FIRST NORTHSIDE SCHOOL  In the early 1800s, Sydney’s “North Shore”, embraced the whole of the land between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour Creek. Apart from the foreshores, this area had remained only sparsely settled for the first 50 years of the colony.  	In 1835 the then Governor of New South Wales, Major-General Sir Richard Bourke, increased spending on education and began a movement for an ultimate system of public non-denominational schools.  	By 1838, a new town, St Leonards, begins to be mentioned by name. The Chief Justice of the Colony, Sir James Dowling, is recorded as saying “it is notorious that St Leonards consists of but two or three scattered huts.”  	That same year, 1838, as a charitable undertaking, Mr Samuel Smythe, began providing basic tuition for local children in a small residence near Blues Point... the first ever teacher at the first ever schooling on Sydney’s northern shore.   CHURCH INFLUENCE/PARTICIPATION  Five years later (1843), the parents of the children being taught by Smythe began wanting something better, and were keen to have a “school-house” if a site could be procured. Since the government would not lease land to individuals, an appeal was made to the Australian Board of Elders of The Church of Scotland. On the parents’ behalf, the church management applied to the Government for vacant crown land on the High Road from Blue’s Point at the entrance of the village of St Leonards. (Synod of Australia Minutes, 7 Feb 1843).  	A triangular site was granted, bounded by Miller Street, Lavender Street and Blues Point Road. At the time, these streets were no more than lines on a surveyor’s map – completely unmade — tracks at best.  	On 3 May 1844, a meeting was held. Messrs G.Bell (whaling ship captain), J.Blue (son of convict ferryman Billy Blue), J.French (shipwright), R.Lepper and J.McMillan (blacksmith & publican) were chosen as trustees to manage the business side of the school property (ref. Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1844). Of the five trustees, only Bell and McMillan were notionally Presbyterian. In due course, the children moved into a newly-built timber-planked “school-house” on Blues Point Road.   	By the end of 1845, clearly concerned with progress, the parents asked the Presbytery of Sydney to investigate. On 7 July 1846, Rev. Mowbray reported “that Mr Samuel Smythe has been succeeded by Mr Ross as teacher at St Leonards School. The children’s writing is fair. In arithmetic, they have made fair progress, but have no knowledge of grammar, and very little of geography. No catechism was taught, but all the children read the authorised version of the scriptures.” Of the boys and girls enrolled, five were nominally Church of Rome (Catholic), 46 were nominally Church of England (Anglican), 18 were nominally Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), or Agnostic.  	1864: Children were moved from the timber school-house to a new, multi-purpose, Church Hall built solidly of stone, facing Miller Street and branded as “St Peter’s Presbyterian School”.  	Ten years later, by negotiation, ownership and management of the school is taken over by the NSW State Government Council for Education and renamed St Leonards Public School.  	1880: Just three years after St Leonards Public School students moved into their newly constructed premises on Blue Street, the St Peter’s Church Hall housed a school for another ten years – from 1880 to 1889. This was the private St. Leonards High School, with School Principal, Mr Carroll, providing evening as well as day courses.   EDUCATION 1876-1969    1876 : Construction is commenced of a considerably larger all-stone schoolhouse in Gothic Revival-style at Blue Street, designed by G.Allen Mansfield, architect to the Council for Education 1877 : First of 320 students moved to the new premises which remained as the main school building until 1969. 1882 : First extension wing added to original building  1886 : Upgraded to St Leonards Superior Public School  1890 : Wing extended for separate girl’s classes (cooking) 1891 : A second single level cross-wing added  1893 : Cross-wing built up to two-story level  1910 : Renamed North Sydney Superior Public School 1912 : Upgraded to North Sydney Primary School and North Sydney Intermediate High School  In addition to NS Primary School and NS Intermediate High School, three (3) distinct and specialist curricula (pre-vocational secondary courses) were offered, each operating with varying degrees of independence... 1912-1920 - Commercial School -- bookkeeping&shorthand 1912-1920 - Junior Technical School -- building&construction 1912-1932 - Household Arts School -- home science  1914 - “Intermediate” girls wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Girls ‘High’ School on Lane Cove Road (now Pacific Highway). 1915 - “Intermediate” boys wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Boys ‘High’ School in Falcon Street 1932 – “Infant and Primary” students and relevant staff were transferred en bloc to new premises on the Lady Hay Estate forming the nucleus of North Sydney Demonstration School. 1932 - “Household Arts” girls and relevant staff were transferred to become the initial population of the new Willoughby Home Science School at Mowbray Road. 1936 : North Sydney Intermediate high School was merged with Chatswood Intermediate High to form North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High  1942 : North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High School upgraded and reformed as North Sydney Technical High School.   	For many years, as one of only two Selective High schools on Sydney’s northern shore, it actively sought the best students staging from Primary to Secondary schooling from as far away as Palm Beach and Mount Colah.  Source of preceding data—Government Schools of New South Wales from 1848-1988, Fletcher, J. and Burnswood, J., NSW Department of Education  1969 : The growing commercial density of metropolitan North Sydney and corresponding shift in suburban living foreshadowed the school’s closure in 1969. Students progressively transferred to North Sydney Boys High School throughout 1968-69. 1969-1970 : Approx 60% of NSTHS Faculty accepted positions at the new Killara High School including Headmaster, Mr Thomas Hornibrook who became Killara High School’s first Principal. The extensive NSTHS library was also transferred to become Killara’s “Lion Library”. Sir Richard Bourke Sir James Dowling Sydney from Lavender Bay c. 1842
Early schooling conditions
Stone schoolhouse c. 1882
Illustration Stone schoolhouse c. 1886 appeared in local magazine
Final extensions of Greeny’s original building c. 1895
SOME PRINCIPAL TEACHERS OVER TIME Samuel Smythe, 1838-1846 #Mr Ross # Mr McEahern # Maxwell Thompson, 1854-? # Mr & Mrs George, ?-1863 # Messrs Atkinson & Milne, 1864-1868 # Alexander Gilchrist, 1869-1874 # Isaac Plummer, 1874-? # John Cusack, 18??-1883 # Nimrod Greenwood, 1884- 1914 # William Carey Taylor, 1915-1922 # W.T. Cameron, 1923-1935 # Richard Giltnan BA, 1936-1944 # Thomas W Clyne BA, 1945- 1947 # John B Ireland BEc, BA 1948-1953 # Victor Plummer BSc, 1954-1958 # Thomas Hornibrook BA 1959-1969
FORMER STUDENTS WHO ACHIEVED WORLD- WIDE RECOGNITION Peter Finch, International Stage and Screen Actor Nany Wake, WWI Heroine Roger Woodward, World Renown Pianist Dick Smith, Businessman, Adventurer, Philanthropist
Re-titled St Leonards Public School c. 1874 click to view name on wall
Children gathered in front of the timber planked first “official” school-house. Photo from NSW State Library; photographed by Francis W. Robinson click to enlarge
St Leonards HIGH School c. 1883
St Peters Church School Hall, built c. 1864
 RETURN
FIRST NORTHSIDE SCHOOL  In the early 1800s, Sydney’s “North Shore”, embraced the whole of the land between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour Creek. Apart from the foreshores, this area had remained only sparsely settled for the first 50 years of the colony.  	In 1835 the then Governor of New South Wales, Major-General Sir Richard Bourke, increased spending on education and began a movement for an ultimate system of public non-denominational schools.  	By 1838, a new town, St Leonards, begins to be mentioned by name. The Chief Justice of the Colony, Sir James Dowling, is recorded as saying “it is notorious that St Leonards consists of but two or three scattered huts.”  	That same year, 1838, as a charitable undertaking, Mr Samuel Smythe, began providing basic tuition for local children in a small residence near Blues Point... the first ever teacher at the first ever schooling on Sydney’s northern shore.   CHURCH INFLUENCE/PARTICIPATION  Five years later (1843), the parents of the children being taught by Smythe began wanting something better, and were keen to have a “school-house” if a site could be procured. Since the government would not lease land to individuals, an appeal was made to the Australian Board of Elders of The Church of Scotland. On the parents’ behalf, the church management applied to the Government for vacant crown land on the High Road from Blue’s Point at the entrance of the village of St Leonards. (Synod of Australia Minutes, 7 Feb 1843).  	A triangular site was granted, bounded by Miller Street, Lavender Street and Blues Point Road. At the time, these streets were no more than lines on a surveyor’s map – completely unmade — tracks at best.  	On 3 May 1844, a meeting was held. Messrs G.Bell (whaling ship captain), J.Blue (son of convict ferryman Billy Blue), J.French (shipwright), R.Lepper and J.McMillan (blacksmith & publican) were chosen as trustees to manage the business side of the school property (ref. Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1844). Of the five trustees, only Bell and McMillan were notionally Presbyterian. In due course, the children moved into a newly-built timber-planked “school-house” on Blues Point Road.   	By the end of 1845, clearly concerned with progress, the parents asked the Presbytery of Sydney to investigate. On 7 July 1846, Rev. Mowbray reported “that Mr Samuel Smythe has been succeeded by Mr Ross as teacher at St Leonards School. The children’s writing is fair. In arithmetic, they have made fair progress, but have no knowledge of grammar, and very little of geography. No catechism was taught, but all the children read the authorised version of the scriptures.” Of the boys and girls enrolled, five were nominally Church of Rome (Catholic), 46 were nominally Church of England (Anglican), 18 were nominally Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), or Agnostic.  	1864: Children were moved from the timber school-house to a new, multi-purpose, Church Hall built solidly of stone, facing Miller Street and branded as “St Peter’s Presbyterian School”.  	Ten years later, by negotiation, ownership and management of the school is taken over by the NSW State Government Council for Education and renamed St Leonards Public School.  	1880: Just three years after St Leonards Public School students moved into their newly constructed premises on Blue Street, the St Peter’s Church Hall housed a school for another ten years – from 1880 to 1889. This was the private St. Leonards High School, with School Principal, Mr Carroll, providing evening as well as day courses.   EDUCATION 1876-1969    1876 : Construction is commenced of a considerably larger all-stone schoolhouse in Gothic Revival-style at Blue Street, designed by G.Allen Mansfield, architect to the Council for Education 1877 : First of 320 students moved to the new premises which remained as the main school building until 1969. 1882 : First extension wing added to original building  1886 : Upgraded to St Leonards Superior Public School  1890 : Wing extended for separate girl’s classes (cooking) 1891 : A second single level cross-wing added  1893 : Cross-wing built up to two-story level  1910 : Renamed North Sydney Superior Public School 1912 : Upgraded to North Sydney Primary School and North Sydney Intermediate High School  In addition to NS Primary School and NS Intermediate High School, three (3) distinct and specialist curricula (pre-vocational secondary courses) were offered, each operating with varying degrees of independence... 1912-1920 - Commercial School -- bookkeeping&shorthand 1912-1920 - Junior Technical School -- building&construction 1912-1932 - Household Arts School -- home science  1914 - “Intermediate” girls wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Girls ‘High’ School on Lane Cove Road (now Pacific Highway). 1915 - “Intermediate” boys wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Boys ‘High’ School in Falcon Street 1932 – “Infant and Primary” students and relevant staff were transferred en bloc to new premises on the Lady Hay Estate forming the nucleus of North Sydney Demonstration School. 1932 - “Household Arts” girls and relevant staff were transferred to become the initial population of the new Willoughby Home Science School at Mowbray Road. 1936 : North Sydney Intermediate high School was merged with Chatswood Intermediate High to form North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High  1942 : North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High School upgraded and reformed as North Sydney Technical High School.   	For many years, as one of only two Selective High schools on Sydney’s northern shore, it actively sought the best students staging from Primary to Secondary schooling from as far away as Palm Beach and Mount Colah.  Source of preceding data—Government Schools of New South Wales from 1848-1988, Fletcher, J. and Burnswood, J., NSW Department of Education  1969 : The growing commercial density of metropolitan North Sydney and corresponding shift in suburban living foreshadowed the school’s closure in 1969. Students progressively transferred to North Sydney Boys High School throughout 1968-69. 1969-1970 : Approx 60% of NSTHS Faculty accepted positions at the new Killara High School including Headmaster, Mr Thomas Hornibrook who became Killara High School’s first Principal. The extensive NSTHS library was also transferred to become Killara’s “Lion Library”.
Sir Richard Bourke
Sir James Dowling
Sydney from Lavender Bay c. 1842
Early schooling conditions
Stone schoolhouse c. 1882
Illustration Stone schoolhouse c. 1886 appeared in local magazine
Final extensions of Greeny’s original building c. 1895
SOME PRINCIPAL TEACHERS OVER TIME Samuel Smythe, 1838-1846 #Mr Ross # Mr McEahern # Maxwell Thompson, 1854-? # Mr & Mrs George, ?- 1863 # Messrs Atkinson & Milne, 1864-1868 # Alexander Gilchrist, 1869- 1874 # Isaac Plummer, 1874- ? # John Cusack, 18??-1883 # Nimrod Greenwood, 1884-1914 # William Carey Taylor, 1915- 1922 # W.T. Cameron, 1923- 1935 # Richard Giltnan BA, 1936-1944 # Thomas W Clyne BA, 1945- 1947 # John B Ireland BEc, BA 1948-1953 # Victor Plummer BSc, 1954-1958 # Thomas Hornibrook BA 1959-1969
FORMER STUDENTS WHO ACHIEVED WORLD-WIDE RECOGNITION Peter Finch, International Stage and Screen Actor Nany Wake, WWI Heroine Roger Woodward, World Renown Pianist Dick Smith, Businessman, Adventurer, Philanthropist
Re-titled St Leonards Public School c. 1874 click to view name on wall
St Leonards HIGH School c. 1883
St Peters Church School Hall, built c. 1864
 RETURN
FIRST NORTHSIDE SCHOOL  In the early 1800s, Sydney’s “North Shore”, embraced the whole of the land between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour Creek. Apart from the foreshores, this area had remained only sparsely settled for the first 50 years of the colony.  	In 1835 the then Governor of New South Wales, Major-General Sir Richard Bourke, increased spending on education and began a movement for an ultimate system of public non-denominational schools.  	By 1838, a new town, St Leonards, begins to be mentioned by name. The Chief Justice of the Colony, Sir James Dowling, is recorded as saying “it is notorious that St Leonards consists of but two or three scattered huts.”  	That same year, 1838, as a charitable undertaking, Mr Samuel Smythe, began providing basic tuition for local children in a small residence near Blues Point... the first ever teacher at the first ever schooling on Sydney’s northern shore.   CHURCH INFLUENCE/PARTICIPATION  Five years later (1843), the parents of the children being taught by Smythe began wanting something better, and were keen to have a “school-house” if a site could be procured. Since the government would not lease land to individuals, an appeal was made to the Australian Board of Elders of The Church of Scotland. On the parents’ behalf, the church management applied to the Government for vacant crown land on the High Road from Blue’s Point at the entrance of the village of St Leonards. (Synod of Australia Minutes, 7 Feb 1843).  	A triangular site was granted, bounded by Miller Street, Lavender Street and Blues Point Road. At the time, these streets were no more than lines on a surveyor’s map – completely unmade — tracks at best.  	On 3 May 1844, a meeting was held. Messrs G.Bell (whaling ship captain), J.Blue (son of convict ferryman Billy Blue), J.French (shipwright), R.Lepper and J.McMillan (blacksmith & publican) were chosen as trustees to manage the business side of the school property (ref. Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1844). Of the five trustees, only Bell and McMillan were notionally Presbyterian. In due course, the children moved into a newly-built timber-planked “school-house” on Blues Point Road.   	By the end of 1845, clearly concerned with progress, the parents asked the Presbytery of Sydney to investigate. On 7 July 1846, Rev. Mowbray reported “that Mr Samuel Smythe has been succeeded by Mr Ross as teacher at St Leonards School. The children’s writing is fair. In arithmetic, they have made fair progress, but have no knowledge of grammar, and very little of geography. No catechism was taught, but all the children read the authorised version of the scriptures.” Of the boys and girls enrolled, five were nominally Church of Rome (Catholic), 46 were nominally Church of England (Anglican), 18 were nominally Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), or Agnostic.  	1864: Children were moved from the timber school-house to a new, multi-purpose, Church Hall built solidly of stone, facing Miller Street and branded as “St Peter’s Presbyterian School”.  	Ten years later, by negotiation, ownership and management of the school is taken over by the NSW State Government Council for Education and renamed St Leonards Public School.  	1880: Just three years after St Leonards Public School students moved into their newly constructed premises on Blue Street, the St Peter’s Church Hall housed a school for another ten years – from 1880 to 1889. This was the private St. Leonards High School, with School Principal, Mr Carroll, providing evening as well as day courses.   EDUCATION 1876-1969    1876 : Construction is commenced of a considerably larger all-stone schoolhouse in Gothic Revival-style at Blue Street, designed by G.Allen Mansfield, architect to the Council for Education 1877 : First of 320 students moved to the new premises which remained as the main school building until 1969. 1882 : First extension wing added to original building  1886 : Upgraded to St Leonards Superior Public School  1890 : Wing extended for separate girl’s classes (cooking) 1891 : A second single level cross-wing added  1893 : Cross-wing built up to two-story level  1910 : Renamed North Sydney Superior Public School 1912 : Upgraded to North Sydney Primary School and North Sydney Intermediate High School  In addition to NS Primary School and NS Intermediate High School, three (3) distinct and specialist curricula (pre-vocational secondary courses) were offered, each operating with varying degrees of independence... 1912-1920 - Commercial School -- bookkeeping&shorthand 1912-1920 - Junior Technical School -- building&construction 1912-1932 - Household Arts School -- home science  1914 - “Intermediate” girls wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Girls ‘High’ School on Lane Cove Road (now Pacific Highway). 1915 - “Intermediate” boys wishing to study to a higher academic level were required to enrol at the newly opened North Sydney Boys ‘High’ School in Falcon Street 1932 – “Infant and Primary” students and relevant staff were transferred en bloc to new premises on the Lady Hay Estate forming the nucleus of North Sydney Demonstration School. 1932 - “Household Arts” girls and relevant staff were transferred to become the initial population of the new Willoughby Home Science School at Mowbray Road. 1936 : North Sydney Intermediate high School was merged with Chatswood Intermediate High to form North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High  1942 : North Sydney-Chatswood Junior High School upgraded and reformed as North Sydney Technical High School.   	For many years, as one of only two Selective High schools on Sydney’s northern shore, it actively sought the best students staging from Primary to Secondary schooling from as far away as Palm Beach and Mount Colah.  Source of preceding data—Government Schools of New South Wales from 1848-1988, Fletcher, J. and Burnswood, J., NSW Department of Education  1969 : The growing commercial density of metropolitan North Sydney and corresponding shift in suburban living foreshadowed the school’s closure in 1969. Students progressively transferred to North Sydney Boys High School throughout 1968-69. 1969-1970 : Approx 60% of NSTHS Faculty accepted positions at the new Killara High School including Headmaster, Mr Thomas Hornibrook who became Killara High School’s first Principal. The extensive NSTHS library was also transferred to become Killara’s “Lion Library”.
Sir Richard Bourke
Sir James Dowling
Sydney from Lavender Bay c. 1842
Early schooling conditions
Stone schoolhouse c. 1882
Illustration Stone schoolhouse c. 1886 appeared in local magazine
Final extensions of Greeny’s original building c. 1895
SOME PRINCIPAL TEACHERS OVER TIME Samuel Smythe, 1838-1846 #Mr Ross # Mr McEahern # Maxwell Thompson, 1854-? # Mr & Mrs George, ?-1863 # Messrs Atkinson & Milne, 1864-1868 # Alexander Gilchrist, 1869-1874 # Isaac Plummer, 1874-? # John Cusack, 18??-1883 # Nimrod Greenwood, 1884- 1914 # William Carey Taylor, 1915-1922 # W.T. Cameron, 1923-1935 # Richard Giltnan BA, 1936-1944 # Thomas W Clyne BA, 1945- 1947 # John B Ireland BEc, BA 1948-1953 # Victor Plummer BSc, 1954-1958 # Thomas Hornibrook BA 1959-1969
FORMER STUDENTS WHO ACHIEVED WORLD- WIDE RECOGNITION Peter Finch, International Stage and Screen Actor Nany Wake, WWI Heroine Roger Woodward, World Renown Pianist Dick Smith, Businessman, Adventurer, Philanthropist
Re-titled St Leonards Public School c. 1874 click to view name on wall
Children gathered in front of the timber planked first “official” school-house. Photo from NSW State Library; photographed by Francis W. Robinson click to enlarge
St Leonards HIGH School c. 1883
St Peters Church School Hall, built c. 1864
 RETURN