Cremorne Girls High School

Cremorne Girls High School
Location
Cremorne , New South Wales Australia
Information
Type	Public, single-sex, secondary school
Motto	Latin: Optima Optime (The best possible things in the best possible way)
Established	1927 (NBGIHS) January 1941 (NBGJHS) April 1952 (CGHS) [1]
Status	Closed
Closed	1987
Sister school	Crows Nest Boys High School
Principal	Lorna Collin (1973–1985) Ruth Readford (1985–1987)
Campus	53–57 Murdoch Street
Colour(s)	Royal blue and white

Cremorne Girls High School, (abbreviation CGHS) is a former high school located on Murdoch Street in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne, New South Wales, Australia. It was a girls high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education with students from years 7 to 12. The school was first established in 1927 as Neutral Bay Girls Intermediate High School. However, due to declining enrolments the school was declared surplus to the needs of the department and officially closed in 1987. The school and its heritage-listed buildings are now a satellite campus of Redlands.

History

The school was first established in 1927 as Neutral Bay Girls Intermediate High School, but traced its history back to the establishment of the Neutral Bay Public School in 1886. However, within a few years, the buildings on the site on Murdoch Street, Cremorne, were considered to be inadequate. The foundation stone of the new main building was laid by Minister for Education David Drummond on 6 October 1934 in the presence of the Mayor of North Sydney, Ald. Hodgson, who noted that the "new building had been long needed, as the conditions for staff and scholars at the old school were deplorable". ^[2] A year later the buildings, which contained seven classrooms, an assembly hall, science room, preparation room, and staff rooms erected at a cost of £8079, were completed and were opened by the local Member for Neutral Bay, Reginald Weaver, on 6 July 1935. ^[3] In January 1941 the school was upgraded in status and became known as Neutral Bay Girls Junior High School, which continued until April 1952 when the school was renamed as Cremorne Girls High School. ^[1]

Closure

Enrolments had been declining at the school since 1947 and by 1985 enrolments stood at 380. ^[4] As a consequence, the Minister for Education Rodney Cavalier, made an announcement on 1 July 1985 that the school was economically and educationally unviable and would be closed (alongside Ryde and Wilkins high schools) by 1987, with no year 7 intake for 1986 and the remaining students transferred to Mosman High School or Willoughby Girls High School. ^[5] As a result, a concerted campaign was started by the students and staff of the school with the local community to save the school: over 300 girls marches across the Harbour Bridge on 21 August in protest, a small delegation later met with the minister and a community organisation was formed, known as the 'Save Cremorne Action Committee'. ^{[5] [6]} These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and during the lead up to the closure in mid-1987, the final Principal of the school, Ruth Readford, noted that "There are too few students in this part of the metropolis. Or, to put it another way, there are too many schools, both State and Private." ^[7]

Despite various calls to keep the school site in public hands, by 1989 the Minister for Administrative Services, Robert Webster, put the site up for sale by public tender. ^[8] The site was subsequently purchased by SCEGGS Redlands to be transformed into their new senior campus. In 1989, the 1934 Inter-war Neo-Georgian style main building of the former high school was given local heritage listing by North Sydney Council in the North Sydney Local Environmental Plan. ^{[9] [10]}

Notable alumni

• Bronwyn Bishop – Liberal politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives ^[11]
• Tina Bursill – actress
• Frances Christie – linguist and curriculum expert
• Kate Grenville – author
• Jean Hay – former Mayor of Manly
• Jenni Mack – consumer activist ^[12]
• Jill Perryman AM , MBE – stage actress and singer ^[11]
• Jane Rutter – classical flautist ^[11]

See also

• Schools portal

• List of government schools in New South Wales

References

1. "CREMORNE GIRLS HIGH - Cumberland". Government Schools of New South Wales from 1848. NSW Education. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
2. "NEW GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 30, 191. New South Wales, Australia. 8 October 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 23 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
3. "NEW GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 30, 424. New South Wales, Australia. 8 July 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 23 May 2016– via National Library of Australia.
4. Coultan, Mark (25 July 1985). "School fight goes to Ombudsman". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
5. Luis M., Garcia (22 August 1985). "Belles of Cremorne march on minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
6. "No surrender, says Cremorne Girls' High". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 August 1985. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
7. "The girls will trasure memories of school". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1987. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
8. Browne, Sheila (12 October 1989). "Cremorne school for sale, but parents still hope". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
9. "SCEGGS Redlands - Former Cremorne Girls High School". Office of Environment and Heritage. NSW Government. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
10. "ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT ACT 1979". Government Gazette Of The State Of New South Wales. No. 107. New South Wales, Australia. 3 November 1989. p. 9269. Retrieved 17 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
11. Cartmill, Alison (2 July 1987). "The girls will treasure memories of school". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 59. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
12. "Mack, Jenni". The Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership in Twentieth Century Australia. Retrieved 22 May 2016.

External links

• Cremorne Girls memorial Facebook page