Page 179 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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KURRI KURRI HIGH SCHOOL

Infants
Boys Primary
Girls Primary
Junior Technical
Domestic Science

To handle these various Departments, a brick building had been
built in 1916. A further building was completed in December 1924.
In early 1928, as part of the Government Unemployed Relief Works in Kurri,
a new Domestic Science Block was built. During 1930 the title of 'Superior
School' was abandoned and the various separate Departments received greater
recognition. Teachers of the '1930 to 1940' period advise that the class
enrolment in those years averaged between 45 to 65 pupils - a great depar-
ture from the present day aims of eye to eye teaching figures standards
now laid by the Teachers Federation in this current decade. A further
renovation to the Home Science Block was completed on 18th November 1942.

Pupils requiring to attain the Intermediate Certificate, the
Leaving Certificate and/or Matriculation for University, had to spend
long days in travelling to either Maitland or Cessnock High Schools.
The situation was again examined in 1947 by the Education Department.
As a result a request was made to the N.S.W. Government by the Education
Department for a suitable High School site. On 9th September 1947, the
Under Secretary of the Lands Board advised the Department of Education
that it had been granted about ten (10) acres as per their tracing, as
the site of a new High School.

Kurri townsl:i~P had always had a practice of naming local areas
in keeping with areas in which Australia had been engaged in overseas
wars. A very good example is that of 'Spion Kop', which was so named
following Kurri's establishment soon after the Boer War. Many areas
overseas in World War 1 attracted notoriety. One such place was a low
ridge some 2; miles south-east of Ypres in France, which was called
"Hill 60". This hill had fluctuated in the fortunes of battles, being
recaptured four times during World War 1 when both sides, Germans and