OFFICE OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET ROOM This commanding and historical site was originally home to Western Australia’s first secondary education facility and boarding house, Hale School. It was here that the foundations of the public and private secondary school education system in Western Australia were laid, To understand the historical significance and to gain a glimpse of early West Australian life, we invite you to view this pictorial history showing information on key attributes of the site’s history, from how the school came to be, its building and structure, to what life was like for the people residing here. The site also shows information on how the school originated, its challenges and growth and how the site became the setting for today’s Office of the Premier and Cabinet Room. 1858 HALE SCHOOL 1858 -1960 “THE GOOD BISHOP” First known as “The Bishop’s In 1856 Hale wa appointed Bishop Collegiate School after its founder, of Perth in England. On arrival in Perth’s first Anglican Bishop, Western Australia he soon realised Matthew Blagden Hale (b1811- the need for a boy’s secondary school d.1895). It then became known as to provide education to the colony’s The Church of England Collegiate future leaders. School (1863-1878), and later as The High School (1878 to 1929). Finally Modelled along the lines of the in 1929, to honour both the centenary traditional public schools of England, of the State and role of Bishop Hale the goal was to provide an education as the founder of secondary facility that trained boys to be education, the name was changed to leaders in church and state, as well Hale School. as providing a mix of traditional, classical and modern subjects along with the rigours of outdoor sporting activity. Financed predominantly by Hale and securing promises from prominent families to enrol their sons for a proposed fee, the school opened on June 28, 1858 with 23 students. “No man showed a greater faith in education than he, and none gave more freely of his own means to help forward the cause of secondary education.” Bishop Matthew Blagden Hale 1811-1895 Taken from the Official School Memorandum, February 1914.” TOUGH TIMES At the time, secondary education was seen as a luxury that many in the colony could simply not afford. By 1863 Hale struggled to keep the school financially afloat due to a lack of funding and enrolments. Hale resigned and a Board of Governors was called on to take over the responsibility of the school. The school was renamed The Church of England Collegiate School. A new name and board failed to change the school’s fortune and by 1872 was forced to close. The school master, Colonel Haynes, leased the school privately from the Board of Governors and continued to tutor a small number of students. 1876 THE HIGH SCHOOL ACT PASSES, 1876 After years of lobbying, the school received a lifeline from the Government by the passing of the High School Act through the Legislative Council in September 1876. The act made “provision for the establishment of a High School for the purpose of giving boys an education similar to that given in Australian colonies”. Funds were provided and the state school system begins. On March 1, 1978 the school began its new phase as “The High School” occupying various premises in the city, including the Cloisters, the Pensioner Barracks and the former Military Hospital in George Street. The school was modelled on the English school system, where the headmaster had to be a University graduate, not a minister of religion. 1890 - 1920 THE GOLDEN YEARS Responsible Government was observations, should not be interfered granted to Western Australia by with by the construction of the new Britain in 1889 and great prosperity school buildings. was enjoyed by the State due to the By December 1913, construction Gold Rush (1890 to 1920). commenced for the new School As a result of this new prosperity, Building (today the Constitutional Public Works continued at a Centre). At an approximate cost of rapid rate. Parliament House was £7000 the new school was officially constructed and opened in 1904 and opened on August 20, 1914. the University of Western Australia Rapid growth continued. A wooden was established by 1911. gymnasium was built in 1916, a During this period the High School science block constructed in 1917 too enjoyed increased enrolments and and with enrolments peaking over new and upgraded facilities. 300, a Memorial Wing (funded by the Old Boys Association.) with four The Government granted several new classrooms linking cloisters was acres for a recreation facility in West opened in 1920. Perth. This was rescinded in 1896 to make way for the Perth Observatory. In its place the school was given playing fields in Kings Park. Due to the separation between the School and playing fields the land to the north of the Observatory site was granted with the provision that the line of sight of the meridian, which 1920 This photo appears in early Hale School Prospectus publications and was captioned “School at Swedish crossed Havelock Street and was Exercises” essential to the Observatory’s 1925 THE NEW BOARDING HOUSE In 1925 the Boarding House was rooms on the ground floor and constructed on the high ground of dormitory, infirmary and bathroom the Harvest Terrace end, occupying accommodation on the first floor. the commanding position between the school building and Parliament A driveway off Havelock Street House. along the southern boundary was constructed in 1926 to give access Designed by former student, architect to the Boarding House. Today this Herbert Parry, the structure of the driveway forms part of the official House was arranged in the traditional driveway leading to the main manner with dining and communal ceremonial entrance. One of the dormitories. A the time it could accommodate 80 boarders. THE LAUNDRY BLOCK The laundry block constructed at the It 1951, the once buzzing laundry same time as the original boarding block, became a vacant unused space house, was positioned at the rear of and remained as such for 12 years. It the building and housed the bathroom wasn’t until 1963, that the building facilities for the schoolboys and was coverted into offices and used masters. It included toilets, showers by the Education Department until and washing facilities as well as a 2010. In 2011, as a apart of the room for drying and storing. redevelopment, the building was demolished. By the end of the 1940’s it became apparent the facility needed upgrading and in 1943 a separate brick drying room was built to provide further space. By 1947 the school installed its first washing machine, The laundry block would serve the boarding house another 13 years. Hale School Laundry Block - demolished in late 2011 FLOOR PLANS The floor plan drawings illustrate The Matron’s bed and sitting room, the original floor plans of the Hale located on the first floor, was adjacent School Boarding House, as designed to the infirmary and sickroom to by former Hale School student allow for each of access. No doubt architect Herbert Parry, 1925. too, the sickroom, positioned above the ground floor sitting room, The plans illustrate the traditional provided what was most likely the manner of the design, with dining quietest haven in the house. and communal rooms on the ground floor and dormitory, infirmary and To provide for natural airflow, bathroom accommodation on the first verandahs and balconies featured in floor. the plans and can be seen on the front side of the building plans as well as The open design of the living and the inter facing courtyard. sleeping quarters, were designed to allow for maximum supervision of the students. Strategically, the Masters’ study and bedrooms were positioned at the edge of these areas. 1925/26 Original Hale Boarding House Ground Floor Plan (left) and First Floor Plan (right). BOARDING LIFE Life outside of the classroom for the Parents were not allowed to send borders was predominantly Divine money directly with pocket money service, study and sport. being issued out once a week by the headmaster. Boarders were to write Leave from the school was not home once per week. permitted during the weekdays but was granted for a portion of Saturday Conditions such as these were and Sunday after 11.30am. The believed to contribute to producing only exception being regular sport healthy, young men of mind, body activities at the school’s Kings Park and soul. grounds. Weekend leave from the school was only permitted twice per term and this was granted only if a written application letter was provided well in advance of the requested dates. Another dormitory BOARDING HOUSE Conditions were simple and there “Man was I scared....having were few places of privacy for the never been to school before... boys. with only a couple or three of The two large dormitories were us in what I recall could be the designed for open air sleeping, very corner room upstairs looking to much supporting the healthy, fresh the Parliament. The sound of the air lifestyle. trains hooting sent me up the wall One can only imagine how daunting once!” school and boarding life must have been at first to a young boy. Jim Drysdale a former border, 1941 to 1949 recalls his first night, aged eight, Hale School Dining Hall HOUSE MASTER “We made an effort to make sure it we’d have to make sure they didn’t was a much a home as possible... use up all the hot water before the boys came back from sport..