Danebank

Danebank
Location
Hurstville, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°57′44″S151°06′09″E / 33.9622°S 151.1025°E / -33.9622; 151.1025
Information
Other names	Danebank An Anglican School for Girls
Type	Independent early learning, primary and secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve)
Denomination	Anglican
Established	1933;92 years ago (1933)
Founder	Edith Roseby Ball
Oversight	Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation
Chair	Dr Mark Daly
Principal	Dr Michelle Benn
Chaplain	Kellie Tompson
Staff	c. 85 [1]
Years	Early learning and K – 12 [1]
Gender	Girls
Enrolment	c. 930
Colour(s)	Green and pink
Affiliations	Independent Primary School Heads of Australia Junior School Heads Association of Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
Website	www.danebank.nsw.edu.au

Danebank, officially Danebank An Anglican School for Girls, is an independent Anglican early learning, primary and secondary day school for girls, located in Hurstville, a southern suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is a member school of the Anglican Schools Corporation.

Established in 1933 by Edith Roseby Ball, Danebank has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 930 students from Preschool to Year 12. ^[1]

The school is affiliated with the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA), ^[2] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), ^[3] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), ^[4] and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS). ^[5]

History

Danebank was established in 1933 on its current site in Hurstville, by Edith Roseby Ball. The school was established as a small co-educational Kindergarten with just five students. ^[6]

On the 29th October 2018 the current Principal, Mrs Maryanne Davis, co-signed an open letter to the Australian members of parliament supporting the rights of faith-based schools to discriminate against staff who do not share the religious beliefs of faith-based schools. ^[7]

Principals

Ordinal	Officeholder	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	Edith Roseby Ball	1933	1950	16–17 years	[5]
2	Olga Wilson	1951	1953	1–2 years
3	Joyce Cowell	1952	1974	21–22 years
4	Carole Tisdell	1975	1987	11–12 years
5	Rosalyn Bird	1988	2009	20–21 years
6	Maryanne Davis	2010	2019	10 years
7	Dr Emma Burgess	2020	2025	5 years
7	Dr Michele Benn	2025	present

Facilities

Note: Construction and demolition is currently^{[ when? ]} ongoing in Danebank and new facilities will be constructed. The Langdon Wing is being partly demolished for newer facilities. Danebank's current^{[ when? ]} facilities include:

• The first stage of the Danebank masterplan for redevelopment was officially opened in May 2018. It houses a Pre-Kindergarten Centre and classrooms for Kindergarten to Year 2 students, as well as specialist music, technology and extension class rooms for Junior School.
• The Pre-Kindergarten Centre is part of the new Junior School Building. It has a large classroom, break-out areas where equipment serves different learning needs, outdoor play areas, Little-one's toilet area and staff facilities.
• The Gymnasium: opened in 2006. Holds a gymnastics area, court, upstairs dance studio, classroom, staffroom, storerooms, changerooms and contains equipment for sporting activities.
• The Terraces: contains equipment and facilities for Design and technology, visual arts, hospitality, visual design, industrial technology multi-media and computing. New facilities for Drama and Music have now been added including a drama space, drama room, music foyer and music classroom.
• K–12 Resources Centre: contains the JC Cowell Library, the Careers Reference Area, AudioVisual Control Room and the Independent Learning Centre.
• Wingara Senior Studies Centre: study rooms, geography and history classrooms, common room, conference room, and kitchen, for Year 12.
• Roseby Ball House: "The Quad" – a three-storey building designed around a central courtyard. For administration, classroom teaching, science laboratories, mathematics laboratory, staff rooms. Currently has no electricity in certain areas due to an overloaded power grid, and when it will be expanded is uncertain.
• The Aquatic Centre: consists of the Aquatic Centre plus a multi purpose court. The indoor Aquatic Centre contains a 25-metre water polo pool plus a beginners pool. Other sporting facilities include a mini gymnasium and multi purpose court.
• The Performing Arts Centre: Also commonly known as the PAC, consists of a main stage with seating for 1,000+ people including a gallery level, large music and drama classrooms and storeroom, and 10 individual music practice rooms for individual student tutorials and class groups.

Notable alumnae

• Dr. Kerry Chant – NSW Chief Health Officer
• Ash Ambihaipahar – current Labor federal member for Barton ^[8]
• Nicole Harris – paralympian
• Alex Lee – comedian
• Lilie James - Waterpolo coached that was murdered

See also

• Schools portal
• Christianity portal

• List of Anglican schools in New South Wales
• List of non-government schools in New South Wales

References

1. "2012 Annual Report" (PDF). Danebank. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
2. "AHISA Schools". New South Wales. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
3. "JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members". New South Wales Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
4. Butler, Jan (2006). "Member Schools". Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
5. "Heads of New South Wales Independent Girls' Schools". About AHIGS. The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools. 2004. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
6. "From small beginnings". Danebank. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
7. "Anglican Educators write Open Letter to MPs". Sydney Anglicans. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
8. "Ash Ambihaipahar - Candidate for Barton". Australian Labor Party. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

External links

• Official website