Hurlstone Agricultural High School
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox school Hurlstone Agricultural High School (HAHS, colloquially as Hurlstone Ag) is a government-funded co-educational academically selective and specialist secondary day and boarding school, located in Glenfield, a south-western suburb of Sydney, in the Macarthur region of New South Wales, Australia. HAHS is the oldest government boarding school in New South Wales.<ref name="smh_parents_demand">Template:Cite news</ref>
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Yanco Agricultural High School and Hurlstone Agricultural High School are the state's only public selective and agricultural schools that also include a co-educational boarding school. The Template:Convert Hurlstone Agricultural campus includes classroom blocks, an operational farm, sporting facilities and student accommodation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Hurlstone was established as a boys-only school in 1907 in Hurlstone Park, approximately ten kilometres southwest of Sydney, at the present site of Trinity Grammar School. The original owner of the land was a teacher, John Kinloch, one of the first graduates of the University of Sydney. He named the land Hurlstone Estate, after his mother's maiden name and set up his own school on it in 1878 which he called the Hurlstone School and College.<ref name=history>Hurlstone Agricultural High School. School History Template:Webarchive</ref>
Hurlstone Agricultural Continuation School
In those days, most students completed their schooling after primary school and students at Hurlstone Agricultural Continuation School (as it was known at the time) studied there for only two years.
In 1926, the school moved to its present site in Glenfield, approximately 42 km southwest of Sydney (between Liverpool and Campbelltown) and adjacent to Glenfield railway station. By then its student numbers had grown from 30 in 1907, to 148.<ref name="history"/> The school supported government policy to promote productivity in the agricultural sector through the training of boys in all aspects of agricultural sciences and farm management.
Macarthur Agricultural High School; co-educational enrolment
For a brief period in the early 1940s, it was known as Macarthur Agricultural High School in honour of wool-grower John Macarthur, but it soon reverted to its previous name.
Hurlstone was a boys' school until 1979, when the decision was made to become co-educational.<ref name="history"/>
Sale of school farmland
In 2008, the New South Wales Government declared 140 hectares of Hurlstone's farmland "surplus" and proposed the sale of the land, leaving the school with just 20 hectares.<ref name=":0" /> The announcement was met with immediate public protest<ref name=":1" /> and the formation of a local community group Save Hurlstone Educational and Agricultural Property (SHEAP)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> eventuating in a government inquiry into the proposed sale and proceeds of the sale.<ref name=":2" /> There was further pressure against the plans when the National Trust heritage listed the school in late 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The government inquiry resulted in a recommendation of the sale of a small parcel of school land with the proceeds intended to help upgrade school facilities.<ref name=":2" />
On 18 November 2015, there was another proposal to sell the land the school and its farm operated on.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Principals
The following individuals have served as principal of the Hurlstone Agricultural High School:
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Nts | Frank McMullen | 1907 | 1916 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | George Longmuir | 1917 | 1938 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Percival Hindmarsh | 1939 | 1945 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | James McEwan King | 1946 | 1953 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Clarence G. James | 1954 | 1967 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Reginald W. Clarke | 1968 | 1978 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | James F. White | 1979 | 1982 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | G. K. Wilson | 1983 | 1987 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | R. M. Kidd | 1988 | 2003 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | John Norris | 2003 | 2010 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Kerrie Wratten | 2011 | 2013 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Daryl Currie | 2014 | 2018 | Template:Age in years years | |
| Template:Nts | Christine Castle | 2018 | 2025 | Template:Age in years years | |
| 14 | Mr Thomas Elley | 2025 | incumbent | 1-2 years | relieving principal |
Population
Enrolment at the school is dependent on selective examinations of Year 6 students from across the state. New students coming in later grades have to sit a similar exam.<ref>Enrolment section of: http://www.hurlstone.com.au/</ref>
Campus
Hurlstone features a fully functional farm and a commercial dairy. Animals on the farm include: beef and dairy cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, and chickens.<ref>Farm section of: http://www.hurlstone.com.au/</ref> Clarke House is a heritage listed building which houses Hurlstone's memorabilia museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The school also hosts a memorial forest and cairn on Roy Watts Road, past the boarding school. Established in 1950, it is believed to be Australia's first living war memorial, with a gum tree dedicated to each of the 600 students from the school who served in WWI and II.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Currently, ANZAC and Remembrance Day ceremonies are held at the memorial forest.
As part of the 2008 mini-budget, the New South Wales Government declared 140 hectares of the school to be surplus to educational needs and the land will be sold in 2011.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web NSW Government Mini-Budget - Andrew Stoner</ref> However, due to a strong public protest against this action,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> an inquiry was led into process of selling approximately seven-eighths of the school.<ref name=":2">http://www.hurlstoneinquiry.nsw.gov.au Template:Webarchive</ref> As a result, Mal Peters, the Inquiry Chair, recommended the school's agricultural sector to be upgraded in order to reflect current industry practice and standards due to it being an economic, wise and important public investment for the people of NSW as it supplies young scientists with the knowledge for the ever declining, but demanding agricultural sector of the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2020 a new school called Hurlstone Agricultural High School was to open at Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The existing school in Glenfield would be renamed Roy Watts High School (after Hurlstone alumnus Roy Watts) and would remain fully selective but would no longer be an agricultural school.<ref>‘Ironic’ twist in Hurlstone saga Wollondilly Advertiser 13 October 2017</ref> However, this decision was cancelled in December 2019. The farm land would have been converted to a new public school as well as housing and a shopping centre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable alumni
- Phil Burton – Australian musician, member of the Australian pop vocal band Human Nature
- Alan O. Trounson (1958–1962) – biologist, stem cell researcher and IVF pioneer<ref name="alantrounson">p. 45 Template:Cite web Hurlstone Inquiry.</ref>
Military
- Mark Binskin – Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) Australia.<ref>Flying high – Local News – News – General – Campbelltown – Macarthur Advertiser Template:Webarchive</ref>
- John Hurst Edmondson Template:Post-nominals – soldier in World War II; the Hurlstone school hall is named in his honour<ref name=JHEdmondson>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
- Sir William Keys Template:Post-nominals – National Secretary of RSL<ref name=WKeys>p. 619 Who's Who in Australia 1977</ref>
Politics, public service and the law
- John Kerin – Australian Labor Party politician, former Federal Treasurer (1991), Minister for Transport and Communications (1991), Minister for Primary Industries and Energy (1983-1991) and Member for Werriwa
- Mark Latham – politician, former Leader of the Australian Labor Party<ref name="Oneoftheoldschool">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Dick Klugman – Member for the federal seat of Prospect 1969–1990, Co-founder of NSW Council for Civil Liberties;<ref>Obituary in Sydney Morning Herald 14 March 2011</ref>
Sport
- David Lyons – rugby union player, Wallabies<ref name="smh_furniture">Patty, Anna (26 May 2006). From the principal's desk: furniture sale means I've been carpeted Sydney Morning Herald.</ref>
- Charles Melton – winemaker<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- List of Government schools in New South Wales
- List of selective high schools in New South Wales
- List of boarding schools in Australia
References
External links
Template:NSW Selective Schools Template:High Schools in South Western Sydney Template:Public high schools in New South Wales Template:Authority control