Hunter School of the Performing Arts logo

Hunter School of the Performing Arts

Hunter School of the Performing Arts

PERFORMING AT OUR BEST

Telephone02 4952 3355

Emailhuntperfor-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

School History

Hunter School of the Performing Arts was so named towards the end of 1998 to emphasise the school's focus on performing arts and its unique place within the district, the region and the state.

The school has undergone many name changes and changes of direction since its first day in July, 1923:

1923 - 1926: Newcastle Central Junior Technical and Domestic Science School

1927 - 1931: Broadmeadow Central Junior Technical School

1932 - 1960: Newcastle Central Junior Technical School - female students move to Hamilton South

1961 - 1966: Broadmeadow Boys Junior High School

1966 - 1975: Broadmeadow Boys High School

1976 to 1992: Broadmeadow High School - return to co-educational

1992 - 1998: The Broadmeadow School - K to 12 major focus in performing arts

1998: Hunter School of the Performing Arts

School Motto

The original motto was "Advance."

This changed in 1932 when the girls left.

It became Faber est suae quisque fortunae.

Early in 1999 the school community was surveyed and chose to translate the motto to English: Each of us is responsible for our own destiny.

Performing at Our Best is the motto most commonly used today, taken from the school's vision statement.

School Sport Houses - History

Our Colours

The original colours were those of the Newcastle Regiment of World War 1 - green and brown.

In 1999 the school decided to change our colours (and uniform colours) to reflect our emerging focus as a performing arts high school

Black, aqua and purple were chosen. However, to keep our link with the Regiment colours our new logo (the mask, dancer and bass clef) was also incorporated into a shield design which has ribbons of brown and green, to be used on formal occasions.

1923-1931: Newcastle Central School

In 1922 the Minister for Education, Mr Mutch, announced the calling of tenders for the building of the Central Newcastle School on the fifteen acre site acquired by the Department at Broadmeadow. There would be three main blocks of buildings, the central one to provide for ordinary class-work and science, one for domestic science and one for manual training work.

Industrial training was required to service the employment needs of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company that had commenced operations in 1915. In July 1923 Colonel A. Bennett became Head Master and Miss Zillah Bocking became Mistress of the girls’ section. Central School was set up to provide domestic, commercial and technical courses.

Soon after its commencement the school adopted brown and green, the colours of the 35th Battalion and at the same time the school motto was determined as “Man is the architect of his own destiny” or “Faber Est Suae Quisque Fortunae”.

Girls and boys were separated during lessons but joined for social and sporting activities. The school magazine was a joint effort. There were mixed clubs in drama, musical items, gardening, philately and debating. Sporting activities were an important part of school life for the girls at Central with swimming, tennis, basketball, hockey and vigoro available. Many teams and individuals represented the school at inter-school sporting events. Physical culture was also a popular leisure activity for the girls.

The first Mothers’ Club formed in 1925 was the forerunner of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. The Mothers’ Club raised the money to furnish the girls’ cottage and to provide for other amenities for the school. Social evenings and concerts were organised and all proceeds went to the school. By 1927 a P & C Association was formed to carry on fund-raising efforts.

By 1931 numbers of 423 girls and 728 boys indicated that another school was urgently needed for the district. In December 1931 the new school in Dumaresq St, Hamilton South, was officially opened and was known as Newcastle Central Domestic Science School.

At the 15th Anniversary of the school in 1938 an Honour Board, made by the boys of the Central Technical School, was presented to the school at Hamilton South showing the fraternity that existed between the schools at that time. The names of the School Captains from 1923 to 1938 were inscribed on the board.

 

Central to Hunter Website (not a HSPA official site)