Memories of Castle Hill High School
These are some great facts and memories of the beginnings of Castle Hill High School and how it played a major role in the growing district ’ s education , courtesy of Murray Irwin and recently published by the school on its Facebook page .
CHHS will be celebrating its 60th anniversary next year , but Mr Irwin can cast his mind back to 1963 , when the first 152 pupils of CHHS boarded at Northmead High School .
It was 1964 when the £ 293,000 school began operating at its Castle Hill Street site with approximately 300 first- and second-year students .
Here ’ s more facts from Mr Irwin that may jog your memory if you ’ re a family or friend associated with the school :
1964 : Milton Simmons was sports master – he spent 14 years in the position . Enrolment once fully operational was expected to be 1000 .
1965 : The first year the school had subject masters Robert Roeth ( Maths and Science ), Ralph Adey ( English / History ) and Malcolm Richmond ( Manual Arts ). Enrolment was 700 with 32 staff .
1966 : there were 900 students and 44 staff , with new Subject Masters for Science and Commerce .
1967 : CHHS officially opened on 29 November , with 1200 students , with the final building cost reported at £ 750,000 .
1968 : enrolment was 1260 , with 38 roll classes and 66 staff . Mrs Murray was appointed Music Mistress . Gary Collins was
CHHS principal Eric Silk ( seated third from right ) listening to speaker Jim Thompson , Parramatta Area Director of Education . Picture : CHHS Facebook .
appointed head of the Art Department .
1969 : enrolment reached 1400 and teaching staff of 75 . The English and History Departments were separated . Pat Devir became the new English Master , Ralph Adey became the History Master . There were 43 roll classes and 42 rooms .
1970 : future students of Baulkham Hills High School were boarded at Castle Hill High School – the combined enrolment totalling 1650 . Later the future students of Galston High were also boarded at CHHS with the school population reaching 2000 .
1972 : Milton Simmons was appointed Administration Head Teacher , holding the position until 1977 the year he was acting deputy principal , with Alan Warner acting principal . 2009 : enrolment 1200 . 2013 : enrolment was 1350 . 2022 : CHHS is now the largest public secondary school in NSW with more than 2000 students .
SKILLS4You : Helping migrant women find employment
Developed by Macquarie Community College , the SKILLS4You program is designed to help migrant women just like Olga into employment in Australia .
What made Macquarie Community College such a great place for Olga when other attempts at study were thwarted by her lack of confidence and poor English , is the college ’ s long history of working with and supporting migrant women .
They provide the necessary training and support for migrants such as Olga to grow in confidence , capability , experience , and readiness to take the necessary steps towards permanent employment .
After training through Macquarie Community College , Olga graduated with a CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support ( Ageing & Disability ).
Her new career in aged care fits perfectly with her personal interests and love for people , and her flexible work hours fit neatly with her responsibilities to her family of five . Added to this , both work and
A proud Olga Terfezine with her graduation certificate from Macquarie Community College . training have introduced her to people from diverse cultures , giving her lifelong friends and a supportive community .
“ I meet and talk to so many people from different cultures ,” says Olga .
“ I love seeing how the things I do really helps them .”
The brand new
SKILLS4You program provides a holistic environment to improve employment readiness , capability , and work experience for migrant women . The launch of the new SKILLS4You program comes at a crucial time , with critical labour shortages across the aged care , disability care , and child care sectors . Macquarie Community College , recognised High Performing Provider for Smart & Skilled is under contract with the NSW State Government as a Smart and Skilled and Adult Community Education ( ACE ) provider . This means that the program is fee-free for eligible students .
To enquire about SKILLS4You email sandra . mckinney @ macquarie . nsw . edu . au .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 84 // JUNE 2022 25