REPORT BY THE HEAD MASTER OF YALLOURN H.E.S
With the Annual Yallourn Association Reunion at Woorabinda Camp fast approaching, it seemed appropriate to post a newspaper story bearing some relation to the history of the Yallourn High School.
The article below was published in the ‘Morwell Advertiser’ in January 1945; and is a copy of the end of year report by Mr Lindsay who at that time was the headmaster of the Yallourn Higher Elementary School.
In his 1944 report, Mr Lindsay commented upon the school’s enrolment figures, courses of study and examination results; and he also clarified the issue(s) related to the proposed establishment of a High School for the town of Yallourn.
As history shows, the Yallourn High School No: 8485 did open its doors in 1945 and, until its closure in 1977, offered the young people of Yallourn a first-rate secondary education. More than that, the YHS was the source of great fun, a centre of social activity and place where many life-long friendships were formed.
In an uplifting article, ex-student Jean Robinson (Humphries) wrote about her memories of Yallourn High School in the years from 1956 until 1960…
“Hopefully it’s not too late to thank all the teachers who gave so much of themselves in making my High School years so happy and rewarding and who instilled in all of the desire to go out into the world and continue our education in our chosen fields.” YOGA Association publication; 1996 Page: 29.
Few would disagree with Jean’s sentiments and it is apparent that Yallourn High School holds a special place in the hearts of many former students.
Note: The accompanying footnotes may assist readers to appreciate the changes that transpired in schooling in Yallourn over the years. .
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4th JANUARY 1945 ‘MORWELL ADVERTISER’ PAGE 7
1944 ACTIVITIES
Through the courtesy of the head master (Mr. D. Lindsay), a copy of his report on the Yallourn Higher Elementary School work for 1944 has been made available to this journal.
The salient features are presented as a matter of interest, since a considerable number of pupils from this district are taking courses there.
Opened in 1928, with an attendance of 75, the H.E.S. has grown both in enrolments (260 for 1944) and in the gradual widening of courses until the inclusion of a Leaving Certificate form was created.
There is every likelihood of the attendance record being broken in 1945. The Government's free bus service, commenced at the beginning of the 1944 school year, has been efficient, regular and punctual, and has carried 120 children to the school from surrounding districts.
School Courses.
These have been as in previous years. Parents should take advantage of the up-to-date cookery centre, and the widely experienced teacher, and allow their girls to do a third year in this important subject. The Intermediate course now covers a wide range of subjects, and included Domestic Arts, so that girls pursuing a third and even fourth year in this subject will not be at a disadvantage as far as Intermediate is concerned.
Examinations.
The Intermediate results were remarkably good, reflecting much credit on the teachers' concerned. Thirteen obtained the certificate, while three others passed in four or more subjects. There were 114 individual passes out of a possible 132, there being only 18 failures.
Those who obtained the certificates were:-
E. Bermingham, B. Davidson, J. Evans, R. Finlay, F. Greenwood, N. Gretton, B. Laird, D. Madden, E. Mills, A. Parry, M. Shaw, R. Stevenson and E. Whitaker.
Thirty eight pupils have gained the Proficiency Certificate at the third year standard, forty-three Merit Certificates have been obtained, and forty-three girls of Forms II and IIA have obtained Cookery Certificates.
High School
There has apparently been some misconception as to the implications of the Government's decision to create a high school at Yallourn. Up to the present there has been a State school; with a secondary superstructure, known as the Higher Elementary portion. The school will now be decapitated, and the superstructure converted into a High school under separate management and organisation.
As far as courses are concerned, there will be little alteration. The creation of the High school will however, make greater demands on the parents. It will be their responsibility to see that their boys and girls use it, and get the most out of it by completing their full courses, thereby acquiring the art of learning how to best fit into the society of which 'they form a part.
Prize-Winners
13th December. There was an *atten( printing error on the original transcript at this point) ….
• Form IV, Diana Thomas; dux,
• Form IIIP, Margaret Reid; dux,
• Form IIIC, Elma Ramage; dux,
• Form II, Alan Turnbull; dux.
• Form IIA, Audrey Wiggins; dux.
• Form I, Joan Alexander; dux.
• Form IA, May Walsh.
Sport
Athletics: Hugh Harries and Sheila Brooker
Swimming: John Mermod and Lexie Hayes.
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FOOTNOTES
1. The Yallourn High School opened on Tuesday, February 6th, 1945 with an enrolment of 306 pupils.
2. By February 1946, the enrolment at the Yallourn High School was almost 370 pupils; and, as reported in the following article in the ‘Morwell Advertiser’, five students had enrolled to undertake Matriculation classes. It is also mentioned that three new teachers had been appointed to the school…
“The net enrolment at the Yallourn High School this year is 368, this is an increase of 60 students on last year's enrolment. For the first time, it appears very likely that there will be a class of five students doing the Matriculation course, there will be 16 in the Leaving Certificate class and 47 doing the Intermediate Certificate course. This year domestic science has been included in the Intermediate Course, and needlecraft has been included in the Form II course, and will be a subject for Intermediate Certificate in 1947. There are 120 students doing the first year course of the high school. The new members of the teaching staff this year are:-*Mr. W. Mee (Eng. Maths.), Mr. B. Coulthard (Gen. Science, Maths.), Miss L, Friday (Craftwork).” 14th February 1946.
3. In the period 1945-1953, the YHS numbers climbed to more than 600 pupils; and enrolments reached a peak of 741 students in 1961.
4. Readers may be interested to know that the very first school in Yallourn opened at 4 Hillside in 1922. One reference stated that there were only thirteen students in attendance and it is believed that Mr Tyson was the first headmaster…
“On 12 February 1922 the Yallourn State School No 4085 was opened with 13 pupils. The first school building was a weatherboard cottage at No 4 Hillside. By 1923, enrolment had reached 139 pupils; they came from the Camps and outlying areas, so a move to new and bigger buildings in Outlook Road was needed. This would become the Secondary School when a new Primary school was opened in 1932, on the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Banksia Crescent…”
5. The following quote is taken from ‘To Yallourn with Love’…
“The first Secondary classed forms F, E and D were started in 1928 with Henry .J. Bull as headmaster and 61 students. When the D formers reached intermediate standard, the following year C form classes were started, the Central School became ‘Yallourn Higher Elementary’ and secondary education in Yallourn was a going concern.” Page 59.
6. Mr Lindsay, mentioned above, was the headmaster of HES from 1938. Mr J. E. Menadue was the first principal of the Yallourn High School (1945-47); Mr H.M. Champion was the principal from 1948 until 1951 when Mr G.S. Ellis was then appointed to the the role.
7. Despite the austere conditions in Victorian schools following the cessation of World War: II, Yallourn High School quickly gained a strong reputation for high standards of student behaviour and excellent academic results. In July 1953, ‘The Argus’ published an article regarding the attainments of various schools throughout the Latrobe Valley; and the published statistics support the claims about the above-average results achieved by YHS students in that era…
“The High School, with Mr. G. S. Ellis, as head master, has established over the years a splendid academic record. Its University examination results are far higher than the general State average of success last year; for instance, its pass record in leaving examination subjects was 94 per cent, compared with a general State average of about 60 per cent…” ‘The Argus’ 2nd July 1953 Page: 26.
8. An extract regarding the opening of the Yallourn High School is posted on this website. To read more…type: ‘From the Newspapers’ into the search field and press ‘Enter’. Information related to Yallourn Technical School can also be found on this website.
9. The YHS House system, based about four famous Australian explorers Bass, Flinders, Mawson and Phillip, was introduced in the earliest years of the school’s history.
10. One of the students, Margaret Reid (mentioned above), was highlighted in a story on the Virtual Yallourn website in February 2015.
11. An interesting, but little known, aspect of education in Yallourn was the school situated at the Migrant Centre Recreation Hut in Yallourn South. The Yallourn South School (No: 4673) was established to assist the children of migrant families who had arrived from Europe to work in the Latrobe Valley. According to ‘Vision and Realisation’, the school’s first headmaster (in 1950) was Mr H. Blately; and it is stated that an average of 30 students per year attended the school over the years of its short existence in Yallourn.
12. Apologies are offered for any incorrect spelling in transcribing family names from the original copy. The asterisk under ‘Prize Winners’ indicates a printing error in the original copy. The asterisk in Footnote: 7 indicates that there may be some doubt about the spelling of that teacher’s name as the newspaper print was extremely difficult to decipher at that point.
13. The various sources used in writing this article included metropolitan and local newspapers, the National Library of Australia website, ‘To Yallourn With Love’ ( 1976) and Prue McGoldrick’s book entitled ‘Yallourn Was.’ The details regarding the Yallourn South School were obtained from Victorian Education Department‘s publication entitled ‘Vision and Realisation.’
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This article is part of a series of historical articles, gathered from local and other national newspapers, regarding the early days of Yallourn. Readers who would like a complete list of stories in the series are kindly asked to contact Julie George. The photographs, presentation and posting of this extract were completed by Julie George and the story was researched and written by Roger Spaull for the Virtual Yallourn website in February 2016.
The original newspaper report is reproduced in good faith with the only changes being to font style & size, spacing and the use of bullet points to enhance the article on the Virtual Yallourn website.