Talk:Maitland High School

Evatt High School

The article, as it stands, says "While work continued to amalgamate Maitland Boys High School with Maitland Girls High School, the campus was renamed to Evatt High, after Evatt Street, one of the streets bounding the school's property." This is misleading. Here is what the Minister said at the time in Hansard (Legislative Assembly 48th Parliament 7 April 1987 at p. 10162):

... There is to be a school in Maitland named after the finest family Maitland has produced: the Evatt family. ... We are talking about the finest family that Maitland has produced, arguably that Australia has produced. ... I am not naming Evatt High School after Dr Evatt, or Clive Evatt who was a former Minister for Education, though either would be enough in themselves to warrant the naming of a school: I am naming that high school after a family, a family that has been intimately associated with the early history of Maitland for a long time.

In answer to a question on notice (Hansard, Legislative Assembly 48th Parliament 17 September 1987 at p. 13840):

Dr METHERELL asked the Minister for Education-

(1) Does he propose to end single-sex schooling in Maitland from Term 1, 1987?

(2) Has he applied to the Geographic Names Board to rename-

(a) Maitland Girls High School

(b) Maitland Boys High School?

(3) If so, what new names are proposed?

, the Minister replied:

(1) Yes.

(2) No.

(3) The new names are Evatt High School and Maitland High School.

There was some public controversy at the time over the renaming of the school both in Parliament and in the community.

The issue was described in Parliament in 1991: (extracts from Hansard 49th Parliament 16 May 1990 Legislative Council at pp 3413-4)

The Hon. R. S. L. JONES: ... Some years ago there was controversy about the former Minister for Education, the Hon. Rodney Cavalier, making an art out of changing school names. Dr Metherell asked the former Minister about changing the name of Maitland High School to Evatt High School. ...

The Hon. ELISABETH KIRKBY: ... I refer particularly to the change of name of Maitland Boys High School and Maitland Girls High School. They had been schools of high repute for more than 100 years. For reasons best known to himself the previous Minister for Education decided it would be a good idea to change their names. That caused enormous resentment in that community, particularly among students whose parents and grandparents had attended those schools. ...

The Hon. VIRGINIA CHADWICK (Minister for Family and Community Services): Like the Hon. Elisabeth Kirkby, I come from the Hunter Valley and am well aware of the controversy that raged over the proposed name change of the Maitland high schools. Though the Government rejects the amendment, I have sympathy with the honourable member, because that change was frivolous, churlish and unworthy of the Hon. Rodney Cavalier. ...

Otherthinker (talk) 06:48, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Good oh. What do you propose to do about it? -danjel (talk to me) 07:06, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

I'm new to this wiki stuff; I will edit but didn't want to tread on toes.Otherthinker (talk) 11:49, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

It's great that you're considering other editors but don't be afraid to be bold when editing. Even if you stuff things up totally, somebody can always fix it. Based on your excellent work at Newcastle Boys' High School though, I don't think that's going to be an issue. --AussieLegend (talk) 00:36, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Sources - history

I'm placing this note here in case anyone else wants to use these sources.

• Maitland Girls' High School 1884-1984
• Boy's High celebrates centenary perhaps a liftout from The Maitland Mercury of Tuesday May 29, 1984?
• Girls' High celebrates centenary perhaps a liftout from The Maitland Mercury of Thursday March 29, 1984?
• 1933 Jubilee issue of The Magpie

• Brough House : the hostel years 1919-1969 / compiled and edited by Janece McDonald.

And the school magazines:

• The Magpie MBHS
• Our girls MGHS

Otherthinker (talk) 16:21, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

School Houses

The article as it stands says that the original six houses were named for former Principals but gives no source for this assertion. Waddy, Portus and hughes were all Rhodes Scholars.

• Portus was an edcator but his entry in the ADB makes no mention of his being headmaster at his old school. He later became a Professor at Adelaide.
• Waddy was a medical practitioner - his brother and father were headmasters but of The Kings School Parramatta not Maitland.
• Hughes did a BSC and BEng and was reported atthe time of the award of his scholarship that he wanted to study naval architecture with a view to working for Lloyds of London. Did he really become a Principal of his old school?

Otherthinker (talk) 19:51, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

References