Newcastle Boys' High School was a government-funded single-sex selective high school, located in Waratah, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The school was active between 1929 and 1976, after which time it became a co-educational non-selective school.
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Newcastle Boys High School was established in 1929 when the Hill High School was split into two selective single-sex schools, the other being Newcastle Girls High School. Hill High School's campus was located on Newcastle Hill, at a site now occupied by Newcastle East Public School, and was referred to as "the School on the Hill". Newcastle Girls High School moved to a new campus in Hamilton, and Newcastle Boys High School moved to a new campus in Waratah[2] in 1934, at which time Hill High School became Newcastle Junior Boys High School. Both Newcastle Boys and Newcastle Girls high schools carried on the traditions established by the original school, including use of the same motto and school colours.
Newcastle Boys High School became non-selective and co-educational in 1977 and changed its name to Waratah High School that same year.[3] Later it became Waratah Technology High School, and then Waratah Technology Campus of Callaghan College in 2000.
The Headmasters of Newcastle Boys High School were:[4][5]
- 1930–31 Robert Frederick Harvey
- 1932–34 Charles Herbert Christmas
- 1935–44 Norman Ross Mearns
- 1945–47 William Pillans
- 1948–63 Frank Harold Beard
- 1964–74 Leonard Thomas Richardson
- 1975–76 Victor Huish Webber (relieving)
Newcastle Boys High School continued to sing the Newcastle High School song: words by a member of staff, R. G. Henderson MA set to the tune of "D'ye ken John Peel?", chosen by competition announced in 1913 in the school journal, "Novocastrian".[6] When the boys moved to the plain at the Waratah site, they no longer climbed up The Hill and the first verse was re-written in 1943 by Mr Hodge.[7]
The following Newcastle Boys' High School students won scholarships to the Professor Harry Messel International Science School:[8]
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The following Newcastle Boys' High School boys were awarded "Blues" by the New South Wales Combined High Schools Sports Association under the system which operated from 1957 to 1980:[9]
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- Michael Back – Freehills Brisbane managing partner[10][11][12]
- Reginald Ian Barrett – jurist; Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales (2001–2015)[10][13]
- Jonathan Biggins – entertainer, writer[14][15]
- Leigh Blackmore – horror writer, critic, editor, musician[16][17][18]
- Peter Cave – journalist; Current Affairs Foreign Editor, Australian Broadcasting Corporation[19][20]
- Peter Robert Charlton (1946–2007) – journalist, soldier, military historian; editor at The Courier-Mail from 1996[21]
- William T. Cooper AO – artist and ornithologist[10][22][23][24]
- Phil Cousins OAM – community worker, surf life-saver, mines rescue leader; Venerable Order of Saint John (2004), Centenary Medal (2003), named Open Champion (First Aid) Surf Life Saving Australia (1994 and 1997), Gold Medallion NSW Mines Rescue Service (1993)[10][25][26]
- Julian Croft – novelist and poet; Emeritus Professor of English, University of New England[10][27]
- Howard Crozier OAM (1936–) – teacher, education administrator, CSIRO manager, shire councillor, grazier[10][28]
- Roger Dean CBE – Federal Member for Robertson 1949–64, Administrator of the Northern Territory 1964–70, diplomat[29]
- Robert Douglas AO – medical practitioner and academic; chair, SEE-Change ACT; emeritus professor and visiting fellow, Australian National University; chair, Australia 21[10][30]
- Gary Gilmour – Australian cricketer[31]
- Ross Gittins AM – author; economics editor of The Sydney Morning Herald[32][33][34][35]
- Kevan Gosper – international sports administrator; company director[10][36][37]
- John Harding – violinist; Concertmaster, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (2006–)[10][38][39]
- Sam Jones – trade unionist, politician; Labor member of New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Waratah (1965–84)[40]
- Ross Kerridge – Lord Mayor of Newcastle (2024- )
- Patrick McGorry – psychiatrist, academic, 2010 Australian of the Year[citation needed]
- Jeffrey Miles – author, jurist; Chief Judge, Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (1985–2002)[11][41]
- Arthur Morris – Australian cricketer[42]
- Peter Morris – Federal Minister; Federal Member for Shortland 1972–98[43]
- Gary Neat – journalist and author; Foreign Correspondent ABC Indochina/SE Asia; CEO of the Queensland Liberal Party; Senate Candidate & Federal Executive; National President – Australian Institute of Management
- Dick Tooth – Australian rugby union footballer, orthopaedic surgeon and sports science pioneer[44]
- Ivan Welsh – politician; Lake Macquarie mayor and member of New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1988–91)[45]
Barcan, Alan (2007). "Comprehensive Secondary Schools in Australia: a View trom Newcastle, New South Wales" (PDF). Education Research and Perspectives, Vol. 34, No.1, 2007. p. 157. Retrieved 7 November 2014. Newcastle Girls' High and Hunter Girls' High merged in January 1976 as Newcastle High School. A year later Newcastle Boys' High merged with Wickham Girls' High to become Waratah High, while Newcastle Technical High merged with Cooks Hill Girls' High to become Merewether High School.
Armitage, Audrey (1983). Newcastle High School : the first 75 years. Hamilton, N.S.W.: 75th Anniversary Committee, Newcastle. pp. 179–180. ISBN 0-9592118-0-2. "Historical". Newcastle Boys High School Old Boys Association. 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011. Armitage, Audrey (1983). Newcastle High School : the first 75 years. Hamilton, N.S.W.: 75th Anniversary Committee, Newcastle. p. 49. ISBN 0-9592118-0-2. Armitage, Audrey (1983). Newcastle High School : the first 75 years. Hamilton, N.S.W.: 75th Anniversary Committee, Newcastle. p. 149. ISBN 0-9592118-0-2. Bill Collins, Max Aitken and Bob Cork, One hundred years of public school sport in New South Wales 1889–1989 (Sydney, ca. 1990, New South Wales Department of School Education, p180ff)
"Members". Old Boys Association, Newcastle Boys High School. Retrieved 26 July 2011. Kablean, Carrie (5 June 2009). "Jonathan Biggins, actor – defining moments". Wish Magazine (The Australian). Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 62. First public acclaim. In Year 12, I was in the debating team that won the State Championships. I went to Newcastle Boys High, and it was all maths, science and sport – to knock cricket off the dais was a big deal. At a special assembly, our victory was received in a lukewarm manner by our fellow students. But it was a veneration after six years of torment and torture at school.
Benjamin J. Szumskyj The Terror from Australis: An Interview with Leigh Blackmore. Australian Studies in Weird Fiction 1 (Equilibrium Books, 2008). Available online at: Vodcast of 'Jennifer Byrne Presents episode 'Monsters and Bloodsuckers' (aka ' Vampires, Werewolves and Man-made Monsters in Literature' Interview with Leigh Blackmore re: AHWA at View from Here magazine: Quinn, Ben (1 July 2006). "The Truth Hurts". Newcastle Herald. Newcastle, New South Wales: John Fairfax Holdings Limited. p. 14.
Charlton, Peter (22 August 2003). "Hendo brought vigour and balance to the job (Obituary: Ian Henderson". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd. p. 18.
Watson, Chris. "Home of champions" The Newcastle Herald, 6 June 2006 (Supplement: 100 years of NEWCASTLE HIGH SCHOOL : The Students) p44 Ross Gittins (Economics Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald) (8 August 2009). Give My Regrets to Waratah High (Speech). Newcastle Boysc High School Old Boys' Association annual dinner. Newcastle City Hall. Retrieved 26 July 2011. "2009 Alumni Award Winners". Alumni (University of Newcastle, Australia). No. 3. Newcastle, New South Wales. 2009. p. 4. Mr Gittins completed a Commerce degree at the University of Newcastle in 1970
Chad Watson, "School reunion – Newcastle Boys' High." The Newcastle Herald, 17 August 2002, p 5
Armitage, Audrey (1983). Newcastle High School : the first 75 years. Hamilton, N.S.W.: 75th Anniversary Committee, Newcastle. ISBN 0-9592118-0-2.
