Page 91 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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in three (3) rooms. In 1922, the school enrolment had reached one thousand
eight hundred and nineteen (1 ,819) pupils. The school accommodation was
taxed to its limit. From April 1918, the Church of England Mission Hall had
been rented to provide additional classrooms and in March 1922 two classes
of boys were asked to vacate. This necessitated additions to the two-storied
girls' school, built in 1918; another portable classroom was transported on
22nd October 1920 from Drumrnoyne Works to the schoolground. A new building
adjacent and facing Aberdare Road was erected by M. Audet for £4,690.0.0
($9,380.00) during 1923. The new building was a one-storey brick structure
with a slate roof. It consisted of four classrooms; each to accommodate
forty-eight (48) pupils. There was a hat room at each end and a verandah
ran the full length on the north side . The new additions were officially
opened on 16th November 1923 by Mr. A. Bruntnell, Director of Education. In
this same year, the secondary classes were re-graded as a second class Inter-
mediate High School, these classes were accommodated in the new additions after
their completion by Mr. Audec.

The school was raised in 1926 to a first class Intermediate High
School with an enrolment of two hundred and seventy three (273) secondary
pupils. Difficulties were still being experienced in finding sufficient
accommodation. In 1926 another portable room was moved from Nulkaba and
in 1927, a class was placed in the Trades School. In the following and
subsequent years, two rooms at the Trades School were used for Junior Technical
classes. At the end of 1927 the first Annual Prizegiving Night of the
Secondary Section of the school was held.

A headmaster's residence was purchased on 5th June 1930. This was
the home of George A. Lewis at 28 Rawson Street Aberdare. The Education
Department's records show that this property was on one (1) rood of land on
Lot 18, Section 29 Aberdare and that the Department had purchased it for
£750.0.0 ($1 ,500.00).