Page 106 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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CESSNOCK HIGH SCHOOL

The contractor was Fred C. Powell & Sons of Ashfield, Sydney. The new
High School building contained eighteen (18) classrooms, two (2) science
laboratories, two (2) demonstration rooms,' a headmaster's office, two (2)
staff rooms, a gymnasium fifty-seven (57) feet by thirty-nine (39) feet,
an assembly hall to seat six hundred (600) pupils, a sports store, a sport
instructor's room and a tuckshop. The first headmaster in this new building
was John Gibson who had a staff of forty-seven (47) teachers. Total classes
including those held in the annexe at the Primary School and the trade classes
held in the Technical School at South Cessnock, numbered twenty-seven (27).
The enrolment at all high school classes in these areas at the date of the
opening of the new school was one thous~nd one hundred and four (1 ,104) pupils.

On 20th July 1938, the Department of Education purchased a house
at Aberdare Road Cessnock to serve as the Caretaker's residence. The Education
Department's records show that this property was situated on twenty (20) perches
of land, being Lot 11, Section 39, Town of Aberdare and that the Department
had purchased it for £400.0.0 ($800.00).

With continuing growth of High School enrolments, the Department
of Public Instruction provided for still further area needs by obtaining the
adjoining land to its new Cesnock High School. This was an area of about
five (5) acres and was dedicated and gazetted on 1st November 1940.

The High School Caretaker's residence received some repairs by
the Education Department's paint and repair staff during 1944. The costs
were assessed as £300.10.5 ($601 .05). These repairs included new fencing,
replacing screen doors and renewing the guttering.