Osborne Ladies' College

Osborne Ladies' College
Location
Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia
Information
Type	Independent, Single-sex, Boarding
Denomination	Non-denominational
Established	1910
Principal	Violet Gibbins

Osborne Ladies' College was a former Australian girls school located in Blackheath, New South Wales from 1923 until 1958. It was renowned for being run in the tradition of the Royal Navy.

History

Miss Violet Gibbins was a pupil teacher who attended courses at the University of Sydney though she did not obtain any qualification, she became a teacher and later the principle of Cairns High School. She started a school in Bondi in 1910 initially for boys, but the school was later changed to girls. The school was advertised as being run along Royal Naval lines with a White Ensign being presented to the school in 1912 by the visiting HMS Drake.^[1]

During the First World War, Miss Gibbins brother, Captain Norman Gibbins VC was killed in action at Battle of Fromelles.^[2]

She later moved her school to Epping, changing the name of her school from the Epping Ladies' College to Osborne Ladies' College after the Royal Naval College, Osborne on the Isle of Wight.

In 1923 Miss Gibbins moved her school to its final location on 40 acres (160,000 m²) near Blackhheath overlooking the Kanimbla and Megalong Valleys. The building was the former site of an unused hotel built in 1888.^[3]The average enrolment of the school was 50 students aged 7 to 16 years of age.

Traditions

The school uniform was in Naval blue worn with Royal Navy buttons. Junior girls of the school were known as "Middies" from the term Midshipman, with prefects being addressed as Lieutenants, and the head girl being addressed as Lieutenant Commander. Military courtesy applied with the senior girls being saluted. Miss Gibbins was known as "the Admiral" whilst her governess Miss Violet Everingham knows as "the Commander".

In addition to the quarterdeck, the rooms of the school were known by the names of Royal Navy ships such as-
HMS Pelican...Admiral Gibbins' room
HMS Sirius ...Commander Everingham's room
HMS Sirius...Classroom
HMS Sydney...Classroom
HMS Sussex...Classroom
HMS Revenge...Classroom
HMS Albion...Classroom
HMS Revenge...Bedroom
HMS Arethusa...Bedroom
HMS Nelson...Assembly Hall
HMS St. Vincent...Mess
HMS Neptune...Bathroom
HMS Dreadnought...Sickbay^{[4] [5]}

The Osborne girls were marched to location and not allowed to speak to people outside the school. An emphasis was placed on physical fitness, spartan living (only one room was heated at the school, the library), archery, shooting, sports, and dramatic arts.

The school was closed in 1958 following the illness and death of Miss Gibbins. The original building burned down in a fire in 1963. A new school, currently the Blue Mountains Christian School was built on the site.

Memorablia from Osborne Ladies' College is on display in the Mount Victoria museum.

Notes

1. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4817/is_1_91/ai_n29185757/pg_3/?tag=content;col1
2. ^ http://www.ipswichgrammar.com/w08/news/content/Grammar%20Word/08052009.pdf
3. ^ http://bmfh.org/index.php/The-Blue-Mountains/Places-of-Interest/Osborne-College-my-view.html
4. ^ p. 141 Moore, Andrew Francis de Groot 2005 The Federation Press
5. ^ www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/download.cfm?f=F571B429-423B-CE58-AD95731E7E1E5445

External links

• In the Spirit of the Navy: Violet Gibbins and Osborne Ladies' College, Blackheath http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4817/is_1_91/ai_n29185757/?tag=content;col1
• Osborne College Revised http://bmfh.org/index.php/The-Blue-Mountains/Places-of-Interest/Osborne-College-my-view.html