1931: 956 students, 1934: 638, 1939: 869) Unley High had been a coeducational school from the beginning, but in fact, most classes were taught in single sex groups. This pattern would only change in the late 60s and early 70s.
World War II saw continuing privations in the school. It had been a constant pattern from the beginning: class sizes that were too large, and inadequate and too few teaching spaces. During the war, as had occurred in World War I students were engaged in fund raising, and girls especially, in knitting for the troops. In some of the darkest days of World War II the Parents and Citizens Association was founded and had its first meetings. There had been a School Council with community representatives appointed by the South Australian government since 1916, but now there was a chance for parents to have a much more active role in contributing to the school.
The school gradually shifted from the campus at Mitcham to the campus at Netherby. The girls moved to the transportable buildings first. The move was largely carried out using their labour as desks chair and books were carried to the new campus.
There is a published history of the school by Craig Campbell, "State High School: Unley, 1910-1985", Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, 1985.
Sports
Unley High School operates an extensive sporting program, both for after-school sport and weekend sport. It participates in South Australian Secondary Schools' Sports Associations programs and also in the Independent Schools' Sporting Association for cricket, hockey and football. It is a member of the Heads of Rowing Schools and has a strong Rowing Club.Academic
The Environment Group helps to increase the sustainability of the school, while decreasing the negative impact it has on the earth because of energy consumption, water usage and waste. Recent achievements include the purchase of a 24,000-litre rainwater tank to replace the water used in the hand basins and showers in the Life Be In It Gym, the purchase of solar panels on the roof of the school, a water grant to replace all the toilets in the school with dual-flush toilets, and an intensive recycling program.Alumni
- Michael AtkinsonMichael AtkinsonMichael John Atkinson , an Australian politician, was the South Australian Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs in the Rann Labor Government. A day after the 2010 election, he stepped down as Attorney-General and resigned...
- Former South Australian Attorney-General - John BannonJohn BannonJohn Charles Bannon AO is a former Australian politician. He was the 39th Premier of South Australia, leading the Labor Party to government at the 1982 election. The Bannon Labor government was re-elected at the 1985 election and the 1989 election...
- Former South Australian Premier - Dean BrownDean BrownDean Craig Brown, AO was the Liberal Premier of South Australia between 14 December 1993 and 28 November 1996, and Deputy Premier of South Australia between 22 October 2001 and 5 March 2002 to Rob Kerin.-Political career:...
- former South Australian Premier - Mark ButlerMark ButlerMark Christopher Butler has been the Australian Labor Party representative for the electoral division of Port Adelaide in north-western Adelaide, South Australia since the 2007 federal election, succeeding prior Labor MP Rod Sawford....
- federal member for Port Adelaide - Julia GillardJulia GillardJulia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
- current Australian Prime Minister - Simon GoodwinSimon GoodwinSimon Goodwin is a former Australian rules footballer, who is a dual premiership player with the Adelaide Football Club and is now an assistant coach at the Essendon Football Club.-Early career :...
- Adelaide Crows AFL Player - Malcolm GreensladeMalcolm GreensladeMalcolm Greenslade is a former Australian rules football player who played two matches in the VFL for the Richmond Football Club in 1971.Greenslade made his name as a goalkicking forward with the Sturt Football Club in the SANFL...
- Australian Rules Footballer - Cliff HawkinsCliff HawkinsCliff Hawkins AM is a real estate agent based in Adelaide, South Australia.Commencing work at the Lands Titles Office as a draftsman, at the age of 17 Hawkins became the youngest person in the state to qualify as a licensed land broker...
- Realtor and Member of the Order of Australia - Linda KirkLinda KirkLinda Jean Kirk is an Australian politician. She was a Labor member of the Australian Senate from 2002 to 2008, representing the state of South Australia....
- former Senator for South Australia - Paul LewisPaul LewisPaul Lewis may refer to:*Paul Lewis , American architect and professor at the Princeton University School of Architecture*Paul Lewis , African American activist who lived in London, Ontario...
- Australian Hockey Player - Sir John "Jack" McLeay - longest serving Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
- Hedley MarstonHedley MarstonHedley Ralph Marston was an Australian biochemist who worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ....
- CSIRO scientist and early researcher into the effects of atomic fallout at Maralinga - Lowitja O'DonoghueLowitja O'DonoghueMs Lowitja "Lois" O'Donoghue, AC, CBE, DSG is an Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator.She was named Australian of the Year in 1984 and 1990, and was inaugural chairperson of the now dissolved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission .-Personal life:Lowitja O'Donoghue was the...
- AC, CBE, DSG Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator. Australian of the Year in 1984 and 1990 - Sir Mark OliphantMark OliphantSir Marcus 'Mark' Laurence Elwin Oliphant, AC, KBE, FRS was an Australian physicist and humanitarian who played a fundamental role in the first experimental demonstration of nuclear fusion and also the development of the atomic bomb.During his retirement, Oliphant was appointed as the Governor of...
- physicist and former state Governor of South Australia - Amanda RishworthAmanda RishworthAmanda Louise Rishworth , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2007, representing the electorate of Kingston, South Australia.-Early years:...
- federal member for Kingston - Jeffrey SmartJeffrey SmartJeffrey Smart , is an expatriate Australian painter, who is known for his modernist depictions of urban landscapes.His first goal was to become an architect; however, he went on to become an art teacher after studying at Adelaide Teacher's College and the South Australian School of Art and Crafts...
- Artist - Joseph Garnett WoodJoseph Garnett WoodJoseph Garnett Wood was an Australian professor of Botany and a president of the Royal Society of South Australia....
- professor of Botany and a president of the Royal Society of South Australia - Kelly VincentKelly VincentKelly Leah Vincent is an Australian playwright, actress and politician elected to the eleventh and last seat for an 8-year term in the South Australian Legislative Council at the 2010 state election for the Dignity for Disability party....
- current Dignity for Disability member of the South Australian Legislative Council