South Sydney High School

Infobox School
name = South Sydney High School

motto = "Spectemur Agendo" ("Let us be known by our deeds"), although the translation means ("Let us be judged by our acts.")
established = 1953
type = Public, secondary
principal = R. Fitzpatrick
enrolment = 900-1000
grades = 7–12
colours = Green, Red and Yellow
city = O'Sullivan Avenue, Maroubra,Sydney
state =
NSW
country = Australia
website = http://www.sthsydney-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

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. It primarily serves those coming from the Central and South Sydney regions.

History

Following the Second World War, it was determined that the Maroubra Junction Technical School would be crowded out of its premises on Anzac Parade. A site for a new school, bounded by Paine Street in the north, and Walsh and O'Sullivan Avenue in the south, had been selected in 1945. This area was originally taken over by the Commonwealth Government for a civilian shelter against bombing raids. It was cleared as early as 1948 and preparations made for what was to be known as South Sydney Technical School. The building foundations were laid on the 27th May 1950 by then Minister for Education, Robert Heffron MLA, who would later become the Premier of New South Wales.

Due to long delays the first portion of the school was not ready until July 1952, with the school on a whole being unoccupied until February 1953. On the 5th April 1954, the South Sydney Junior Technical High School was officially opened by the Governor of New South Wales, Lieutenant-General Sir John Northcott. The opening ceremony was accompanied by the commemorative planting of trees, a few of which have survived and can be seen along the O'Sullivan Avenue frontage.

In 1959 it was decided that a more general name should apply, and the school was renamed South Sydney Boys' High School. The second semester of 1961 saw the retirement of Mr. William Dutton, the school's first principal. In his place Mr. Thomas Tasker was appointed. In 1962 the school magazine, the "Southerner", was published for the first time. To honour the contributions made to the school by the former Minister for Education, the library was named after him the "R. J. Heffron Library" .

In August 1980, the Minister for Education, Paul Landa MLA (himself a former student of the school), announced that South Sydney Boys' High School and Maroubra Junction Girls' High would be partly co-educational in 1981 and fully co-educational in 1983, to become South Sydney High School and Maroubra High School respectively.

Principals

Houses

By the early 1960s all students were divided into four houses named after one representative from each:

*Science - BANKS - botanist, Joseph Banks
*Literature - LAWSON - poet, Henry Lawson
*Defence - NORTHCOTT - Governor of New South Wales who opened the school.
*Education - DUTTON - First headmaster

Notable Alumni

* The Hon. Paul Landa QC, LLB (Syd) (1941 - 1984) – lawyer and state Labor politician, member of the NSW Legislative Council (1973-1984) and NSW Legislative Assembly Member for Peats (1984).
* Adam Liberman (b. 1951) – General Counsel for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) since August 2006.
*Michael Whitney (b. 1959) – former Australian Test Cricketer and television personality.

See also

* List of Government schools in New South Wales

External links

* [http://www.sthsydney-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Homepage]