Newmarket State High School was a secondary school in the suburb of Newmarket in Brisbane, (Queensland, Australia).[1] It was located 5 km from the city[7] in the north-west of Brisbane, part of South East Queensland. The school's entrance was off Banks Street, with the school located on land between Banks Street and Brent Street in what is now Laurence Street, Daniel Place, Nelson Place, and associated developments.[10] The school site was in the City of Brisbane local government area for the entirety of its operation.
The school was named after the suburb it was located in, and the suburb of Newmarket itself was named for the historical cattle saleyards that operated from 1877 to 1931 at the north-east corner of Enoggera and Newmarket Roads,[10] which, due to urban development of Newmarket, were moved to Cannon Hill in 1931.[11]
History
Opening
The school was originally opened on 29 January 1963.[3]
Closure
In 1995, after a decision was made to close the school, the school stopped taking new enrolments.[12] A closing ceremony was held on 7 December 1996.[13] The school closed on 13 December 1996.[3][4][5] The closure of the school was described by John-Paul Langbroek as an example in the metropolitan region of a school closure in an area of "limited population growth or enrolment expectations in the catchment area with an alternative school within close proximity".[14]
Site Redevelopment
A feasibility study was conducted by the Queensland Department of Emergency Services and Office of Sport and Recreation on the conversion of Newmarket State High School into a suitable headquarters for the Queensland Academy of Sport.[15] However, the site was eventually completely redeveloped for housing and a small local park (Nelson Place Park).[10] The school land was marketed through an expressions-of-interest campaign by PRD Realty.[7] During its operation, the school was initially accessible through a driveway off Banks Street (57 Banks Street), an address which no longer exists, being redeveloped into a road leading onto Laurence Street, Daniel Place, and Nelson Place, with the old school entrance now functioning as the Nelson Place entrance to the land located between Banks Street and Brent Street, via these newly created streets.[16][17]
Infrastructure
Buildings
The school had some permanent buildings and two temporary prefabricated classrooms.[18]
Seating
Outside seating facilities were provided. In 1989, upgrades were needed because the 150-seat capacity was insufficient for the 500-student attendance, necessitating students sitting on wet grass or wet bricks during wintertime breaks.[19]
Library
In the 1987 state government education budget, funds were allocated for a new library at the school. The library was opened on 27 April 1988 by then Minister for Education, Brian George Littleproud.[20][19]
Administration
Principals
The first principal of the school was K. P. O'Connor, and the final principal was Karyn A. Hart. The principals of the school included:
An English teacher of note at the school was Janette Turner Hospital, who went on to become an award-winning Australian-born novelist and short story writer.[28][29]
Students
While the school originally had an enrolment of around 1,000,[30] this enrolment decreased significantly to about 600–700 students, a decrease attributed by critics, such as William Armstrong Moore (Member for Windsor), to both a change of principal and a change in the school's ideology.[30] In 1978, the number of students decreased to about 450–470.[30] In 1989, seven years before the school's closure, the school was reported to have 500 students in attendance.[19]
A student representative council (SRC), composed of 28–30 students, existed from 1979.[31]
Curriculum
Joint educational ventures were conducted with TAFE teachers who were available at the school, with more than 100 volunteers helping with reading and writing training.[32]
Yearbook
The yearbook was called Jakaway, a combination of the first two letters of each of the school's sports houses.[9]
↑"Newmarket State High School". North-West News (www.northwestnews.com.au). 23 October 1991. p.12. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025– via Facebook (Newmarket State High School).
123Southgate, Lisa (16 February 1998). "Schools get developers high". Financial Review (www.afr.com). Archived from the original on 20 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
123"Newmarket". Queensland Places (www.queenslandplaces.com.au). Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
↑"Best in the hemisphere". Daily Standard. No.5883. Queensland, Australia. 23 November 1931. p.7. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2019– via National Library of Australia.
↑"Newmarket High comes of age". Telegraph (www.dailytelegraph.com.au). 3 March 1966. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
↑"UQFL72 - Salvatore D'Urso Papers"(PDF). University of Queensland (www.uq.edu.au). 22 June 2022. p.6. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2025. Letter from E. D. Evans, Principal, Newmarket State High School, to Dr D'Urso, 3 Sep 1973, 1p
↑"13. Newmarket State High School". Connect (The Newsletter of Youth Participation in Education Projects). Vol.19. February 1983. p.9. ISSN0158-4995. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
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