Newcastle Boys High School

This WEBSITE

This website preserves & displays documents, photos and memorabilia from the first high school in Newcastle, Newcastle High School (aka “The School on the Hill”), and the two schools which were its direct descendants, Newcastle Boys’ High School and Newcastle Girls’ High School. All of these schools were selective, and very competitive from both academic and sporting perspectives.
The years in which these schools operated were:

Newcastle High School (NHS 1906 – 1929)
Newcastle Girls’ High School (NGHS 1930 – 1978)
Newcastle Boys’ High School (NBHS 1930 – 1978)

an overview by jm

link

The website is maintained by:
NBHS Old Boys’ Association and the NGHS Ex-Students’ Union.

The NEWCASTLE LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Significant documents and physical artefacts are held in the Newcastle Library and Museum
as the Caesar Smith Collection (named in memory of the first Headmaster of NHS).

The BRIEF TIMELINE
A brief timeline of the schools is given below.
More detailed information is provided under each school.

The NAMES of THOSE WHO SERVED
These are from records available to us. There may be missing records.
VIETNAM  * KOREA * WW1 * WW2 BOYS * WW2 GIRLS * VOLUNTEER DEFENCE CORPS
Please email us if you can advise additions or edits.

The THESIS
A PhD thesis (2000) by Josephine May, University of Newcastle,
provides very detailed information on NGHS and NBHS from 1930-1950,
including their culture and feedback from students of the period.

The BOOK
Finally, the book, “Newcastle High School, the First 75 Years”,
by Audrey Armitage (an NGHS ex-student) is an excellent source of information,
if a copy can be accessed.

Within our website you’ll find our histories, amazing records & information, photos & memorabilia
preserved by the NBHS Old Boys’ Association and the NGHS Ex Students Union.

TIMELINE of the SCHOOLS

• Before 1906, young Novocastrians wanting to attend high school had to catch the train daily to Maitland, Maitland Boys’ High School and Maitland Girls’ High School being the only State high schools in the Hunter.
• From 6 June 1906, however, senior students, both male and female, were able to attend Newcastle High School (NHS), at the top of Tyrrell Street; this school also became known as “The School on the Hill” or “The Hill High School”.
• NHS was the first selective, co-educational, high school in NSW.
• On 4 February 1930, with NHS overcrowded, the girls moved into the all-new Newcastle Girls’ High School (NGHS) at Hamilton, and the ‘School on The Hill’ became Newcastle Boys’ High School (NBHS).
• By 1932, NBHS was seriously overcrowded, with 700 boys and another 120 in the Annexe at Newcastle Teachers College.
• In 1934 the boys were finally able to move into the new NBHS at Waratah, and the ‘School on The Hill’ then became Newcastle Junior Boys’ High School.
• In the mid-1970s, a decision was made by the Department of Education to eliminate selective high schools in Newcastle, and NBHS and NGHS ceased to exist.
• In 1978, the last NBHS student completed year 12 and the name of the school was changed to Waratah High School.

Newcastle High School was ‘reborn’ in 1976, with the amalgamation of the campuses of Hunter Girls High and Newcastle Girls High Schools, as a co-educational, comprehensive, non-selective high school, retaining the classic colours, shield and motto of NBHS and NGHS.

Visit our Facebook site for current photos and comments from NBHS Old Boys.