The history of Mitchell High School’s early years
The first impression of Mitchell High School as seem by Mr Doyle, the first Principal, was of two large holes filled with rain water where the building were to go.
Miss Flint, who was the soon to become Mistress in Charge of Girls, went with Mr Doyle to visit the site of the new school.
Both Miss Flint and Mr Doyle had originally came from Arthur Phillip High School. Their first visions of the school were of steel girders, cans of pain and bricks. The surrounding area of the site of “South Blacktown High School” was at that time, populated very sparsely with only a few houses scattered around. The site had originally been used for dairy purposes consequently cattle wandered into the school ground to graze for a long while after the school had been built.
The contract for the building of the school was given to Mr Joseph Zarb on 30 August 1965. Apart from the construction of the school, Joseph Zarb donated the school crest which is inlaid in the floor of the original Administration Office Block foyer. He also donated many items to the school. For example, a set of football jerseys.
As the building were not completed at the beginning of the 1964 school year, the six classes of Year 7 students and staff moved into an unoccupied school on Hereward Highway, just off Blacktown Road. As only four classes could occupy that school, one boy’s and one girl’s class were housed at Blacktown Boys High School and Blacktown Girls High School. At the end of the first term of 1964, Block A and C and the canteen were completed. The population of the school moved into these blocks.
The official opening of the new school was for parents of the pupils to examine the special room. For example, cooking, woodwork and metal rooms.
In 1966 the “demountable” classrooms were introduced and proved invaluable in meeting emergency accommodation needs.
Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell
Thomas Livingston Mitchell was born in 1972 in Craigend, Scotland. As a military officer he gained experience in surveying and map making in the Peninsula War. In 1827 he was appointed Deputy Surveyor General of New South Wales.
Thomas Mitchell was appointed Surveyor General in 1828 and kept his office until his death in 1855. He made four journeys of exploration during which he discovered and surveyed parts of Eastern Australia.
As Surveyor General, Thomas duties included surveying land and planning the colony’s towns, roads and bridges. Despite difficulties, such as a shortage of equipment and staff, he made good progress in this work. He was unwilling to accept criticism, take orders and came into conflict with several Governors.
Thomas Mitchell’s journey of exploration took place in 1831, 1835, 1836 and 1845-1846.
On 9 March 1835 he started from Parramatta and travelled through what is now the Blacktown area to reach the Bogan River.
His journeys also led to the settlement of the Western District of Victoria.
He was knighted for his exploratory work in 1839.
History of Public Education
In 1880 The Public Instruction Act was instituted. This Act provided the framework for education. Under this Act, the State assumed full responsibility for Primary Education and for the first time Secondary Education. Under this Act, fees were lowered and children had to attend school for at least 140 days a year.
As a result of the Act, the Department inherited 1,295 schools. 705 were public schools, 313 provisional, 180 destination and 97 half time.
Secondary education in government schools officially began in 1881. Some schools were permitted to offer the “higher branches of education”. These were known as Superior Public Schools.
In the early 1900’s the education system was criticized because it was not free and attendance was low.
In 1904, as a result of the Royal Commission, the Education Department decided they wanted to teach subjects that dealt with real life and subjects that were more interesting and practical.
In 1911 the Qualifying Certificate Examination was established. Students who passed at a satisfactory level at the end of Primary School proceeded to High School. Free education.
In 1950 enrolments increased due to the “baby boom” and post-war immigration.
Harold Wyndam, Director General of Education, made modifications to secondary school system. These changes were known as “Wyndham Scheme” and in 1962 four years of general secondary education was introduced to all students, leading up to an exam for the School Certificates. For students who went on to further education, this was known as the Higher School Certificate Examination.
The history of Blacktown
As the district was right on the fringe of the “Great New Adventure”, it is only natural that the Blacktown area would be explored.
An exploration party in 1788 lead by Governor Arthur Phillip became the first people (other than the indigenous) to see the area of Blacktown. In 1788 Governor Phillip travelled to Prospect Hill in April.
This was part of a major area which he named the Cumberland Plains, after the Duke of Cumberland. For the penal colony Phillip was in search for farming land. Exploration parties would be taken by Watkin Tench in 1789 and 1790.
In 1791, Governor Phillip settled thirteen people near Prospect Hill and gradually moved further west and extended the Western Road.
Approximately, 11 convicts whose terms had expired were settled by Phillip. Dues to their lack of knowledge and experience in farming, as well as poor equipment and meagre rations, only six of the 11 remained in just a few years, after their settlement. There were violent clashes due to the resistance of the Darug people, leading to farmers taking up the land with Ensign William Cummings being the first officer to establish there in 1799.
In 1800’s the Blacktown population was 16.
A former NSW Corps officer and a pioneering pastoralist named John Macarthur bought 1770 acres at Seven Hills in 1801.
Mid 1850’s the area was sub-divided and the land around Flushcombe Road was divided into six acre lots.
In 1862 Black Town was known as Blacktown" by 1862 The Great Western Highway was established in 1864
What’s in the name?
For many of you, (save the avid students of Australian history), the significance behind the naming of your school as "Mitchell” has little meaning.
Mitchell High School owes its name to Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792-1855). Mitchell himself had a long and varied career which stretched from his birthplace in Scotland, to service in The Peninsular War (1811-1815), and finally his career brought him to Australia where, in 1827, he took up the position of Assistant Surveyor General of N.S.W Promotion came quickly, so it is not surprising that we find Mitchell taking the position as Surveyor of roads and bridges in 1829.
Curiosity prompted Mitchell to explore Nev South Wales, Victoria and parts of' Tropical Australia and in so doing he opened up vast expanses of land that made way for new settlement. These discoveries were recorded in "Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia" (1838), 0Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia; and "The School Geography'' (1850) -which was designed to be used in schools.
Besides his survey work, Mitchell is important for fostering an interest in things peculiarly Australian, (he liked to retain Aboriginal place names) and for his belief that land should be made available to small settlers and not monopolised by large landowners or squatters.
Together with these attributes, Mitchell was also a draftsman, an able artist, mathematician, inventor and botanist.
This abort survey of the life of a man who helped make Australia, leads us to an answer to the question posed in the first part of this article. Why was Mitchell High School so named? Firstly Mitchell surveyed the area; the electorate you live in is Mitchell;(he himself was elected to the Legislative Council in 1844) and your parents suggested the name.
Why was Mitchell High School built?
In 1962 the three schools in the Blacktown-Seven hills district, that is, Blacktown Girls High School, Blacktown Boys High School, and Seven Hills High School, became more and more crowded. It became obvious that a new school was needed, and on 3 June 1962 Mr Mannix, the Minister of Education, approved the establishment of a high school in the southern area of Blacktown.
The site of the present Mitchell High School was chosen because it was close ta rapidly developing area. In 1963 the site chosen, approximately 6.3 hectares, was purchased from George Whimpey and Son and the contract for the construction of Stages 1 and 11 was given to Joseph Zarb for the tender of 332,850. Stage 1 involved the construction of Blocks A, B and C. The construction of D Block was Stage 1.
Stages 1 and 11 were eventually completed on the 10 June 1964 after long delays in getting structural steel. Stage 3, the building of E Block, was contracted in 1965 for a tender of 90,738 and was completed on the 4 February 1966.
The final stage in the construction of Mitchell High School did not come until many years after the school had been established.
In 1971, the parents of students and staff decided that the school needed an assembly hall. The tender of $416,096, made by W. McNamara Pty. Ltd. Was accepted and the MHS Hall was eventually completed on 23 December 1975.
Several alterations have been made to the original plans, for example, in 1965 a needle-work room was converted into a metal-work room. In 1967 a Biology laboratory was converted into a general Science laboratory. In 1967 a Prefect room and study room were converted to classrooms because of crowding.
Courage patience in bard times
Fortitude honesty and reliability
Truth strength to do or face something you find frightening or difficult
Student sport house names
Mirrabooka The five stars on this emblem represent the Southern Cross
Brigalow The emblem for this house is the wattle
Cooramyn The flame tree is the symbol for this house
Kareela The weather vane is pointing in a southerly direction and the Aboriginal term meaning "south wind" is Kareela
Mitchell High School Hall
Mitchell High's P & C worked strongly and consistently for the benefit of the school since the beginnings in 1964. Through their concerted efforts, the long awaited Hall was built. in 1975. Bulldozers and other machines invaded the school.
The Hall was to be hexagonal in shape und was to seat at least 1,000 people. It was to have two extra parts called 'wrap-arounds'. One wrap-around was to go at the front and one at the back.
It took a year for the school hall to be constructed at a cost of $416, 096 and was completed on the 23 December 1975.