History
The first Principal, J.S. Rae, was responsible for the initial intake of 368 students and staff of twenty. In Form 1, the equivalent of Year 7 today, classes went from 1A to 1M with as many as 48 students to a class.
The school colours chosen were two shades of blue and grey with the motto Opera Ad Maiora, which may be translated from Latin to "Work for Higher Endeavour". The sporting houses, reflecting the history of the area, were named after the ferries that originally carried patrons to the picnic grounds: Rawson, Napier, Ferguson and Carrington.
By the time the school was officially opened on August 9, 1962, by Sir Eric Woodward, the Governor of New South Wales, the enrolments had grown to 927 with a staff of 47. Classroom blocks had been built along with the senior block, including science laboratories, art rooms and general classrooms following in 1969. In 1973, Sir Eric Archibald Willis, then Premier of New South Wales, opened the new library plus further classrooms and laboratories.
To much controversy, the school was threatened with closure by the New South Wales Government in 2002, as part of its "Building the Future" plan. The school had been chosen for closure due to the number of competing private and selective schools in the area, and thus a drop in enrolments over recent years. It was estimated that the school could be sold for over A$55 million. Teachers and students protested against the sale, and in 2002, following the commencement of the Save Hunters Hill High School Act 2002, drafted by Kerry Chikarovski, former New South Wales opposition leader, the decision was withdrawn just weeks before the planned closure date.
Read more about this topic: Hunters Hill High School
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