CELEBRATING 125 YEARS OF HISTORY 1896-2021
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From the archives :
The first Swan magazine published in November 1904 reported that on the last day of the mid-winter holidays , the School received a warning that the Swan River was rapidly rising and that the Boat Shed was in danger . The water was already half way up the Boat Shed walls . Francis Bennett ( 1897-1906 ), John Lefroy Crossland ( 1899-1905 ) and Wilfred Harper ( 1897-1908 ) waded through the water and with considerable difficulty got into the shed , rescued the four , carried it to the master ’ s cottage and stowed it in the wood shed . The flood continued to rise for several days . The water was half way up the banks of the School and was spread for half a mile of unbroken water , burying the Woodbridge orchard . The School appreciated the apples and oranges that were washed into the playground . The November 1905 Swan magazine also recorded the Swan River flooding twice and again the boats had to be rescued in the June holidays by Mr Charles Hutchinson , staff and rowing coach ( 1905-1909 ) and Mr Charles Walter Harper ( 1896-1897 ). The boats were towed up to the Woodbridge machinery shed . The Boat Shed took a long time to dry out . The boats had only just been returned to the Boat Shed when a second flood came down quickly and a rescue party from the School had to again wade into the water to rescue the boats . The August 1915 Swan reported that after a four-year absence , the Swan River flooded its banks . The water was nearly as high as the 1910 floods . The vegetable gardens and cow sheds were flooded . One cow had been left behind and had to be rescued . It was reported that in their new location , the cows were either watching the football or raiding the front gardens of the School ! Even the pigs had to be moved to higher ground for a brief period . The August 1917 Swan reported that the School usually had to contend with one flood every year , but in late August there was a treble flood . All previous records for the height of the water were broken . The August 1926 Swan reported a bad year for the flu and floods . The Swan River rose on 20 July , remaining for more than a fortnight , breaking the 1917 record . A flood was again recorded in 1930 and the House Rowing was again disrupted when the boats had to be removed to higher ground . The Swan River flooded again in 1939,1946 , February 1955 , 1960 , June 1963 , 1978 and 1983 , 1996 , 2000 and 2017 . Rosemary Waller Archivist
Swan River floods
1926 View from the Chapel bell towers .
1939 The Flats , consumed by rising water .
1963 Flooded sports fields .
1978 View across to the David Lawe Davies Centre .
2000 Old Boat Shed .